A Letter Of Appreciation For The Squirrels On The University Of Arkansas Campus

A Letter Of Appreciation For The Squirrels On The University Of Arkansas Campus

You know you love them...

Victoria Tarkington
Victoria Tarkington Oct 29, 2018
67
views

Imagine this: You're walking to class in a part of campus that doesn't see much traffic. You hear slight rustling of the leaves and you wonder where the noise could be coming from. You look over towards the noise and you see it -a squirrel. The squirrel is just having a wonderful time doing whatever it is that squirrels do, and you realize in that one moment, that the squirrels on the University of Arkansas campus might just be the greatest members of the campus community. So to the squirrels - we love you. You're the best part of life in Fayetteville.

University of Arkansas squirrels have a mind of their own. They're not normal squirrels, they're cool squirrels. They have realized over time that the students and faculty are not going to hurt them, so they'll come right up to you. You can feed them, take good pictures of them, and probably even pet them if your heart so desires (although I wouldn't recommend it). They never shy away from some good old-fashioned time with humans. I doubt any other place on earth has squirrels as rad as the squirrels at the University of Arkansas.

The squirrels are relaxing, in a way. There is something about walking by yourself and seeing a squirrel just simply being a squirrel and automatically feeling calmer than you were before. No matter the stressor(s) in your life, the peacefulness you feel when watching a squirrel can make you feel better almost immediately. If they seem content when they don't know where their next acorn is coming from, then why don't we feel content throughout all circumstances. They are a reminder that all will be okay and all will work itself out. As cheesy as it may sound, I think we all need this constant reminder from our rodent friends.

The squirrels are also just really cool to get to know. I wonder what their lives are like after all the students go home. Do they have fights about who buried which acorn? Do they argue with each other about who gets to sleep on which tree limb? They probably have a whole other life outside of the persona they put on during the school day. They probably have squirrel cliques and squirrel friendships, squirrel drama, and squirrel relationship issues. Yet, we never see that. All we see is their happiness during the day.

The University of Arkansas squirrels are truly one of the greatest parts of my day to day life. The tranquility they provide is comforting, and the life they live outside of the day is intriguing. The squirrels are one of the most underappreciated members of our campus community, and yet they are my favorite creatures to see each day. So if you're ever walking around campus at the University of Arkansas and you see a squirrel, know how truly blessed you are to be in their presence and take in all the emotions. Because our squirrels are the greatest.

Victoria Tarkington
Victoria Tarkington Oct 29, 2018
At University of Arkansas

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An Open Pat On The Back To Full-Time Students Who Also Work

You really deserve an award, but this article will have to do.
Caitlin Cimino
Caitlin Cimino Feb 16, 2016
4374
views

It's pretty freaking hard.

“I can work nights and weekends, I'm a student," you told the manager during your interview.

So, what does he do? He schedules you most nights and weekends. This is OK. This is, after all, what you asked for. So you start working.

Class, class, work. Class, work. Class, no work tonight, you sleep and it feels like the first time in years. Class, homework, homework, homework. Class, class, work.

Before you know it, it's the weekend. There's a party. Your friend wants to see you. Your mom is calling you to see how you are.

But you are working all weekend.

You call your mom on your half hour break. She tells you are doing too much. She tells you that you should work less. Ask for less hours. Sleep more. Eat more. You will get sick.

You get out of work Friday night around 11 p.m. There is still so much night left!! You try to hit up that party. Sure, you will show up a little late, but at least you will make an appearance. At least you will get to see some of your friends. At least you will be able to relax and enjoy yourself. At least you will be able to have some fun. By the time you get ready and get there, people begin leaving. You begin to wonder why you came out in the first place.

“I'm sorry, I've been at work" becomes an all-too-familiar phrase.

But, but, but.

You really deserve a pat on the back, so here it is.

You've given up a lot. And you work crazy hard. Those long nights and hours are hard. A lot of kids your age don't work and rely solely on your parents. But you, you have taken it upon yourself to earn some money for yourself. You are a full-time student, and most of your free time goes toward working and supporting yourself.

You truly do not get the appreciation that you deserve.

But when you do get some time to go out, when you request a weekend off, you have some money to spend. You are never the guy who can't go out because they don't have enough money.

And of course, you will start saving. This is huge. You're going to graduate in debt (probably), and because you busted your butt during school and saved up, putting a crack in that debt will be a little easier for you.

You are a forward thinker, whether you realize it or not.

You are building responsibility, money management, and self-reliance skills, whether you realize it or not.

You are quite mature for your age, whether you realize it or not.

AND YOU deserve a pat on the back. So here it is.

You're incredible. You're amazing. Go get 'em.

Seriously, take a second to congratulate yourself for all your hard work.

And whatever you do, get some sleep, kid. And remember, don't work yourself too hard. Just hard enough so that you feel good, and rewarded, and happy.

You're the man. Keep killin' it, dude. Keep killin' it.

Cover Image Credit: Peter Bernik/123rf Stock Photo
Caitlin Cimino
Caitlin Cimino Feb 16, 2016
At Pratt Institute

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5 Questions You Shouldn't Ask An Art Major

You definitely should never ask or say these five questions unless you want to trigger an art major.

Levi Smith
Levi Smith Feb 20, 2019
65
views

Listen, being an art major isn't all fun and games. We work for long hours on our projects. We get paint all over our clothes. We accidentally cut ourselves with our x-acto knives. We run out of paper to print the night before a big project.

We get critiqued in front of all your peers by your professors. Well maybe those things don't happen to all of us but they sure have happened to me. Non-art majors swear being an art major is the easiest thing in the entire world but they just don't understand what it is really like.

1. "All you do is art and crafts, how hard can it be?"

If it was all just art and crafts, do you think I would complain about the harsh critiques I get from my professors and the late nights on my laptop finishing my final portfolio. Being an art major isn't making the stuff that you pin on your art and crafts board on Pinterest. I'm not saying that isn't art but that's not the type of stuff we create. We create art that makes us think, makes a statement, shows emotion, etc.

2. "What are you going to do with that?"

This question triggers every college student so why do you think it's going to be different for an art major. You hate it every holiday season when your family members ask you that same question about your degree so stop asking us. We are obviously going to become an artist in our field that we specialize in just like you will in your career and degree field.

3. "Will you do it for free?"

As a photographer, many of my friends ask me to do photoshoots for them, their organization that they participate in, and other stuff. Almost every single time, they never ask me if I want them to pay nor do I expect them to ask me at this point.

It would be nice if they thought about the time I take out of my day to take the photos and edit the photos. Of course I will always do it for them cause I love my friends to death but the thought would mean a lot.

4. "You know you aren't going to have any money, right?"

Well yes I obviously know I'm not going to be making 100K a year for selling my art. If I wanted to make big money, I would doing some boring job in a small cubicle doing accounting or something like that. I'm doing this career path that I don't care how much money I make because I love it and have a real passion for.

5. "Why aren't you dressed more like an art major?"

First of all, what does an art major even dress like? I guess people expect us to all dress like that cool and alternative trendy hipster. Some of us dress really cute. Some of us dress really weird.

Some of us of dress in sweats. We dress just like every other college student. Sometimes I even wish I could dress like a cool and alternative trendy hipster but we don't have to dress like that just to be an art major.

Despite all the stereotypes given to art majors, I really do love being an art major. I love the long hours of taking, developing, and editing photos. It is one of the best decision I have ever made and wouldn't trade it for the world. Can we please stop with these questions though? They really get annoying after a while when everyone asks us the same things. So next time you start to question an art major, just don't ask.

Levi Smith
Levi Smith Feb 20, 2019
At Missouri State University

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