Perspective: When is My Next Day Off?

By Sasa Maksimovic
Menlo Oak Staff

We all know all too well about the life of a student who works full time and goes to school full time is an absolute pain. Juggling this kind of schedule will have you feeling like you are losing your mind. But this is something must be done if students like me are going to get the money to pay for their education.

During my first few years of college, I had a few jobs here and there,  but nothing full time. I started working full time around October of 2011. And boy was I in for a surprise. 

From that October to about middle of January,  I worked 48 hours a week while going to school. I had one day off every week, and every day I was working 8 hours. That’s when I really started to appreciate a few hours of free time.

I would get to school at around eight in the morning and I would leave at 1 p.m. and go straight to work to work from 2-11 p.m.  I would get home from work and be absolutely exhausted and just want to sleep, but as we college students know there is always some one-page assignment your professors wants you to type up.

Most nights I wouldn’t get to sleep till around 2 .m. After getting a few hours of sleep, I would wake up and do it all over again.

It got to the point where I felt like I was a zombie, I had no idea how I was getting up in the morning. I was always so tired. And it wasn’t like I was doing some office job where I was sitting at a computer for 8 hours. I work at a warehouse where you are running and lifting things nonstop.

You have to be really focused on what your goal is if you are going to accomplish working full time and going to school. You have to know what you want and be ready to sacrifice for that objective. Because there will be many days when you want to go out with your friends, but you can't. Instead,  you might have to go home and get those few extra hours of sleep.

Some of us college students get these jobs just because we need some extra money; some of us get these jobs because we have no choice. Gas is getting more expensive you got to drive to school every day, and your parents can’t make that money available for you anymore.

It is a lot of pressure on students because on top having to worry about making that money, you also have to make sure you stay on top of what is most important--and that is school. Before I got hired I told all my bosses that school is No. 1 priority. I told them  I would  not jeopardize my grades under any circumstances.

But while you are working full time and your body is starting to fall asleep at random times of the day, it is so easy to get side tracked. It is so easy to just say,  well I’m not going to go to my first class, I need some more sleep.

Before you know it you are missing, a couple a classes a week. It happens, none of us are robots, and people get tired.

But you got to make sure it doesn’t happen too often and you keep those grades up. Here are some tips that get me by on a daily basis.

•          Invest in some 5-hour Energy shots. These things saved my life many times

•         Start taking naps, every time you get a hour break or so to go home. Take a nap, you will love yourself for doing it.

•          Get your homework done at school, don’t leave your homework sitting there untill after work. You will be exhausted and won’t want to do it. Do your homework at school in those hours you have between classes. 

  When you have a day off, make sure you get a lot of rest. Don't get stuck helping someone carry a piano up the stairs to their new apartment. 


This is part of an occasional series reflecting opinions of Menlo College students who have part-time jobs while they are full-time students. Let us know if you would like to write for "Learn, Earn" by sending an email to themenlooak@menlo.edu 

Menlo College Opens New Doorways with the iPad2

Justin Padilla
Menlo Oak Staff

The development of technology has drastically changed the way the world works. People are always looking for innovative ways to accomplish things faster and better. Menlo College seeks change through the use of implementing iPad2s in class.

Menlo College has currently been experimenting on the use of the iPad 2 in one of their courses, Human Resource Management. Luckily, I was able to be a part of this experiment and see first hand how useful it will be to use the iPad 2 in class.

The Human Resource Management professor, Pauline Fatien gave to each student an iPad 2 with a protective case. Students rented the iPad 2 for free, however they were responsible for any damages with the product with the consequence of having to pay a fine at full retail.

The implementation of the iPad 2, allowed the class to upload the power point slides based on required readings, open up an ebook and add their personal notes. Students were also given class activities where they had to answer questions on a forum in Menlo College’s Moodle website, which is a course management system that creates a collaborative online learning site. With the iPad 2, students had the opportunity to do online simulations of situational analysis based on each chapter.

I think the use of the iPad in a classroom is very different. I like how I don’t need to carry that much to class. All I really need is my iPad and some writing material just in case. I no longer need to bring a textbook because now I can read it on the tablet. By using the iPad 2 in class, I am able to organize my notes as well as submit homework quickly and efficiently on the device.

The iPad is very compact and has versatile applications, but some students may be having too much fun with their new devices. A downfall of having the iPad in class is that students become distracted. Students are always on their iPads while there is a presentation or class discussion. Students are expected to be participating, taking notes and giving their attention to the speaker. But sometimes, students are browsing the web and playing with different applications. Unfortunately, the professor has little control on what actually happens on each student’s iPad. Some students found that they would rather use a traditional laptop instead of an iPad.

“I find that using the iPad 2 isn’t as effective compared to my laptop” explains Menlo College student Theresa Yi Ng. “I find it faster to type on a keyboard than on a screen.”

With new technology come new opportunities that can only be successful if they are properly implemented or controlled. I think the use of the iPad 2 is great, however it still needs some improvements. Maybe the iPad 2s used in class can have preset restrictions to prevent students from spending time on websites such as Facebook. Another option is the use of i>clicker, a small handheld device that allows for class participation and interaction through problem solving. Nevertheless, Menlo College’s efforts to advance learning techniques through technology are and hold promise for the future.

Perspective: Just a Face? Not in the Coffee Business

By Riley Thorning

Menlo Oak Staff

Once you have worked at any coffee shop for any amount  of time,  you can’t walk around town without being noticed. It doesn't matter if it's a Starbucks that everybody goes to, or just a small town coffee shop where a few regulars visit every day for their caffeine fix, your face becomes known.

Author Riley Thorning at work.

I know because I'm your coffee guy. You know, the one behind the counter. The one you talk to about the same time every day. 


When making a beverage for someone in the early morning you might not realize how vital your skills are for their day. A coffee prepared right with a nice smile can really start the morning off correctly. 


"When those baristas make the perfect vanilla latte for my early mornings, work is that much better,”  says Menlo College alum Ben Summers.


After the morning shift, when your friendly barista is off work, or out grabbing lunch and groceries, they are often met with with the same greeting:  “Hey! You’re my coffee guy," or "Hey! You're my coffee girl!” 

This can be OK at times, but not every barista wants to chat it up with "the dailies" outside of work.
Say you’re tired and its late, and making a quick run to Safeway,  but you run into Mr. "Grande Triple Mocha."  Maybe you don’t feel as friendly  as he does, but you don’t want to make an awkward impression the next time you see him at work. Figuring out what to day can create a funky situation. 


So you just smile and create small talk as if you are on the job. I guess that’s what you get for working at a coffee shop.


 I've worked at two different coffee shops and I'm currently employed at Starbucks. It’s a great job with friendly environment, but I can’t begin to explain how many times I run into regulars outside of work. Just the other day I was getting a hair cut at Golden Shears Barber shop about four blocks from my store's location. All the barbers knew me, so we were able to chat it up.  I have trouble wondering around town going unnoticed   

In most retail or food service jobs you are just a face. But the coffee business is different. You see so many different people and get to know their drinks. You play a crucial part of the morning for everybody you serve.  People get to know you. They depend on you.  It's one reason coffee guys and coffee girls never go unnoticed. 


This is part of an occasional series reflecting opinions of Menlo College students who have part-time jobs while they are full-time students. Let us know if you would like to write for "Learn, Earn" by sending an email to themenlooak@menlo.edu 

Perspective: The Americanization Of Me

By Sasa Maksimovic
Menlo Oak Staff

I moved to the United States from Serbia in 1998. I was 10 years old and I had no idea what to expect. Comparing America to Serbia is like comparing apples to bricks.

For months before we moved to the United States, all I did was worry. I worried about how I would tell my friends I was leaving. I worried about how much I was going to miss my family. My biggest worry was that I would be kidnapped. I thought that in America being kidnapped happened as often as  eating lunch.

We finally moved to San Francisco and for a very long time I couldn’t stand living here. I couldn’t believe this was going to be my home for the foreseeable future. I cried every single day.

I enrolled in fifth grade and went to school. I spoke zero words of English. I couldn’t talk with anyone but in three months that all changed and, in turn, my whole life changed.

I learned to speak English and that’s where the Americanization of me started.

I learned the language and I started to make friends and really started to enjoy living in America. Everything got easier for me.

After four years in the United States, I went back to visit my family in Serbia. I enjoyed this first return visit. I connected with my old friends and had so much fun visiting. When I went back to the U.S., I started to miss Serbia again.

Two years later, I returned to Serbia again. This time, it wasn’t the same.

I spent a lot of the time missing my girlfriend and texting my friends in America. I would go out with my Serbian friends and I just did not enjoy myself at all. I couldn’t wait to get back home in San Francisco.

It made me wonder,  “how did this happen? “ The civil war that happened in our country, made all of us so close because we had to stay united and be there for each other because of the struggle we were all going through. All that just went away.

I felt so out of place with all my friends that I was hanging out with. I had no idea what to talk about with them. I speak Serbian fluently but it was like I forgot the language. We would go out and I just wanted to be back at home so I could watch TV and count the days until I could go back to America.

I asked my Serbian family members and cousins who live in America what happened? How did we all become so accustomed to living in America and outgrow our homeland?

 “I really don’t know what happened but if we were asked to move back to our country right now, I’m not sure that I would be able to do it,” my cousin Darko said.

I feel the exact same way as he does. My parents thought about moving back when the economy took a turn for the worse and I told them that I would just stay here and live alone.

Now when my mom asks me to go to Serbia with her to visit, its like she is asking me to go to the dentist. I miss my family but I don’t miss being in Serbia at all. I feel like I’m an American now.

I love my country and will always be Serbian in my heart but I just feel like that I have become way too accustomed to America and this is my future.

Since I went through this I feel I can give other foreigners my age some tips on how to get used to living in this country. Biggest tip I can give you is study the English language hard and learn how to communicate with your classmates as quick as you can. Making new friends and enjoying life with them makes everything so much easier. 

Another tip is that you come to grips that this is where you are going to be living for a long time, and you got to make the best of it. You can't go around pouting about something that wont' change. Be close to your family and enjoy each other and you will get used to this country in no time.  

Opinion: What Should We do with Black History Month?

By Anthony Foster

Menlo Oak Staff

Black History Month is supposed to be a time when America pauses to acknowledge the importance of the African-American journey through U.S. history.  There are many reasons to recognize African American icons in today’s society, and in many ways African-American contributions are being spotlighted with increased frequency. This recognition has led some to wonder if society still needs Black History Month.

Black history is full of important societal movements that have helped to shape the American society.  The battle to bring equality and justice to black Americans was achieved through a multi-ethnic coalition, one that Dr. Martin Luther King described as containing, “black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics.”

But we do not celebrate a “White” history month or “Jewish” history month. Why then should we celebrate “Black” history month?

Simply put, there is importance to paying attention to the events of black history.  The history of the United States and its racial interactions show that with inner-strength and courage, we are all people capable of achieving anything.  More importantly, studying black history shows that equal and respectful interaction between people of all races is needed to maintain in a successful society.

Advocates for eliminating Black History Month like to say that black people are more than successful enough today not to warrant a month of study. We need to look at the bigger picture.  

Black people have been successful for far longer than the last decade, or even the last century. African-American success stories were not celebrated, or just ignored.

Black History Month is about teaching America and its youth about the issues we continue to fight today and the idea of a better future.

Menlo College Professor Zaki Hasan, believes that race and the uniqueness of the black experience, or any racial experience for that matter, is important to understanding U.S. history and the American experience.

“We aren’t there yet,” Hasan states simply when talking about the goals that America has for its fight against racism.  

Black history deserves to have special recognition. However, changes are need in the way Black History Month is celebrated. It is time to bring a shine a new light on its purpose.

Black History Month is not about segregating black accomplishments from those of other races.  It is about knowing what black history teaches America about its present and its future.

Perspective: Finding the deeper meaning in the campus-wide power failure

By Joel Blake
Menlo Oak Staff

All of Menlo College’s Internet servers were on standstill. In parts of the campus, a sense of panic started to spread.  Homework needed to be printed, emails sent, and none of it could be done.

Menlo College had lost its Internet connection. What were we to do?

Power Outage Icon
Google Image

This episode of technological failure made us realize how dependent we have become on the Internet, wireless connections and technology.

In hindsight, the Menlo community should have been better prepared.

On Feb. 10, Menlo’s IT Department released a campus-wide email; notifying students of AT&T’s plan to conduct emergency maintenance on one of the main routers providing Internet service in the Bay Area. Raechelle Clemmons, Menlo's chief information officer, stated in the  press release:

“The campus may experience intermittent Internet service during AT&T’s maintenance window. All Menlo services will continue to be up and available during this time period, including the public website, email, Moodle, and MyMenlo. However, access to these services may be disrupted as a result of the router maintenance. If Internet service is disrupted, on-campus users will not be able to access services outside of the campus network (Web browsing, email, etc.), and off-campus users will not be able to access services within the campus network (virtual desktops, MyMenlo, etc.).”

Then Feb. 13 arrived.  It was 11:19 a.m.  Menlo’s IT Department sent another campus-wide email. This one acknowledged the unexpected severity of AT&T’s warning.  Parts of the campus lost electrical power. Internet access was spotty, if available at all.

The impact was widespread. For example, Bowman Library lost all of its electrical power.
Many students, who failed to read their emails, overlooked the press release and the Internet outage came as a surprise. Many classes were impacted by the loss of Internet, including our very own Menlo Oak news writing. Professor Pamela Moreland was forced to cancel our lecture due to the inability to access the material.

The idea of the system failing sank into all of our minds. In a world of technological advancements and dependencies, is this what happens when the rug is pulled out from beneath us?

Internet and technology have become our foundation, the very ground we walk on. Last Monday we were reminded that without solid grounding, no progress can be made.  For the first time, many of us grappled with the question, “Should we trust our technology?”

Instead of questioning technology, maybe we should be asking if Menlo should seek more independent, reliable, and alternative energy sources? If so, where should we look?

I think we look no farther than the sky. Solar power! At least with solar we could lower our energy costs and if campus electrical power is disrupted, we can look to the weather for a clear explanation.