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General

InterSECTIONS Diversity Retreat

By Ashley Garner

Fall break is the best time of year. SMU students have the option to go on an alternative break trip, visit with family, take a road trip with some buddies, or simply relax and enjoy their vacation.

I decided to go on SMU’s first ever InterSECTIONS Diversity Retreat. I along with nearly 40 other students chose to spend half of our break learning about how diversity impacts our SMU community.

We spent our time in large and small group discussion talking about the way our diverse campus population impacts our students and our world. We each learned about the of value each person’s experiences and how different backgrounds create a richer SMU culture.

The retreat lasted 3 days and 2 nights and my favorite activity was the “Line of Privilege” activity. Our facilitator had us spread out along the edge of the building and read out a series of statements. If the statement applied to us, we would walk forward. There were some difficult questions that played in to gender, ethnic, and racial stereotypes. Yet, at the end of the activity we debriefed over how we all experience levels of privilege in our daily lives.

It was truly a great retreat and I would recommend to anyone who wishes to attend in the future. Pony Up!

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Life Around Dallas

Everything’s Bigger in Texas

big texBy Erin Robbins

October is my favorite time of year for many reasons; I love everything pumpkin flavored, the weather in Dallas is perfect, football season is in full swing, my birthday is coincidentally at the end of the month, AND it’s Texas State Fair time!

For three weeks, the Texas State Fair comes to life in Dallas. The fairgrounds are only a fifteen minute train ride south of SMU’s campus via the Dallas public transportation and is a great weekend activity.  With midterms finishing last week, I decided that a trip to the fair was the perfect way to enjoy the cooler Dallas weather and treat myself to a few hours away from the library!

downtownRight when you walk in you are greeted by Big Tex, the iconic symbol of the fair (shown in the first picture).

Each year new fried creations compete for one of the coveted Big Tex Choice Awards.  This year the winner of the best tasting was deep-fried Cuban roll and the most creative was fried Thanksgiving.  My personal favorite is fried butter, and until you’ve tried it for yourself I guarantee you won’t understand.  Making sure you don’t eat too much is the hardest part of the fair, especially if you want to enjoy some of the rides.  The Texas Star is the biggest Ferris wheel in North America and can be seen from the entrance into the fair.  It is always one of the busiest rides because it has some of the most spectacular views of downtown Dallas!  I took a picture from the top of the Ferris wheel and had to share how cool it looked.  The Texas State Fair is quite a unique experience and is definitely a must-see during your time as a Mustang!

 

Categories
General

Reflections of a ‘Senior’ Citizen

By Bri Strickland

It seems like just yesterday I was a wide-eyed first-year Mustang strolling the Boulevard, unsure of what the next four years had in store for me. I came to SMU without knowing a single person so my first few months were marked by awkward first encounters and countless handshakes. I remember wondering if I’d outgrown the campus or if I had even made the right decision to come over 1300 miles away from home.

Fast forward three years – home is no longer just in sunny South Florida. Half way across the country I’ve made a whole other life with friends that feel more like family. There’s something to be said about one day waking up as a college senior and relishing in the people you’ve surrounded yourself with. In retrospect some of my greatest college nights aren’t reminiscent of a scene from Animal House, but are late nights spent sitting in the halls talking for hours or going home with a local friend for Sunday night dinners with their family. The college experience is stereotyped and marked by an accumulation of social and academic expectations but the interpersonal connections made in these four years are often overlooked and underappreciated. I can honestly say that the people I’ve met at SMU are the kinds of people I want to continue to influence me and help to grow to as a person.

I can’t believe I ever thought I could outgrown the SMU campus or the city of Dallas itself. The ‘bucket-list’ I scribbled down in my dorm freshmen year, is only 25% complete. As a senior, I feel qualified in saying that I’ve never felt like I’ve outgrown my university or its city. Naturally, my first few years at SMU were characterized and filled with on campus happenings like movies on the lawn, sporting events and more. As I became an upperclassman, a whole new world outside of the campus walls opened up. I suddenly myself engaged and exploring Dallas itself more. Whether it was a new restaurant opening, an art gallery walk in Deep Ellum or catching up with recent SMU alums, I felt a reinvigorated surge of curisoity for the city around me.

Even after over three years at SMU, I find myself still experiencing new things and meeting new people. When it comes time to graduate in May, I don’t know if I can bring myself to leave because I feel as if the best is yet to be in this capitivating city and on this enchanting campus.

So I guess it’s time to consider graduate school then?

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Life Around Dallas

Life Around Dallas: Uptown

photoBy Kevin Hess

SMU is often advertised as being “just a hop skip and a jump” away from Downtown Dallas. If that is true, then SMU is also only a “hop and skip” away from the cultural center that is Uptown Dallas. Uptown is a trendy, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood less than 10 minutes from SMU’s campus. It is home to many of Dallas’ best restaurants, businesses and financial firms, and even a thriving scene for nightlife. Nestled into this part of town is also one of Dallas’ oldest and most historic neighborhoods, the State-Thomas neighborhood. Uptown is one of my favorite places to spend a day and evening, so I thought I’d highlight a couple of my favorite places.

1. In a city where brunch is the most important meal of the week, Breadwinners is king. Known for its location in an old brick hat factory in Uptown, Breadwinners is a place you can always count on to be packed Saturday and Sunday mornings. It has all the classic brunch options with some Texas specialties that will knock your socks off. A must-go for when you come to visit.

2. Klyde Warren Park is a revolutionary new urban park created “out of thin air” on several city blocks over the Woodall-Rogers Freeway that separates Uptown and Downtown. This park has an amazing range of things going on in it all the time: from food trucks to a luxurious restaurant, from exercise classes to an outdoor library, and from a separate dog park to an amazing children’s play center; it really is a fun place to spend an afternoon.

3. Lastly, no weekend in Uptown would be complete without Gui’s all-you-can-eat sushi special. Every Sunday (Tuesday and Thursday also), this restaurant runs a $20 all-you-can-eat special that holds a special home in many SMU student’s hearts. In my opinion, there’s no better way to finish a weekend then by meeting some friends and stuffing your face with some of Dallas’ best rolls. All-in-all Uptown is just one of many diverse and fun neighborhoods that Dallas has to offer. Neighborhoods like this, with their vibrant and different cultures, make me proud and excited to go to school in such a great city!

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Life Around Dallas

The “Big D”

By Courtney Quinn

In March 2013, Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau launched a new branding campaign to get the Dallas community involved in showing off the great city of Dallas. It was a BIG celebration! Huge block letters of “B” and “G” were placed all over the city and asked people to put themselves in the middle and spell BIG. Dallas’ nickname is the Big D, so it seemed like the most appropriate word to be the foundation of the campaign.

524665_10202154791337114_354069362_nThe letters were placed in all districts and hot spots of the city and rotate to new spots after a while. SMU was one of the first locations of the letters! My social media newsfeeds filled up with students posing in their best “I” formation in front of Dallas Hall. I couldn’t wait to get my picture with the letters! However, every time I spotted them it was an inopportune time to begin the photo shoot. Finally, the opportunity arrived!  Just last week, my friends and I were driving to campus on SMU Blvd and right in front of the George W.  Bush Presidential Center was the “B” and “G”! The Bush Center was having a special event so these letters weren’t going to be there for long. We quickly decided to park the car and run over to get the picture. A professional photographer was standing by and offered to take our picture. She was very helpful on how to properly pose. It was the best impulse decision. Now we have our BIG picture and can finally say we participated in the Dallas campaign. Also, the George W.  Bush Presidential Center is the perfect background to show how Dallas and SMU does it BIG!

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General

The Other Wes Moore

picBy Julius Henderson

Now in my 3rd year at SMU, I’ve had a chance to experience the college atmosphere and deal with many of the responsibilities that come with going to a school like SMU. One thing is for sure: college is about choices. As a matter of fact, life is about choices, and a recent experience that I had at here on campus really brought that to light for me.

During the first week of school, I had a chance to sit in on a lecture by Wes Moore, the author of The Other Wes Moore, the common reading book for the 2013-2014 school year. This story is geared around the lives of two individuals that were eerily similar, yet their journeys ended up in very different places. The story itself was very unique, as Wes touches on his childhood and takes us through the lives of himself as well as the other Wes, exploring the moments where their paths went in separate directions. Wes ended up as a Rhodes Scholar, studying at Oxford College as well as becoming a distinguished army veteran. The other Wes was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for a robbery that resulted in the death of a police officer.  The lecture proved to be such a valuable experience, as students across campus all came out to listen to Wes Moore talk about his experiences and how he’s used his own life and the life of the other Wes to demonstrate just how quickly one’s life can be changed with just one decision.

My biggest takeaway from going to see him speak was the simplicity of a message that has such significant implications. His message was clear: At all times, be conscious of your actions and the repercussions of those actions. As I continue through my college years, this awareness will continue to be strengthened, and I can only hope to make the type of impact that Wes Moore has had in some inner city communities through the example he has set. Ultimately, no one is perfect, but we must take advantage of what we can control, and that means making good choices, and knowing that those decisions will shape the future as we know it.

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Athletics

Game Day: SMU vs. TCU

By Shannon Conboy

What an absolutely incredible weekend in Fort Worth!

This weekend, I made the trip with some fellow SMU students down to Fort Worth to support our Mustangs! We got on the road early Saturday morning, starting the day off right at Bubba’s for breakfast which is conveniently walking distance from campus. After about an hour drive, we arrived at the house of one of our fellow SMU students to be greeted by an array of red and blue adorned by twenty to thirty of our other friends who had also made the trip.

After we had left the house, some of us heading to the TCU tailgate to catch up with some old high school friends, it was game time. Unfortunately, I’m not able to brag that we won and ‘fried the frogs,’ but I can say that we made a strong presence to support our ‘Stangs amidst the sea of purple! Sure, it was different than boulevarding before a home game, but I almost felt like there was an even greater sense of SMU spirit as we stuck together and were loyal to our team. It was a fun Saturday road trip, an awesome chance to hang out with friends outside of Dallas, and a great memory I’ll keep for years to come!

Categories
Life Around Dallas

The Dallas Concert Experience

b1 By Daniel Brock

One of my favorite parts about being a student at SMU is having a major music hub right in our backyard. During my time living in Dallas, I have been able to see all my favorite musical artist at live performances such as Avicii, Cherub, Chiddy Bang, Jimmy Buffett, etc. But every once in awhile, one of my more artistic friends likes to bring me along to Deep Ellum to experience more of the indie bands that I often overlook. For those of you that don’t know what Deep Ellum is, Deep Ellum is Dallas’ more hipster/artsy part of town filled with unique shops, trendy artwork, eccentric dining, and houses the underground music scene.

So my friend had been ragging on me all week to buy these tickets for this DJ that I have never heard of before. I was reluctant at first, but I remember last time she brought me to a concert she introduced me to Cherub, which is now one of my favorite artists.

b2Later, my friend who introduced me to Cherub, told me to buy tickets for DJ Slow Magic and I followed her advice without hesitation. The night of the concert, we arrived at the venue in Deep Ellum, where we climbed up the stairs and snagged ourselves a great spot by the speakers and right in the front row. I am normally custom to DJ’s that just stand and just spin records the whole time, but I had no idea about what I was about to experience with Slow Magic. But there were no turn tables; only drums, computer, and a synthesizer.

All of the sudden, the lights dimmed and a man dressed up in a fur outfit and a glowing wolf mask entered the stage and began to play around on his synthesizer. During the show, he began to do something I have never seen a DJ do before, he began to rage out on the drums while playing along with the techno music he wrote. His mask would change to different neon colors throughout the show as he intertwined the futuristic sound of the synthesizer with the most amazing drum solo I have ever seen. The whole time I was in awe with the amazing colors I kept seeing and I kept finding myself dancing along with his unique drum solos while the music played. At one point in the performance, he picked up one of the drums and than jumped out into the crowd. He placed the drum in the middle of the dance floor and proceeded to rage on the drums as everyone in the audience mosh pitted around him. It was one of the most amazing performances I have ever seen.

At the end of the night, I was extremely glad I went to the concert and my friend once again introduced me to my new favorite artist. Literally, all last week following the concert,  I have been playing all the songs from Slow Magic on repeat when I study and drive to school. I can’t wait to try another concert soon!

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Life Around Dallas

Life in Dallas: The Bishop Arts District

b2By An Phan

It took me three years to find it, but I finally did.  Tucked away in Oak Cliff, a neighborhood of Dallas, there is a lively, artsy area called Bishops Arts District.  It has yummy food, cute boutiques, and a trendy clientele.   Here are my favorites from the area:

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Dude Sweet Chocolate

I always thought gourmet chocolate places were cool and everything, but I never understood how they could be amazing until I tried Dude Sweet’s chocolate.  They add the weirdest flavors- like salami and mushroom to dark chocolate and it tastes…amazing.  Literally like an explosion of flavor in your mouth.  It’s unbelievable.  I bought the “fruity crack”, which is just cherries and other fruits covered by dark chocolate- nice and simple, but perfect.  The great thing about this place is that the let you sample everything- which is every kid’s dream.  Just sayin’. Check it out.

b3Oddfellow’s

Ok so I waited for 45 minutes to have brunch here on Sunday.  Worth it.  I sure did wonder if all of the customers drove all the way out there just to have brunch, though.  I ordered the chicken and waffles and the beignets.  The beignets were definitely something else; they had a real honey glaze and lemon juice, which gave them a very unique flavor.  The chicken was mighty tender, too.  As a brunch foodie (and all meals foodie), I would say that this is my favorite brunch place in Dallas.

Categories
Athletics

Fry the Frogs!

b4By Billy Hightower

Hail to the red and the blue, we’re the Mustangs from SMU!

 The clock is ticking – tomorrow morning the duel of DFW, a rivalry spanning almost 100 years between SMU and TCU, will begin. The series between the two DFW teams began in 1915 with a 43-0 win by TCU. Over the course of this series the TCU Horned Frogs have maintained at 45-40-7 lead in the series, but not for long! This rivalry is also known as the battle of the iron skillet. The history behind the iron skillet trophy fields back to 1946, with the rivalries between the two teams steadily getting more and more aggressive each and every year, the student council of SMU greeted TCU with the idea of granting the winning team with a trophy. Considering there was over $1000 worth of damage done to the universities by their rivals in the year before, TCU gladly obliged. After that first game, Derrell Tipps, TCU’s student body president was presented the skillet by Bobby Harris, SMU’s student body president. Inscribed the skillet was the phrase, “Presented in token of southwestern friendship to the winner of annual TCU-SMU football game. Student tradition sponsored jointly by student governments of the universities.” The question still remains…why an iron skillet? Many claim that SMU alum were frying frog legs at a tailgate before the game and TCU alum wagered them into the frog legs and the skillet to the winning alumni.

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Academics General

A Weekend in Taos

By Katelyn Hall

The typical weekend at SMU in the fall involves going to the football game, chatting by the tanning pool, and some time in the library. But this weekend, I swapped out the heat of Texas for the mountains and cool air of New Mexico.

khall pic

SMU has a campus in Taos, New Mexico, where students can go for summer terms or J-term in the winter. This weekend I went to Taos for a scholarship retreat.

While we were only there for three days, we managed to do all sorts of things. After a morning rafting on the Rio Grande River, we went hiking in the Sangre de Christo Mountains. We also explored the vast campus and sung together at a campfire. On our last day, we took a charter bus into Santa Fe. We walked around the plaza and ate pesole and sopapillas at the Plaza Café.

It was my third time at SMU-in-Taos, and it never gets old. I want to go to SMU-in-Taos this summer and take some classes at such a gorgeous campus.

 

Categories
Life Around Dallas

Dallas: Sports City, USA

By Liz Blumberg

While Dallas is famous for many things, one thing stands out in particular: sports. Whether your favorite team rules the field, the court or the ice, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the action – some are just minutes away from campus!

 NFL: Dallas Cowboys

“The House That Jerry Built” is just 30 minutes away from SMU and the home of the Dallas Cowboys. If football is your passion, then you will love catching a game at the brand new stadium that opened in 2009. The biggest attraction? The jumbotron, measuring 160 feet across.

NBA: Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks, the 2011 NBA Champions, play at the American Airlines Center in the heart of downtown. Watching your favorite NBA team is a short cab ride – or DART journey – away. The Mavericks are the pride of Dallas, and owner Mark Cuban is often sighted at restaurants around the city.

MLB: Texas Rangers

The Ballpark at Arlington is considered one of the nation’s prettiest and premier ballparks and you’ll see why once you visit. In the Spring and Summer, SMU students can be always found enjoying a hot dog and a cold drink while cheering on the Rangers.  Out-of-staters: enjoy singing “Deep in the Heart of Texas” during the 7th inning stretch!

NHL: Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars are quickly transforming into one of the city’s most popular teams. Tickets are relatively cheap, so it’s easy to get a group together to go watch the Stars tear up the ice. They also play at the American Airlines Center downtown, making any game a short trip and a worthwhile adventure.

Categories
Campus Life

U11: Fostering Mustang Spirit

558862_4820281228524_636664766_nBy Jack Murphy

Oh how sweet it is to return to SMU after a hot summer in the hills of northern California after a great summer internship.  It’s good to get back to the Big D.  While I had been keeping busy over the summer, it seems that SMU has been making big changes as well!  Closing in on finishing the final touches on the Residential Commons, improving Moody Colliseum for our top-caliber basketball team, and welcoming a whole new class of awesome first-years!  I remember my first year, which actually ended only a few months ago.  The people you meet, the classes you take, and the big city you live in all have an impact on every new college student.  But the memories I will never forget is my time with the first-year program called U11.

829 1341When everyone is scoping out the interesting organizations during “A Night at the Club”-the fair for SMU clubs and organizations – I came across a combined group of the Union and Mustang 11.  Known as U11, this group promotes class spirit and unity, and in doing so they play a major role during football and basketball games!  When U11 accepted me, I became part of a family of friendly and spirited people and we were given to opportunity to uphold a major tradition at SMU: Lead the football team onto the field.  Before every game, I would march down the Boulevard with the Mustang Band, Cheer team, and Pom Squad onto the field and lead our Mustang Football team out of the tunnel and onto the field.  It’s the most exhilarating experience running in front of 50+ large college athletes, praying that I don’t trip and get trampled on!  By participating in U11, I had the opportunity to get a photo-op with some pretty awesome people!  I shook the hand of former President George W. Bush at the first football game and met TOMS shoes founded Blake Mycoskie at the Homecoming game!  After such a memorable experience with U11, I took up an advisor role with the organization and continue to show my SMU spirit for every game, all the way to the forth quarter.  These are the times in college that you will never forget.

Top picture: My U11 friend Allison lost amongst the football team while trying to outrun them.

Bottom picture: Me, (Jack Murphy) in the Sunglasses in the back,  taking a photo with George W. Bush.

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SMU Abroad

SMU Abroad: South Africa

By Shannon Conboy

If there is one thing I could recommend that you absolutely must do in your four years here at SMU, it is to study abroad. This summer, I had the opportunity to be able to spend the month of June in South Africa with a group of eleven awesome SMU students, and I can easily say it has been one of my most rewarding experiences so far.

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Not only was I learning all about the rich history and culture of South Africa from the SMU Professor on the trip, but I was also completely submerged in it. The local students I was surrounded with could verify what I was learning about their culture and history and it was incredible to be able to talk to them about their experiences and to hear their stories. On the last day of our SMU course, our Professor even invited the South African students to come join in our class, and there was quite some interesting discussions having all these different perspectives present to share.

This program was ideal for me as a vocal major, because it offered the chance to perform the musical South Pacific right there in the country, allowing for collaboration between the students from

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SMU and the students of the University of KwaZulu- Natal. Aside from exploring the country, going on a safari, and even visiting a wonder of the world in Cape Town, I spent a great deal of time in a South African opera school, giving me a once in a lifetime opportunity and different perspective on a world in which I am pursuing a career.

While the experience of the land and culture as a whole is one I will never be able to forget, I must say that even more valuable to me are the relationships I formed with the students there as well as with my fellow SMU colleagues. I left inspired by the people I met and with a newfound love for music and all it means. I became close with the SMU students I shared the experience with and now, being back to school for the first week, I love seeing all of them as I walk around campus. In fact, we’re already planning a reunion so that we can remember and reminisce on the great experience we shared this summer through the SMU study abroad program.

Categories
General

Retreating to Taos

taosBy Mehdi Hami

Over Labor Day weekend, I took a trip to Taos, New Mexico, home to one of SMU’s three campuses. When people think of Taos, they think of the art and culture that defines the town. Of course, it is all that, but also so much more.

First of all, the Taos campus is huge. It’s bigger than the campus in Dallas! That means tons of room to jog, mountain bike, and build campfires. With its cool weather, I ended up taking long walks with my friends and sitting around several campfires. From playing games to singing songs, the best times in Taos were the ones spent outdoors.

Even though the campus is rather large, the buildings are all close to each other. The casitas (small dorms), cafeteria, auditorium, and tennis/basketball courts are all centrally located close to each other. There’s even a library and computer lab filled with Mac desktops. The Taos campus is really a college campus! Students have spent a whole semester there before and lots of SMU students take advantage of summer semesters in Taos.

One thing I always get excited about when I go to the Taos campus is the food. They have the best food there. There’s a small, wonderful staff of ladies working to keep us fed with amazing food at all times. In all honesty, even with all the hiking and biking, I gained about 5 pounds in the three days I spent in Taos. But believe me, it was all worth it.

Taos is a beautiful place that every SMU student should make room for in their four years at school. I’ve been there three times already, and I’m planning on going one last time as a senior.