Fearless of the Freshman Fifteen

Returning to Read for my second year, I still consider several of my floor mates from last year to be my best friends. We started several traditions last year that we continue now, one of which being regular trips to the SRSC or HPER gyms. When paired with the healthy choices in the dining halls, staying in shape is not as hard as the stereotypes say. Last Sunday when they came to visit, we took the familiar walk to the SRSC for fitness and fun.

Three of the six of us prefer swimming as a way to stay in shape, especially during hot weather. The SRSC has many free lanes open after 5:30 p.m.


In addition to pools, fitness centers on campus have facilities like basketball, racquetball, and tennis courts. In the conditioning areas, there are cardio machines such as ellipticals, tredmills, and bikes, as well as extensive weight training areas, so staying in shape is easy no matter who you are.

My Most Memorable Welcome Week Night

As both Morgan and Kristen have already explained, Welcome Week at IU is one-of-a-kind. What I think makes it so great is all the little details that go into it. From individual residence halls' programs, to campus-wide events, no moment goes unplanned. That being said, the saying "You don't need to look any further than your own backyard" really holds true in explaining my most memorable night of Welcome Week this year: Casino Night at Read Center.


Aug. 29, Welcome Week volunteers and staff worked all day decorating the Center Lobby and setting up games, activities, and refreshment stands. Like I said, it's the little details that make an event a great one here.

Starting at 7 p.m., students could play classic casino games, stop by the Jungle Bar for any of the creative mixed-to-order drinks, listen to the music of a live DJ, or enjoy food from the snack table with the largest variety I have seen at an RPS event yet.

Even the workers and volunteers had fun, which really helped get students in a fun mood and actively participate. The best example of this would be the "bartenders," who sang and danced along to the music while inventing their own creative drinks, my favorite being the "Dr. Anthony Surprise." What is in it, I can't reveal, for it is truly a surprise.

My Summer and Me

My name is Mary, and I am from a very small town in Indiana just outside of Chicago. I am a sophomore here at IU majoring in Contemporary Dance. My family and friends are some of the most important things to me, and while they are two separate groups of people by blood, they are one and the same to me. Music is a shared love for almost every member of my family, from my grandfather’s bluegrass music that he plays at his church, to my mom and her piano, to my brother Ike and I writing our own style of songs together. My best photography comes from what I am passionate about—I can’t consider a photo I take to be one of my best unless the content is something I really had a desire to capture and be a part of. My greatest inspirations for photography this summer, therefore, were music and family. I am extremely excited about being an RPS photographer this year because all summer I have been counting down the days to return to campus where there are exponentially more photo opportunities that appeal to me than in my small and quiet hometown. I am especially excited about living in Read Center again because so much there is music- and dance-related.

This summer, I had the chance to return to Dover, Tennessee and visit some of my family there who I rarely get to see anymore. My dad and grandmother and cousin took me to a cemetery from the 1800s, where my great-great-grandparents are buried.

My grandfather took me to his church for a bluegrass festival where he played, and I’ve never seen more talented musicians than the ones who played there that night. I brought down a recording of Ike's and my songs to my grandparents on that trip and it was so amazing to share music across so many different genres and generations.

After returning home, I was anxious to play more music myself, and I took some photos of Ike that he could use on his solo work while I am away at college during the school year. Weekends this summer were the only time I could spend with my mom. She has a very busy work schedule, so any time I could spend with her meant a lot to me. I liked to capture as many of our times together in photographs as I could.