The Disney College Program, as Told by Disney Lyrics

The Disney College Program, as Told by Disney Lyrics
Post Date: August 2014
Located: https://disneyprogramsblog.com/the-disney-collegeprogram-as-told-by-disney-lyrics/
Oh how many memories can come flooding back when you reminisce about your
Disney College Program. Arrival day, Disney Traditions, Magical moments… the list can
go on and on. One of the best ways to perfectly describe some of those moments is
through Disney lyrics themselves.
Before applying for the Disney College Program:
Getting your acceptance email:
Arriving and getting all kinds of Disney swag:
Your first day of work without a coordinator or trainer:
Park hopping with your fellow Disney College Program participants:
Bonding with the cast members in your work location:
Dreading the end of your program and going back to school:
Knowing that no matter where you end up in life, Disney will always have a special
place in your heart. That the magical experiences and friendships you made on your
Disney College Program journey will stay with you always.
The Disney College Program, Sharing the Magic
Article Printed: May 2012
Located:
http://www.lionsroarnews.com/news/view.php/59668/The-Disney-program-sharing-the-magic
After fifteen years of going to classes on a regular basis from elementary school
through high school and on to my academic career here at Southeastern, I was in
desperate need of a break from reality. What a better break from reality than to go to
a place where donning a pair of mouse ears is sociably acceptable, riding on elephants
happens daily and dreams come true? A vacation to Walt Disney World would just not
be enough. There was another option, which had been on my bucket list for quite
some time.
I was accepted into the Disney College Program, a semester long internship, giving me
an opportunity to work within the Walt Disney World parks. This was truly a dream
come true!
Being welcomed into the Walt Disney Company as a Cast Member was a lot of Bippity
Boppity Boo. I received my nametag from Mickey Mouse, toured backstage areas and
learned cherished company tales and secrets. After my training was complete, I was
shoved into a whole new corporate world, which I should have expected, seeing as
Disney is a top entertainment company. A huge part of the program was becoming a
part of the Disney family, but also living within the confines of the college program
housing right off of Disney property.
That experience for me was the exact opposite of Hakuna Matata. The problem was
not where I lived but who also took up residence with me. Before partaking in the
Disney College Program, participants are informed that roommates are selected at
random, and they can be from any part of the United States or the world. The three
roommates that lived in my apartment were exact opposites of my personality.
Fortunately, we were all so busy working that we hardly had to converse with each
other.
Even though where I lived did not feel much like Ohana, the relationships and
friendships that were made with my coworkers is a special bond that only we
understand.
I participated in the fall program, which also coincides with peak park attendance,
during holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. I did not have my
relatives for the holidays, but I did have my Disney family. I had the pleasure of
working in the thrill ride central of the Walt Disney World Property, Hollywood
Studios, selling overpriced merchandise at shops in Rockin' Rollercoaster, Twilight
Zone Tower of Terror and Fantasmic.
Every day as a cast member, there was a lot of interaction time with the thousands of
guests that were in the parks daily, especially in the merchandise role. Some people
are happy, sleepy, bashful and others are grumpy. No matter how idiotic their
questions, how rude they are or how much they complain, having those small magical
moments with the more compliant guests make being a cast member all worth it.
From my program, I have so many cherished magical moments that they seem to
outweigh some of the moments when I wanted to use a more condescending tone
when telling guests to have a magical day.
Even though I have brought up many of my less magical moments on the program, it
was honestly a dream come true and full of fond memories I will not
forget. Participating in the Disney College Program reassured my goal to make a
professional career of working for the Walt Disney Company, a company rich in
heritage and magic.
The program however should have included warnings about being unmotivated when
you step back into the reality of college, PDD also known as Post Disney Depression
and the obsessive disorder with any type of Disney merchandise and cast member
behavior; all of which I clearly suffer from. It is true that I am a tad obsessed with
everything Disney.
From the parks to the music and movies, I get a little teary- eyed when a Disney
commercial comes on television. Pixie dust runs through my veins, and I firmly believe
that dreams really do come true, because mine did.
Meet the new dean of nursing, Ann Carruth
Article Printed: February 2012
Located:
http://www.lionsroarnews.com/news/view.php/60208/Meet-the-new-dean-of-nursing-AnnCarruth
University officials recently announced that Dr. Ann Carruth, professor of nursing and
the coordinator of the graduate nursing program, has been named Dean of the
College of Nursing. She is a 1984 graduate of Southeastern.
"I have been at Southeastern since 1990 and plan to stay here until I retire. I love
Southeastern," said Carruth. "As a graduate from the undergraduate nursing program,
it is with great pride that I have been able to work to educate nurses for the region.
And as dean, I have learned so much about CSD and Kinesiology and Health Studies.
Our college is unique because the Health Center is also part of the college."
Carruth has native roots by her mother, who is originally from Bogalusa, La. Her father
from Pennsylvania had a career with the military, so they were forced to move many
times. Before making her decision to start her college career at Southeastern, she
graduated from Salmen High School in Slidell, La. Carruth and her husband currently
take residence in Hammond not far from campus, along with their dog Frisco. Her
hobbies include activities such as walking, shopping, drinking coffee with friends and
traveling; seeing as she has family as close as Albany and Baton Rouge and as far as
Texas and Rota, Spain.
"Believe it or not, I had a family friend who introduced me to Southeastern while I was
a sophomore at Niceville High School (Florida)," said Carruth. "I made a campus visit
and fell in love with Hammond and the campus at that time. There was never any
question about coming here to school once we moved to Louisiana."
Carruth is qualified through three degrees, a BS in nursing from Southeastern, a MSN
from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and a DNS from Louisiana State
University HSC.
"I graduated with a master's degree in nursing in 1989," said Carruth. "At that time, I
went to work taking care of cancer patients, working the 'weekend program' As it
turns out Donnie Booth approached me at a Tangipahoa District Nurses Association
meeting and said, 'I heard you graduated recently, would you be interested in teaching
part time.' I was hooked I love teaching and I love the professional growth that comes
from being part of this educational system,"
The nursing department at Southeastern has recently added in a new program and
many new additions to aid and better students in their declared nursing concentration.
"We are proud of undergraduate and graduate nursing students. We are thrilled that
we will start a DNP program in the fall. The DNP is a practice degree designed to
prepare graduates at the highest level of nursing practice to provide complex hospital
and community-based care for patients and families; to design and evaluate nursing
and health care systems; and to address the shortage of advanced nursing practice
professionals to mentor and educate nursing students," said Carruth. "We have three
departments and a health center. Each department has areas that they will decide
need improvement. We continually strive to meet the needs of faculty and students so
there is not one area of improvement that can be identified. We want to always think
about how we can recognize the high caliber of faculty, promote scholarship and
ensure access to quality educational experiences."
Although Carruth was not officially named dean of nursing until April 30, 2012, she has
held the position of interim since Jan. 17, 2011.
"My entire career at Southeastern has been a dream job. There has never been a day
where I dreaded coming to work. How many people can say that about what they do
in life?" said Carruth. "I won't deny there are many challenges. But I know that I work
with people who care about this organization, who care about students and care
about what we do every day. I feel blessed."
Dorm Life Tragedies
Article Printed: February 2011
Located:
http://www.lionsroarnews.com/news/view.php/60664/Dorm-life-tragedies
Numerous times this question has crossed my mind, "Does University Housing really
care?" Students expect to find a home away from home feel, so the only thing they
should be concerned with is their studies. But so far my experience has been hardly
that. Near the beginning of the semester, I was dealing with second hand smoke and
now I have to sleep with earplugs in almost every night.
Many students, such as myself, are paying a glorified amount of money to take a
convenient residence here on Southeastern's campus. The shared dorm room fee is
now $2, 070, and then add in the cost of standardized meal plan for $1, 225; totaling to
an estimated $3, 295 per semester just to live on campus. Thankfully, I have the help
of government aid when paying for my housing, but most students are already
financially ruining themselves, pulling out numerous loans; wondering if they will be
financially stable to attend school the next semester. But for all the money it takes to
live on campus, is it really worth it? I have to constantly complain to my poor Resident
Assistant, the Resident Assistant on duty, and send e-mails to the housing office.
For almost the entire first month here in fall 2010, there were numerous people living
near me that would smoke out on the end of our hall where there is a balcony. This
spot is, however, about five feet from the door to my dorm. When they smoked on
the balcony, the smoke would drift into our dorm from under the door. I do not smoke
and hate cigarette smoke very much. We called our Resident Assistant on them when
we smelled smoke or saw them smoking, but we could not seem to get them caught in
person because our Resident Assistant was in class or was not near the residential hall
at those times. They were finally caught by our Resident Assistant after about the
fourth time of us trying to catch them and thankfully the smoking outside of our dorm
ceased.
After this incident occurred, my roommate and I were looking in the 2010-2011
Residential Guidebook and saw that on the back cover in bold lettering it states "Zero
Tolerance Policy. No drugs, alcohol, weapons or smoked tobacco. The use and/or
possession of any drugs, alcohol, weapons, or smoked tobacco in any on-campus
residential facility or parking lot will call for sanctions that may include removal from
the University." We also discovered there are signs including this information
plastered on each floor of the residential halls in numerous places. Since the people
on our hall were caught smoking four times on the camera outside of our door, and
once by our Resident Assistant, we were curious to see how many sanctions one could
receive before being removed from the residential halls. While looking through the
guidebook, we found it clearly stated that after the admonition and warning, the
warning probation and the disciplinary probation; it can then further lead to
suspension and then expulsion from the residential halls. According to this, after the
fifth time of getting caught smoking, the people should have been suspended or
kicked out of the residential halls. Through student protection, we are not able to
know what punishment was given or if there even was any, but we knew for sure that
they were not suspended or kicked out because we continued to see them entering
and exiting their room. It seems to me that University Housing only counted the one
time they were caught in the act by our Resident Assistant, and ignored or did not
look back to the four times they were caught on camera.
Do not get me wrong, they do try to keep everything in "tip-top" shape, but only if
they catch someone in the act of violating the rules are consequences served
properly. This does not seem to be a problem with the resident assistants because
they are always so willing to help, but the problem seems to be inconsistency within
the housing office with the heads in the department. Rules need to be fully enforced
with their consequences when they are stated in the guidebook, and every step should
be taken to ensure that reports and complaints are fully dealt with and recorded
whether caught in person or on film. The main concern of Southeastern's housing
should be its paying customers and service should always be available, no matter what
the circumstances.
Southeastern student killed in car accident
Article Printed: October 2010
Located:
http://www.lionsroarnews.com/news/view.php/60664/Dorm-life-tragedies
During Fall Break on Oct. 8, Southeastern sophomore Ben Moreno lost his life in a car
accident. The accident occurred early in the morning when Moreno and four other
passengers where traveling from The Buzz in Hammond back to the Covington area.
According to The Times-Picayune, the accident took place when Moreno came around
a curve too fast. He then tried to correct the Honda Civic's momentum but lost control
and drove into the ditch where the Honda rolled multiple times, hitting numerous trees
before landing face down on the eastbound side of U.S. Highway 190, just past the
Tangipahoa/St. Tammany Parish line.
The four passengers in the vehicle survived, but Moreno was killed. Two of the
passengers received minor injuries while another suffered major injuries. The four
passengers were Brandon Bennett, 20, of Mandeville; Jessica Moreno, 19, of Covington;
Amanda Breaux, 18, of Covington; and Robert Trevino, 20, of Covington.
Moreno was a 21-year-old native of Kenner, La., and a resident of Covington. He was a
2007 graduate of Covington high school and was majoring in computer science with a
concentration in information technology here at Southeastern.
Many efforts are taking place to help the Moreno family. One includes the sale of car
window decals created by a close friend of the Moreno family, Leswin Dheming. Over
200 decals were initially printed for sale.
"They were gone as soon as I made them," said Dheming. "I had to put in another
order because so many people wanted them."
The window decals come at no cost to anyone, but donations are being accepted. The
window decals Dheming created and the help of others have drawn in about $600
dollars that will go directly to aid the Moreno family.
Another effort occurred not long after the tragic accident when Jessica and Justin
Moreno, siblings of Ben's, talked to Chili's Grill & Bar and helped put together a family
"Give Back Night." It will take place all day today, Oct. 19, and checks paid with a "Give
Back Night" flyer or with request from patrons will provide 10 percent of their prices
to aid the Moreno family with funeral and other expenses.
"When a tragedy occurs in our community, the employees embrace the opportunity to
assist in any way that we can," said Seth LeBert, a Chili's employee.
A total of 15 Chili's locations in Louisiana and Mississippi are participating. Those
wishing to contribute but are unsure if a particular restaurant is participating can visit
www.chilis.com to obtain the contact number.