Section LC02

on October 13, i went to the student services fair, which also counted as a workshop if you went to 10 different tables each identifying one part of baruch’s services, and you inquired about that service.  im really glad that i went to this fair because i received so much information about studying abroad, which is what im really aiming for next year, and about different tutoring services around the school. i didn’t even know that i can have someone evaluate my essay at the writing center and have them help me rewrite it for the maximum grade.

                The South Bronx isn’t the only place in America that faces a great deal of poverty and crime, but The Provenance of Beauty did a lot to provoke thought and evoke action. This isn’t the only time we hear about ghettos, projects, poverty, gangs and drugs. We hear about it everywhere, from the news, to hip-hop, to books, and even talk amongst our friends. But hearing about it through some kind of media is a completely different experience than seeing it, even if it is from the seats of a charter bus. For those of us who attended, we caught a glimpse at the difficulty people endure. We saw the commemorative murals of the deceased. We saw the skyline of New York City juxtaposed with the scatter of lifeless buildings and highways. We saw the scars of capitalism and gentrification in this area where most people have nothing but hope in the American dream. It is interesting that no solution has been proposed to improve that manner of living. Improvements may have been made, but over the span of two decades, those improvements seem miniscule.  Even so the policies implemented have deteriorated and scarred this area of the city so deep, its effects may be irreversible. Everyone who went on that tour must have agreed that something had to be done. But who is listening?

I went to a workshop that would fill the spot of Community-Global awareness on Friday. It was supposed to be a film called “My Beautiful Laundrette.” I wasn’t too excited about going to a workshop on a Friday, but I wanted to get it over with. The workshop took place in one of those big lecture classrooms, and it felt like a movie theater. I figured this workshop wouldn’t be as bad as the others because it’s basically watching a film. However, the lady that was there said the person in charge of the workshop didn’t come, so the workshop was cancelled. She agreed to sign our books because we came and we were there on time. I wasn’t too happy about that because this wasn’t the first time a workshop had gone wrong. If workshops are so important, why aren’t faculty members ensuring that they happen?

On Thursday, October 15, I went to a workshop at the second floor of the library. It showed me how to use the Baruch database online and some searching term tips. Although some of these skills I have already learn in our library class, they also showed me other parts of the database. These database can really be helpful for my future research paper. And hopefully this will help me in my library class, in case the professor teaches us about the database that I just learned.

Before the club fair, I have been to some other workshops with my friends. However I always forget to bring my agenda book, therefore I never got it signed yet. Until a few weeks again, I went to the club fair. It took place at the basement, where the gymnasium was. There were many people there and the music were blasting. At the fair I saw many different clubs there that were quite interesting as well, and I plan on joining some of them one day.

The Provenance of Beauty is a theatre performance and bus tour of the South Bronx. It’s a bus trip around certain parts of the Bronx while we listen to an actor on board talk about the different areas and describe some of the history of each area. We saw places such as the Penny Factory which used to be a currency printing factory but is closed down now; it was known for its spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline. The prison barracks, sewage treatment center, fertiliser company and a few of the biggest food labels were some of the other sites shown. My personal favorite was the community center called the Point, I had heard a lot about it and the murals painted by the local artists there were really amazing. We saw around four parks and each one of them had their own unique history of how it was created or what happens there now. Overall it was a really fun experience because I learned a lot about a part of New York City I knew very little about. Bronx has a rich history and seems to have a very tight knit community of people living there and it was nice to get to experirence that and get to be a part of that for a while.

So I haven’t done any workshop yet, which I think is pretty bad. I always forget about it and I never know where to go. I really wish we didn’t have to them. College is getting harder and easier at the same time. Im already use to Baruch so the whole adjusting stage is over with. The work is getting harder though. I feel like every week were getting a lot more reading and more papers. Im kinda nervous about the art midterm since I really have no idea what’s going to be on it. Overall college work sucks and so does the workshop.

I really enjoyed the trip to the South Bronx today. The tour showed the area’s historic sites, landmarks, and the neighborhood. When sitting through the long ride, I saw many people in the neighborhood stop to wave at us. There were children playing baseball, people shopping, chatting in barbershops, and playing chess. I felt a sense of community because everyone was so involved in their neighborhood. It’s interesting to see that everyone goes about in their daily lives, forgetting how the South Bronx came to be. The South Bronx took many years of work to become what it is now. The tour showed the beauty of the Bronx, but that beauty came from the struggles that the people faced. It almost seems bittersweet to me. When looking outside the tour bus, it is the culture, the history, and the people who are the true beauty that we see.

i went to the open house seminar and it was really confusing. there was a huge line of people and they didnt even tell me anything worthwhile, at least they gave out cookies. and i wanted to go to other freshman seminars but they always get canceled and i dont know what to do then since we need to do 6 of them.

The freshmen seminar dates are extremely confusing. The dates are constantly changed and some seminars are getting cancelled without notice. Everytime I plan to go to a seminar it gets cancelled; this happened twice. We have to do six of these seminars yet we can’t know for sure if a seminar is really happening until the exact time the event scheduled.