St. John's University Writing Center gets it WRITE!

When you think of college you usually think of parties and dorms. However, most of us unfortunately have to remember a large part of college… long papers that seem to go on forever. Whether it’s for English, history, film or law the papers we are assigned are a huge part of any final grade. What if there was a place you could bring your paper, where a fresh pair of eyes can view and edit your work? What if you are totally lost and don’t know where to start your essay? What if you can have a skilled undergrad and grad student help you create your resume and cover letter… and all for free? Well such a place exists for the students of St. Johns University. The University Writing Center, located next to the library is a place where all these things can happen. As explained to the class by writing tutors Samir Abady and Sandra Nelson, help for your papers is easily accessible here at St. Johns. If you are interested in receiving help for your next paper the first suggested approach is making an appointment.

 Appointments can easily be made online or in person. Each appointment can be anywhere from 15 minutes to the full hour bracket. There are three available ways in which you can submit your paper for review. First, and most popularly is making a face to face appointment. This allows you to work one on one in person with a skilled writing tutor. Secondly, you can submit your paper online for it to be returned with comments and annotations. Lastly, you can have a live online session in which you and a tutor are both by a computer reviewing your paper together. You are able to make up to 2 appointments a week; however the facility is always available for a quiet working space. The writing institute is open 6 days a week, everyday but Saturday, making improving your writing easy, accessible and convenient. The tutors say the best tips for writing papers is plan ahead and don’t leave it for the night before, proof read your work, and read it aloud to fix your own mistakes. Writing is a large part of college, but at the writing center, students of any skill level have the opportunity to improve their writing.

Time to Tone

As we all know, finding a time to workout is difficult with our busy schedules. In order to have a successful routine in which you see serious changes in your body you need to create a physical fitness schedule. Working out inconsistently produces little to no results. The only way to see change it to create a schedule and stick to it. Also, this allows you to plan ahead and see what really works for you. 

"Remember 9/11" - St. John's displays the work of the Jeff Mermelstein: 9.11.01 Collection

The photographer, Jeff Mermelstein's favorite picture from the collection

As the 10th anniversary of September 11th passes, artists and journalists around the world are showing there interpretations in stories, videos and photographs globally. St John's opened an exhibit for the months of september and october that memorializes september 11th through the lens of Jeff Mermelstein. Mermelstein refers to himself as a "war photographer" who takes pictures of disaster sites. One of his photographs, featured below, is the most sold photograph worldwide.  It was the first documented picture of september 11th. As explained by the curator, in the Dr. M. T. Geoffrey Yeh Art Gallery, it makes us ask ourselves how do we resolve conflict? why did this happen? did we deserve it? The exhibit is mainly composed of photographs, however a major part includes a room with 3 chalk walls in which people could share there views of the event. 

Keep your heart healthy

Maintaining a healthy heart rate is a key ingredient in burning fat while working out. If you do not increase your heart rate, the work you are doing is not being properly used and therefore is not as beneficial. The chart above helps you track a healthy workout heart rate based on your age. Try it out during a workout and track your progress!

Yoga is a great way to balance the stresses of school while maintaining a healthy fitness level

Eat the foods you love and still stay fit?

Many people think that to diet or to stay fit you have to cut out all the foods that you love. Not true! Staying fit and maintaining a decent diet is all based on moderation. Moderation is key in all diets. Eating too much of any food is not good, the same applies to cutting full groups out. If you maintain a steady nutritious diet that contains all important food groups, indulging in your favorite foods is totally acceptable! Diet and fitness are the key to staying healthy. You cant only workout or only diet in order to maintain a good fitness level, so cheating by eating your favorite foods once in a while has no harm. Studies show that by indulging in less healthy food you crave in moderation is healthier then cutting it out. why? Because by not satisfying your cravings you end up eating a lot more unhealthy food then originally planned. In conclusion, it IS possible to eat the foods you love and still stay fit. Diet is about moderation.