Collins Organizes Haiti Relief Event

On Friday, students at Collins organized a fundraiser to help the efforts in Haiti. The event featured free creole food from Dats Restaurant. There was a table setup where you could donate to the Red Cross and a collection box for non-perishable food items. There was also a presentation on the many other ways you could give your money and support to the people of Haiti. Including a way to donate via text-message. I choose this option because I didn't have any cash. In all my time texting I don't think I have ever put it to such good use.


A film was also shown about the culture and traditions of Haiti. This was accompanied by a discussion of the poverty in Haiti and what we should do to help. This event came right on the heels on a city-wide forum on Thursday about the societal and environmental factors that led to the devastation in Haiti and what our next moves should be to help them rebuild. It is great to see so many different groups on campus and in the community that are trying to organize support for Haiti after this tragedy.

Come Do Art With Your Friends

This semester Collins has started an Art Circle. The Art Circle meets every other Sunday between 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. The goal is to have a model every week for people to sketch or paint. The group is a partnership between The Collins Arts Council and Fine Arts Student Association.


The great thing about The Art Circle was that it was open to people of all skill levels. Some people came with oil paints and some people came with colored pencils. There was music playing in order to create a really chill environment but I could tell everyone was concentrating really hard. Especially the model, I was shocked at how absolutely still she stayed. I am sure the artists appreciated it.

Preparing For the New Semester

My roommates and I moved back in yesterday. It was crazy trying to unpack and get organized. The beginning of spring semester is even more stressful than fall semester because you don't have all Welcome Week to get ready.


My best friends Annie and Will came over to keep us company while we unpacked. It has been almost a month since I had seen them and it was great to catch up. Annie and I had reading to do before the first day of classes.The semester hadn't even started yet and we already had homework. We stayed up late to get it done. Spring semester here we come!

Holidays In The Big Easy

My dad and my sister pose with Superman
Mardi Gras World

After the presents were unwrapped and all the lights and christmas decorations were packed up, my family and I headed to New Orleans for a little holiday vacation.We took a tour at Mardi Gras World. It is where they make all the floats for the Mardi Gras parades.

New Orleans is known for its food. Especially some really weird desserts like the alligator cheesecake I had at Jacquemo's restaurant. Alligator really just tastes like sausage but it was still pretty strange.

Me and my sisters at the Musicians' Village

My family and I visit New Orleans every year. It is interesting to see how the city is coming back to life after Hurricane Katrina. It has been four years since the hurricane and most of the damage has been cleared up, but the city still isn't as vibrant as it once was. Humanitarian projects like the Musicians Village in the Ninth Ward, one of the areas hit hardest by the disaster, have really helped. The Village offers homes to one of New Orleans greatest assets, its musicians. New Orleans is working hard to bounce back and my family was happy to do our part this holiday season by offering our tourism dollars.

Break Dance Competition Gives Students a Chance to Show Off Their Moves

Last Saturday there was an impromptu dance-off in the dinning hall at Collins. Early that morning signs appeared all over the building that read "Break Dance Competition: Dining Hall 4 p.m. NO JOKE!!!" I thought I would wonder down there and check it out. I didn't expect there to be many people there, but I was wrong. The room was packed. There were even people crowded in the hall outside dinning room peering in.

Each "dance-off" featured two teams of two. One person performed at a time switching back and forth between teams. At the end of each round the three judges voted. The emcee would point to each team and if the judge didn't like them they would cross their arms to make an X. The crowd would cheer and boo for the different teams. The competition got pretty intense and the dances became increasingly acrobatic. I was quite impressed "NO JOKE!!"

BFA Students Show Off Their Work

On Friday, The BFA art classes had their end of the semester art shows. BFA stands for Bachelors of Fine Arts. The BFA program is an especially rigorous art program so the students who get accepted to it are the cream of the crop. I went to the Photography show with my friends Michele and Rachel. It was cool to get to see what the BFA students had been working on this semester.
"There is just such an eclectic mix of styles it is really interesting. Especially when you compare their individual work to the collective project" Michele said. At the show each student presented their own series of work. The whole class also did a series together that was based off a deck of playing cards. Each student was required to do a photograph involving each suite and then all their photographs hung together on the main wall. It was really interesting to compare the students different styles across the one project.

The painting program had their show the same night, and I wish I could have made it. There are always so many different art events going on it is nearly impossible to catch them all. I was glad to see the photography show and be able to support the amazing work my fellow students are doing.

Students Express Themselves Through Poetry

Students gathered to celebrate poetry and literature at Collins' Spoken Word Night last week. Several students read their own original work. The night was a mix of funny and serious poetry and short stories. It was great to see how creative other Collinsites were.
One student, Michael, read a poem by, according to him, "our generation's greatest poet." He did a hilarious rendition of "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga. It was a fun night and a great opportunity for students to show off their work and get positive feedback. I'm no poet myself, but I'm always glad to cheer on my fellow students.