Take Home Test..."Isn't this just a worksheet?"

Test are those awful things that students in high school and college alike dread. They have to study their butts off while worrying about four or more other classes homework and test. It really is a pain, especially when you get two test in one day, and even worse when they are back to back.

Something that helped me, especially this week when I have three test, was a generous professor who gave the class a take-home test. We had the weekend to do the test and compare answers with others from the class. This lessened the load I had to worry about that weekend, because there was a lot of material on the test that I needed to study. I had more time to concentrate on my COM 101 test and feel that because of the take-home test I was able to get a better score on the other test I had that morning.

What is good about take-home test is that they are very much like a worksheet you'd get for homework, just over more topics. I feel that each professor should give at least one take home test per semester. This would really show who is working and getting ready for the test. If you were lazy you'd forget to do it and fail still. It would really help keep the students less stressed and not spend as many nights pulling all-nighters.

Some professors might say that this would ruin the meaning of a test, and everyone will do better. Well thats a good thing. If you don't like the idea of this test counting as much, lower the percent of the test to 15 in the weight of the overall grade. That way it still helps the student, but doesn't count as much as the in class exams.

UK's Student "Ticket Lottery" isn't working for the "TRUE BLUE FANS"

UK has a very time consuming way to get student tickets, not only for workers and staff to put on the lottery, but students with getting off work, time away from homework, and standing in line doing Sudokus in the special edition kernels for the event. This season, with the renewed interest in the program for various reasons like Coach Cal, the amazing freshman class of '13, and win 2000 looming at the start of the season, students are going wild to get their hands on tickets.

At the last lottery they filled Memorial Coliseum to the brim with students waiting to get their lucky number and run down to the court to claim their $5 student ticket for the games. Once the lottery began I went and look at the posted list of numbers. Mine was eighth from last on the list and knew I wasn't going to get a ticket. Betime I walked back to my dorm my roommate asked if I got tickets and I said no and said that his friend in the dorm had tickets and was starting the bidding at $20 per ticket. The lottery wasn't even half over and there were tickets up on facebook. He had UofL eRUPPtion zone tickets that he sold for $150 to someone.

We are college kids and don't want to be paying crazy amounts for a $5 student ticket. If those scalpers who just want to make a quick buck off tickets didn't go to the lottery, MANY more students who are true fans, who live and break UK basketball, could get tickets to go and support the greatest basketball program EVER! Something must be done to change this. I hate not getting tickets and having to spend much more money than I'd normally spend on the tickets to the game, just to get there. I recently read an article by my friend Kayla Hayden, who I met in line at Rupp Arena during the two exhibition games this season, and her friend, Thomas Cofer who is also a loyal basketball fan, about changing the lottery. Hayden and Cofer are always in the front of the e-RUPP-tion Zone every game, and have been for the at least the past two seasons. Being so loyal means that have to shovel out crazy amounts to get to the big basketball games, like UNC this season. To view the article go to vaughtsviews.com to read their article and how they feel the lottery should be changes to an online one.

If you feel the same, please get on and commet so the faculty in control of the lottery sees the students wanting change. Talk to a senator for the Student Senate about it and just get the word out there. This is very important to not only Hayden, Cofer and me, but many students who are loyal, blue bleeding, Wildcat crazy fans that are dedicated to the team and want to be in the eRUPPtion zone every game as close to the front, because we know Hayden and Cofers will always be there first, and cheer on the amazing and best WILDCATS!!

Many ways to get involved while in college, great for resume

As this is my second semester at the University of Kentucky I feel I have a good handle on what there is to do while you're on campus to get involved and help the community. Some things may fall into your lap, like UK Fusion during K week, but others you might have to search for or work towards to be involved in them. One are Greek Organizations, and not just the social ones. There may be negative views towards the traditionally thought of Greeks, but there are also Academic Greeks that are much better for those students wanting to get involved. Phi Sigma Pi, my fraternity, isn't just based on social activities and meeting new people and throwing parties, but we focus on service, fellowship, and leadership. There are so many different opportunities to interact with the community of not just UK's campus, but Lexington as well. We've thrown a birthday party for kids who go to this afterschool program on 7th Street.

You can always run of offices for the Student Government Senate. You have to get so many signatures then campaign and run, and hopefully get elected. If not, you can always take things to the Student Government Supreme Court if you feel a rule was violated during the campaigning. I took two things to the Supreme Court, where they ruled in my favor. Even though I didn't win the election, I left a mark on the election process.

You can get a job on campus and work helping people with IT problems, working in food services, or many others that are truely rewarding, as well as a nice check in the bank. If your interested in writing or journalism, you can go down to the Kentucky Kernel and get an article for the paper to write or work with the yearbook and write for them. This really looks good if you plan on going into the field of writing, if you put on your resume that you wrote for your college newspaper, plus there is the satisfaction of seeing your name in the paper and knowing people are reading your article all over campus.

There are many other student organizations to join that are really beneficial to people. Just find a niche that you belong and look for orgs that fall into that cateogory. You will be glad you got involved and have like-minded people to converse with and help you with classes or other problems.

Foreign Teachers can be a waste of money for Universities

Many students each semester dread having a class with a teacher whose name they can't pronounce. Many foreign professors or teachers can't speak english well, and the students are trying to understand them the best they can. I currently have a foreign teacher for STA 200, and she is a very small, quiet person. You have to be absolutely silent and try to understand each word she says, when she isn't reading from the powerpoint. She went and was babbling on talking in circles, looking like she was trying to think of how to explain it better to us in english. She says things in class and the rest of the class looks at each other with that "what did she just say?" look. She doesn't even take the entire class to present her lessons. Most instructors, TAs or professors take the entire 50 minutes to present their lesson for the day. She has never filled the class, always letting us out early. They are not really helping the students learn in this environment when they can't understand what they are saying, so they are wasting their money on letting them teach classes.