I Placed my order with a woman at the front counter. She was very friendly and worked hard to make sure I was served and in a timely manner. I ended up picking up a pumpkin muffin and a small hot chocolate. I had never eaten a pumpkin muffin previous to my trip to Illium. When I took my first bite, it was love! Pumpkin and spice danced on my tongue and filled my palate with joy. This muffin was fresh and I could definitely tell it was made from scratch. This is one of the reasons I love eating at local restaurants instead of chains-the food is always fresh and made-to-order! Next, I took a small sip of my hot chocolate. This hot chocolate was a taste I had never experienced before. The Illlium has their own secret recipe and I could tell because the taste was something you can not find in a box or on a shelf. The hot chocolate tasted rich and had a hint of cinnamon along with some kind of other spice which I could not quite figure out.

My experience at the Illium Cafe was definitely one to remember. I’m definitely stopping by again, soon.

Photo credit:http://us.cdn2.123rf.com/168nwm/skoney/skoney1104/skoney110400003/9436540-creamy-cup-of-coffe-with-fresh-muffin-focus-on-coffee.jpg

Rule # 1:
Time management
One thing you don’t want to do when there’s snow on the ground is drive fast because you overslept or you’re leaving at your usual time. Make sure that the night before, your alarm is set and it is set at an hour to an hour and a half more than your regular time you get up. This ensures enough time for you to get ready and allow enough time to navigate those snowy roads we all love to hate!

Rule # 2:
Stock up
If you know there’s a storm headed your way or you know that your neighborhood does a really bad job at plowing the streets, make sure that you have a shovel, some ice melt and a brush to brush off the snow on your car.

Rule # 3:
Check your e-mail
Sage has a great system that you can sign up for that tells you that school’s closed.Sage will send you a text message- Sign up for it! If you don’t want to, check your e-mail. Even if school’s not closed, check your e-mail anyway because there may be a slight chance that your professor couldn’t get out of his or her driveway.

Rule # 4:
If all else fails, take the bus
I know, you probably don’t want to take public transportation but I do and it is one of the best ways to save on gas and ensure safety so you don’t have to worry about that slight chance of wrecking your car in the snow. It’s also free! Just bring your Sage ID and swipe it through the swipe bar on the ID box. It’s simple. Go to CDTA.org for bus routes and see if there’s one by your house.

Photo credit: http://newmarketns.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/stuck-in-snow-clipart.gif

            There must have been an extreme amount of effort put in to making this movie come to life in the play. Every costume was extremely unique in its own way and the audience sat in awe as birds flew over their heads and animals leaped gracefully across the stage.

        If you have yet to see The Lion King, it will be showing at Proctors until March 20^th, 2011. This play was perfect for people of all ages so don’t miss out on the opportunity to see this one of a kind event, The Lion King.

Jessica’s Closet was started by Sage student Mary Galaske, and was named after a Sage student, Jessica, who died in a snowmobile accident a year ago. Since Jessica loved to get dressed up, Mary started an organization that collects formal wear in her memory. All of the donations are set up in a store in Vermont, but will be moving to a bigger site soon to accommodate all the donations they are receiving Jessica’s Closet also sells their formal gowns, accessories, and menswear at affordable costs, to help support the cause. The mission of Jessica’s Closet is to help girls who are less fortunate feel like a princess.

Students from one of the Women Changing the World classes are working with this organization, and have made arrangements with Mary to set up a drop box, or do a donation drive to collect items for Jessica’s Closet. Since they are getting an overflow of prom gowns, they are especially looking for accessories and menswear.

If you would like to make a donation or have any questions, you can contact Mary Galaske at galasm@sage.edu.

Dear Student: Thank you for contacting us regarding your question. Based on what you have told me, it could be multiple things. The most significant that come to mind are Holiday Blues, Seasonal Affective Disorder, or something physical such as a thyroid disorder. I don’t feel it is clinical depression as you stated most things within your life are good.

Holiday Blues are a specific time period where we feel sad or lonely. The most common period is during the December holidays when just about everyone in the world is celebrating in some way or another. Individuals tend to have unrealistic beliefs about the holidays which often lead to their blues. For example, stress related to spending on presents or being happy all the time.

A second guess could be Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is a form of depression that occurs in relation to the seasons, most commonly beginning in winter. Some individuals can be subjected to this for reasons as simple as not obtaining enough sunlight in their daily routine, or remaining stuffed up indoors all winter. What’s important to remember is this is temporary, and can be addressed rather easily.

The last guess to your problem could be of physical nature. Often, counselors and psychologists will recommend that individuals obtain a physical to rule out such causes. One particular example is a thyroid disorder. With this in mind, please don’t panic, as they can be easily monitored with medication just as easily as psychological disorders.

My last suggestion would be to contact the Wellness Center to speak with a counselor regarding your concerns. The common issue with your question is that many students would wait or ignore speaking to someone. When people do this, they risk developing full blown depression and having it negatively affect other things within their lives. I wish you the best of luck. Remain positive the end of the semester is almost there!

The Wellness Center

Troy Office: 244-2261

Albany Office: 292-1917

The Sage Colleges

CAPES Peer Education Program

capes@sage.edu

Dear Allie is a educational column which allows the Sage community, particularly students, to communicate comments, questions, or concerns via email to our peer educators. Dear Allie is not a substitute for professional help.

I have a roommate that is driving me nuts. I’m not sure what to do. It’s getting to the point where I’m avoiding my own room, and living off of friends. She is a great girl, but has no idea about personal space or manners. The last thing I want to do is hurt her feelings. If I do, then what? Any help here?

Dear Student:

Troublesome roommates can be extremely difficult to deal with, especially on top of the mountain of stress from school work. Unfortunately, this issue is quite common. Your best option for solving the problem is communication. Try gently telling her some of the ways in which have been irking you lately. She may not be aware she is doing it, and hopefully a mutual agreement can be made. Holding it in won’t get you anywhere but frustrated, and pretty soon you might even start to hate her. Tell her exactly what is bothering you so there is nothing left unclear. You can be honest without being mean. For example, “I would really appreciate it if you would ask before using something that belongs to me.” Or “I would rather you wouldn’t touch my things.” “I feel” statements are important in situations like this.

If her feelings do get hurt then try explaining to her that it isn’t her personality that is the problem. As you said, she is a “great girl”, so make sure she knows that you feel that way about her. If you lay everything out and bring your concerns to her attention, then she will not have trouble ignoring it. It isn’t fair for you to feel exiled from your own room or “living off of your friends”. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable and welcome in their own room.

If you bring all of these issues up to her and nothing changes, then you may want to take the opportunity to switch roommates or move into another room during move week. This will be at the very beginning of the spring semester. If you would like to discuss the issue more extensively, then please feel free to drop into the Wellness Center located on the first floor on Kellas. The counselors on staff do help students with mediation and conflict resolution in terms of relationships. Best of luck to you and please let us know if this solves the problem!

Dear Allie is a confidential and safe educational column which allows the Sage community, particularly students, to communicate comments, questions, or concerns via email to our peer educators. Dear Allie is not a substitute for professional help. If you have a question, please email our peer educators at capes@sage.edu.

I constantly feel like I’m overwhelmed between work, school, family, friends, and athletics. As soon as I feel I’m on top of it all, reality reminds me I’m not. Recently I’ve been second guessing my major, constantly feeling overwhelmed, and almost avoiding everything I have to do regardless of how frustrated I become that I avoided it. Does that make sense?

Dear Student:

You are not alone! The way you are feeling is common among college students, but no one else can know exactly what you are going through and the responsibilities you are juggling. It makes perfect sense that you want to avoid all of these responsibilities even though that worsens the situation. I am sure you have heard it a thousand times, but it really is important to prioritize. When you have a plan of action, you are more likely to focus on getting things done and feel less overwhelmed. Make the list as long as it has to be. That way, you can continuously cross things off and feel a sense of accomplishment. Try to stagger working on difficult tasks with more mindless tasks, like laundry. Estimate the amount of time it should take you to accomplish something and really make an attempt to stay on schedule. Get assignments that are due first done first, regardless of how much you want to do them. Figure out what time of day you are most productive and complete the most dreaded tasks during that time. As for your major, make two lists—one detailing why you like your major and one admitting why you are considering changing. It helps to get all of your feelings out in front of you so that you can visualize them. Then, talk about the conclusions you have reached with your advisor or another professor you trust. Before making any final decisions, you should try to shadow someone working in your field to see what your major can become in the real world (you may want to do the same for what you are thinking of switching to). If you continue to feel overwhelmed with everything that is zooming across your mind, consider coming to the Wellness Center to talk to someone about why you are stressed—it is free and confidential. Sharing with friends from class, practice, and work might also make you feel better about all of the responsibilities you are juggling. Good luck, don’t give up, and remember, the semester is already two thirds of the way over! Reward yourself for keeping at it, and asking for help.

Dear Allie is a confidential and safe educational column which allows the Sage community, particularly students, to communicate comments, questions, or concerns via email to our peer educators. Dear Allie is not a substitute for professional help. If you have a question, please email our peer educators at capes@sage.edu.

Dear Peer: I wouldn’t say you are overreacting. It does not matter if a person was joking around or being serious as someone invading your personal space is unacceptable if it is unwelcomed. Sexual harassment is a serious problem that many people feel as if they have to deal with because it is a part of life. This is not true. No one has the right to touch you. An act like this could be taken to the authorities if you so choose.

It is completely understandable that you do not want to make a big deal out of this. What is important however is if you feel uncomfortable that you do something to advocate for your right to not have this happen again. An excellent place to stop for advice is our Russell Sage College Wellness Center. There are two very well trained counselors within this matter, one of which is a New York State Certified Sexual Assault Counselor. Another option may be obtaining some advice from a confidential 24 hour hotline that Samaritan Hospital offers here in Troy. I have listed the number below.

Remember, you are not alone and it is likely that the rest of your classmates feel the same way and are also afraid of “starting something”. You sticking up for yourself may just give them the confidence to say something too. Most importantly, you will empower yourself to make a difference and not allow this to happen again. It is NOT your fault that this happened. No one has the right to touch you without you’re permission.

Samaritan Hospital Sexual Assault

24 Hour Hotline 271-3257

Dear Allie is a confidential and safe educational column which allows the Sage community, particularly students, to communicate comments, questions, or concerns via email to our peer educators. Dear Allie is not a substitute for professional help. If you have a question, please email our peer educators at capes@sage.edu.

Dear Allie: I never thought college would be exactly like high school. I feel like I’m just going through the motions. Same clicks, same story, and I don’t feel any different. Am I doing something wrong?

Dear Peer: Thank you for your question. You are certainly not doing anything wrong. I have heard this concern from some of my own friends in the past. Many introductory courses cover material that you may have covered in high school. It may not be challenging now, but that will change in time. Register for a class next semester that you don’t know much about, but are interested in. Another way to challenge yourself is by studying abroad for a semester or participating in a faculty led trip. Russell Sage offers a variety of programs in many countries. It def is a once in a lifetime experience worth looking into.

Another suggestion is to become more involved on campus. Maybe join a club, as most majors have corresponding clubs. Some examples are Math Club, Psychology Club, and Nutrition Club. If you are interested in community service, Circle K is a very involved program which can benefit your resume as well. If you like to dance, Dance Ensemble could be another option. Attend more campus event, plays, or lectures. Many of these activities can be found on sage.edu. Maybe grab a friend and exercise in the Gator Pitt or attend a group fitness class. If anything, becoming more involved within the campus community is extremely important to seeing the change you are looking for.

Just make sure you keep a balance between school work, clubs, and fun. Thanks again!