Feelin Like a Sophomore

I can't believe that I haven't yet written about the Sophomore Retreat! I guess I better get on that but these past few days have been a whirlwind of intrigue and dinosaurs. Please forgive an old SOI her faults, dear readers.

So anyway, the retreat was essentially a brief respite from the drudgery of collegiate life. We had to RSVP for it weeks ago and only the first 160 students who replied were allowed to attend. It was hosted at a swanky resort in Fontana, WI near Lake Geneva. And when I say "swanky" I mean that it was tacky and overpriced. They had a Christmas display in the lobby that was a little like drinking treacle--all glitter and fake snow and rosy cheeks. But the service was great. All the employees were very courteous, the food was a nice change of pace, and the rooms were impeccable. It was the perfect time to get away from campus to relax and that's exactly what I did. We had a welcome ceremony that involved forced volunteerism for Beloit Family Feud (I had to play but won a gift certificate so all was not lost). Then we broke up for a Hot Topics event where students brainstormed ideas on how to improve different areas of the college. Mine was about how to get off campus more and into the Beloit community. Others talked about recycling, energy consumption, and 'green' food programs. There was a communal dinner where each group sent representatives to present their ideas to the students and faculty and then we attended Break Out Sessions on various topics of interest to sophomores like grad school and internships and enneagrams. Afterwards we were free to roam the hotel. There were some planned activities like a dance and casino night but otherwise people pretty much did what they wanted to do like went swimming and ate pizza while watching cable in their rooms.

The next day we had another Break Out Session and mine was about yoga and meditation which was very relaxing. Then lunch and a faculty panel where we could quiz teachers and administrators about college changes. Immediately after lunch they packed us up on the bus and we headed back to campus in the rain under leaden skies to write papers about Tess of the d'Urbervilles. All in all it was a good time but entirely too short. At least we have Thanksgiving break this week. Happy holidays everyone!