I have about two weeks until break begins..... I am so stoked!

Finally, I have two weeks until the end of this semester. I am so happy to be finished with this semester. This semester was very grueling for me and I think that next semester will be a better fit for me in terms of classes and experiences. I have become accustomed to not particularly liking the first semester, just because there is not as much flexibility as there is in the second part of the academic year. In the second semester, there are a lot more opportunities for me to leave the campus and to pursue the conferences and all of the big things that the spring has to offer: Springfest, Formals, Trustee Dinner, and other important events. My courses for the next semester are also a reason I have to yell about (in a good way). My courses are flexible and all of them are in topics that are of interest. I think I am saying to myself "there is light at the end of the tunnel."

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One of the things that I was enjoying was the always pleasurable President's Ball. Sponsored by WCSA, this year's President's Ball was awesome. I went to help set-up early for the annual event and enjoyed two hours of the really fancy Cocktail Party. Being one of the only people at the event that is not 21, I opted to play it safe (that was a good thing because I had ticket and door duty from 11:45-1:00 a.m.). I decided to chill with some of the seniors such as FIJI's former President, Jimmy Mako and the Historian's own, Matt McGuire. The atmosphere was laid back like last year; the background of New York City in the background, the Jazz Band playing some up-tempo beats to pump up the crowd, and the mellifluous powerhouse alumna Qiana McNary tantalized everyone's minds with those songs of delight. I LOVE the cocktail portion of the President's Ball.
Instead of being a loner like my time as a freshman on WCSA last year, this year, I enjoyed the company of friends and my fraternity brothers. Having everyone around me really made the night one never to forget (at least while I am at OWU). Even the subtle things became important- you know, all of the interactions with women, discussions about the future, etc. I mingled with the big heads on campus- from proven and emerging student leaders to Dr. Robbins and Dr. Omahan, our Interim President and Interim Dean of Students, respectfully. I was comfortable with portraying who I was to everyone at the cocktail party. I was me and that was great!
Around 9:30 p.m., the emergence of the rest of the OWU campus showed up to make its presence felt at the President's Ball. The room that was once empty was now full of new faces that were not seniors or faculty. I was already in the zone with the music blaring in the background. Around 10:00 p.m., all of the elements that made the cocktail party; the wine and beer, the heavy hors d'oeuvres, and the live jazz band with the quick emergence of the Swing Dancers, were being replaced with a DJ (courtesy of fellow Phi Delta Theta member Mr. Ted Thode) and the abundance of freshmen experiencing the joys of the President's Ball for the first time. The experience after the cocktail party seemed to be better this year than last year, mainly because last year as soon as the cocktail party ended, I worked ticket sales and the door. I left soon after because I was already tired. This year, I was out on the dance floor and enjoying myself early. Most of the faculty and the seniors were gone by 10:00 p.m. and all of them are virtually gone by 11:00 p.m. The lower classes started to dance to the sounds of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Soulja Boy, and Nelly (yeah, this is an eclectic mix, indeed). Compared to the beginning of the night, the atmosphere was electrified and full of energy. There were a lot of seeing people enjoy life as many people got into bid crowds to watch people do whatever they do to get that reaction. I know this sentence is a bit confusing but if you can interpret the actual meaning of what I am trying to say about the energy on the dance floor, and then you can understand the craziness that the President's Ball became.
The day calmed down for me as I went to my seat near the door to sell tickets. People were pouring into the dance area around 12:15-12:30. Opera singers came after their performance earlier in the day, Thetas showed up for more partying, and more freshmen than you can imagine continue to drag all of their friends along. I was not anticipating the amount of money people gave to come to this annual event. I was ecstatic with the final results of happy people using Facebook to portray their experience at President's Ball. Hopefully, WCSA can do it again next year. I just wish I had my camera like last year; oh well, check out www.mypictures.com or if you are an OWU student, check out Facebook for more photos. I have posted two picture links near the top of this blog. Check those out, too!
It seems like just a minute ago that I was a freshman getting my first feel for this blog. A year later, I am nearing my 50th blog and I am a year older. I am so happy to be writing to you because there is so much I can document as a sophomore. I have so much access now to anything that it is not even funny. Next semester, I know that I will probably document a lot more because I am planning big things for myself and for all of my organizations. So for now, all I am saying is stay tuned, it is going to be an awesome ride through spring semester- sophomore year. I have to go to work now at Student Involvement and plan out my night: Dinner on the town, One-Acts, and the amazing phenomenon known as the Bhangra Party.





Enlightenment is the key to continued opportunity,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10