Orientation Time

Its HERE ONCE AGAIN...... ORIENTATION..... The time when all the newbies coming to the campus and in particular living on the halls of residence flock the campus of the UWI lost, and completely out of their element. I will attempt to give you all my knowledge on exactly what you need to know about campus.... and all the legal information about Hall Orientation..... I hope this will help save lives....

Firstly Orientation will be divided in 2 components.... Hall and Campus.... so i will discuss what u need to know for each... Please take notes if you are a foreigner coming to Jamaica for the first time..... SO HERE GOES

CAMPUS ORIENTATION

Despite what many may say Campus orientation is important... ensure that you carry a decent note book with you to the sessions.... one of the easiest way to make your way around campus is to just ASK QUESTIONS ...... But the programme normally provides guided tours of the campus and faculties..... Take a couple tours you'll be ahead of the rest of the school come Monday morning!!!! lol right like that's important.... well not for Soc Sci but when you have some real pack class over pure and applied you don't want to be caught standing....

That brings us to the next point..... THIS IS VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT.... LISTEN CAREFULLY------ I MEAN READ CAREFULLY..... Try to go to sessions that show you how to use the UWI WEBSITE..... For first time users and new students this is essential in you registering for classes, tutorials, retrieving notes, submitting assignments..... YOU HEAR WEH ME SEH.... OK... Enough said....Mastering this system will put you ahead of the game in setting a decent time table.... and registering for good tutorial times... as well as all other official UWI Communications....

OK FOOD.... YES WE CANT LEARN ON HUNGRY BELLY....

Many are of the popular view especially when in high school that KFC DEH PAN CAMPUS... in Standard English, That there is a KFC on campus, so its KFC ALL THE WAY..... LOL I will laugh now, but a lesson before u reach.... Mommy give the likkle money fi last u some time..... KFC is there to take that money away.... A word to the wise.... Juicy Cheaper.... Maintenance, Beehive, Students Union, Seacole and Den....((( For those living on HALL ---- GO AND COOK.....))) offer a cheaper alternative.... Nah promote no food stall!!!! dem too thief. $30 dollar for a $15 oreo.... All drinks is $80 or $90.

OK OK.... I Cant teach u everything... Go read you handbook.....

PS. Try not to schedule classes after 2 on a Thursday..... Its a bad idea if you want to leave UWI Mona with more than just a degree... Its sports and club time.... That reminds me.... Try your best to join couple clubs.... and take up 2 sports..... Discuss the benefits later in another POST...

YES THE REAL MEANING OF ORIENTATION...... HALL ORIENTATION

A little story before I start.... Packed all my crap from my yard in mommy's car Drive to Preston Hall only to see di whole place decorated in purple.... A sad day in the life of the Blue Blood Georgian... U and I know that Georgians never get caught wearing that color for the school across the road... but i grew to be ok with it.... Fire bun K.C. is a UWI Mona purple me wear.... 2 different color...STR8.

So advice number one.... Know the color of your Hall
A.Z. Preston Hall --- Purple and White
Mary Seacole Hall--- Black and White
Chancellor Hall------ Gold and Black
Taylor Hole--------- Blue and Whitewash
Irvine Hall---------Yellow and Green
weh di next one name!!!! oh yeh
Rex Nekkle Fools----Maroon and Gold

This way Prestonites can identify the leaches....LOL OK I'm going to be nice!!!!
The real reason is when your shopping for accessories you can buy colors matching your hall.

Ensure that while you pack the best of everything u have from home... Take one pair of sneakers, T-shirt and shorts that you wont need after orientation.....

People who are not going to reside on hall often time have the option of participating in Hall Orientation.... You paid for it in your fees so go query it with Hall Admin......

Don't carry a T.V. you wont get bored on Hall that easily especially when u make an effort to build the hall life....

Take 2 BAGS OF SMALL Balloons--- They will Make Great Decorations For Your Room...... HAHAHAHAHA

In terms of food... For the duration of orientatian... run it like a hurricane shelter... light food .... syrup and cool aid bread and the little stuff... Between campus and Hall you wont necessarily have time to cook.... Plus u just get'n used to the place.....

Ensure that you take the full spectrum of clothes.... Not everything on hall is a Jeans affair.... Carry a couple suits.... Some real dressy tops.... some party clothes,,,,, work clothes,,,,, costumes....trust me....YOU WILL NEED THEM ALL....

OOOO don't leave your instruments at home!!!! carry them.... But don't be a nuisance.... Drumming at odd Hours is not cool.... JUST ASK WIZZY......

Get a pair of headphones you will need them for the computer lab.....

Come with the things that will make u comfortable.... especially since campus gets very very cold in winter.... Fan u can do without for your first 3 months.... Bring a blanket and when u reach try to get a UWI Sweater they are real nice.....

SECURITY

Now on the issue of security..... Its rather simple...... Number 1: WALK WITH YOUR ID.... this solves 80% of your security encounters on campus and on hall. ID = legitimacy
Number 2: when night comes ask for security escort....
Number 3: For those visiting Jamaica make friends fast... We are your ticket to correct prices...
When you are on hall there is a certain sense of safety and peace.... it is false in some sense.... don't mistake us being able to roam about at 2am and 3am for absolute safety..... protect your self.... lock your rooms when u leave.... and for heavens sake if you are the thief and u reading this.... leave di people dem tingz alone....
In terms of household security.... just come to an understanding with your house mates as to what can and can't be done from day 1.......


COMMON AREAS:

OK CLEAN the Stove when u done..... Don't leave the plates in the sink for extended periods.... and for the love of GOD... try fi keep di place better than u keep you yard.....

FINALLY

COME WITH AN OPEN MIND - Orientation is designed to be a fun experience that you will treasure for the rest of your life....

U.W.I Mourns Once More

The University of the West Indies, Mona notes, with regret, the passing of Ms. Carmen Dias, Lodgings Officer.
She passed away this morning after being treated for illness in the hospital.

********************************************

The University of the West Indies, Mona, also notes with regret, the passing of Mr. Cordel Nelson, Senior Assistant Registrar, Examinations Section.

Mr. Nelson passed away on Monday July 20.....

Well the news comes as a shock as the U.W.I will continue to mourn for its own... with the death of Mr. Nelson from exams and now Mrs. Dias.

Nobody will forget his face once they took an exam at UWI... May their souls rest in piece....

An open Letter to UWI by Michael "Stone" Grandison

A friend of mine STONE writes an open letter to UWI. Profound

I am a recent graduate of the University of the West Indies, and it has been a barely palatable mix of bitter and sweet memories which leads back through my four years at the institution. I say this not in anger but in sadness and in disappointment, not as a deliberate truant, but as an eager learner who simply wasn’t cunning enough not to fall through the cracks. I ended my time at the university with a mere pass degree, and having spent one year more than the standard requirement of my degree. I was never an intentional trouble maker, a bit lazy, but only as much as the average college student. My academic failures, whilst I cannot deny my responsibility, are tied as inextricably as cause and effect to the darker memories of my school career.

The brighter days that graced that beautiful campus were filled with friends, sports, sex, and a few teachers who were not so much intelligent as they were genuine, good natured, and actually interested in their job. In all fairness to those overlords who brought the darker days of my school life, maybe their job descriptions were not clear enough to them, but their impressions and corresponding attitudes were polarized from that of their students. I appreciate the fact the combined processes of teaching and learning is a two way street, and some of my peers were simply up to no good. Even so, my inability to match my teachers’ cynicism is bound to my academic misfortune. At the heart of the slow demise of the teacher student dynamic and malevolent bureaucracy, was one fundamental thing. Bad will. This idea was merely a seed in my head as I struggled to navigate the perils of the system. It only began to grow in earnest when I attended my cousin’s graduation.

Now there is a widely accepted stigma in Jamaica, especially amongst those in decision making power who find it hard to take or even ask advice, against foreign praise. I assure you dear reader that I am as much of a patriot as the desire for positive change makes me, but this doesn't mean that I am opposed to making positive examples of foreign nations and cultures. As it happened, I was invited to attend my cousin’s graduation from the famous Yale College. Having never attended a foreign educational institution I was admittedly a bit close minded and undeniably envious. This because of having heard all the stories of schools of wealth unimaginable, almost utopian in atmosphere, with long heritages and corresponding records of success. On actually going there it became clearer to me what the key component of the system which ensured its continuing success was. Yes there was an unspoken almost subconscious insistence upon the highest of standards, and the most tenacious of approaches. Yes there was also an immense pool of resources from which both the students and the school itself could take to realize their ambitions. But what was at the heart of even these fundamental things? As I toured the town and campus in the days leading up to the big day, I poked and prodded at the answer and could come up only with vague and superficial bit and pieces.

Then while listening intently, despite the blazing direct sun, to the testimonials and confessions of the faculty, staff and students, intent on making those words their most memorable; I realized something. The epiphany came slowly and I felt like a dunce in its wake, not only did everyone have something positive to say, but their words, and the way they were put together, convinced one listening without a doubt, that they were sincere. I must also note that most of the events speeches we're from students. Everything I had seen before on my touring suddenly fell into place, and it might have slipped me had I not had an opposite to compare it to. The teachers realized their effect, not only on their individual students, but on their departments, on the whole student body, and thereby on the entire university system.

The key factor was none other than good will. Now follow me if you will. The teachers are limitlessly supportive and open with their students, so as to not only help them make the best decision about what they wanted to do with their lives, but also to enable them to take their work and study to the highest level they desire. The teachers are passionate and thereby inspiring, which seems a perfect catalyst for student excellence. The students in turn, realizing their role, tirelessly strive and excel. The empowered and enabled students then go into society, unsurprisingly succeed, and use the rewards of their efforts to enrich the institution responsible for their success. This creates the pool of resources which enables all within the system, and with this the cycle of goodwill is complete.

I am by no means saying that their system is perfect. I have simply identified the flaw which they have gotten rid off, which cripples our system so mercilessly. It is unthinkable that the attitude of teacher/motivator/enabler should reek of rude condescension and inconsiderate, selfishness. A selfishness which obscures the connectedness of individual and system, where it concerns both the university and wider society. Those who have been charged with our stewardship have carefully sidestepped an admission of the consequences of non-positive reinforcement. Never in the career of an educator should they consider uncivilized methods of discipline which utilize insult. Thereby attacking a student’s sense of self, suggesting to all who have witnessed, that one does not have student’s best interest at heart. This student doubt is also heavily reinforced by dispassionate displays, which contradict the aim of inspiration, and discourage a genuine respect for the teacher.

These are just a few small, marginal points about the problems of the system. The solution should be evident, and requires only a change of attitude. Once the enablers begin to act sincerely and passionately in the interest of the system's products (the students), then the cycle of good will sees not only the creation of benefits, but also the solution of problems. None of this of course, is without sacrifice (you all knew it was coming), because it is impossible to change a perspective or an entire system without giving something up. I am not a socialist or communist, neither am I opposed to the accumulation of material wealth. But the sustainability of individual benefits necessitates that you do not compromise the functionality of a system you have an interest in and that has an interest in you. If you can't make any sort of sacrifice for the betterment of a group situation, then you aren't suited to that group, or maybe to group effort itself.

I admit that I made many mistakes throughout my academic career, but I must also attest to the fact that there are many unnecessary obstacles a student has to face, which leaves them graduating with a bad taste in their mouths. This is an appeal to the teachers and administrators to be stern yet not obstructive, frugal yet not deny those most in need of resources, to be socially responsible in all your actions, keeping fully aware of the effect they have on those with whom you co-exist.

At a 2007 international idea conference called TED, one of the presenters who was a forward thinking African journalist activist, took a moment to acknowledge a man who had changed her life, her Harvard college professor. I thought about how many graduates of the University of the West Indies could say that. I would be lying if I said none, because I can say that a select few have significantly changed my outlook for the better. But I couldn’t say most, nor could I say all. Every teacher, especially at the tertiary level, should have it be their mission to change the lives of all of their students for the better.

Funeral Service for Jodian & Jaidon

The Funeral Service for Jodian & Jaidon will be held at The Rehoboth Gospel Assembly on Constant Spring Road beside Merlgrove High School. Internment at Meadowrest Memorial.

Date: July 11th
Time: 1pm
Dress Code: Cheerful Colours

In this difficult time you are in my prayers...

Preston Hall by Ricknel Marshall

Preston Hall by Ricknel Marshall
Date: 18/06/05

Your lush green lawns
Await every dawn
Sweet smelling morns
Feverishly cool nights
Preston Hall

Within these hallow walls
Lie a spirit that never dies
Lives lived, loves gained and lost
Gains won at any cost
Preston Hall

We never sleep
Beds at late night always squeak
A noise emanates from the depths of Rex
Preston Hall

Why do we play when we only loose
Strengthened by the spirit,
Nourished by the water,
Warmed in the buttocks of A.Z. Preston
Trodding the golden stairs,
Tread not on my lawns
We NYAM DEM RAWWWWW
We live by the spirit;

A long and boring summer to bear,
Yet life still exists within you,
Beautiful, silent, Sandals Mona
You know no other life,
Than to keep us safely housed,
With freedom to roam,
To express,
To love


Just felt like dropping you one of my poems about Preston Hall... Hope you enjoy it to the max.... Leave a comment after the post.... and check out the ads that's how i make money the most.... Love y'all from the depths... Sharks 4 life....

Signed
Ricknel "Wizard" Marshall

R.I.P - Jodian "Ignorant" Robertson

Today Preston Hall mourns the death of another dear alumni, Jodian "Ignorant" Robertson. Jodian (second from the right) was a lover of children and was a dedicated member of Preston Hall's mentorship programme. She was also a big part of the Ashlee Simpson led Cultural, Entertainment and Affairs Committee.

For people who knew Jodian well she was a friend for all seasons. Though at times she seemed all too fussy, if you stayed long enough the gentle side of her would present itself. All of us from 04 will remember her for the orientation experience. Although many will remember her for her off moments. For those who only saw her she was the girl with the loping gait and that famous cane who lived on Olympia and later moved to Burgpltz... Jody in her Hi5 profile described herself in these words, "At first most people think i'm a bitch but if you take the time to know u will realize that i have a very soft side especially for my true friends. I'm definately a daddy's girl for life and i just like having fun with my peeps and surrounding myself with people who make me laugh. "

Shandre "Peddlar" Burke-Green summed up her experiences way back in 2006 with these words, "Jo-Po!!! Man, I remember when I met this girl, I instantly thought, "she miserable..ehh?"...and not surprisingly, I was right! lol... nahh, I really am serious. Jodian has a sweet heart but she will cuss yuh r@$ off. I admire the fact that she values friendship and she treats her friends well, very caring and listens and offers advice( not that I took that "nibble "advice, Jo!) lol...She makes me laugh and I love mocking her..(yah, that's fun) hehe. I don't always agree with how she handles a situation or how she readily cuss off smaddy wid her damn rolling eyes...but no one is perfect and she is really a great person once you get to know and spend time with her. For the fellas, u better be good to her..cuzz she loves to spoil her man, so know that u r lucky! One Love!!!!!

Life is precious and during the creation of another we have lost a Prestonite. My condolences go out to all her friends and family. I pray that God will keep you... I pray, Jodian, that He will guide you and watch over you. To the Prestonites who mourn may the Shark Spirit live on in you and keep you.

God Bless and Keep You....
Signed
Ricknel "Wizard" Marshall

Preston Connections

I just want to send a big shout out to all the A.Z. Preston Hall massive… You know you bad from birth and no likkle Peliquack, No Likkle Pu$$ycat, Dry Land T-Rex, Nor Matches stick cyaa touch we…We know we are forever striving for excellence….

We have Vybz cyaa done!!!!!!!!…..We love we Hall to the End+++++++

Just want to send a BIG SHOUT OUT….. To Sir. Dolphin….AKA…..Dollo foundation people like Nadeen Spence, Lane, Lindy, DI REAL BIG MAN…….Mr. Solomon,,,,DENTON and di whole crew….. miss P….

Country you pass and Gone But u Chicken save we nuff Friday Night…..Cyaa lef out di PORk…Bless up…. Big up Security like Angie….

Bless up to all the Hall Chairs and Cluster Retches... And you know we have to mention the cluster of clusters......Amster.....Amster.....Amster.......DAAAAAAAAAAAAAmmmm ....Amsterdam.....Represent....Nuff love....Signed Wizard...