A lot of things I did, a few to say, never a lot of time

Hey there. It has been a while but I know that my last post will clarify any reasons why I haven't but able to post in the last two weeks. I have been busy returning in huge research projects and doing all of my activities and boy, was it a week for me! Enjoy!

Last Thursday, I went to the new Student Center, which is in the same location as the old Alpha Tau Omega house (ATO). As an member of WCSA who knows about the planning of the Student Center, I felt obligated to be there, supporting its creation. Personally, I didn't know what to expect when I first arrived but I was thoroughly impressed. I noted that the student center was renovated very well but that it still had hints of its history. For me, I'm glad that the history of the house is still visible on the student center.

When I arrived in mid-day, I saw several other members of WCSA, including our dear old president, Marie Rymut. I love Marie; she is just a force to be reckoned with considering her leadership skills, unique style of leading, and just being able to be herself. Without her, a lot of the creations that has happened on campus including the awesome student center and the huge bonfire at Homecoming would not have happened. After grabbing some hors d'oevures, I surveyed the student center. Some of the student center was inaccessible- like that of the basement. However, the portion that I did see was phenomenal. I don't see how would be a former fraternity house after sighting the building. I was impressed.

I believe that the creation of this student center will unify the student's as a place where they can socialize. There will be a home theatre system, a huge TV, meeting rooms, and other spare rooms that were up for negotiations with the full body. There is also new furniture waiting to be moved to their respective locations in the center. I hope that the center is not a temporarily deal as this seems to be very legitimate to Ohio Wesleyan and the community. I believe that we have created a structure that all individuals can choose to hang out at whether it is a meeting or just watching the current news on world affairs. It is also near "the Hill" where most of the fraternities are locatedd. To me, it is convenient for everyone and anyone.

The other event that I was a part of was the painting of the Willa B. Cather Black Resources Center, affectionately known as "the Cave." This is a place where African American students can casually mingle. This is also where many events are planned and thrown, where any kind of business is addressed and dealt, and where a lot of studying and reading is done. This is a place where I want people to become familiar with. Being a member of the Student Union on Black Awareness, Rafiki Wa Afrika, and Black Men of the Future, I felt that the need to renovate the Cave is a top priority. This is our place to congregate and we have to take measures to preserve everything in that Cave. There is a lot of history that exists in the Cave so renovating it was a necessity.

This was not an easy task under any circumstances. There was a lot of teamwork but it had to be to order to be finished by our next meeting (Sunday @ 7 p.m.) I started working on the Cave at 1 p.m. I was still there around 5:45 p.m. and it still was not close to being finished. I had to leave so I don't know when was the finishing time. For me, there was no reason why I shouldn't help with the renovations of the Cave, because it was inherited down from the classes before us. I was involved and motivated in the effort and now I am enthusiastic about how the Cave will look at 7 p.m. I love it when the old nostalgia of a subject or event(s) still exist in a modified or new building.

Those were my two big events for my associations. I did so much stuff this week, it is just absolutely absurd. I don't mind having a workload and a life out of OWU. It is just the beauty of being sociable- you never know what you will get. I do not have pictures to describe all of my events; I want to tell you know everything but I am losing time eslewhere. Uh, tis is the life of a very busy Ohio Wesleyan student. Well, I gotta make advertisements for BMF's next project held this Wednesday during the noon hour at Ham-Wil: Misconceptions of the Black Male in the Mass Media: A Teaching.

Respectfully yours,

Hasani Wheat

Class of '10

Oh yeah... how could I forget to mention last Sunday!

Look at the time. I think I am running behind schedule. I was supposed to do the final part of my ongoing adventure a couple of days ago but I was backed up due to mid-terms. I am finally back on track thanks a little something called Spring Break. I would now like to formally introduce the last portion of my adventures at OWU.




Last Sunday- Let me start off with what I did at River Valley Vineyard. I decided to dedicate myself to a cause called the Bag Hunger. What I have done, with the support of my church is to take this yellow bag and fill it up with nonperishable food items and toiletries. I went around to residence halls at OWU; the result for my first haul was thirteen bags filled to the brim with all kinds of goods. I know you are wondering what is to become of these bags filled with food and personal items. Well, I took all of the bags to the Delaware Elks Facility up Route 36 (with the help of the Wright family, thanks a million!!). From there, I unloaded the bags into an area where it could be counted and taken to the church's headquarters. The next step is to wait until March 24 where members of River Valley Vineyard, including myself, will go on a service walk throughout Delaware. We, as a church community, have felt the need to survey Delaware; with this service walk, we will pray for people and give away this food to people who are in need. I am glad that I am doing something to help the community I live in; I didn't just want to be involved in the OWU community but I wanted to be involved in Delaware's community as well. I know that OWU wouldn't exist without the support of the community that it is in and I felt why not start giving back to that community and learn a little bit more about the citizens of Delaware, Ohio.






I felt the need to give back in another way. You can say I was on a roll, in a way. After I arrived from River Valley Vineyard, I began preparing for one of the exciting and intense time periods I have had at OWU. I was to sing Beethoven's 9th symphony. How many people can say they sung Beethoven's 9th symphony, backed with a professional symphony- I'm filling up with ecstasy and passion! I get my tuxedo pressed out and I meet up with my bud, Michael, over at Ham-Wil. We hustle over to the site of Gray Chapel to do a final rehearsal with the symphony and the other choirs. In my head, I am trying to remember every nook and cranny to do my part in the performance, the poco adagios, sforzandas, etc. After the rehearsal, I went to Slocum to eat and chat with my fellow tenor and my BOY, Alex MacNeil (at right, first picture. BMF members representing!). I adjust my tux and listen to the choral directors from Ashland and Miami for some last minute advice. Then, the choir divides and enters stage left and then stage right during the intermission. We are on and we are doing the deed of performing Beethoven's 9th symphony. I am loving every second of it and personally, I don't want it to stop! Eventually, there is thunderous applause and a feeling of accomplishment- I knew that I was a part of something extraordinary. I was a part of something that gave the sound of beautiful music back to the people. I was a part of a great cause with great musicians and great direction.




I will make this final paragaph concise. I love giving back to the people, whether it is figuratively or literally. Last Sunday was one of the greatest moments during my time at OWU and I truly hope there is more. This concludes the final segment of my adventures at OWU. I hope you enjoyed them all. Oh yeah, if you want to see the concert: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, featuring the Choral Art Society and the Central Ohio Symphony go to http://stream.owu.edu/.






Loving service and loving people,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10

Community Service... You Gotta Love It

Hey guys! I feel the need to talk and write about certain things today. I have a lot of writing and researching to do due to Mid-terms; however, you just need a hour or so break to alleviate any stress you develop. With that said, I would now like to present to you the second portion of last week's journey.

Lately, I have been excruciatingly busy with everything: my organizations, my academics, community service, social events. By the week of last week, I felt exhausted and I wanted a change in events. I don't like to be still so my friends and I went to the Common Ground Free Store just a couple of roads down from OWU to do some valuable community service. I have done community service in the past for OWU but I didn't know what to anticipate as this was my first time at the Common Ground.

We walked in and Bonnie Ristau, co-director of the Common Ground Free Store introduced herself to us. We were pretty delighted to see that the store was there in one peace and that business was going quite smoothly. Bonnie showed us the ropes of the store, from sweeping and vacuuming, stocking shelves, and unloading and loading customer's vehicles. My friends and I divided the amount of tasks between us to get the work done as efficiently as possible. All of us had exams we needed to study for and as good as the community service was going to be, we all knew that if we didn't get back to OWU sooner or later, we would probably have to pull an all-nighter, which is always very brutal on your spirit and health.

For the first half, I stocked the shelves and removed any hangers that cluttered the area. The clothes was given by people who didn't have any need for them anymore so they donated to the Free Store. There was all kinds of assortments- men's, women's, and children's. After bringing all of the clothes from the back of the storage room, I decided to go find another task that wasn't time consuming. For the second half, my tasks included helping load a customers mini-van with tons of clothing to give back to other Free Stores (how awesome is that- the gift of giving is still here), putting books and toys in the appropriate areas of the store, and sort any clothes that needed to be sorted out.

All of this time, I have waited to do community service with people that I can trust and know. Most of the time, I did community service by myself and I admit that service is a lonely thing. Now, I feel that having people helping makes service a lot better for me and for the community as a whole. Being able to serve in a capacity that will help benefit people that are less fortunate than I am is something divinely inspired. Personally, I chose this community service project as a bonding experience for my friends, not to mention that we actually had fun doing the project. I am obliged to serve under any circumstance if that is what I am called to do. This experience with my friends have opened my eyes to doing many more things with the community. I want to help out, one day at a time.

Well, I am glad this is off my chest. I think the pictures on the top explain the story better than I can despite some of the pictures being sideways. Take a look! On a real note, community service is something most people take for granted or do because they are forced to do it. I encourage people to step up without having to be forced- community service is a good way to build up your resume and to show that you care for your community. Prospectives reading this should realize that if you have community service on your resume, you are more marketable to future employers because you stand out when you put in the extra initiative of serving in whatever form. In closing, community service is just so valuable. I guarantee that if you do community service, you will receive something back tenfold and odds are you won't see it coming. This is just something I feel the need to share today.

Put yourself out here people,

Hasani Wheat

Class of '10

My adventures outside of OWU- Grace Brethren

It's time for my next round of blogs and I am pretty excited about them. These cover a variety of things that I have done in the next three days. I have done a lot from recreation, community service, and performing. I hope that you like all of the blogs and their variety.

I needed a change of pace after part one of my mid-terms and papers. I needed to get away from campus- not too far but far enough to really enjoy myself. I was thumbing through Facebook (the great procrastinator!) and I saw that Campus Crusade was doing another Open Gym event at Delaware Grace Brethren Church. Needing a break from school, I decided to go and hang out with a couple of my friends. I realized that I will also have another opportunity to bond with people who are Christians.

I enjoyed some games of basketball and dodgeball. I must say that my competitive spirit always comes out whenever I am doing recreation. I am not at all a person who is outrageous athletic but I love to put in an effort in whatever I do especially if it is sports-related. I feel that I leave myself on the court every time and I am invigorated whenever I do this. People tell me all of the time that I need to take time out for myself and with the Open Gym, I am able to do so and have fun at it too.

Usually, I will try to utilize all of the time I am given when it comes to recreation. If you look at the illustration of the clock. I know, it is dark and shadowy but when you are taking some pictures, they don't exactly turn out to what they are supposed to be. It is around 10 til 2 in the morning. You know I MUST have been having some fun if I am illustrating a clock in the morning. I showed the clock because time is of the essence and I utilized any second of it.

The other pictures are of my friends. The first picture shows Justin Payne and Matt Yoder playing a friendly? game of dodgeball. Obviously, there is got to be a loser and a winner in this game. Can you tell who is who? My next picture is of me and Dave Johnstone just cheesing for the camera. I consider Dave a close friend and a fellow man of strong faith. I respect him for being a Christian who is open; I know that if I need guidance on how to change my faith, I can easily go to Dave. Dave, if you are reading this, know that I am here for you and God is too! Unfortunately, I only have one more picture. At right, this is a picture of Matt Cutchers and Kristen Carney. Matt, or as we all call him "Cutch," is a beacon of light for anyone. Kristen is a sweetheart and even though we just met a couple of weeks ago, I feel that Kristen has a big heart. I know the two of them through Justin and Dave. Basically, Cutch is the person with a bunch of connections including having Open Gym on Friday nights; Kristen advertised Open Gym on Facebook and somehow, I found it. I haven't gotten particularly close with them yet but I know that with due time, our relationship will be very, very close.

One final note. I am a Christian and I feel that I need to get the word out; this is a good way of doing so. I also want to break the stereotype that Christian are stern, always toting a Bible people. I promote the Word but I am also human- I make mistakes. I like to have fun too as well as work hard. By saying this, I feel at peace with myself and whatever controversy this may bring. I feel that I need to share this as well as my experiences at Grace Brethren to others as a way to show people that there are ways of get off campus through organizations. I like this idea and I cherish this opportunity as a Christian and as a Ohio Wesleyan student.

Blessed by the Holy Spirit,

Hasani Wheat

Class of '10