COME ON AND SLAM

Submitted by Hattie Hayes, journalism major, class of 2017

Coming from a small town in Missouri, I arrived in Phoenix thirsty for arts and culture, but more importantly, for a way to be involved in creative ventures.  And I found it, just a few blocks from Taylor Place: Lawn Gnome Publishing.  Nestled in the Roosevelt Row arts district of Downtown Phoenix, Lawn Gnome isn't just a purveyor of books, zines and Bill Murray stickers (all some of my favorite things), but also an outlet for creative expression in any way, shape or form.

Take Thursdays, for example.  Thursday nights are the highlight of my week.  Thursdays are poetry slam nights.  I host the poetry slam, incidentally, and that's an amazing, obscenely fun, insanely lucky opportunity for me, but the reason I like it so much is because I highlight the poets.  The poets, and the words they stitch together and then toss over the audience like a quilt made from pieces of their thoughts and their souls, are what make the poetry slam really incredible.  I see myself as very fortunate not only to watch these men and women perform, but also to encourage my friends to come be their audience, to gloss over lulls during score-tallying to keep up the high enthusiasm these performers deserve, and to be an advocate for artistic expression in general.  It's definitely more than I'd expected, moving here.

My involvement with Lawn Gnome came (almost accidentally) from mid-slam banter with Aaron Hopkins-Johnson, proprietor of Lawn Gnome Publishing and previous slam host.  Aaron had mentioned, during the very first slam I'd attended, that he was looking for a host, and I knew in my head that I wanted to be it.  I have nowhere near the amount of guts necessary to spill my poetic soul out onstage, so hosting seemed like the best non-slamming way to get involved.  And after a little bit of in-between-act banter with Aaron, him joking with the audience and me quipping right back, he said, "Hey, you should host!"

And I said, "Yes!  Please!  I'd planned on it!"

I think this, this real community involvement, is a direct side effect of being a Barrett student.  If I hadn't gone to Lawn Gnome on Barrett's Big Urban Bus Tour, if I hadn't seen posts about the venue and its events on the B-Town D-Town Facebook group and heard people talk about it--heck, if I hadn't had a group of equally-eager Barrett students to walk the few blocks to Lawn Gnome with me, I wonder: would I be sitting here, writing about Lawn Gnome, wondering what poems I'll hear this week, and planning my jokes and bits for this Thursday?

That question was mostly rhetorical, but I can guarantee you that if it weren't for Barrett Downtown and its focus on community involvement, I'd probably be spending my Thursday nights killing time in the 8th floor lounge instead of being an active member in my community.  As a new student in a new school in a new state, it's easy to want to get involved.  As a new student in Barrett, it's easy to see how you can get involved.  Choosing to be involved in my community, and Lawn Gnome specifically, may be the best decision I've made in college.

So far.

Barrett: A Game Changer

by

Taylor Nelson

College, thus far, has been… an experience. Some of it has been tough, but a lot of it has been really great. And I attribute a lot of the greatness that I have experienced to being a part of Barrett, the Honors College.

I was a social butterfly in high school. Volleyball, marching band, choir, NHS, broadcasting and the senior video… you name it, and chances are I was probably involved with it in some way, at some point.

For some reason, coming to college changed that. I was suddenly a lot shyer and much more reserved. I was out of my comfort zone, and that was intimidating.

That’s where Barrett really became a blessing in my life.

You don’t have to be best friends with everybody to always have something to talk about in the elevator, be it Human Event or the really delicious cookies we got on the first day of classes or how, exactly, you pronounce the word “houyhnhnm.”

The sense of community that I have found with B-town D-town has really helped me break out of the shell that I, apparently, formed somewhere between high school graduation and Taylor Place move-in day. Now, through my involvement with Honors Devils and the many community events that Barrett plans, I feel like I belong. I’m still stretching my wings a bit, maybe, but that’s okay, because the Barrett downtown community is a fantastic place to do so.

On top of the personal perks, Barrett offers so many academic opportunities that are so, incredibly beneficial. Trust me, you won’t realize just how nice free printing and early registration are until you make some friends who don’t get those privileges. Also, I have come to the conclusion that if you can write an essay for Human Event, you can write an essay for practically any other class. You will also, undoubtedly, learn how to argue, and very well, at that. (And if you’re stubborn, like me, you’ll find that this newfound ability to support any argument comes in handy.)

It’s probably really cheesy and somewhat cliché to say that Barrett changed my life, but I think it did. If I hadn’t been a part of Barrett this year, I know that I would have had a much different freshman experience. My mother may have pressured me into applying to the honors college, but without a doubt, it was one of the best college decisions I could have made.

Barrett: A Unique Bonding Experience

Coming to college can be intimidating all by itself without the added pressures of moving away from home, balancing classes, and getting good grades. However, the people at the Honors College and the individuals I met through Barrett really helped me adjust to all that college had to offer.

Barrett really gives that ‘homely’ feel to essentially living at school. The friends and connections I have made throughout the past year of attending Barrett at ASU has made me understand why being a part of a smaller community within a larger community is a wonderful experience.

Not only do Barrett students get priority registration, but Barrett provides plenty of fun bonding activities for everyone in the college. People in Barrett get to go to the symphony, sporting events, and much more virtually for free. These activities are always diverse and give you an insight into all sorts of different events and people around you.

However, the honors classes can be a bit challenging. Coming in to college I was afraid that having such difficult honors classes would be really challenging for me. Although they proved themselves to be tough, I feel like a smarter and more well-rounded person because of classes like the Human Event. The honors classes, Human Event in particular, really give you that upper hand against the rest of the individuals in your major that are not in Barrett. This will help you in the future when you try to get competitive job positions.

Human Event papers have also improved my writing, my arguing skills, and my speaking skills. The seminar style class really allows you to shine as a student and share your ideas and connections you make in the readings. The readings themselves are so diverse and interesting that you become more of a brilliant and intelligent individual just by reading them. The papers may be difficult, but they definitely improve your writing. You will never think another assigned paper is hard after writing a Human Event paper. This class truly prepares you for everything.

Overall, being a part of Barrett, the Honors College is a unique experience you can not get anywhere else, especially at the Downtown campus, where everyone is in such a tight-knit community and so friendly with one another. Being a part of Barrett was one of the best college decisions I have made so far.

-Chloe Nordquist

Why Barrett??

Submitted by Emily Macrane


“What am I doing here?”
 
That was my first thought as my dad and I settled into the Barrett Information Session at the Downtown campus of Arizona State University. By “here,” I did not mean ASU. I had always known I wanted to be close to home--Tempe campus was 20 minutes from my parents. I was looking for options-- ASU provided a catalog of majors and opportunities in a thousand directions. Choosing to be a Sun Devil was a no-brainer. Whether or not to be a lifelong Honors kid was another kind of bird. By “here,” I meant being admitted, accepted, and willfully attending an event that would prolong my title as an “honors kid”. At college. Sigh.
 
Now, my plan for life after high school was to move on and gain a few memories while earning a degree. Simple, right? My principal didn’t think so. Attending a small high school meant my principal knew my goals, plans, and abilities, which lead to him assigning my application to Barrett, the Honors College. “What do you have to lose?” he asked. Nothing. I had everything to gain. Looking back, I will be forever grateful for Mr. Ihms, who pushed through my simple plan to show me a greater reality.

Back to Orientation.

I had been accepted to Barrett and with a slightly revised plan, was expecting to be in Tempe, rocking a campus I was familiar with that included a Harry Potter dining hall. Silly me. As a Nursing major I was getting to join the ranks of Downtown Sun Devils and Downtown Barrett students. Definitely not in the plan. After the PowerPoint of Phoenix’s opportunities and the overview of Barrett as a whole, I waited to speak with the Honors Devil, Kelsey Roderique. As she began to answer my question of “Why? Why Barrett?” I couldn’t help but notice her light up. It was like igniting a firework on a hot, Fourth of July night. Kelsey bubbled with enthusiasm and support for Barrett Downtown and the community built on the Phoenix campus. She shared her own experience and when I found out that her major was in transition (something I couldn’t imagine choosing as the newbie to the college scene), I was prompted to notice her relaxed manner. Her explanation of the support and community Barrett offers began to draw me in, creating a new desire to exceed with others, to be a part of an innovative community, to pursue more than my simple college plan.

At the end of Orientation, my dad, who had accompanied me, asked me what I thought. The opportunities were obvious and after a reexamination of my “plan,” I knew there was nothing to hold me back in joining the Barrett class of 2015. Fast forward 5 months and I was moving onto the Eleventh floor of Taylor Place, about to start a new adventure. That evening, our entire floor joined for frozen yogurt at Yogurtini, where the resumés started flying and all the attendees started to discover for ourselves who we, the Barrett kids, really were. Each student I met had a unique ambition and goal for their college experience with open minds and welcoming views towards every other person there. We were about to embark on uncharted waters and had just found seventy other fellow sailors to aid us along the way.

Barrett, the Honors College is not only a means to an end. I have no doubt that the community and support system Barrett offers is unavailable at any other university. The advisors have given me the guidance and direction I need to discover new plans, new dreams, and new abilities. My fellow classmates have pushed my thinking, challenged my arguments, and created some of my favorite memories to date from the dinners, events, and late-night Human Event readings we’ve helped each other comprehend. By choosing to be a part of Barrett, I not only gained a stronger base for the rest of my years at ASU but dependable friendships, classes that stretch my knowledge’s limits, and the drive to not settle for easy, not stick to only one plan, and abilities to succeed beyond my undergraduate years at Arizona State University. I am a proud honors kid and know my identity does not solely depend on that fact. Barrett has taught me more than philosophy and essay style. The Honors College has brought me to a present that has an even brighter future.

Barrett Beginnings

Submitted by Gian Demano

          When I first arrived at Taylor Place in mid-August of 2011, I wasn’t sure how fast, or how slow, I would start to get along with new people. I began to get the close tight-knit community vibe of the Downtown Phoenix campus when I attended information sessions and had my orientation. However, I still wasn’t certain how my interactions would be with fellow freshmen. Fun? Weird? Awkward? Boring? To be quite honest, I wasn’t too nervous at all though. I had my best friend and fellow Honors Devil, Michael Bartelt, by my side through the whole process. I’d have to thank him though for the early success and friendships we made.

From the get go, Mike was all about inviting people to our room randomly. At first, I thought this would be awkward. But to the contrary, it really wasn’t. What people have to realize is that what you’re thinking, as a new Barrett student, is what the other new students are thinking. Everyone is a bit nervous, everyone wants to do some small talk and be friendly, and no one wants to be isolated. We talked to some other Barrett students, hung out, learned about each other, and just had a good time. We were ourselves: fun, outgoing and inclusive.

 

People want to get to know each other during the beginning of the year. And while we don’t even spend everyday with all the people that we talked to in the beginning of our freshmen year, what we did was find out more about one another. Not everyone is going to end up being your best friend for all four years. But as you meet other fellow Barrettonians, you’ll find people who you’ll say hello to in the hallway, people who you’ll do studying together for your honors class, and people who you may be friends with forever. From being part of a whole floor dedicated to Barrett students, to attending fun events, Barrett offers you the resources to easily get along with others at the residential level, which is a huge part of anyone’s college experience.