New friend request, it’s your mom

By Sarah Luckert Staff Writer

Attention: there is a new and entertaining way for parents to stalk your every move. That’s right, our beloved Facebook is being used in offices, homes and coffee shops all over the place by parents who now dedicate all of their time to making their children’s lives miserable. Let me clarify, more miserable than before.

Now it is obvious that not all parents are guilty of tormenting their children. Some parents mind their own business and don’t even acknowledge they have children at all, let alone children with Facebook profiles.

Imagine your excitement when you receive a new friend request. Now imagine opening your new friend request on Facebook and finding a lovely photograph of your mother, father or crazy Uncle Louie.

I am here to tell you that it does happen and for me the very thought of it makes me cringe.

Parents used to spend their time reading the newspaper, cooking dinner and grocery shopping, doing “normal” parent things. They have now allowed Facebook to consume their lives.

I believe in equal rights for everyone just as much as the next person but sometimes there is a time to draw a line. In this case the line is humility; humility for everyone, for the parents who are posting ridiculous statuses and for their offspring who have to witness them.

The first thing that is important is whether you accept your parent in the first place. Thank goodness for my parents lack of time and knowledge of technology because I don’t think I would be able to accept the request.

For those of you who are brave enough to venture to the other side and do it, you may want to be aware of the support that is out there for you.

The awkwardness of receiving messages filled with slang words from your mom when she should be doing other things is difficult to deal with. So it’s a good thing Erika Brooks Adickman and Jeanne Leitenberg, creators of MyParentsJoinedFacebook.com, have created a safe haven for all of those suffering from the growing epidemic.

On their website they offer an area to vent as well as examples of other sufferers who may just have it worse than you, even though that may be hard to believe.

The idea of having parents’ who post everything about themselves on their Facebook so the 22 people they went to high school with, who also have profiles, can see what they are doing now-a-days is sad.

But, don’t fear, you are not alone. There are hundreds of kids in the same boat. We can learn to think before we post. Together, survive this epidemic.

Being a senior communication major, online presence is crucial. Social and media networking are extremely beneficial. You could potentially find your career this way.

The only social networking program I have used has been Facebook. Facebook can be a great way to pass the time by checking people’s status and photo uploads. However, it can be much more beneficial than that.

I use it especially when I need to get in contact with someone or to just keep in touch with old friends from the past. I know that if I ever need to get in touch with someone and I don’t have his or her telephone number, I can always rely on Facebook to keep me connected.

If you are hosting an event, one of the best ways to get the word out is to make an event on Facebook. When there are dances and special events going on around Cabrini, I always find out through the event posted on Facebook. It’s a useful way to inform and network people.

I’ve heard stories of how students keep in touch with people in the field they hope to pursue a career in and landing a job from it.

Besides creating events, you can also create groups. Most of the groups I am in on Facebook are school related. The people who create certain groups encourage people to join it or to “like” it. It gets the word out for whatever is happening and keeps everyone connected.

Besides Facebook, the other online social networking website that students can use in their favor is Twitter.

From what professors and friends have told me, Twitter is the most valuable form of online networking, especially if you’re a communication major.

I’ve heard of stories of how students keep in touch with people in the field they hope to pursue a career in and landing a job from it. Just by getting to know someone on Twitter can lead to so many other contacts.

I don’t have a Twitter account right now nor do I know how to use one, but if making one could potentially lead to me meeting someone and getting a job, then I am putting it on the top of my to-do list.

Blogging can also be a useful way to express your writing to the public. What’s great about blogging is that you can write about all of your ideas and interests. While blogging about things you care about, you can simulatenously improve your writing skills, which can also help with getting a job if the right person reads it.

Back tracking a little bit. Sure anyone can use these online networking websites, but it seems like the key necessity to achieve a professional appeal is to have effective writing skills.

By having these online accounts you recognize the way people write, professional or not. I think that’s helped me to find my own affective writing style.

Being a well-rounded communication major entails being able to speak, write and think. You don’t really realize it but so much of the media is convergence. You can find everything online. So to have those abilities to be able to communicate to the public are extremely important. ngc24@cabrini

Student athletics: a way of life

By Allie Rodolico Staff Writer

Throughout my entire life, sports have always had a large impact on me. For the majority of it, swimming and basketball were my two main sports. They took up most of my time and I was joining every team to improve. When I got into eighth grade I took up field hockey just for fun. I played for the high school team and began to love the sport more and more. Eventually field hockey and basketball started to become my two main sports.

During my senior year of high school, my team ended the season with the best record in school history. We made it to semifinals in the playoffs where the Cabrini field hockey coach, Jackie Neary, first saw me play. My mom told me she had talked to her and she was interested in having me coming to Cabrini. I had heard from people from my hometown that Cabrini was a suitcase school and everyone always went home on the weekends so I had never even considered applying.

I decided to meet with the coach anyway and it turned out to be one of the best choices I’ve ever made. Between Jackie’s enthusiastic attitude, the communication department and the gorgeous scenery that I would be walking through every day, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Cabrini was the right choice for me.

As the summer flew by and preseason got closer, I began to get even more anxious about going to the place I’d spend the next four years. I was already at an advantage from all the other freshmen that didn’t play a sport because I was there a week earlier and had already met a big group of people.

The first three years flew by and the field hockey team grew to be not only a group of girls I played a sport with, but they became my second family. We are all friends on and off the field and have shared laughs and memories that will last a lifetime. Two of the girls on the team in particular turned into my best friends at Cabrini and roommates.

Now during my senior year, I couldn’t imagine life without Cabrini field hockey. I hear from my friends that also play sports at their colleges complain how much of a hassle it is with the crazy practice schedules, it’s not fun for them anymore or they can’t stand their coach. I’ve never had a single complaint. All three of my coaches understand how important it is to be a studentathlete and give us the freedom to be able to be both.

By making the decision to come to Cabrini and play field hockey, I have met some of the greatest people that I know will stay in my life forever. Although Cabrini is a small school and people do go home on the weekends a lot, I couldn’t imagine myself going anywhere else or playing for any one besides Jackie Neary.

The happiness that field hockey has brought me, the memories I have made and the people I’ve shared them with wouldn’t have been the same at another school.

Everyone in my family always thought I would go to college for basketball or swimming, especially my dad. However, now that they see how field hockey has shaped me into to the person I am today, they are all happy that I chose the path I did. I don’t know what I’ll do once the final buzzer sounds in my last game, but I know that no matter what, Cabrini field hockey will always be a part of me and stay in my heart forever.

amr729@cabrini edu