Hey CAVS!

The fact that I could find even a free minute to write this blog is a miracle in itself. With graduation comes many responsibilities and cramming before the year is done. Every student has a lot to accomplish, it just seems as if you have much more to do when you’re a senior. Sleep has become something that I can only dream of.

I hope everyone’s year is going well. Just keep in mind that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This is the last week of class and then finals are the last hurdle to scale. Its easy to slack off and think as if the final week of school doesn’t matter but I encourage students to act proactively to make finals week much easier.

This week marks the final week that I preside as President of the Walsh University Student Government. This comes with mixed emotions. I am happy to have made life at least a little better for students. But I will be sad to go. Being an active part of the WUSG is very time intensive and not for those who are not dedicated. Over this past year I have put in countless hours, as well as my executive board, to facilitate a successful student government. This Thursday I will be passing the torch to my successor who I know will do a great job extending the legacy that is the WUSG. It is difficult to not get nostalgic or emotional when thinking about this year. All I can say is that the next 12 days will be some of the toughest I will endure in many ways. But the end is near and the next chapter in my life is about to unfold.

Good luck this week Cavs and keep working hard!

Rob

Hello Cavs!

And a special hello to all of the graduating seniors this year, I know what you are going through. The end of the academic year is always crazy for students, but it is especially so for seniors.

Who said the end would be easy? Most of my older friends, when they reached this point, had told me that their senior year was a piece of cake and that they had the time of their lives. Well, I am not quite sure how those individuals managed to have an easy senior year because this has been the busiest year of my career at Walsh. Of course I am sure it depends on how one applies one’s self.

This entire year I have been working full time, class full time, and trying to run a student government. I never imagined at the beginning how difficult it would be to juggle so many tasks and responsibilities, especially while trying to enjoy my last year in college. While I don’t recommend working so much and having so much time devoted to so many different things, I certainly learned how to manage time and how to make the best of what little time I had. Don’t get me wrong, I love my coursework, the student government, and my job (most days), but these are all tasks that require much devotion. But in some cases I had to take on these responsibilities and others I was glad to.

I am certainly excited to graduate and start the next chapter in my life, I will also miss Walsh very much. It still seems somewhat surreal. I feel as if it was only yesterday that I was a freshman about to finish my first year. My how time flies!

Time to get back to work and finish the year strong!

Until next time, GO CAVS!!

Rob Pecl

Hey Cavs!

What a busy weekend! It is Tuesday and I still feel drained. This weekend marked the 37th annual Philosophy Symposium at Walsh University. This years subject was Beauty: Subjective Experience, Objective Reality. It was a riveting lecture and arts performance. We had the chance to view a few art pieces from a local artist/adjunct professor, hear music from a local legend (Kevin DiSimone), and hear dramatic readings from a professor. The lecture was begun by the keynote speaker, Thomas Hibbs, Ph.D., who is the Dean of the Honors college at Baylor University. There were other speakers who also talked about beauty and what a true aesthetic experience is. The symposium was very interesting and allowed for the students to use what we have been learning in lecture.

After the symposium Saturday morning, the first annual Mother Appreciation Day event was held by the Walsh University Student Government. What a successful event! Last year the WUSG held the first annual Father Appreciation Day event so naturally this year we implemented an event for the mothers. We could not have asked for a better turn out. Overall, 159 attended throughout the event. The MAD commission did a great job planning and implementing this event. I certainly hope this event can be established for years to come!

Then, on Sunday, the annual Dean’s List ceremony and Servant-Leadership Banquet was held. This is a great even directed by the provosts office and student affairs where students are honored for both academic achievements and service achievements throughout the year. Many members of the WUSG executive board received recognition for their hard work. It is a nice event to attend, especially because students get the recognition they deserve, but also because it reinforces the important moral value of service to others. This is a large area of focus for Walsh University. I am proud of all of the students who participate in service to others on and off of campus.

Even after a busy weekend, it is time to get back to the grindstone. The semester is rapidly moving to a close and graduation is looming. I am very excited to graduate and move to the next chapter in my life. My future seems somewhat unsure at this point, but whatever endeavors I decide to pursue, I know I will be prepared. It is a very exciting time for all those who plan to graduate!

Until next time, GO CAVS!!

Rob Pecl

Hello Cavs!!

I hope I find you all doing well. The week before spring break is very hectic with tests, projects, and preparing for vacation. I had two tests this week totaling in around 30 hours of studying. I am exhausted! But with break a mere few days away I feel much better.

This year will be the first time I do not travel for spring break since my freshman year. That year I was playing baseball but was not fortunate to travel with the team because I was not on the active roster. My sophomore year I traveled to Port Charlotte, FL, where my baseball team played 10 games in 8 days. It was a crazy week. Especially considering the first 4 days we were there the weather was in the high 40′s!. But the rest of the trip was bright and sunny. My junior year I traveled with friends of the family to New England where we went to visit their cousins. We stayed our first 4 days in New Hampshire just next to the Vermont border. New England is certainly an experience. I would love to live there for awhile. We had the chance to sample some down home cooking and ski an actual mountain in Vermont. What an experience!

Then after that we traveled to Boston to visit yet another cousin who was living their for work. He had a flat right downtown just a short walk from nearly everything. I love the downtown life because of how busy and stimulating it is. One nice thing about living downtown in a city like Boston is the travel. All you need to travel is the subway system (called the T) to get around the city. Other than that we walked or took a cab around. I liked that change of pace. We got to see some major landmarks in history like John Hancock’s grave, Boston port, Liberty trail, and many others. The city is riddled with history. We also had the chance to get a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery and Faneuil Hall. We also had the chance to see the many great universities there like Harvard, MIT, and Boston College. It was truly one of the greatest trips of my life.

The next year, my fourth year, I drove down to Florida from North Canton. It took us a total of 16 hours to reach Orlando, Fl, where we were staying at a resort outside of Disney World. I had never been to Disney World (I know, I had a deprived childhood) but it was actually a cool experience. While in Florida we drove down to the Gulf side to Clearwater, Fl, where I had the chance to see one of my favorite baseball teams, the Philadelphia Phillies, play a spring training game. After the game we went to Clearwater beach which is absolutely the best beach I have ever been to. The Florida trip was another trip that was a lot of fun.

Spring break is a good time for students to unwind and prepare to finish the year strong, especially those of us that are graduating. Sadly, I will not be traveling this year. I was supposed to fly to Key West, Fl, to visit my uncle who is staying there but those plans fell through due to my work schedule. But oh well! I will make due with staying in North Canton and I look forward to relaxing plenty and getting stuff done!

So until next time, have a great break Cavs!

Rob

What an unusual winter we are having. For as much as I enjoy snowboarding, white Christmas, and warm fires, nothing beats a mild winter. It feels as if spring is already here. It makes walking around on campus much more enjoyable in between classes knowing that you don’t have to bundle up like an Eskimo. I have lived in Ohio my whole life and never have I experienced such an odd winter. But believe me, I am not complaining. When I want to snowboard I’ll just travel to a different state. So bring on the warm weather!

This semester could be compared very easily to a whirlwind of sorts. With graduation looming there is much to be done. With classes starting to get very busy just before spring break it is amazing any student has time to rest. After almost five years of undergraduate coursework one would assume that perhaps crunch time gets easier. In a way it does, but there is still stress, although my tenure at Walsh has taught me to better deal with this stress and have better time management.

An interesting thing about college that I have grown to reflect on, no doubt due to my graduating from undergraduate, is what one should gain from the whole “college experience.” What perspective students should realize is that college is not just about how much information you can soak up and how well you can perform on tests. Much of the greatest experiences I have had in undergraduate are the many moments outside of the classroom spent with professors and fellow students. Learning from one another in a social sense is just as important as an academic sense. That is why students are encouraged to be involved around campus. So that they may better learn from their peers and leaders. I challenge all young students to grow intellectually as well as socially and personally. College is a great time to enlighten yourself on knowledge but also to develop who you truly are and develop into the person you wish to be. That is one of the greatest things I have learned from Walsh, and that is also the importance of the liberal education model. Some of the greatest things I have learned have nothing to do with my major. It is this wealth of knowledge that is worth the time and effort of class.

I challenge all current and future Walsh students to explore and learn as much as possible. Again not academically but socially and spiritually as well.

Until next time, have a great day!

Rob Pecl

Hello Cavs!

The semester is winding down. Where has the time gone?! It seems like we just started a week ago. But I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised after five years here. This semester has been a crazy one for me. I have recently been promoted at work to a full time position and still going to school full time, not to mention student government, friends, and fun! So I guess it’s understandable that time flies.

The Student Government has been working harder than ever. We have recently passed an allocation to support the Business Club’s trip and we are currently working on approving an allocation to support the International Club with their annual International Dinner. If you haven’t attended this event before I suggest you do. The students who help put this event on do a phenomenal job. The food is amazing and there is also plenty of entertainment throughout the night. Oh, and to top it all off, it’s only $5 for students. Believe me it is by far the best meal you will ever have for $5.

The Student Government is also working on quite a few projects currently. We are planning a Mother’s Appreciation Day event for February 18th which we are very excited for. This event was created to balance our Father’s Appreciation Day event and to honor all of the female figures in students lives that support them. Leading the Mother’s Appreciation Day Commission is Olivia Gruber, who is also our Chief Justice for student government. She is an extremely hard worker who will make this event a huge success.

Another project the Student Government is working on is building a website for ourselves. This has been a long overdue venture that has finally gathered some support and is currently in the design phase. I am very excited for this because it will allow for the WUSG to be more organized and allow for students to provide better feedback to the University. As you can tell the Student Government is always working hard to improve Walsh University every day.

I hope everyone’s semester is going well. Some good advice is to stay focused, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We all get bogged down right around this time in the semester. Luckily there is a nice break coming up just before finals. Try your hardest to stay focused, sleep well, eat good meals, and of course take some time to relax and decompress.

Have a great week!!

Fall has finally reached us and that means the beauty of summer has left. But fall is one of my favorite times of year. Although the temperatures are getting cooler, fall nights and the beauty of the fall colors make for a great time of year.

It is about that time in the semester where classes are in full force with tests, homework, papers, and projects. Being a senior and in upper level courses makes for some tough weeks. But the nice thing is all of the classes I am taking are interesting in their own ways. Certainly makes a long week better if you are enjoying the subject matter.

This weekend brings Fall Family weekend and Homecoming. This year I have been nominated for Homecoming King which is pretty exciting. The winner of King, Queen, Prince, and Princess will be announced during half time at the Walsh Football game this Saturday at Fawcett Stadium. It should be an exciting weekend!

The Student Government is gearing up to host our first annual Mother’s Appreciation Event later this fall. This event is designed to be in conjunction with our very successful Father’s Appreciation Event held in the spring. We are very excited to host this event and give thanks to all of our mothers and female role models. I encourage all students to invite their mothers or any female that has been an integral part of their lives. We owe our success to those who have helped us through our journeys and this event is a great place to give thanks.

I hope all of the students are enjoying their fall break and getting some much needed rest. This long break and short week is much needed! I wish everyone the best of luck with their classes!

As most know, college is a busy time of life when you are an active student on campus. Not only do most college students have full class schedules, but they also have meetings and programs for certain organizations, work, studying, oh and socializing if they don’t want to make themselves CRAZY. There is no doubt we as students can have busy schedules and unfortunately it never seems to slow down. But through all that craze and chaos we call college, hard work can really pay off.

In the spring time I was elected to be the President of the Walsh University Student Government. Prior to that I had been a member of the WUSG for two years in both a commission position and as the Senate Chair. The student government has become an important part of everyday life here at Walsh because if the impact we make on students lives. As the representatives for the student body, we have to voice the opinions, concerns, and praises of the students in a diverse and respectful manner. Naturally, as the President, lots of this responsibility falls on myself and the rest of the Executive Board. The Executive Board of the WUSG consists of myself, Vice President Chloe Zidian, Senate Chair Matthew Voytek, Vice Senate Chair Christian Zwick, Chief Justice Olivia Gruber, Executive Justice Kyle Garrison, Treasurer Allyson Baroni, and Senate Clerk Aleena Eigel. Without these individuals I could not do my job. I have never worked with a more amazing group of students. We as a team have set out to represent the Walsh student body in its highest regards.

The WUSG has a busy year planned with many opportunities for involvement and service. Even through our busy schedules and busy lives we have found a way to make real change and accomplish great things for the student body. My challenge to students, even though we all have busy schedules and lives, is to make a change and accomplish something great. We all have the ability to affect others lives and should do so in a positive manner. As a Catholic institution of distinction we should embrace our Catholic roots and focus on service to others.

This week begins the first official meeting of the Walsh University Student Government and all students and faculty are welcome! We hope to see you all there!

WELCOME BACK WALSHERS HOW WAS YOUR SUMMER?!?!?! I feel like a Cedar Point ride conductor lol. Anyways, I hope all is going well for your first week of school. It is always a hectic time trying to figure out your schedule, your classes, and not to mention time to hangout with your friends.

I suppose I should start with an introduction of myself. My name is Robert Pecl Jr., but everyone calls me Rob. I am a super-senior here at Walsh, Biochemistry major with two minors in Chemistry and Philosophy. I am originally from Lakewood, OH near Cleveland. My story with Walsh is somewhat unique because I came to Walsh as a freshman, stayed through fall semester of my sophomore year. After that time I transferred to Muskingum University where I spent one whole semester playing baseball. After my short hiatus I came to the realization that the WU was the place for me and planned my return for the fall. I learned a lot in my time away including how great of a university Walsh really is. My hope is that all of the students here come to realize what a great place they chose to receive their education from.

The first week of school is always killer and I know not too many professors give homework, but I have already had homework, a quiz, and an hour test. Believe me it’s been rough. One thing about me is that I love to tutor students in science. So if anyone needs help I am always willing to help.

Until next time, ENJOY YOUR LABOR DAY WEEKEND!!