Blog #2: Bowl a strike at 300 San Jose

Another weekend rolls by and nothing happened.

You went to work, did your homework and sat at home doing the bare minimum with your friends.

Here’s an idea, hit up 300 San Jose — located at 5420 Thornwood Dr. in San Jose near Westfield Oakridge Mall — for a night of fun and games without the ridiculous Dave & Busters prices.

300 is an entertainment center that focuses on the young adult by providing cheap bowling, pool and a pretty substantial bar and grill.

Each lane has comfortable leather seating and club style lighting.

Blog #2: Get involved at SJSU

What makes SJSU fun?

As we all know, SJSU is referred to as a commuter school. Although many may not live on campus to experience or witness the fun that may go on after hours, they’re events that any student can partake in to enrich their college experience.

First and foremost, the one thing I would suggest for students to do is putting yourself out there and getting involved, go to events and try new things and meet new people.

A few fun things to do around campus are the events that Associated Students provide. Movie nights and campus fairs are a good way to meet new people.

Hard boiled over tuition

Furlough day anyone … anyone?

No thanks.

I’m pretty sure I’ve paid for a desk and a lesson plan.

My tuition costs are climbing and I’m expected to be giddy about two class days a month where absolutely nothing is happening.

I better be getting a refund check somewhere in that illogical mess.

And while we’re on the topic of making cents, as in being nickel and dimed, I logged into the MySJSU Web site and did a once over of all the fees being assessed — what the hell is an IRA fee?

Changing the state of mind

In 1968, Walter Cronkite addressed the nation concerning his experience in Vietnam.

“It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could,” Cronkite said.

That night Cronkite tapped the most powerful aspect of journalism, stimulation.

He engaged the public and, while certainly stating an opinion, he also cultivated much needed dialog. It is through dialog and conversation that minds are change and minds are opened. Conversations at the bar or at the water cooler about Cronkite and his opinions led to discussions and an eventual swing of public opinion.

SJSU turns away future Spartans

With the recent $594 million California State University budget cut for the 2009-2010 school year and increasing student fees, I was surprised to discover that SJSU will not be accepting any prospective freshman for the spring 2010 semester.

According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, that by closing spring admissions, CSUs hope to pull through the 20 percent decrease in state funding.

This is happening all too quickly — I was still trying to grasp the fact that this past July, CSUs decided to turn away 40,000 incoming students over the course of two years — but now zero within a few months.

However, it won’t stop here.

Let’s do something about it

“Let’s talk about it.”

What does this theme mean to me?

One of the major flaws that our generation has is not standing up for what they believe in. Maybe it’s because we feel inferior to some of the challenges we’ve seen over recent years — war, a spiraling down economy and the right to an education being slowly taken away.

So many young voters felt compelled to vote during this last presidential election to evoke change, but have yet to follow through and take action.

The serious side of things

There are a lot of directions Access Magazine could have taken and it’s not uncommon for student publications to take the easy way out.

That’s not what we did and I’m proud of it.

It was important for us, as a staff, to take a more serious tone with this issue because there is a lot of controversy in our world and it’s our job to speak out.

Hence the theme, “Let’s talk about it.”

Student services … not so much

I’d like to say publicly that before furlough days and “budget crises,” I was fully aware that SJSU operates at half its capacity due to its inabilities to keep up with the times.

I have even come to enjoy the apathy, carelessness with documents and general ineptitude that seems to be a requirement for an administrative position here.

These quirks have endeared SJSU to me, and I feel that they have taught me a lesson — to triple check every inquiry or transaction that you have with the university, and then, check again.

Just when I thought SJSU couldn’t possibly improve its record, SJSU’s good-for-nothing fairy reared it’s lazy head and added yet another fluke to our charming school.

Use your real voice over the digital

When you pick up this semesters issue of Access Magazine, you may find more than words and pretty pictures, but hopefully what you find is a message.

If you look at today’s society, either when you’re on public transportation or just simply walking through campus, just stop and look around for a second. Is anyone talking to each other, making new friends or communicating in any other sort or form?

I should have first told you to take off your headphones, set the “CrackBerry” down and set your iPod off. You may then have a better glance and hear what’s going on around you.

Access to my passion

Sitting in my first Access Magazine meeting, I felt like the odd one out — the lone English major sitting in the capstone course for magazine majors and minors.

It isn’t the first time I’ve felt like the odd one out thanks to my major — like any other, it comes with its own stereotypes.

People assume I love books, true, correct people’s grammar, sometimes, and get off on writing an academic essay, very false.

Even among a few peers in previous English classes, the general assumption was that I was going to become a teacher, and if I wasn’t, I was going to be one of those starving artist types. Not that there’s anything wrong with either occupation.