For those at UNO who are freshman, transfers, 7th year seniors, and even non-traditional students there is alot going on here at our metro campus. This first day was probably pretty unsettling for everybody as we had just become acclimated to that summer homestasis that has us away from homework and other various due dates. As such, I have compiled a "must-do" list for the following year. This is very wide ranging and frankly anything that has come into my head will be placed on the site. So here we go, current students and alumni, a must-do list for this year.
1.)
Stop wearing Creighton shirts on our campus!- Look, we know your boyfriend or girlfriend goes there, maybe even mom or dad went there, BUT YOU DON'T. I am fully aware that you think by wearing that that certain Creighton shirt on campus that either guys will think you are the ultimate catch and girls will just swoon behind you wherever you walk, but it is a matter of fact that will not happen. An investment needs to be made, and in no way does this need to be monetary. An emotional connection to UNO allows people to do various positive things to better our institution. But please, keep the Creighton (on the fence about Lincoln) shirts at home.
2.) Be Proactive- This means that you should become involved in some sort of campus activity. Although you hear this alot, UNO began as a commuter campus. This means the student population was based on those coming and going, sans dormitories. With the advent of on-campus housing, it should facillitate those into action as it allows for closer contact with the physical school and all it has to offer. Join a club, sorority, or even host a get together of classmates. This allows other like-minded people to come into contact with each other and tighten the social atomosphere of this school, long hindered by the lack of housing.
3.) Bitch about Parking- everyone else does it, why not you?
4.) Major in something that you LOVE doing- Nothing is worse than going to college for 5 years and have to go back because of a mid-life crisis career change. I personally know it is difficult to make life-affirming decisions in this short of a timeframe. I also am aware of the impact of the decision that non-traditional students face when quitting a profession and coming back to college. This is why I am telling you to pick what you love doing. Don't worry about how much something pays; if you like waking up in the morning and going to work, that is all that counts.
5.) Skip a Class- Just do it for all of your high school teachers that told you, "The reason that I am so tough on you is that when you get to college, professors will not care if you attend or not". that would be a false on that one, as every class I have EVER attended was taught by instructors that cared about you (as to what level is up for debate). Just don't make a habit of it.
6.) Go to an Athletic contest- Show your support by ditching your Creighton shirt and replace it with a UNO shirt from the bookstore. Then, go check our your Mavericks on the field. You'd better make sure to do this as soon as possible, as things are headed are all jumbled from Administrative actions the previous two years.
7.) Check out the new library- This thing is top notch. Please make your way past the newly updated entryway and into the rear of the building. Cafe seating fills up the space, with ample room to study or just converse. Speaking of cafe seating, THERE IS AN ACTUAL CAFE IN THERE NOW! Go have a cup of coffee and watch the cars on Dodge street speed by, that will be you in half a decade.
8.) Take a class you do not need- Ever taken a judo class for credit before? Well you can now because it is offered in the HPER building. Remember those elective credits that need to be filled? Oh you're welcome.
9.) Juggle school, jobs, and social life- You might have had a job in high school. You might have had a girlfriend/boyfriend in high school. You might have thought you had alot on your plate, but everything gets turned up a couple of notches here. It is but an adolescent right of passage that you undergo all of these stressors and cope with them as well. Just remember, everyone does it.
10.) Have fun! You'll never get this time back. In retrospect, college is a great period in the life of those of us who decide to go. You pay alot, but you should also get much more out of it. Work hard, play harder.
I would just like to say that the UNO Vanguard blog is now back up and running at full capacity. This site's author was busy graduating and finding full-time employment here in Omaha, which is a headache in and of itself.
What is absolutely unreal is that Supreme Chancellor Belck is supporting Buck, even after all of this negligent use of athletic funds has come to light. She almost takes the tone of one half of a failed celebrity couple, blaming the media attention for all of their problems. She went so far as to deny the OWH access to Buck's full financial records from his administration. After the World-Herald threatened legal action to explore other potential improprieties, we see that Jeffrey Skilling, er, Jim Buck resigned. 
