This Week in Honors
Week of April 27th
3rd Annual "On Guard 5K"
Dr. Jay Mahoney and Julie Broderick
Honors 5K Team
Dylan Weierman defended his title!
Honors Student Leanne Quackenbush wins 2015 Diversity and Inclusion Award
Leanne Quackenbush has been working with the President’s Office for the last year to create safe space for the LGBTQIA community. Specifically, Leanne has been advocating to secure more gender neutral bathrooms on campus while also working with various campus offices and officials from the state of Massachusetts. Her approach has not been limited solely to what happens at Worcester State, as she and a group of fellow advocates are advocating for these changes at every other public university in the state.
This has brought Leanne into regular contact with peers at many of the 29 public universities and colleges across the Commonwealth. She has been working very closely with the city of Worcester (meeting with Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty once a month), the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts (HECCMA), the Worcester Police Department, and Worcester Pride to further the safety and well-being of LGBTQ individuals in the city and at our sister colleges.
Leanne has met with the Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Building Authority and our State Plumbing Inspector to discuss how code and design practices may be altered to include a gender neutral classification. She is professional and passionate when expressing the need for change, stating her arguments in a well thought-out manner. At all times, Leanne was an exceptional representative of this University – fervent with her request and respectful of her audience – a very mature combination of character traits.
American Promise
Tuesday, April 28, 2015 @ 6 – 8pm in Ghosh Science and Technology Center, Room 102
"American Promise provides an outstanding, honest portrayal of the complexities involved in steering black boys to success where cultural barriers and environmental obstacles still remain."
—Alvin F. Poussaint, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
"American Promise," a Sundance jury-award-winning 2013 PBS documentary is about the experiences of two middle-class African-American families and the challenges they face raising boys over the span of 13 years.
Following the film, members of the three sponsoring organizations -- the University's Office of Multicultural Affairs, NAACP Worcester, and the Seven Hills Public Charter School -- will lead a discussion about the issues the film raises.
The event is free and open to the public, and community members are welcome. Doors will open at 5:15p.m., light refreshments will be served, and there will be free parking; however, seating is limited. Seats may be reserved by emailing kannucci@worcester.edu, or by calling 508-929-8049.
Commonwealth Honors Program Student Council Meeting
Lunch @ 11:30, Meeting @12:15
Interested in becoming more involved and meeting with students from Honors programs across the state? Have lunch and take part in a meeting of the student council for Massachusetts Commonwealth Honors Programs. Please contact Dr. Weierman if you are interested in attending.
Cinco De Mayo Party
Join the Honors Program in celebrating the last day of classes and the end of a great semester. Enjoy some festive snacks and mocktails.
Are You Ready For Finals?
Tips for Handling Stress and Anxiety
- Take advantage of on-campus programming during and prior to finals week
- Exercise
- Eat Nutritious Meals and Snacks
- Stay Hydrated
- Catch some ZZZ's
- Take Breaks
- Select a good study space
- Prioritize & Plan
- Call friends
- Use Study Groups
- Write research papers and finish projects early
- Ask for Help
Why All Nighters are ALL WRONG
This is what an all nighter does to your body...
1. Stresses you out: levels of the 'stress horomone' cortisol are increased when you don't get enough sleep
2. Increases your BMI and makes you hungrier: leptin and gherlin are responsible for appetite control in the body, after a night of no sleep there are increased levels of gherlin and decreased levels of leptin, making you hungrier
3. You won't be able to concentrate: the frontal lobes of the brain are affected by sleep deprivation, meaning you are impairing your spacial, auditory and visual attention
4. Your working memory is impaired: this is related to the impairment of your frontal lobes which are interrelated with the components of your working memory.
5. You can't multi-task: you have decreased speed and accuracy, and with an inability to concentrate multi-tasking is near impossible
6. You become 'emotionally irrational':sleep deprivation boosts the parts of your brain that are associated with depression and cause you to overreact to negative experiences, it also hampers the prefrontal lobe which helps to regulate emotion.
7.It makes it easier for you to get sick and takes longer recover from being sick: sleep deprivation suppresses the immune system and impairs our fever response.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-pulling-an-all-nighter-does-to-your-body-2012-9?op=1
Honors Office Hours
Honors Graduates
Honors students wear special gold and white cords with their graduation robes.
Please be sure to stop by the Honors Office (LRC 218) and pick yours up if you have not already done so. Our regular office hours end on the last day of classes.
Reminder
Be sure to fill out the online RSVP form for events you plan to attend!
Remember you are required to attend two honors events per semester.
Quote of the Week
Contact Us
Dr. Karen Woods Weierman, Director
Dr. Jennifer Hood-DeGrenier, Assistant Director
Mary Flibbert, Honors Assistant
Beth Powis, Graduate Assistant
Email: kweierman@worcester.edu
Website: http://www.worcester.edu/Honors-Program/
Location: Office LRC - 218
Phone: 508-929-8466
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Worcester-State-University-Honors-Program/223088314371280
Twitter: @honorswsu