Well its been another exciting week here at Walsh—especially for the Business and Communications Club who set off for Boston early last Monday morning to embark on their annual Business Trip to explore and discover all that Boston has to offer as we explored several Businesses as well as sites such as Harvard, the Federal Reserve Building, MIT, and the Samuel Adams Brewing Company. Along with these events we also squeezed in a Duck Tour of the city, stopped by Quincy Market for a bite to eat, and even witnessed a new movie being filmed in the park directly across the street from our hotel. In the short amount of time we had for this trip, we were able to pack as much as possible, utilizing our free time to explore the city and take advantage of all the city had to offer.

From the moment our plane landed we were busy covering as much ground as we could each day. Arriving around 9:00am on Monday morning, we checked into our hotel, the TAJ of Boston. The hotel was a true experience in itself, as we were amazed at how nice it was and thankful for the central location that we were located in. Once situated at the hotel we headed down to the T station to get our transportation passes and we headed towards Harvard University to take a tour and learn about the schools history. Little did we know we were in store for such a great tour. As we joined many others on a student led tour of the campus and surrounding area. The tour guides, while rather loud and crazy, actually put on an awesome tour and kept everyone’s attention. It was so interesting to see how the university has evolved over the years and yet has preserved so much of its historical architecture, as well as traditions. We learned interesting facts about the university, the students, and even some random fun facts such as up until the 1980’s every Harvard student had to take swimming lessons before he/she was allowed to graduate. Or how Harvard airbrushes their science building that was built during the 1970’s out of their postcards and other promotional publications because the architecture was considered an eyesore. Anyways, the tour was amazing, and the architecture was truly stunning!

We continued the day by walking throughout the city and taking it all it had to offer. One of my great friends who was on the trip with me–Erica Gibson, has a sister who lives in Boston and goes to school at Emerson College. Luckily we were able to meet up with her and she took us to her favorite places in Boston, which turned any free time we had into fun time!! We went to a great Sushi restaurant, went on a Duck Tour of the city that was not only a bus tour, but turned into a water excursion (that’s right, a bus that drove around the city and then plunged into the Charles River Basin to continue its amazing tour! I cannot tell you how much I would recommend this tour to anyone who is new to the city of Boston or simply wants to have an hour or so of complete entertainment—you surely won’t regret it!
The next day we awoke early to embark on another day of tours, this time of the Federal Reserve Building, and the Samuel Adams Brewing Company. We began with the Federal Reserve building where we were explained the importance of what each branch of the Federal Reserve does. Along with a nice presentation, we were able to tour their exhibit on history, and learn about their extensive security measures that they take.

Soon after we headed to The Sam Adams Brewing Company where we learned all about their brewery and the hard work and dedication that goes into what they do. We learned about the special ingredients used in their beer, as well as the history behind their products. It was interesting to see what a small building this all took place in, compared to the high amount of sales they produce. After the tour, those who were 21 years of age and older were permitted to sample some of the finished product. The tour itself was fascinating and I never knew so much work went into a beverage until I visited Sam Adams Brewing Company.

After this tour we were allowed to take some free time to explore the city a little more as this was our last full day in the city. A bunch of us stuck together and tried to cover as much ground as we possibly could. We even discovered a new movie being filmed, and took pictures of what we thought may be stars of the movie. It was hard to tell who and what was being filmed but it was obviously a big production as the entire park across the street from our hotel was filled with extra lighting and studio trailers. After touring the rest of the city and visiting with Anna at her college and the surrounding area we headed back to our hotel to round everyone up for dinner and our last night out on the town. We headed to Quincy market where we had our choice of several delicious places to eat, as this included one giant food court, with any kind of food you can imagine. One of my favorite places of Boston for sure J. Everyone had a nice meal and those who hadn’t met up with us prior had all gathered so we had a dinner with a good majority of our travelers. It was great to see how well everyone got along with one another—given there were many of us who knew one another prior to the trip—but there was also a whole group that didn’t that actually became good friends throughout the short trip.

Rise and shine on Wednesday, as we had to be at the airport quite early for our flight back to Akron/Canton airport. I believe it was about 60 degrees when we left Boston (not too bad) but only 49 degrees when we landed back in Ohio. As if we brought the chilly weather we had in Boston back with us—you can thank us later J. The plain was filled with groans as we landed—as some had to go right to class or had a night class to look forward to, and others simply wanted to be back in the busy city—and not confined to North Canton. Regardless, everyone could agree that they had a truly entertaining time and had so many memories to take with them from our short time in the busy city!!

**UPDATE! Pictures added**

Hey everyone, I don’t mean to go post crazy (two days in a row and all), but I had some great news that I wanted to share with you. As you know the Walsh Chorale has been busy already this year as I had mentioned in my last blog. In fact, we’re going places!! Like, E.J. Thomas Hall, where we went Tuesday evening to see Chanticleer, which was part of the Tuesday Musical events. Dr. Cooper lined up a charter bus to take about 50 of us to Akron University’s E.J. Thomas Hall. We had our choir practice as usual from 3:30pm-5:00pm and then were provided food before we loaded the bus.

A couple of announcements were made from Dr. Cooper about the evening and what we were about to witness and then we took off to Akron. Once at the hall I was amazed at how nice of a facility this was. I also noted how many students were attending, along with many adults and community members turning this event into a full house. The lights dimmed and everyone took their place, it was hard telling what to exactly expect. The men begin to take their places and sang the first note of their song, immediately it seemed, Chanticleer proved to me much more than just any old musical, in fact, it was amazing!! It was truly one of those experiences that you have to see to believe. This “Orchestra of Voices,” is what they call themselves, and basically it is a group of men who have amazing singing abilities. In fact they are named “the worlds reigning male chorus” by the New Yorker magazine and were named ensemble of the year in 2008 by Musical America. It’s easy to see and especially hear why they are world renowned. From the moment they begin their performance audience members are stunned by their unbelievable range—especially the individuals who can hit soprano notes—notes that are higher than many female artists hit at times. The performance is breathtaking and I know that I was on the edge of my seat with disbelief that a man could hit such a high note—I didn’t think it was humanly possible—but the hours of training and commitment put towards each performance shines through and leaves the audience amazed. I remember at times looking around the stage for a woman singing—no one else in site, the range was unbelievable—beyond words.

Along with the main performance were guest speakers Matt Oltman, the Chanticleer Music Director; and Mason Bates, a composer. The evening went on and I found that with every song I was impressed by something new-the audience must have agreed, as they were thanked with a standing ovation. It was great to be part of this event and I felt that it enriched not only my musical background, but as well as my cultural background and understanding—as I found out just how important “The Arts” are to our Cleveland/Akron area. I feel that because of this trip I broke down some walls and opened up some new possibilities that would allow me to grow and develop with an open mind, and greater appreciation for everything this area has to offer.

The experience we had at E & J Thomas Hall was only half the fun as it seems anytime all of us choir members are together there are always many laughs and great memories made. Luckily, my friend and fellow choir member Damir Jozic brought a camera so we were able to get several shots from our bus trip, to the actual performance itself. However, he has not uploaded these quite yet so stay tuned. I will post them as soon as I get them. Until then check out Damir on the 6:00pm news talking about his experience at Walsh—along with my fellow blogger Monika, who speaks about the importance of a Walsh Education to her family. The link to this video is: http://www.wkyc.com/video/default.aspx?maven_playerId=immersiveplayer&maven_referralPlaylistId=9271045a646128edc214e46f9b102f3c3962bd5c&maven_referralObject=1287550434

Well stay tuned as I will be posting some interesting pics, and maybe a video or two from our Tuesday Musical!J

Hope everyone has a great weekend and fall break

Well I’m sure if you had the chance to read my good friend and fellow blogger– Sel’s page then you are already aware of the huge event that took place this past weekend at Walsh University. Yes! The 50^th Anniversary Gala! One of the biggest event of the year and perhaps Walsh history—especially for the special guests such as the Brothers of Christian Instruction, as well as many of the Brother’s from Montreal, Canada, and Maine. Yes, people came from near and far to participate in one of the most spectacular events I’ve seen at Walsh since my time here. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to participate directly in the evening as the Walsh University Chorale, directed by Dr. Britt Cooper, debut the new Alma Mater for the university. As well as joined the Brother’s of Christian Instruction to sing the original Alma Mater.

Before I go any further let me tell you about the hard work and dedication that Dr. Cooper put into this piece as well as the time and dedication the entire choir put towards this piece to ensure that the debut would be perfect. We began practicing this piece from the very first day of choir, slowly memorizing each section, and taking extra time to pronounce each word correctly for the original piece. Once Dr. Cooper believed we had mastered it for the most part, we went over to the chapel and recorded our first piece which can be found at: http://www.walsh.edu/cooperbritt Hope you enjoy it!

As days grew near we had to be sure to practice in the Barrette Center where this huge event would be taking place. We knew that this building would be at max capacity so we planned on spreading out throughout the crowd to sing the Alma Mater—as 60 of us would not comfortably fit up on stage. We practiced Animes de l’amour (the original Alma mater) as we would be back up singing (although they didn’t need any help—powerful voices!!), if you will, for the Brothers at our performance. Then we went on to practice the new Alma Mater. It was truly amazing to see how our voices could fill such a large room, and I could only hope and pray at that time that we performed just as well as we did during our practice routine.

Saturday came quickly and before I knew it I was rushing around to get ready for my first official Walsh University Choir performance. There was a lot to do before I could get there, as I was on my way back from a wedding that afternoon. Arrived back to find that I needed to have my tuxedo pants altered, not to mention, trying to figure out all the extra pieces that go with a tux. Luckily I had my great friends Emily and Bethany to fix me all up—as my pants no longer needed suspenders looked as if they were professionally tailored by the time they were done. As soon as I was all fixed up ready to sing my heart out I headed out the door to meet up with Damir and several others as we headed to the Barette Center to sing.

Damir, Rose, Katie, and myself before our performance Saturday night!!

As we entered I noticed that this event was unlike any other that Walsh has had in the past. In fact, it had to be one of the best! Perhaps the 50^th Anniversary Ice Sculpture won be over as I noticed it walking up to the building, or maybe it was the way everyone was dressed to the nines, the perfect presentation of the food and desserts, and who could forget those center pieces. The nerves hit a bit when I noticed just how many important people were in our presence—individuals from all over North Canton, the state of Ohio, and even out of our country. It was a true tribute in itself to have such wonderful people back at the university to simply have a great time. I noticed how much fun the all the faculty and staff were having—as this was an evening that you could simply relax, not have a care in the world, as you were part of celebrating something truly spectacular.

The time came and we sang our 2 songs—to which we received unbelievable praise. It was so reassuring to see the Brother’s faces after we sang with them, and then again after they heard the new Alma Mater. You could definitely tell that they appreciated our efforts and I felt honored to be in the presence of such great individuals.

I feel as if I am still recovering from a weekend full of events—good thing Fall Break is coming up this weekend as I will be able to rest for a day or two before heading to Boston on Monday—Wednesday. You know I’ll keep you posted on this exciting trip coming up!

Hope all is well with everyone! Best of luck with midterms!! (Hard to believe were taking midterms already—but nevertheless—good luck!!

Stay tuned for another blog coming at you really soon about my first time experience at E & J Thomas Concert Hall – as we just went on a field trip with the Walsh University Chorale this past evening!

Chris Burr

Hey everyone! So I hope everyone is doing well. I have to say that another week has flown by for me. However it was definitely a busy one. From the start of my job from last year, working in the Advancement Office as a Phone-A-Thon Caller on Monday, to the job fair on Wednesday, it seemed like I was never in my dorm room (which I’m sure my roommates will contest is true). Add to that several projects, and RHA meetings, and my first actual test in my Business Ethics class and you have a jammed packed week. By Friday (tomorrow) I will hopefully feel truly accomplished as I have kept up on my homework (with this blog being the exception) and will hopefully have a weekend to simply relax and catch up with everyone.

Well enough about me… let me tell you about my secret treasures that I discovered this past weekend. As many of you know, it was fall family weekend here at Walsh last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. My parents unfortunately had to miss out on a majority of the events that were offered but made it down on Sunday for a special mass on campus, and spent the entire afternoon with me. WELL before all this took place, I decided that instead of the same old routine parent visit…that I would take this visit from them to another level. I was aware that North Canton, and Stark County in general had a lot to offer. I mean what is it?? Like 365 restaurants in Belden…I’m sure you could eat at a different one for an entire year and another restaurant would pop up before you were done. I decided I would break the mold a bit, and brought them to a local Mom and Pop restaurant that I had been taken for a Campus Ministry Appreciation dinner last semester. The name of this little Italian Restaurant was Mama Guzzardi’s restaurant, and it reminded me so much of a local restaurant back home that my family and I enjoy—The Crows Nest in Ashtabula, OH. Anyways the restaurant was a big hit. BUT WAIT! THERES MORE!!

Like I said before and in my previous blog, I was all about breaking the mold of a typical family visit. On a usual visit it would probably go something like…dinner, maybe the store, and then I would be dropped off and we would say our goodbyes. Not this time. After we left the restaurant we headed to the McKinley Monument. Now I had an idea of this historical site, but never knew how well taken care of the entire grounds were. The day was beautiful and as we got near to the monument we drove through the nearby park which my parents loved, along we went to the breathtaking view of the monument, lit up by the extremely sunny day. My mom insisted that we walk to the top, as she seemed to be working this into her daily exercise, as many around us seemed to have been doing as well. I think we were lapped about 3 times as we walked and others sprint the steps. There had to be a hundred + stairs to climb, but finally we made it to the top! The monument itself from the outside was breathtaking, but once inside I was astonished by the detail and perfection of everything—especially for something being built back in the early 1900’s. The ceilings really caught my eye as they were so tall with a beautiful glass window at the very top. A true tribute to the president and his family, as well as quite an honor to our local area. And to think it’s only about 15 minutes from Walsh!

It’s places like this monument and  restaurant that I mentioned that  are guaranteed “great visits” with the parents, along with several other attractions that I’ll list below that are sure to impress them, and make them so proud that you are taking advantage of all that Walsh and the community have to offer.

Over the past few years of living on campus and getting to know the city, as well as the many surrounding areas I have found that there is more than enough to keep you busy and entertained. From the many beautiful parks that North Canton, and Canton city have to offer, to the museums, walking/biking/hiking paths—there is truly something for everyone. Here’s a list of my top attractions of Canton—all within walking, or short driving distance of Walsh University. These are just some of my suggestions, and I’m sure you all have some great ones as well! Please feel free to let me know of your favorite places—I can update this and keep a complete list that’s available for whenever someone says “there’s nothing to do around here!!” First off, if you’re saying that and go to Walsh, you probably have not left your room…or forgot to check your email…not too worry, in the moment it took for me to type this blog, you have probably already been invited to 10 different events happening on campus J  

List of my favorite things to do when I’m away from the WU:

·         Go for a walk through the Hoover Trails– and on into downtown North Canton—this time of year if perfect for a nice walk/run/bike as the leaves begin to change and fall, it’s truly a great way to relax after a long day.

·          Go to the park on West Maple—a great park and recreation center with a walking track, picnic grounds, basketball, and volleyball net, what more could you ask for to take a picnic lunch and just enjoy the day with friends or family.

·         The Toe Path—hiking and mountain biking trails—honestly can’t say that I’ve ever been here, but I’ve heard so many things about it, that I’ve added it to my list. Definitely will be going soon!

·         Hoover Historical Center—which many of you probably are not aware still has tours. I know I didn’t until this past year when I walked through it while working on their internet wiring for the IS department. A truly interesting museum and historical site.

·         The McKinley Monument, Museum, and Presidential Library—as explained above, you can’t go wrong with this visit.

·         The Football Hall of Fame—home of Walsh University Cavalier Football—so much to do for all ages of your family, a great visit during sibs’ weekend, or even better a free football game that your family will love!

·         And how could I forget food (I mean I think about it every other minute)—well where do I begin, my personal favorites are Papa Bears, Macaroni Grille, Mama Guzzardi’s, and a family favorite Pileggi’s Italian Cafe

·         The Canton Classic Car Museum—Dad will love this one!

·         Canton Museum of Art

·         The Harry London Chocolate company—I heard they give free samples??!!

·         And what mom would not appreciate a trip to the National First Ladies Society??

Well there you have it—some of my top picks!! I hope this will keep you busy for a little while, and perhaps even score you some brownie points from the ‘rents when they come down for your first visit to find that you have an afternoon agenda ready for them!

Hope you all have a great weekend! I’m off to Student Government! Catch you later!

Take care,

Chris Burr

Hey everyone, can you believe another week has come and gone already? I know it flew by for me. Perhaps it is because of how busy this time of year is that makes the time just fly. Walsh is especially busy this weekend as the first Fall Family Weekend kicks off today and lasts until Sunday. The weekend entails a huge list of events that revolve around family—as Walsh welcomes students entire families back to campus to enjoy a festival across the street at Hoover Park, a movie on the lawn, professional photos with your family, as well as watching the sporting events taking place on campus and at Fawcett Stadium. What better time to invite your family up to visit, as the weather is beautiful and the campus truly looks amazing!

Fall Family Weekend!

Even as a senior, I know that family visits are always nice, and I truly do appreciate them. But I always feel that I am limited at what I can do with them while were here. I mean sure we can go out to ear, perhaps walk around campus a bit, but then…that’s it. Its not like we can just sit around in the residence halls and play video games, I mean while my parents do enjoy a good game of tennis on the Wii, I doubt they drove 2 hours down here to attempt to play video games, and I say attempt because I’ve witnessed them try before—its not pretty—and usually someone gets taken out by a controller. But as I was saying most family visits usually entail the usual meal at a restaurant of choice, my family’s favorite is Macaroni Grille J or Papa Bears, followed by a trip to the mall or grocery store to stock up on some food, and then we usually head back to Walsh to visit a bit, perhaps take a walk around campus, then that’s it—Bye Mom and Dad!

Not this weekend! You can now invite your parents down for weekend full of non-stop excitement; not to mention the many activities they have planned for younger siblings—it’s truly an entire family affair! I know my parents were excited when they saw all that was planned for the weekend, and while they are no able to come until Sunday, they will still be able to enjoy the President’s Pancake Breakfast, as well as the special Mass that takes place at 11:00am. I thought I would even kick it up a notch by taking them to the William McKinley Presidential Museum afterwards as the fall family weekend events will be complete after mass. My dad is a huge history buff and I know my mom will enjoy the park that is nearby. I feel that I’ve really been able to get a feel for this community after these past 3 years in North Canton and I am at the point where I want to take advantage of all that this great city has to offer. Hopefully the time will allow for our museum tour and the weather will co-operate for the entire Fall Family weekend, as many special events such as a Fireworks display Saturday night are weather permitting.

Along with Fall Family Weekend and all the preparation that has been going into it, we also had a pretty busy week with at least one club and organizational meeting every night, intramural meetings, and the first Walsh University Student Government meeting of the year. I actually had a chance to attend the WUSG meeting last night as a stand in senator for the RHA (Residence Hall Association). The meeting began with introductions of all new executive officers on board—making this years student government all new and exciting! The student government is lead by our student body president and vice president William O’Gorman (president), and Deanna Wyman (V.P). The executive board did a great job at explaining the standard protocol of the meetings by relating common statements to different types of food—to simply explain to those who are new to student government exactly how things are discussed and handled. The game really got everyone to participate and helped to make the new club senators and commissioners to feel comfortable. The meeting moved about quite smoothly, with the majority of questioning towards the resolutions that were read—but this is usually a normal routine, as everyone tries to find out as much information as they can about resolution so that they can take the information back to their club to vote on for next student government meeting. I actually had to read a resolution for RHA to get our club reinstated into the student government, which hopefully will be passed and allow us back in as active members. The WUSG is a great experience for Walsh students to get involved and make a difference on our Walsh campus. I always enjoy attending these meetings as I feel that I learn so much more about the university through the reports from each organization, the faculty advisors, and executive reports. WUSG allows Walsh students to truly make a difference by giving them an opportunity to voice their opinions, and fight for what they believe is right and just when dealing with on campus issues.

New senators of the Walsh University Student Government are sworn in at the first meeting.

As for this weekend I will be working our first event at the Walsh Family Weekend, operating a lemonade stand, as well as helping with the pancake breakfast on Sunday. I will also be busy working the Business and Communications Club booth on Saturday—so I will get to be involved in a good majority of the exciting weekend. Plus visit with my family on Sunday and go to mass with them!

So do something that will most likely shock your parents–in a good way for a change–call them and invite them to come down for the weekend to spend some time together and hang out with you—I’m sure they will jump at the opportunity! This is definitely not a weekend to miss at the WU and I hope to see you and your family throughout the busy weekend!

Until next week–take care everyone,

Chris Burr

Hey everyone, well the excitement of the first week has calmed a bit and everyone is getting into the groove of things—hopefully it has been a smooth transition for everyone, and I hope that your workload hasn’t been too overwhelming just yet. In all the hustle and bustle of move-in weekend I completely forgot to mention the MS-150 Bike Ride that I participated in along with 40 others from the Walsh community.

For those of you who are not familiar with the MS-150 it is a bike ride that is sponsored by the Multiple Sclerosis Society in hopes to raise money in the effort to fight the detrimental effects of MS and allow those who have it to live a life free of pain. This race takes place each year all over the world, and has a tremendous amount of supporters. This year Walsh formed a team named “Walsh Through the Gyears,” named specifically for our university’s 50^th Anniversary—with significance to the students and faculty alike that were participating in this ride. The MS-150 gets its name for the 150-mile ride—which spanned from Middleburg Heights, OH (near the Cleveland Airport) to Sandusky, OH (Cedar Point). Quite a ride you say? You have no idea! I had never road my bike further than 40 miles—so 150 was definitely something that I wanted to be sure I trained for—“but I have all summer to do that!” I said at the time—forgetting that summer flies by

The first news about this event went out back in May, as Elsie Francis (Campus Ministry) and Bobbi Stults (Fitness and Wellness Director) lead the team along with student captains Kate Hoffman and Zia Snyder. As word spread about this great event the team list grew and grew and by the beginning of summer was near 40 riders. Each of us were asked to raise at least $250 by the MS Society—which would allow us to get a ticket into Cedar Point—if we could still walk after a day of biking there, and also covered some of the expenses for our accommodations and t-shirts and things.

Signing up for this ride meant so much more to me than just riding for a good cause, as I have several family and friends who are affected by MS and I knew that I could finally make a difference by participating in this event. Realizing that I could make a difference in these individuals lives gave me the motivation I needed to raise as much money as I could in the time I had allotted (August 10^th being my deadline). I knew that I would not be satisfied in just raising the $250, and immediately set my goal to $500.

The MS Society provided a convenient website and participant page that I was able to customize and even import addresses in order to send out a mass email to all my family and friends asking for their support. I could have never predicted what happened next. I finished customizing my page, and uploading about 100 email addresses that my parents and I had compiled over the years of close family and friends—I hit send, and I kid you not, in 2 minutes after hitting send I had a pledge. The pledge was from my cousin Kathy in California who I had not seen in years due to the fact that she lives out there and has a great job that keeps her pretty busy. I was overjoyed by the fact that even though there was such a distance between us, not to mention years that it has been since we last had the chance to “catch up,” that she supported me with a generous donation—simply because she had faith in me that I could make a difference.

The pledges began to roll in and I cannot tell you how good of a feeling it was to check my email each day to find several more pledges from close family and friends—and even friends of friends—who I had never met, who simply wanted to support this great cause. The website allowed me to thank these individuals instantly and even read personal messages that they wrote to me along with their pledge. The support was overwhelming and I was anxious to begin the race. Of course training would come—although not quite enough, but I survived nonetheless.

Summer of course flew by and throughout the remainder of it I was able to surpass my goal of $500 and actually on my way to the $1000 mark. Each pledge brought me the confidence to take on anything—and it was great to connect with family, such as our relative in Arizona who were actually getting their church involved in pledging towards this cause. I realized just how amazing my family and friends were and how lucky I was to have them supporting me as I prepared for this ride. My Uncle Jerry, who is an avid cyclist, and has participated in several other MS-150 rides, actually made the trip down from upstate New York to ride in the event with me.

I can not tell you how much it meant for me to have my Aunt Carol and Uncle Jerry make the trip from NY to support me—providing me with a professional Trek bike that I was able to borrow for the race. My Uncle Jerry has years of experience in biking and offered his expertise to our entire Walsh Through the GYears team for any assistance with out bikes, as well as offering advice for biking such a distance.

But I’m sure your anxious to find out how the ride itself went. Well to give you an idea of my experience—it was about 94 degrees for a good majority of the ride; my tire blew out about a mile into the ride (but was fixed quickly by my Uncle) ha-ha – like I said he’s a professional. I basically had never road on the bike that I road for the race—but quickly adjusted and was thankful that he brought me his road bike instead of using my Wal-Mart mountain bike. The first 75 miles felt like 200 miles, although we did have several nice rest stops and lunch was provided to us along with all you could eat snacks and beverage along the way.

Me on the Trek road bike my Uncle brought me from NY to use for the ride!

After being on the road from around 8:00AM, we arrived at our destination in Sandusky at about 4:15 PM. As I jumped off my bike I felt that I might never get back on a bike, and actually felt like I was still riding for a good hour after. If you would have asked me at the moment if I was going to ride back the next morning I may have had to think about it. But the night went on, I went to Cedar Point for a bit and road the Millennium Force and several other rides (that we could get on in the hour or two that we had) and then I went back to camp and turned in early. To my surprise in the morning I was not sore at all. Tired, but not sore. I actually was ready for the next 75 miles we had ahead of us, which we completed in good time, considering it was just as warm, and to our surprise we found the course back to be a bit longer. Crossing the finish line back in Middleburg Heights was a great feeling, especially to complete it with my Uncle at my side.

Here is just half of the line for breakfast the next morning at the high school we stayed at overnight. A Flying Pancake Breakfast was served! Breakfast began at 6AM, with this constant line until around 8AM!

As we celebrated with dinner and talked about our experience with my parents and other riders I remember feeling a feeling of no other—that I had accomplished my goal, and made a difference for those who truly needed support! I know my Uncle felt the same way, along with the many Walsh faculty and staff that toughed it out to complete the ride. We not only road together but also we all bonded together to fight MS. The bond we shared was like no other, as we were of all ages, from different backgrounds, but all fighting one cause. My Uncle, who had no prior connection to the Walsh community, was quickly adopted in by all my friends and the Walsh faculty and staff riders.

My Uncle Jerry and I, still surprisngly able to stand aftet the ride!

When asked if I would do this again, there is no doubt in my mind that I will ride in this event again as it has transformed me as a person to the point that I had even envisioned myself doing something with fundraising or non-profit organizations in my future career. Not long after the ride, we found that our team actually collectively raised over $10,000 and will qualify as a VIP team next year! The future looks bright for The Walsh Through The GYears team as we continue the fight to cure MS. I’d like to thank everyone for their support and encourage you all to participate next year!

You can check out my participant page to find out more and even donate towards the cause still. The URL is: http://bikeoha.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=6394008&pg=personal&fr_id=10830

I hope I have inspired at least one person to ride for the cure, or in some way be an active supporter of the MS Society’s upcoming events.

Until next time, take care everyone!

Hey everyone, long time, no blog:).…I know, I know you were probably wondering what happend to me, well not to worry I’m back and ready to blog away! What a busy summer it has been for me, as I’m sure it has been the same for you all! So I don’t know if it was just me but the beginning of this year just made me realize how fast time flies! Especially how fast the time has passed since the first day I moved into Alexis hall way back in 2006!! Probably to some of you, especially the freshmen, that seems like an eternity ago—but I will tell you that the time goes past faster than you can imagine and with so many great memories made along the way.

The moving in of the freshmen students by the Cavs Crew on Saturday morning kicked this past “welcome weekend” off. For those of you who are not familiar with Cavs Crew, it is a group of helpful Walsh students ranging from sophomores-seniors who generously volunteer their time and muscle to help the incoming freshmen class quickly and easily move into the dorms. This is never an easy task, and this year was no exception as there were close to 500 new students being welcomed on campus. Luckily we had about 120 volunteers who remembered how helpful the Cavs Crew was to them when they were moving in and wanted to return the favor.

Sam, Emily, Bethany, and Brittany showing off thier cool orange Cavs Crew T-shirts!! Eager to move in hundreds of freshmen!!

Cavs Crew was nothing new to me this year, as I had the pleasure of getting moved in by one of the first Cavs Crew groups, and fortunate enough to help coordinate the event for the past 3 years along with several other great leaders and co-workers: Damir Jozic, Jordan Miller, Katie Brown, Audra Smail, Rachel Hosler, and many other dedicated individuals on campus who helped to make this event run smoothly year after year.

This year’s move-in day came with a little scare—as a thunderstorm broke out the night before and rain continued to pour down all night—with little to no sign of stopping in the morning. Now, as organized as we were with Cavs Crew, there was really not much we could do if the weather did not cooperate as most of the process involves unloading the cars onto the sidewalks in front of the dorms, and carrying all the students’ belongings inside. In years past heat was our big issue as it hit the upper 80’s and 90’s certain years—but this year it looked like we might be soaked, along with all the students belongings, and to add to that we didn’t know where we would unload everything, as the lobbies would most likely fill quickly.

Luckily our prayers were answered, and I believe we really had mother nature on our side—as the first car pulled up to the dorm, and we all prepared for the worst by getting out our rain ponchos and –the rain STOPPED It truly came down to that minute that we thought this year may be an exception to the perfect record we had in the past. I was hesitant at first to see what the weather would do next, and to my surprise the sun came out and a cool breeze was still present to cool down the busy movers. Everything went on as usual and we were able to get the majority of the students moved in by 11:00am, with the rest by noon.

This years Cavs Crew proved to be one of our best and never quit, even when they had been out there for close to 4 hours without a long break or food. They were even good sports when a couple freshmen showed up with 10x’s the capacity of their room (i.e. the semi-truck, and U-Haul trailers) ha-ha. I found that its amazing just how much freshmen can fit into a 2×2 area—definitely a lot of engineering behind the process—perhaps your first real problem solving challenge when at college.

It was great watching the parents faces in shock when I told them “just remain in your vehicle, send your son/daughter up to their room to direct the movers, and we will fully unload your vehicle so you can park!” Many were in true amazement that we offered this type of service—and I reassured them that this was just one of the many perks of going to Walsh! As we all had this great experience and wanted to return the favor!

Thanks to all those individuals who helped out for Cavs Crew and to all the freshmen and parents who made the day a true pleasure.

After getting everyone moved in by noon, the “opening day weekend” was just getting kicked off as matriculation followed the move-in. We all lined up to clap in the new freshmen, a tradition of Walsh that I still remember from my freshmen year. The rest of the day involved several activities such as the GE 100 classes for the freshmen, and their first photo on the chapel stairs (another Walsh tradition—started the year my class entered). Following the picture came a nice picnic across the street at the Hoover picnic grounds. With an incredible magic show later that evening with Mike Super (a professional illusionist who has a TV show that will be airing early 2010 on NBC!). I still can’t believe my eyes of all the amazing things he was able to do! The day came to an end with a freshman social out on the lawn with Slip and Slide down the big hill on campus—another tradition of move in!!

The week continued on—welcoming the freshmen, as well as upper classmen with several picnic lunches out on the lawn, a movie night, and a beautiful opening mass with our Bishop Murry.

Walsh is certainly back in the swing of things and every event on campus has so much more impact this year as we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the university! It was during mass today that I thought to myself about just how much I have had the opportunity to do in these past years at Walsh—and how I was so thankful I had become as involved as I had. I know that I have been blessed to be part of this exceptional university, and I know it is the faculty and staff, the Brothers of Christian Instruction, along with the truly dedicated students that make it stand out from all the rest!

Father Manning could not have put it any better when he asked us in his homily today “What do we bring to the party?” Hopefully every freshmen that walk the grounds of Walsh will consider this question and find their “niche”—their true calling to leave their mark on this campus by the time they graduate, just as the many students that have graduated before us have done time and time again!

I look forward to all that this new year brings, and I am excited to share with all of you my experiences as we celebrate the anniversary of the university together!! Keep a look out for weekly updates as there is always something going on!

Best of luck to all of you on your first week of classes!

Take care,

Chris Burr

Well its hard to believe that another semester has come and gone and I find myself wrapped up in quite a busy summer. Between family vacations, reunions, picnics, road trips, my summer internship, and, not to forget, my independent study class–I find that my summer vacation requires as much time management as my daily college schedule. Fortunately with the  opportunity of taking an independent study class this summer at Walsh I am able to take my class with me wherever my summer takes me. In this case, I have already been to West Palm Beach Florida for my cousins (dad’s side of the family) wedding, as well as Orlando, Florida to visit my mom’s side of the family. This was probably one of the best weeks  from end of April throughout the first week of May I was able to spend some quality time with my cousins (all in close age of mine)  hitting all the attractions of West Palm Beach and Orlando. By renting a car in WPB we were able to drive to all the relatives (we have many) who live in several location throughout Florida.

After the wedding, and the reception that took place at the Ibis golf resort and the tour of the Breakers Golf course (where my cousin works) I felt ashamed that I had never taken the interest in golf. Nevertheless, I was so impressed with all that Florida had to offer. I thought how my fellow Blogger Kim, would probably have been in  golfer euphoria if she stepped foot on the grounds of the  courses that I had the opportunity of seeing (perhaps you have been at these resorts already Kim?). Anyways, it was not the fantastic landscapes or the thousand of tourist attractions or the hot summer sun that made the trip–it was hands down, the family that joined together and truly bonded from the several gatherings we had.

I came back to Ohio anxious to get back down to Walsh to move into my summer housing on campus as I began my summer internship in the Walsh University IT Department. Not only will I be able to have this amazing experience, along with the convenience of being on campus where I can focus on my independent study, but I also have some of my best friends from school living in my same residence hall.

We were encouraged to take out vacation time early on before we became busy at work, which worked out great as an opportunity arose a couple weeks ago as my friend Bethany was going to be visiting her sister in NY–which so happens to be 20 minutes from my Uncle and Aunt in NY. Long story short, we went on a road trip and I am blogging from Clifton Park, NY (upstate NY)!! Not to worry, I brought along all my studies and have devoted several hours a night to working on my independent study as well as journal for my internship. What would we do without technology? ha-ha, now I’m sounding like my parents who remind me how easy I have it in these days of modern technology, I am quite aware, and thankful!

Well its getting late and I have a full week of cycling, sailing, and touring with my Uncle and Aunt, so I better get some rest. Soon I will have to begin some serious training for my MS 150 bike marathon that I will be riding in August 15-16 in support of MS research and awareness. More info to come on this event in my future blogs–so stay tuned!!

Hope your summer has been going well!! Be sure to take time to relax, spend time at home with family, and take time to do those things you haven’t had time to do throughout the school year.

Take care,

Chris Burr

After many months of preparation, the 44^th Annual Scholarship Business and Communications Club took place on Friday, April 17^th, 2009, and was a great success! Looking back after all the hard work and dedication that all of our clubs officers, and the faculty and staff put into making sure this luncheon would take place, defiantly turned this event into a celebration for a year well done!

Over 230 reservations were made, making this years Business and Communications Club luncheon one of the largest in history. We had a truly insightful speaker, Congressman John Boccieri, who spoke to us about our local economy and what he believed would have to take place before we see any positive changes in our near future. Numerous scholarships were presented to deserving students for their academic success and leadership. As well as, 2 Business and Communications Club Scholarships presented by myself (2008-09 Business and Communications Club President) to Allison Owens and Jennifer Passewitz for their continuous support and dedication to our business club.

Looking out amongst the crowd (nervously I might add) for the first time when welcoming everyone to the luncheon, I had an instant calming sensation come to me, as it dawned on me that everyone present was in support of our club and of our important mission to recognize those truly deserving individuals who have made a difference in our Walsh community.

It was a true honor to meet Congressman John Boccieri, and have a chance to talk with him a bit over lunch, along with my VP Jennifer Passewitz. We were so impressed at the type of individual he was. And though we may have only been able to speak with him for a short while he offered us great advice for our futures. The way he came across as such a down-to-earth individual was very comforting and allowed us to be able to have an informal chat about Walsh and the current events going on in our lives. The congressman even mentioned us both in his speech, with kind words of appreciation and inspiration.

The luncheon wrapped up as we presented the Congressman with a gift (a nice Walsh T-Shirt) J and special thanks for our sponsors and those who made the luncheon possible! Finally, I introduced the new officers:

President: Jennifer Passewitz

Vice President: Tom Scanlon

Treasurer: Dom Reolfi

Senator: Julia Kole, Paul Zukas

VP Marketing: Steve Stack, Allison Owens

VP Special Events: Jim Scanlon, Spencer Hershey, and Erick Cloure

CONGRATS!!! BEST OF LUCK TO A YEAR OF MUCH SUCCESS!!! 

We could not have done it without the dedicated faculty and staff here at Walsh. Individuals who are constantly putting others needs ahead of their own, to make sure events, such as this luncheon, take place without a hitch! I would just like to let everyone who was involved with making this such a success to know how much I appreciate their hard work and dedication—and how I realized that without individuals Walsh would not be the type of university it is today! Each and every one of you know who you are, and I want you to know just how much you mean to the Walsh Community

A special thank you to all the faculty, staff, and students who attended, as well as our many generous sponsors and our local communities support for this great event

As for the rest of my time, I have been busy working on final projects, and studying for finals this upcoming week. I have 4 total (3 actual tests, 1 paper due Thursday) so I will be busy throughout the rest of this weekend and throughout my final week!

If you are looking for me, you can most likely find me in the library, or hidden away in a corner somewhere so I don’t get distracted—because that happens too easily for me sometimes—ok—all the time

I will keep you posted along the way to let you know how I did!

Best of luck to each and every one of you on your finals! Study hard, stay focused, get a good amount of sleep, eat your Wheaties, and give it your all on test day!!

Well I have to get onto my next paper!

Take care,
Chris Burr

Hey everyone! Hope all is going well. Has your week been going by as fast as mine? It seems as if the time is just flying by. Unfortunately, I keep finding more and more homework and projects that are due—sometimes it feels as if there is just not enough time in one day to get everything accomplished. But then again I can’t complain, because it all seems to work out—I just keep reminding myself to take one day at a time, because that’s really all you can do, right?

Luckily, this past week started off great, as I had the chance to help out Janet Howard and her DREAM Students from Massillon High School!! These were junior and senior high school students who were given the chance to come onto our campus and shadow us for the morning, from 9:00-11:30am. When I first volunteered I worried that the students I would be taking around would be bored to death since I have no classes on Monday until 1:50pm, in which they would be on their way back to school by then. However, Janet Howard informed me not to worry and that she was sure I would be able to keep them entertained somehow.

I found out throughout last week who else was helping on this day and discovered that my friend Stephanie was actually in the same situation that I was, and concerned as well. We decided to pair up our groups of DREAM Students so that we could both show them all Walsh has to offer—while not technically going to a class.

It was a success! We picked up our students, I had 3 in my assigned group interested in Business, and Stephanie had 4 in her group which was interested in Management and Accounting. We began touring the Barrette center since we were right there, and wanted the students to get the feel for the building that they would be spending the majority of the time if they decided to go to Walsh for business degree. Stephanie and I decided that we would show them everything that we felt we missed out on when touring Walsh prior to coming here. Things such as which classrooms have the most comfortable chairs (Barrette center 137?) and what about where the game room and lounge is? Our students agreed that they would be interested more in these types of things than just setting through a random class where they have no idea what is going on for that day. We peaked into one of the business classrooms to give them an idea of the size of each class, and then we were off for some fun in the David Center.

Michael Koluch saw us coming as we entered the newly remodeled game room in the basement of the David Center, as he greeted us with an Xbox and Nintendo Wii to play on the big projector screens in the game room. The students loved it and quickly got involved—instantly interacting with one another, and asking us questions along the way. I think this was a great program in the regards that it was students with students, so there was no false perception of how the school was, or loss of interest because of an age difference of an adult tour guide. Instead the students could feel comfortable asking us anything they would like about our past experience at Walsh and what our thoughts and opinions were about the school.

After hitting up the game room, we took them on a final tour of the campus, and then headed to lunch where we dropped them off. It was great to see how excited these DREAM Students were about college; some even had their acceptance letters, and were eager to begin after seeing a typical life of a college student.

All of the volunteers agreed that it felt as if we had a positive impact on the student’s decision to work hard, and strive for a better education, because they could see firsthand that in the end, all the hard work and dedication pays off! The students were all so thankful, and it gave us a great feeling to know that we were an essential part of making their future brighter!

Well until next time, take care, and keep checking back in for recent updates

Remember if you ever have questions or comments you would like to share with me just drop me a line!

Take care,

Chris Burr