um . . . Michelle Obama is gonna be at my school

[zenidogx]

in exciting news for the central valley, Michelle Obama has agreed to speak to the first graduating class of UC Merced on May 16.

cool.

my roommate's among those to graduate, so hopefully he'll get me in.

http://www.fresnobee.com/updates/story/1290710.html

funny story: during the campaign to bring her to our campus, Valentine's cards were sent to her, encouraging her to support our school's "Sprit of Foundation". yes, Sprit. luckily her interns missed that.


here's a crappy video some students made:
QURjq5Bk72c

[kitt kat]

you go to uc merced? what's that like? my roommate and i joke about it all the time. it's just such a fascinating thing to think about in my messed up mind.

[weltschmerz]

being elite mus be awesome. you should be honored you were spoken to, zen.

also, who cares?

[BlueDevil50]

i can't stand that beast woman of a first lady...you know she's got obama's ass in check.

[weltschmerz]

you should punch her in the face.

[BlueDevil50]

i hired chris brown...

[weltschmerz]

good idea. you would have gone to jail, you're white.

[BlackSwan]

um... why don't you make a thread about it.

[greghead]

you go to uc merced? what's that like? my roommate and i joke about it all the time. it's just such a fascinating thing to think about in my messed up mind.

my god, you're a cunt. Not everyone was born to rich parents that pay for their Bohemian lifestyle while they attend USC. Get killed.

[BlueDevil50]

my god, you're a cunt. Not everyone was born to rich parents that pay for their Bohemian lifestyle while they attend USC. Get killed.

lol i don't think she meant it like that...i think it's more along the lines of, wouldn't it be fucking random/weird/you don't need a school there to have a university of santa maria?

[greghead]

I don't know, man . . . maybe you're right, though I highly doubt it.

[kitt kat]

my god, you're a cunt. Not everyone was born to rich parents that pay for their Bohemian lifestyle while they attend USC. Get killed.

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I don't need to really discuss my parent's financial problems with you, asshole. But I'm not rich at all. Only one parent in my family works because of job loss, I get full financial aid (my parents help out with rent, but I mostly pay for that myself) and I am scraping by paycheck to paycheck. I might have to sell some stuff (including my AC Wiltern tickets) just because I am shit broke.

I'm really just fascinated by UC Merced because

1. It's out in the middle of nowhere. Why would they build a school out there?
2. It's such a new school that the students have been really influential in shaping the growth of the university.
3. Did I mention it's in Merced?

I dunno. Since I've always lived in big cities, rural places have always been a thing of interest for me.

[zenidogx]

you go to uc merced? what's that like? my roommate and i joke about it all the time. it's just such a fascinating thing to think about in my messed up mind.

the school aint not too bad. 2700 students. still under construction. some classes are awesome. some professors are really amazing too. the school is ideal for students looking to just study and focus on their academics. undergrad research is open to almost every student looking for it. the Cog Sci department is apparently really good, as is most of the Science and Engineering school.

there's a lack of arts and entertainment, though, and the intellectual environment is nonexistent. the city has really been hit hard by the economic downturn. high foreclosure rate, unemployment, and poverty. interesting place, though. there's a considerable Hmong and Mien community in addition to the Hispanic population. of course, Ag is very important to the region.

simple place for simple folk. that's why i like it. but i sure do miss the option of going places when i feel like it.

and lastly, going to school here is not a problem as long as you can make friends. running around Lake Yosemite in the middle of the night while intoxicated is quite the trip, especially when the howls of coyotes can be heard in the background.


i can't stand that beast woman of a first lady...you know she's got obama's ass in check.

i'm meh about Michelle, really. this is really huge for the community, though. so, it's exciting.

[BlackSwan]

I might have to sell some stuff (including my AC Wiltern tickets) just because I am shit broke.


Maybe you can sell some of your sunglasses.

[zenidogx]

I'm really just fascinated by UC Merced because

1. It's out in the middle of nowhere. Why would they build a school out there?
2. It's such a new school that the students have been really influential in shaping the growth of the university.
3. Did I mention it's in Merced?

I dunno. Since I've always lived in big cities, rural places have always been a thing of interest for me.

i already gave some info, but to address these points:

1. there's a med school on the way in the next 20 years. that's the main focus of the school. to provide health care to the Central Valley. UC Davis is going to help out over the next several years to get that program up and running. UCM has some priority in regents meetings because of the proposed med school. in the long run, this university should also improve the quality of education for the Central Valley. some locals aren't too happy with what the university has yet to accomplish, but that's because this is going to be a long, strenuous process.

2. we do have the ability to shape the future. it's actually exciting. some groups are developing the greek life and they have made tremendous progress in the last year alone. personally, i am concerned with student government. we are still kicking out the kinks in the ASUCM and its constitution. i'm helping the external vp shape a Lobby Corp to get students more involved with things. right now a lot of "symbolic" crap is happening, but i hope to make real shit go down at some point. if nothing else, though, i get to pad up a resume.

3. Merced is . . . special. who knows what will become of it. if it wasn't for the university, it could very well be a ghost town.

[weltschmerz]

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I don't need to really discuss my parent's financial problems with you, asshole. But I'm not rich at all. Only one parent in my family works because of job loss, I get full financial aid (my parents help out with rent, but I mostly pay for that myself) and I am scraping by paycheck to paycheck. I might have to sell some stuff (including my AC Wiltern tickets) just because I am shit broke.

I'm really just fascinated by UC Merced because

1. It's out in the middle of nowhere. Why would they build a school out there?
2. It's such a new school that the students have been really influential in shaping the growth of the university.
3. Did I mention it's in Merced?

I dunno. Since I've always lived in big cities, rural places have always been a thing of interest for me.

reads more like thing of mockery.

[zenidogx]

as an aside, how does one on financial aid afford ATP? you must have a job, i assume. my financial aid can only cover my Coachella costs.

[Cdubby]

its in the "middle of nowhere" because the area severely lacks places of higher education. I grew up about an hour and a half south of Merced, the only place close to home for college was Fresno State and CSU-Bakersfield (but no one went there from my HS). People have to go to LA or the Bay area for the most part to get programs they need, the big exception would be Cal Poly SLO for the ag programs. UC Merced is vitally needed for the area, though I would argue they should have put in Visalia instead.

[kitt kat]

i do have a job, but i haven't worked in three weeks (spring break, bad ear infection). the other day i have off from classes, i have an unpaid internship, which leaves me working one day a week. so, every two weeks, i pull in a whopping $80!

i paid for ATP when i had money. this summer will be easier to find work (i hope?)

[weltschmerz]

where do you work that you get time off for spring break?

[zenidogx]

UC Merced is vitally needed for the area, though I would argue they should have put in Visalia instead.

i remember hearing something about Madera being heavily considered for the university. Visalia seems so awesome, though.

[kitt kat]

where do you work that you get time off for spring break?

dude, it's a campus job. and an internship...is an internship.

[Alchemy]

in exciting news for the central valley, Michelle Obama has agreed to speak to the first graduating class of UC Merced on May 16.

cool.

my roommate's among those to graduate, so hopefully he'll get me in.

http://www.fresnobee.com/updates/story/1290710.html

funny story: during the campaign to bring her to our campus, Valentine's cards were sent to her, encouraging her to support our school's "Sprit of Foundation". yes, Sprit. luckily her interns missed that.


here's a crappy video some students made:
QURjq5Bk72c

Why didn't your school ask me to be the keynote speaker? I would have done it. No video required.

[zenidogx]

you will always be the keynote speaker of our hearts.

[dinosaurateme]

woulda been cooler if Barack was speaking instead.

[SubBass49]

Michelle Obama is pretty cool though...her life story is damn interesting. Plus, she's the first remotely attractive first-lady we've had in my lifetime. I've only been alive for Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, & Bush II. Most of their women were fugly or old.

[zenidogx]

Update:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/us/13merced.html


So yea, everything's getting set up right now. We've all been stressed over finals and all of a sudden we see this:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/05/13/us/13merced3_650.JPG

The big day is Saturday. I'm volunteering in someway or another to be able to see this.

So, there's two roads that lead to the school and the school has very limited parking. On Saturday parking will be made available at a neighboring farm and at the nearby community college. 77 buses will shuttle everyone to campus. With 10,000+ guests expected, it's going to be hectic.

Pros of this event:
Seeing a first lady
Seeing roommate graduate
Being part of school's history
Getting to see the town excited about something

Cons:
Event costs 700,000 dollars to run. the school budgeted for 100,000.
Said parking situation
I miss out on Sun of God
I miss out on Mogwai
I have to volunteer

[amyzzz]

Barack Obama is at MY old school today (ASU) giving a commencement speech for the graduates. If someone like him was at my commencement, I might've actually gone.

[zenidogx]

The Daily Show's report from ASU was one of the greatest things the show's ever done.

[marooko]

why exactly is the first lady important?

would a guy/gal get voted in without a wife/husband?

[menikmati]

of course they wouldn't...this is America, you need to be married and have 2 kids and a puppy dog.

[greghead]

why exactly is the first lady important?

would a guy/gal get voted in without a wife/husband?

No. The last American bachelor-President left office in 1860. Married with children is a must.

[WastedTime]

BAH BAH BAH BAH BIG FUCKING DEAL

[Alchemy]

BAH BAH BAH BAH BIG FUCKING DEAL

Wow, what a racist.

[El.C.Dub]

why exactly is the first lady important?

because she sucks the first dick.

[Stainofmind]

for a school being in the middle of no where that could be a good thing. With nothing to do it could motivate you to concentrate on your studies instead of just fucking around most of the time. UC Merced is one of the schools i'm considering transfering to after I finish my GE.

[El.C.Dub]

for a school being in the middle of no where that could be a good thing. With nothing to do it could motivate you to concentrate on your studies instead of just fucking around most of the time. UC Merced is one of the schools i'm considering transfering to after I finish my GE.

yes. or, you could end up developing a major methamphetamine addiction and never leave.

[gaypalmsprings]

because she sucks the first dick.

even hillary didn't do that

[bakersfield]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-merced10-2009may10,0,2379898.story

Interesting LA Times article on UC Merced...
...go San Joaquin Valley!!

[crazzz2007]

you go to uc merced? what's that like? my roommate and i joke about it all the time. it's just such a fascinating thing to think about in my messed up mind.

fuking stupid bitch. stop giving USC graduates a bad name, you whore.

[zenidogx]

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[zenidogx]

It was great to see so many happy people on campus in 97 degree weather.
The speech was very positive and hopefully reached through to some of the more apathetic students on campus. It was a shame most of the 10,000 people left the field right after the speech. Obviously people went for Obama and not the actually ceremony, which takes a lot from the first graduating class. It was still a good day for many of my graduating friends and it was something the town will never forget. 7.9/10

[SoulDischarge]

It was great to see so many happy people on campus in 97 degree weather.
The speech was very positive and hopefully reached through to some of the more apathetic students on campus. It was a shame most of the 10,000 people left the field right after the speech. Obviously people went for Obama and not the actually ceremony, which takes a lot from the first graduating class. It was still a good day for many of my graduating friends and it was something the town will never forget. 7.9/10

I found that, though brilliant at times, the whole endeavor came off as derivative of Pavement. 6.8.

[Alchemy]

UTEP didn't have a keynote speaker. It was a fine revival of minimalism and ambient music. 8.2