Transitioning from a cool, stocked fridge and gas bills paid by your parents to being in charge of transportation to class, housing and tuition can be a bit of a shock.
With the hot blue and red lights pouring on his face, Jake Roecker, a second year Commercial Music student at ISU, is solely focused on the movements of his drumsticks. He’s keeping one ear open for his four bandmates, waiting for the perfect opportunity to play them up, emphasizing their talents.
April 27. Start of dead week. Prepare to have no extra assignments and no energy.
May 1. Last Bengal issue of the semester. The perfect homework break and light read.
May 4. Finals week, not your final week. For the graduates – kiss school goodbye!
The Associated Students of Idaho State University (ASISU) elections have come around once more to kick off the final stretch of the spring semester.
A hum rolled through the crowd. Even though no pieces had been played, the instrument tuning reverberated up the seats of Jensen Hall. Waves of sound crashed from wall to wall from the musician’s slight shivers of movement.
“As a performer, this show is a marathon,” says Cindy Lou actress Cambry Henline, a sophomore double-majoring in theatre and pre-dental hygiene. “Imagine dancing for 2 hours with no break while also singing and being in heels.”
Tables smashed against every wall and hardly enough breathing room between business partners, but smiles and handshakes still fill the Pond Student Room Ballroom. Nervous students twist their revamped resumes in their hand, prepared with their two-minute elevator speech and ready to ramble about the years of high school fast-food service that make them perfect for McCains Food Manufacturing.
By day, Daniel Shelden pours hours into grading speeches and lecturing as a Communications, Media, and Persuasion professor at Idaho State University.
By night, however, Shelden operates under a different mask. He might be a small-town Christmas tree farm girl for the Hallmark show as suggested by audience member #3 or be forced to finish the scene with a new accent each time he speaks.
“Let’s ‘Netflix and Chill,’” says Anthony from Tinder.
“Why are you single,” asks Sarah from Hinge.
“I mean you’re decent looking,” comments Luke from Duet.
“To the theatre department, APO is more than just a club,” says Kallis Shibahara, APO Secretary and theatre major.
APO, or Alpha Psi Omega, is an ISU honors fraternity, targeted towards any and all theatre lovers and majors. Like other fraternities on campus, this club has bigs and littles and hosts events and activities to connect its members.
For 1,901 minutes between March 10th at 9 a.m. and March 11th at 4:41 p.m., donors will contribute to a crowdfunding campaign designed specifically for the ISU Bengals.
Once December rolls around, most college students aren’t just anxious for winter break. Spotify sends a notification, and everyone in ten yards whips out their phones to check their annual Spotify Wrapped – the data collection showcase of your daily crashout and study music that you’ll skip through on at least ten different Instagram stories.
December 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., ISU hosted its free public E-waste Collection Event. With a disposal drop-off system wrapping around the first floor of the Pond Student Union Building, the event was in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory, E-Cyclers of Idaho, Sunnking, and their project, “Comparing Strategies to Collect Battery-Containing Devices in States With and Without Electronics Recycling Laws.”
With a subtle cue from director and ISU assistant professor of applied voice and commercial music Jenna McLean, pianist Michael Evans strikes the first chord, followed instantly by Conner Huckaba on drums. McLean slips to the side, offering the occasional snap to keep everyone in rhythm.
If they’re going to die, they better do it and decrease the surplus population,” says Ebenezer Scrooge.