Good to be home- chicken chili recipe!

I feel like I have to compensate for not posting anything for forever, so I have another post!

I just have to share the deliciousness of my homemade chicken chili that I had tonight! It was so good! I made it with ground chicken, black beans, kidney beans, corn, diced tomatoes, fresh chopped onion, diced red pepper, basil, oregano, minced garlic, black pepper, chili powder, tomato sauce

First, I cooked one pound of ground chicken in a large saucepan. Once it was mostly cooked, I added a large does of black pepper, a dash of minced garlic, a quarter of a chopped onion, half a diced red pepper, and some basil, chili powder and oregano. I let those ingredients cook a bit while the rest of the chicken cooked on low heat. Once the chicken was completely cooked, I added 1 12 oz. can of diced tomatoes, half a 32 oz. can of kidney beans (undrained), 1 12 oz. can of black beans (undrained). I mixed these contents well and let them simmer for a few minutes. Next, I added a 12 oz. can of corn and added more of the spices to taste (I prefer it a little spicy) and the tomato sauce. I let this cook for about 45 minutes, though I would have liked to let it simmer all day if I had the time. Serve hot with a sprinkle of grated cheddar cheese and a side of corn bred!

Winter Break Reflections

Wow, I am so not a good blogger. I just write things when I am mad at UR....but now I am going to reflect on the past semester (I may even try to keep it positive!)....

I took five classes this semester: Propaganda State (Hist), Colts, Communes, and Utopias in Early America (Relg), Into to American Studies (Amst), Power and Society in the Middle East (Anth), and Literary Spain (LAIS). This has definitely been the most dynamic group of classes I have taken in college and I enjoyed taking a variety of classes. The Anthropology class (my minor) was definitely my least favorite class. The professor made the class terribly boring and I hated it, though the topic could have been really cool. Propaganda State was definitely interesting but it was once a week 7-9:40 p.m. and I was always too tired to function by the time I had that class so I am glad it is over! I LOVED my Spanish Class. The professor, Angel, was super great and just a really fun professor for a lit class. The other two classes I enjoyed a lot too. Intro to American Studies was great. It was taught by a professor who normally teaches at VCU, but they would not rehire her this year because she was pregnant (what is that BS!?). Her specialty in American Studies is Pop Culture (especially of the 1960s, 70s, 80s) and that was incredibly cool to learn about. I wrote my final paper on musical mash-ups! How coo!? Finally, my Religion class. The professor was my favorite and my academic advisor for American Studies. This class explored various religious movements in Early America from the Shakers, to Brook Farm, to Mormons, and cults. Overall, this class was pretty cool. The focus was on the Shakers so that is what our final papers were built around. I am super stoked to have written my final paper for this because it may be the basis of my thesis next year (I am nerdily really excited about maybe having a thesis idea!!)! For the paper, I wrote about this one random document from the Shaker Manuscript Collection that Boatwright Library has (pretty impressive collection!). The document was a Shaker "Inspired Writing" of a vision during the period known as the Era of Manifestations. The coolest part about this document is that it was a vision of a vision of a vision. In other words, Visionist 1 received a vision of another guy, Father James (Visionist 2), having a vision of an Indian woman (Visionist 3) named Mary Equemoh.It was sort of like the movie Inception, but with religious visions. Anyways! This woman Mary Equemoh was allegedly a Cherokee Indian who converted to the Shaker Order and became a missionary. I am studying Indigenous peoples of the Americas for my major so this was incredibly cool to me!

Aside from the academic part of school, I hung out with people, worked at the "Safety Shuttle," and played quidditch! Since I have already bored anyone who is reading this (probably no one!), I wont ramble about my job or the cool people I know...but QUIDDITCH is a topic I cannot skip!

I co-founded the Quidditch team at the University of Richmond last Fall (2009). The team had a pretty decent turn-out last year but a few times this season we found our number dwindling. But, we did make it to the Quidditch World Cup in NYC. This was a wild weekend of shenanigans and Harry Potter-related happiness! We left Friday afternoon, Nov. 12. We carpooled to my house in Atown Va, then my dad drove the team in a SHORT BUS to Union Station in DC. There really is not anything more epic then rolling up to a train station in a short bus filled with quidditch players! :) Then we took the bolt bus up to NYC. I and a couple others attended a Captains meeting that night then I headed with my roomski to her house on Long Island. We woke up bright and early the next morning to catch the train into the city and meet up with the team at the Quidditch pitches (Dewitt Clinton Park in Manhattan). We started the World Cup off with an epic parade from a few blocks away from the field to the field. There were so many teams, chanting lyrics to Disney songs, jumping around shouting curses, and singing school fight songs. It was EPIC. The U of R Acromantulas definitely had the best banner in town!



In the end, we one won game (against Ryerson College), and lost to Harvard and Vassar. I got hurt during the Vassar game and we sustained one other injury during the Ryerson game, but everyone is healed!. Though we ran into a couple of mishaps, the weekend was possibly the best experience of my life. It was amazing. There were 46 teams and a ton of spectators! Great time!

Then, a couple of weeks ago the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out in theaters. I went at midnight of course! Dressed up completely in HP gear and got terrific seats for the coolest HP film yet! I cannot wait until part 2 in 212 days (July 15, 2011)!

So overall, I had a great semester. Academically I was challenged but improved my GPA which is great news as far as I am concerned! I particpated in more than my fair share of Harry Potter related shenanigans and hung out with some really great pals! Finals killed my soul, but I am home now and so glad!

Happy Holidays Cyberspace! Cheers!

Ring Dance

Recently, Westhampton students received and email from the office of Dean Landphair about the upcoming Ring Dance for the Junior class (class of 2012!). In this email, we were kindly informed that if we want to be presented with a class ring at Ring Dance in the Spring semester, we need to get our order in soon. At first, I read this and was glad they had reminded me, as it was my intention to buy a class ring. However, after checking out the website of the company that UR is working with for class rings (balfour.com), and seeing that the cheapest ring available for purchase was well over $300, I am having second thoughts.

The undeniable classism that has been displayed by this email is disturbing on many levels, especially from a University that offers a ton of financial aid options for those in need. In the email, was a statement something to the effect of "no personal or family rings will be presented during Ring Dance (by Dean Landphair)." This statement bothers me because many students simply may not have the funds to buy an official class ring (they are not cheap!) and these students are being marginalized because of their inability to spend a fortune. It is disturbing that the University, and specifically Westhampton College, are reinforcing socio-economic expectations that are completely unrealistic for many students. After looking at the ridiculous prices on the cheapest, and quite frankly not attractive, rings on balfour.com, I am quickly coming to the conclusion that I may try to make my own class ring, something simple, elegant, and classy-not gaudy. My suite-mate inspired me with this idea as she had a ring made out of a sapphire that she was given by a family member for her class ring.

I really would love for the UR administration to wake up and smell the coffee. They need to realize that so much of what they do marginalizes one group or another. There are ways to make these "traditions" open and accessible to all despite socio-economic standing, etc. Though I am actually looking forward to attending Ring Dance, I am somewhat concerned with out much pressure is placed on women to wear formal white dresses (supposedly representing purity? innocence? I am not sure!). Not only is the assumption made that ALL women want to wear a dress or are comfortable doing so, the reputation around these dresses is that they are expensive-another classist part of Ring Dance.

As a result, I am planning to break these trends. Not only do I plan on making my own dress for Ring Dance, but I intend it to be crazy colorful-like me! And I just may design my own (cheaper) ring while I am at it!

Success...Only You Can Judge Your Own.

I am so tired of my ideas being shut down and disregarded. I have thoughts. I have ideas. So why is it that when I have an idea that I want to pursue, someone always has to say it has been done, it is stupid, you wont do well. I can do well at anything I want to and I will not accept (any longer) being told that I cannot achieve what I want. Even if an idea is something that is not completely original, if it is something that is important to me and I feel like I can put my own spin on it, then why should my thoughts on the matter be rejected. Nowadays, there is so much information and knowledge out there that covers the basic ideas of seemingly everything. But what if what I have to say is not “the basic ideas?” What if what I want to share is the story of my life in the context of greater, already existing issues and ideas? It is still MY story. I am really the only one who has a right to tell my story, because it is mine. Since it is not like my life is all that interesting and I do not have authors flocking to share my life with their yearning audiences, I should feel at liberty to say or write about my story in whatever way I want. If I want to write a book about how certain revelations were made clear to me and about the interconnectedness that I see everywhere in the world, and I am presenting my own story and my own life to support what I am saying, I should not feel that I cannot or should not do so because someone told me to.

I am sick of these people who are fighting for social justice in one area while blatantly neglecting other people’s needs around them. So what is it? Is it because I am a woman who feels empowered that you feel so threatened by my ideas as to tell me they are stupid and not worth anyone’s time. Even if those are not the words that are used specifically, if you tell me that I shouldn’t do something because someone has already done their own spin on it (different than my own), guess what you are saying? You are saying that what I have to say is less important, less worthy of being put out there for the world to see, and that I am not likely to be successful.

But then how are you measuring my success? I have a feeling it is in a different way than I measure my own success. I hold myself to high standards when evaluating my own success at anything. The most important thing to me in evaluating my own success is whether or not I did the very best I know how to do. No matter what the end result is, I know that if I did the best that I know how to do (notice I didn’t use “can do”-because I do not believe I am really limited in CAPABILITY. Do I have boundaries in my life that may hold me back, obstacles in the road to interfere with my capability to accomplish my goals? Sure, but they will not prevent my success. (Maybe you are not doing it by the book, or the way everyone else is doing it, but if you are accomplishing your goals, who cares if you did it your own way!) I do not believe success is about money at all. If I want to, for example, write a book, I do not care if it becomes a New York Best Seller and makes me a million dollars (that would be a plus, though). I care about the impact that I may have made on ONE person’s life-including my own. If I want to write a book, that will likely never get published, but it helps me overcome something in my own life, then let me prevail because that is a success. It is a success for me on a personal level. Now, if I am able to help someone else with similar issues by means of writing my not-published book, why should I not?

New Stadium-A Let-Down for Some

Today I attended an open forum about the new football stadium that is to open this Fall. The forum was an overview of what students, faculty, staff, the greater Richmond community and visitors can expect from the new stadium. The main topics that were covered surrounded parking, general traffic flow information, student ticketing, and the designated student tailgating area. One thing they did not address until I asked about it is the student seating section.

The students have been given the privilege to sit at the end zone where you can see approximately 1/3 of the field with reasonable accuracy. End zone seating is the worst seating arrangement they could have given the students. When I asked about this...they told me the students chose end zone seating "because it is the only part of the stadium where everyone can sit together." Are there not seats on the sidelines? I am pretty sure there are. And as for those "students" who chose this, they meant a handful of "student leaders" from Pan Hellenic, IFC, Richmond College Student Government, Westhampton College Student Government, and the Richmond Rowdies. Of those five groups listed, the Rowdies are the only one in which it is perfectly clear why they were elected to participate in this "student leaders" group. They are some of the biggest supporters of Richmond Spiders athletics! However, I refuse to accept members of Pan Hellenic, IFC, or either Student Governing body as the only student leaders who deserve input into this matter. There is a plethora (that's my favorite word!) of student organizations on campus with leaders who dedicate a significant amount of their time to their group and I think that all group leaders are student leaders who deserve to be heard. Why is it that the University of Richmond so easily hands greater power to Greek life when it has been repeatedly abused. Now, do not get me wrong. I have nothing against Fraternities or Sororities at the University of Richmond, but I do think that they have given reason for the University of Richmond to at least think twice about giving them more power. And as far as Student Government goes, while elected by peers, some run uncontested and others make it a popularity contest. Just because you are "popular" does not mean that you should be the only ones invited to make decisions on behalf of the entire student body.

I consider myself a hardcore Spider Athletics fan and I especially love football. For me to be told that my $50, 000 tuition is not enough to get me a decent seat in the new stadium, I cannot help but be a bit offended and confused. I do not understand why the University of Richmond has let down the students again. They tell us to get excited about the new stadium that is "retuning to campus." But how can I get excited when I will not even be able to watch the game! I do not get wasted before football games because I love football and I want to watch the game, but I feel as though I may as well since it doesn't matter if I can see straight or not from end zone seating. I mean, I am already going to be at such a terrible angle, that why not just go ahead and get plastered before games. I would end up watching roughly the same game either way.

Another concern that I have is with this fiasco of too few seats for students. Last year's Homecoming Game at 1600 students at it. The new stadium has a maximum capacity of 1500 in the student section. Why is it that the alumnae and the community will be able to get tickets for their seats, while the students who work really hard to be successful at the U of R are left without enough seats. At the forum, they discussed a handful of possible ways to decide who will get tickets. One option is that students will have to make time in their schedules to go to the Robins Center Ticketing Office in order to claim their ticket before their peers do. Thank goodness I am not living in Keller or North Court next year! Other options included online lotteries, and online ticket claiming (first come first served). They may not have to worry about not having enough tickets, however, thanks to the poorly placed student section.

As far as the unfortunate parking scenario in which students assigned to X-Lot will have to move their vehicles on Friday nights before games, it is lower on my list of complaints. Students will be expected to move their cars, you know, the ones they paid $100 parking pass to park in X-Lot, to the Westhampton side of campus. There is also a very confusing map of who can drive where that visitors will need to take a look at before they get anywhere near campus. The reason for these obstacles in the traffic flow and the need to relocate student cars from X-Lot on game days? Obviously, it is because the University is so POOR that they cannot afford to continue to give us an education if they do not resell the parking spots we bought to season ticket holders, and VIPs who deserve to not have to walk across campus. What with the multi-million dollars worth of construction projects (is it 3 new things they are building? while our dorms have a certain stench of mold?!), the University clearly does not have enough money and is forced to sell the parking spaces that we paid for to more important people. After all, the alumnae, I mean students (?), come first!

Thank you University of Richmond to continue to show just how dedicated you are to your student body!

Jessie

Jepson School Forum Over Controversy-A Disappointment

The Jepson School held a forum yesterday in a model of civil discourse that was supposed to be an “open and frank conversation.” Was it? Maybe on the students' part. Many of the faculty that sat in front of the students both attempted to defend and represent Jepson (as I suspect they were instructed to do), while also speaking out against the awarding of Victoria Cobb. Though many students raised very pressing issues, such as the fact that many within the LGBT community feel isolated, unsafe, and unwelcome at the University of Richmond, these greater issues at hand were never really explored. Many of the faculty said plainly that they did not support the awarding of Cobb, yet they also sat in front of a group of about 40 students and defended Jepson's decision.

The faculty that sat on the panel at the forum all had important things to say, however, they didn't really address what the real issues behind the controversy. Despite the avoidance of the issues at hand, I cannot hold it against the Jepson faculty who were sent to be puppets, and not to speak for themselves. Though the process in which Cobb was chosen to receive the award was questioned, Dean Peart, did everything but clear this up. She got the final statement at the forum and provided a brief overview of the process without giving any real detail. She said something along the lines of: Victoria Cobb was nominated along others and when it came down to it Victoria's leadership was the least worse of the remaining nominees, after Elizabeth Hopfinger Thompson was also chosen to receive the award. I think it would make more sense to have only given the award to the worthy candidate and not to the least worse of the remaining nominees. Despite all of this, I would have liked to see the persons responsible for giving Victoria Cobb the award on the panel–not just the face of Jepson, the faculty who felt like they had to say what Jepson wanted them to say or risk losing their jobs.

I was most moved by some of the stories that some of the students chose to share with the group about the terrible hardships they have faced at the University of Richmond because they identify as LGBT. These stories were disheartening though since they resonated the alienation and unwelcomeness felt by many of the LGBT community at the U of R. If the school is so concerned about maintaing its conservative money donors, then I suggest it consider the fact that the current students are the future alumnae (and maybe even donors!). As a future alumnae of this school, I hope that the University will learn to respect its students a little more and to protect them as it proposes to in the Richmond Promise.

Jessie

Jepson School of Leadership Studies Awards Victoria Cobb

The past three weeks at the University of Richmond have been littered with the controversy of an award given to Victoria Cobb, President of The Family Foundation. The Family Foundation lists among its victories "Banned counterfeit forms of marriage such as 'civil unions'" and "passed Constitutional Amendment Defining Marriage". The former "voids any civil union, partnership, contract or other arrangement between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges or obligations of marriage. Such an arrangement entered into in another state or jurisdiction is void in Virginia and any contractual rights created thereby unenforceable." The latter "protects the definition of marriage and prohibits the Commonwealth or its political subdivisions from recognizing civil unions." Both of these "victories" are oppressive to all who identify as LGBT and work to counter the fight for CIVIL RIGHTS that LGBT people have worked for. These are the same civil rights that various groups of people have worked to achieve, and in the United States have more or less been granted. Why are LGBT people so different that they deserve a separate set of rights from other American citizens.

The big controversy here, however, is not even that Victoria Cobb and the Family Foundation work directly to oppress the rights of the LGBT community. The issue at hand is that the Jepson School of Leadership Studies has decided to honor her, thereby endorsing her foundation and by extension her views. While many students, faculty and staff do not agree with Victoria Cobb's message, the issue here is not about Freedom of Speech: she should feel free to speak her mind about the foundation that she has dedicated her life to. The reason that there is so much controversy is that the University of Richmond, and by extension the Jepson School, have been throwing around this "Richmond Promise" that is supposed to demonstrate the the University is an inclusive community, accepting of all types of diversity, including sexual-orientation, yet Jepson felt it was appropriate to award a woman's "leadership" that goes directly against the Richmond Promise.

The University of Richmond needs to stop pretending it is an inclusive environment on the outside and demonstrate the inclusivity it wants in its actions. This means that is unacceptable for the Jepson, as a part of the larger University of Richmond, to give an award honoring someone's leadership in her community and organization if ALL of the work she has done has been with a Foundation that works ardently against same-sex marriage, same-sex partner benefits, and other rights, that most other people are granted in the United States.

Jessie