MUVE Promotes Welness Through Outreach

Exercise is important for everyone.  Physical fitness is what keeps our bodies happy and healthy for years to come.  East Carolina University students are reaching out through a new organization to youth and senior adults.  This group conducts outreach programs to promote exercise and physical fitness to different groups in the area. Keep reading and check out East Carolina University for more details.

East Carolina University students are reaching out to youth and senior adults through a newly founded ECU student organization called MUVE (Motivating and Uplifting via Exercise).
LaBarron Burwell, a health fitness specialist major in the College of Health and Human Performance, and psychology major Joshua Epps co-founded MUVE in October. The two friends were seeking a way to help others through exercise instruction, mentorship and leadership activities.

ECU students LaBarron Burwell, left, and Joshua Epps co-founded MUVE to help others through exercise.

Now 25 members strong, MUVE meets weekly on campus and conducts outreach programs with community organizations including athletic teams, after-school programs and assisted living centers. At each event, MUVE members are paired one-on-one with a child or a senior adult, with a goal of providing needs-based activities designed to motivate and inspire.

Junior communication major Victoria Loveless has been a member of MUVE since its inception. She said serving others in the community gives her a sense of satisfaction. “It doesn’t seem like service,” she said.

Epps said he finds joy in interacting with others through MUVE. “At the end of an event, when I know I’ve reached someone, I am satisfied,” he said. “It is my passion.”

Best friends since second grade, Burwell and Epps recalled the critical positive influence of their high school football coaches. They put their heads together to create an ECU organization that would have a similar effect.

Burwell grew up in a single-parent family, moved around a lot, lived in public housing and was briefly homeless. As a ninth grader, he joined the J.F. Webb High School football team in Oxford. After Burwell played one year in a defensive position, the coaches offered him a quarterback position for the next season.

Surprised, Burwell asked the coaches why they selected him over several seniors who were already playing offense. They said the decision was based on Burwell’s work ethic and history of making good decisions on the field. The coaches said they trusted Burwell to lead the team.

That trust gave Burwell the confidence to take on additional leadership positions, such as senior class president. But athletics had the biggest impact on his life, he said.

“Sports build a bond,” Burwell said, adding that exercise is something everyone needs. He said that MUVE participants benefit from team building exercises, physical conditioning, games, music and fun.
 
“Our goal is to create an environment where participants feel comfortable and realize their opinion matters,” he said. They are “given a chance to speak, to ask questions without fear of judgment and to discuss goal setting.”

The group’s activities this month included a Valentine’s Day dance and geriatric aerobic exercise event at Sterling House Assisted Living Center in Greenville and an activities program for students in grades 1-5 at Kenansville Elementary School in Duplin County.

In an earlier visit to James Sprunt Community College, MUVE worked with 125 middle and high school students participating in a program designed to help at-risk students achieve their academic potential. The program coordinator Felita Carr described MUVE’s visit as an overwhelming success.

“The students are still talking about that day and the experiences they had,” Carr said. The group engaged students and parents and “left them wanting for more.” Carr plans to invite the MUVE group back for another session this spring.

When Burwell was seeking members to join MUVE, he often asked fellow students, “Would you like to help others? Would you like to prevent them from making the same mistakes you made?”

That, he said, is what MUVE does.

Midterms Are Coming

Before you know it, your first midterm exam will be here.  Make sure to check out these midterm preparation tips ahead of time so you will ace your tests.  As a student, the earlier you prepare, the easier it will be to remember everything the day of the test.  Check out these tips and comment with any of your own tips you may have for midterm studies.

1. Get a good night’s sleep before the exam.

2. An absolute must if you can: get prior years’ exams and, with a small group of classmates, prepare point form sample answers to share among yourselves.

3. Review your notes to see all the items the professor indicated were important. In some cases, s/he might even have hinted at exam topics.

4. Take a quick scan of the course outline – make a note of the topics the professor seemed to spend a lot of time on, or otherwise emphasized.

5. Take a look at the assignments if there were any – see if you can find topics, skills or techniques that were emphasized, especially those after the mid-term.

6. Did the professor comment on areas of weakness on the mid-term? These sometimes reappear on the final.

7. Make a set of study notes from your class notes and the text. Writing them down in condensed format aids in recall during the final exam, and in some cases, helps you identify items you need to clarify with a friend or teaching assistant. Work with the group you formed to address point 2. If you like – this can increase the scope of your studying.

8. If there is a key item you need to remember for the exam, study it right before you enter the exam room. Right after the exam starts, write down what you know. A favorite is to list formulas (or dates?) that you need to remember. If you wait until you are freaked out by a difficult exam question, you might not remember them.

9. Make sure you have a meal that includes carb’s AND proteins before the exam. This will give you staying power. Take a granola bar and fluids to your exam desk if permitted.

10. In case you have forgotten the first, and very important point, get a good night’s sleep before the exam.

For more information see RP.

DIY Projects Made Affordable

Are you trying a new project in your college apartment?  New DIY projects can be expensive, but with these tips you can make sure any new project affordable.  Make sure to recycle, shop at sales, and refurbish old pieces to create your new piece for your apartment.

Choose CheaplyThe best DIYs are those which take trash and turn it into treasure. And by "trash" I mean hand-me-downs, flea market finds and ubiquitous big-box store pieces. Choosing affordable objects to makeover to begin with not only saves money, but gives you the freedom to take chances, change your mind, and mess up. If it doesn't work out the way you planned, at least you didn't invest too much in the process.

We have some great posts in our archives on budget DIY projects, so get searching and get inspired!

Beg, Borrow and Steal
Ok, so we can't really advocate stealing, but everything else is fair game. DIY can mean investing in a lot of equipment, some of it expensive, and some of it the kind of "affordable" extras that can really add up. Rather than shelling out for reusables like drop cloths, paintbrushes and tools, why not see if a friend or neighbor has any to spare?

When it comes to power tools or other expensive equipment, consider renting if you can't borrow. Your local hardware chain store probably offers this service, and for something you'll only use once or twice (say, a floor sander or tile cutter) it makes sense to cut down on cost, not to mention storage space. Bonus: renting tools often comes with support on how to use them properly, unlike a purchase, which can leave you reading the manual and scratching your head in confusion.

Know your Limits
One of the best ways to keep your DIY budget in check is to know when DIY isn't such a great idea. Online tutorials and crafty books are great, but they can only lead you so far in this game. Tackling a project beyond your skill level can lead to costly mistakes and professional re-dos, and spending more money than you ever planned. So think hard about where your DIY line is: wallpapering your bedroom? Adding shelves to your kitchen? Re-upolstering a beloved piece of furniture?

Before you entirely give up on that ambitious project, however, consider a few educational options to help it run smoothly: take a class at your local hardware store, or ask a handier friend to help you out.

For more information see Apartment Therapy.

Fundraiser to Combat Hunger

Title:	Check out this great event to help combat hunger.  This event will be held Thursday from 11:30am-2:00pm in hte Mendenhall Student Center Great Rooms.  Guests can purchase $15.00 tickets for a meal of soup and break with a handmade bowl.  The bowls are all created by ECU students and the ECU Ceramics Guild.  Check out more details about this great fundraiser below. Second Annual Empty Bowls event
Date:	Thursday 2/7/2013
Time:	11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Where:	Mendenhall Student Center Great Rooms (map)
Summary:	Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to raise money to combat hunger while reminding participants of all the empty bowls in the world. Guests purchase $15 tickets for a meal of soup and bread, along with a handmade bowl.
Details:	At ECU, the bowls are created and donated through the ECU Ceramics Guild, which is sponsoring the project along with ECU Campus Living and Dining Services. Local businesses are providing food and beverages. All funds raised will be donated to the Greenville Food Bank. “Empty Bowls is a wonderfully unique fundraiser that gives our community a chance to come together and help those in need,” said Sara Kurtz, president of the ECU Ceramics Guild.  “Service is a big part of the mission of the Ceramics Guild and we are thrilled to be a part of this event.” Bowls will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis and must be picked up during the event. Tickets are $15, available through the Mendenhall Student Center ticket office. Guests may park in the lot outside Mendenhall Student Center. Local sponsors include Peasant’s Pub, Starlight Café, The Skullery, Winslow’s, The Tipsy Teapot, Starbucks, UBE, La Bendicion bakery and ARAMARK.  For additional information, visit www.emptybowls.net or contact ECU Campus Living at (252) 328-2834. For more information see ECU.

Tips for Your Living Situation Next Year

Are you going through a roommate change, or are you looking to get an apartment?  Make sure to read these tips on how to pick out roommates and keep a great relationship.  Being compatible in living together is one of the most important aspects of picking who will you live with the following school year.

When the going gets tough, the tough get ... housemates?

In these brutal financial times, having a housemate – or even two or three – can be one of the best ways to reduce your rent and other costs, and keep your head above water.

It can also be the quickest way to a murder rap, if you live with somebody who drives you up the wall.

How do you ensure that the “Roommate Remedy” doesn't turn into “Housemate Hell”? Fear not: We know how bad you look in black and white stripes. So we got the experts to cough up these 15 strategies for you.

Plan to succeed
The best way to make sure your roommate situation works, of course, is to actually create a good situation from the get-go – and that means choosing the right housemates.

How?

1. Start fresh. If possible, start out in a new living situation where no one thinks he or she has seniority and therefore more of a voice than anyone else in how the house or apartment is run, says Amy Zalneraitis, author of "Room for Improvement: The Post-College Girl's Guide to Roommate Living."

2. Play the numbers. "Always opt to live with one other person over two other people to avoid triangulated roommate relationships," Zalneraitis says. "For example, I once moved in with two girls who had already lived together for some time. Their apocalyptic-style partying would happen every Friday night. Because they were on the same page when it came to this type of partying (and had sort of established the rules or lack thereof before I moved in), it was hard for me to stop it. Two against one. I felt like I had very little power." (Zalneraitis notes that this applies much more to young women than to men, in her experience.)

3. Best friends — bad? "If you want to stay friends (with friends), then roommate with strangers," says Sylvia Bergthold, author of "Sorry, the Boa Has Gotta Go: A Roommate Survival Guide." "That way you keep your friends and hopefully make a new one in the process."

Why not live with friends? Because good friends take liberties in a living situation that put stress on the relationship, and the relationship often suffers as a result, Bergthold says.
"I've found that my most successful roommate situations have been people that I sort of knew, through friends of friends," Zalneraitis adds. "So I knew that I would have similar tastes to them, and that they weren't crazy, because a friend was vouching for them, but at the same time we weren't spending every minute together."

4. Play detective. "Spend some time together with each other and get a feel for that person," Zalneraitis says. Does he have totally different beliefs? Does one person like to party all the time and the other have to work early, every morning? Ask each other what your goals are in having a roommate: a best friend? A drinking buddy? An invisible rent-payer? "Pay attention to how people answer questions," Zalneraitis says.

5. Trust your gut. By the time you're in your 20s and 30s, you know enough about people to know if something doesn't feel right. Trust that instinct. A red flag now is likely trouble for you later. "Don't ever turn your 'crazy detector' off," Zalneraitis says. "You'd be surprised how many crazy/troubled/unpleasant people are out there."

For more information see MSN.

Breakfast on the Go Event

Artists Help Preserve the USS Enterprise

Artists from East Carolina University are helping to preserve the USS Enterprise.   He is using 500 letterpress prints to display the memory and service of the USS Enterprise.  The Enterprise was the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier in history.  Keep reading to learn about the exhibit and the artists.

Hundreds of antique printing blocks are stored among vintage letterpress printers inside a one-story shop in Ayden, where an East Carolina University faculty member applies a 15th century commercial printing process to create works of art.


ECU art professor Craig Malmrose stands in front of the print he created with letterpress printing to commemorate the decommissioning of the USS Enterprise. (Photos by Cliff Hollis)

His most recent project – 500 letterpress prints to commemorate the decommission and retirement of the USS Enterprise – was delivered Dec. 18 to U.S. Navy officers, members of the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama.

Craig Malmrose, a professor in the ECU School of Art and Design, spent the past two and a half months consumed by the Enterprise project, initiated through a request by a former student who now works for the company that built the ship in 1961. The Enterprise was the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

“I gladly accepted and became immersed in it,” he said, and laughed. “I spent every waking second in this shop; I even came in here Thanksgiving Day.”

The print features a drawing of the ship done by Ray Elmore, a friend of Malmrose and a retired faculty member from the ECU School of Art.

The printing technique Malmrose employed in creating the prints was originally used for 15th century commercial printing. That printing style was replaced by offset printing, which has since gone digital.

Malmrose discovered letterpress printing in 1994 when he read an article about a school in California teaching the historic art. He was so taken by the idea that he began collecting printing blocks and letterpress machines anywhere and everywhere that he could, traveling as far as North Dakota to get what he needed. Eventually, he acquired enough to open up his own shop.

“It’s so tactile and hands on,” Malmrose said of his craft. “It’s not digital, you can actually feel the engravings of the print on the paper.”

“I asked Ray to do it because when it comes to drawings, he’s the best of the best,” Malmrose said.

Elmore’s drawing was based on a small photograph of the ship and was created using small dots in all black ink.




Printing blocks used in letterpress printing are stored in Malmrose's Ayden shop.

“To make it look darker in certain areas, you place the dots closer to each other,” Elmore said. “It’s all about moving your hand a certain way.”

Behind Elmore’s drawing, the print features a yellow E with a pale yellow back shadow, symbolizing the ship’s colloquial name, “The Big E.”

Underneath the focal image reads “USS Enterprise CVN 65,” in a Photoshop-created font that replicates the writing on the side of the actual ship.

“We took what is on the side of the ship and downsized it,” Malmrose explained. “If you look closely, it looks like there are small lines cutting through the font because that’s how it looks on the actual ship.”

To create the edition, Malmrose sent the images to a plate maker in Pennsylvania, where the images were replicated onto a metal plate, leaving a raised surface to place the ink, much like a modern day stamp. The plates, with the ink on them, were then set up on the press machine in Malmrose’s shop. He pulled the images by hand, one color at a time, onto Mohawk superfine paper, which he ordered from Raleigh.

Because each print is done by hand, Malmrose said “no two prints are exactly the same.”

He has kept one of the prints for his portfolio. While Malmrose may be done with the project, his work in letterpress printing will continue.

“It is an extremely time consuming, lost art and I believe it is my mission to preserve it,” he said.






For more information see the ECU.edu