Class in the Netherlands

Vol State student Laura Myers is in the Netherlands with TnCIS for a travel study class. Check out her blog for insight into life in Rotterdam: http://goingdutch.edublogs.org/author/lauragoesdutch/

CERN Gets Former Vol State Student

Former Vol State student Alex Bogert, 21, will be doing research for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

“I have always been interested in science. My dad brought home a book and said that I would probably be interested. I would like to translate science jargon so that everyone can understand it,” he said.

After going to Vol State for two years, Bogert transferred to the University California Santa Cruz (UCSC). “I dropped out after a year. It was going to cost me $100 grand for my undergraduate degree,” he said.

He has been doing research for awhile at UCSC. “I was the mentor for three senior UCSC students and helped with the research for their thesis. What I do in two to three weeks, takes and undergrad first- time researcher around six months to finish.”

Although he is waiting to continue his education, he was recommended to do research for one of the world’s largest centers for scientific research. “The guy who invited me (Marco Battaglia), said the original plan was to stay for two months, but he said the stay is extended to however long the project needs me.”

“I’m going to help do the research for the next collider. A Hadron is a really general term for a heavy fundamental particle,” he said. “The plan is to send in a grant proposal by next summer. All of the research is geared toward getting the initial money to build it.”

Bogert remembers three professors from Vol State that helped pave the way. “Dr. Snelling, Dr. Farris, and Mary Yarborough were awesome. I thought Dr. Snelling’s classes were entertaining. He brought good real life examples to students."

His family is encouraging about this unique opportunity to do research at CERN. “My mom is really happy. She was stressed when I dropped out of school. My mom is getting her Master’s degree in Theology at Vanderbilt University.”

“I feel like this path I’m taking will give me tools to practice critical thinking and wisdom for future life experiences.”

Bogert will be going to Geneva to begin his CERN research July 3.

Volunteer State Community College

Rent-a-Text this Fall

The popular Rent-a-Text program at the Vol State Bookstore returns for fall classes. Rental can save students 50 percent or more on the cost of their textbooks. Students can continue to highlight and take notes all within the normal wear and tear associated with coursework. Students will be able to purchase, pick-up and return textbooks either in the campus bookstore or online.

The exact title listings will be available later this summer. We'll post them to the blog or you can check directly with the bookstore. Look for the Rent-a-Text logo when buying your books.

Volunteer State Community College

Vol State Student Witnesses World Cup Fever in Brazil

Here's another trip report from Vol State student Samantha Hearn, she's finding some cool sights and soccer craziness in Brazil (or Brasil as they spell it) as part of a travel study program:

Every Saturday here my classmates and I go with our teachers to a different beach. This past Saturday, we went to Morro Branco, quite possibly the most beautiful place I have ever seen. That's because Morro Branco is not only a beach, but a part desert, part colossal sand formation retreat. The beach, of course, was beautiful. Each turn, you see not just restaurants and artisan booths, but sailboats of every color and palm trees of every size. Go a little further, and you start to see the beauty of the sand formations.

The sand formations are huge, colossal figures formed over thousands, if not millions, of years. In colors like beige, orange, sienna, and creme, it's hard not to be in awe of these giant structures created by Earth's amazing natural processes. Entering the formations is even better. As you walk through the formations and look up high to the top of them, your curiosity is bound to get the best of you. Case in point, our group HAD to get a look from the top!

The climb was a bit scary, considering that the formations are sand and quite fragile, but we made it with no one suffering a single scratch or fall. Once to the top, I was in awe of what I saw before me. It was like Brasil's Grand Canyon. Words really cannot describe it. I don't know what religion you readers are, but it's hard not to believe in God when you see the beauty of Morro Branco. It was more than amazing...it was breathtaking.

Morro Branco not only holds their very own "Grand Canyon," but a desert, too. We took dune buggies out into the sand dunes, flying through the swells to finally reach a stopping point, where we could "Ski Bunda." In American terms, we called it Butt Surfing. It's where you sit on these skateboard type things (without wheels, of course) and glide down this huge sand dune at a fairly quick speed. We each paid only R$ 3, and got to Ski Bunda twice. SO FUN!

While Morro Branco was beautiful and full of adventure, I had my own adventure when I forgot to put on sunscreen. Talk about a terrible sunburn!! I spent the next day or two rubbing skin creme on myself and sleeping off the excess sun. Worth it not only for the experience, but for the tan I now have! No peeling, either! Yeah!! :)

As some of you readers may know, the World Cup has started. In my previous blog I mentioned that I had heard hat people go crazy over it, and now I know that crazy is an understatement! My host family has the entire house decorated in green, yellow and blue, including covers on the sofas, confetti, lamps, all sorts of crazy decorations, costumes, everything!! It's like they went to Party City and bought everything they could find in the Brasilian colors. It's like a Superbowl party in America times a thousand.

The big game day was Wednesday, Brasil's first game against North Korea. My host family had a huge party here at the apartment with all of their friends and family. Everyone was dressed in the colors and had either colored hairspray, colored makeup, crazy hats, or all of the above!! Brasil won, of course, and every time they would score a point everyone would scream and yell and jump up and down! I have never seen anything so energetic in my life. It gives a whole new meaning to the term "nationalism" for me. I love it!!

So far, Brasil has been an amazing experience. My classes are going so well and I feel like I am learning so much. My Portuguese is getting better and I am meeting all kinds of new people here and trying to immerse myself in the culture. I can't wait to see more of this beautiful city!

-Samantha Hearn
Volunteer State Community College

Opportunities in South America: Vol State in Argentina

This May a team of eight faculty and students spent an intense ten days in Argentina, visiting three cities and many schools. The goal was to create relationships that can lead to new opportunities for study abroad. The travelers were: Beth Pippen (a student in elementary education); Luis del Rios, (a student in physical therapy); Phyllis Foley (dean of social science); Clark Cropper (professor of geology); Rick Parrent ( director of career placement); Michelle Vandiver ( professor of Spanish); Carolyn Moore (director of physical therapy); Sue Mulcahy (professor of art).


Sue and Michelle share their thoughts on the trip:

"You can sleep when you're home"

Sue-
The trip was equal parts hard work and fun. Our host in Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata, Carlos Rios, did a wonderful job of putting together our contacts with local educators and our tour of the country. Our days were long, up at 6 am for a day of visiting schools and touring the cities. Dinners started at 9pm; each a unique and entertaining experience.

Michelle-
We certainly learned that eating is an important social event. We spent about 2 hours every night eating and sometimes 2 hours during lunch as well… Meat is very important in Argentina and so are papas fritas we learned. They were Carolyn’s favorite! I can’t tell you how many times she said “¿más papas fritas?” as she laughed like crazy. We tried bife (beef), cordero (lamb), pollo (chicken), cerdo (pork), cabra (goat), calamares (squid) and probably some others.

¡Vino tinto y café con leche son muy importantes también! Oh, how I’m missing my café con leche. It just doesn’t taste the same at home.

Sue-
Michelle ( professor of Spanish) was our translator. Few of our contacts in Argentina spoke English, so she was very busy. Her open boisterous personality was a great icebreaker. One of the biggest lessons in traveling is to really feel what it is like to be out of your element. Each day we visited one or two different schools. Our business meetings took extra focus and patience by all. Sometimes an institution would also provide a translator, but I was glad that Michelle was there keeping an eye out for misunderstandings. Here is a picture of our visit to an Elementary School in the city of Mar del Plata.

We also visited the Physical Therapy program at Universidad FASTA and Art at Nueva Escuela de Diseño.

Michelle-We visited three cities during our ten days in Argentina. To say our visit was face-paced is an understatement. Four days were spent in Buenos Aires, the capital, two in Mar de Plata, a college town off the Atlantic Ocean, and four in Salta, a city located in the Andes.

Salta was my personal favorite. It’s close to Bolivia so the culture and the people were a bit different from the rest of Argentina. 70% of Argentines are of Italian descent but in Salta we saw an indigenous influence. The people were beautiful and so was the city. There we visited Salta’s Catholic University where we were received with enthusiasm. Every meeting we attended included café and most offered pastries. My favorite pastries had dulce de leche, a tasty caramel, inside. ¡Extraño los postres de Argentina! Oh how I miss the Argentine desserts!

The country was celebrating its bicentennial while we were there. In the square, we saw school children dressed in traditional clothing. One of the little girls gave me a flag ribbon for my suit which I happily wore.

In Salta we also did some sightseeing which included the Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña (The Archeology Museum of High Altitude) where we saw a 500 year old mummy which was almost perfectly preserved by the cold. Click here http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/science/11mummu.html to read a related article in the NY Times.

We also visited the Andes Mountains and saw a Folklore Show where we encountered the very scary Witches!

LifeFlight at Vol State

A Vanderbilt LifeFlight helicopter landed at Vol State so that high school students attending a healthcare camp from June 14-18 could see the presentation.

“It’s a healthcare career summer camp. It is five days, and 13 students from Sumner and Robertson counties are here. They are all rising sophomore, juniors, or seniors who are interested in careers in healthcare,” said Robin Graves, director of off- campus sites.

Amanda Appling, 16, of Portland High School said, “I’ll be a junior this year. I want to be a medical lab technician.”

“The students are going to have some hands on experience from our program directors, and we will be taking some field trips,” Graves said. Included in the field trip agenda is Sumner Regional and the Hendersonville Sleep Center.

Jacob McCormack, 17 will be a senior at Portland High School and said, “I’m wanting to go into the medical field as a nurse anesthetist where you work under the anesthesiologist. I’m already enjoying this week!”

“We are mainly here for safety,” said P.J. Bradford, firefighter, Gallatin Fire Department.

Graves explained that the students didn’t have to pay for the camp since it was funded with the Carl D. Perkins grant.

Volunteer State Community College

Parting Art

Artist Michael Lotfi presented Dr. Bonny Copenhaver, dean of Humanities at Volunteer State Community College, with an original work yesterday. Lotfi titled his painting “The Copenhaver,” explaining that the work was inspired by beauty, dedication, grace and self-actualization. James Story, associate professor and chair of the visual and performing arts department at Vol State, with the help other friends of Dr. Copenhaver’s, commissioned the work as a going away gift. Her last day as dean is Friday, June 11.

A travel study blog from colorful Brazil or Brasil

Samantha Hearn has been exploring and learning in Brazil this spring as part of a travel study program. She has this update for us about her trip. She's using the Portuguese spelling for the country- Brasil:

Well, the first week of Brasil has been...let's just say a whirlwind. I have never seen so many colors all in one place! We are in Fortaleza, in the state of Ceara, and the vibrancy and the life of this city is overwhelming. People here take things differently than people in the United States. No one is rushing to get to work or school. No one is yelling or fighting with one another. Life seems to have a slower, simpler pace here.

But, Fortaleza is a huge city with over 3 million people, and I feel like I have only seen a glimpse of it so far. Our classes are held at Yazigi, pronounced Ya-zee-sghee, a school that specializes in teaching Linguistics. Here, Brasilian students come to learn English, French, or even German. And of course, Americans come here to learn Portuguese. (Interesting fact that people in the US get confused on: Brasil does NOT speak Spanish, but Portuguese, descending from when, of course, the Portuguese came from Europe way back when to explore the New World.) The language barrier has been indefinitely the most difficult part of being here, but with classes in full swing and with the help of my host family, I am slowly but surely learning.

My family here has been so welcoming and warm towards me. My host father, Jorge, pronounced like George, is an eye doctor and owns a clinic not too far from our apartment. My host mother, Amelia, helps run the clinic but she holds a degree in law. I have two brothers here, Arthur and Victor. Arthur is 16 and contacted me about a month or so before I came to Brasil, telling me how excited they were to have me stay with them. Victor is 17 and well, he sleeps a lot. haha. Arthur speaks English VERY well, but Victor's English is so-so. Amelia can speak English very well, but has trouble understanding it when someone speaks it. Jorge does not speak much English, but I can tell that he is a smart man. When something is not understood, Arthur is usually here to help translate. The family has been so kind and gracious. They call me their "real daughter," and I think that they honestly want to adopt me. I wouldn't mind, they are the best host family I could ask for. I am very fortunate that they are in the upper class and that I have the luxury here of air conditioning and hot water, because literally 90% of the population does not have that. It is VERY hot here, always in the hundreds. But by the beach, the weather is so nice.

We have been to two beaches so far as a class, and I have been to one other with my host family. The best beach has been Lagoinha, pronounced La-go-een-yah. Talk about beautiful! Google it and look up pics. It's amazing. Although, every beach here that I have been to is absolutely gorgeous. It's Brasil! What else would you expect? ;)

I must confess that I, as a known shopaholic, feel like I am stealing from these people when we shop at the markets. The biggest one, called Mercado Central (Central Market), has everything you can imagine for cheaper than cheap can get. It is a 5 story mall that hosts hundreds upon hundreds of little stands, selling everything from clothing to bikinis to food to jewelry to shoes to...well, you get the picture. They sell everything. A shopaholic's Heaven. (I.E. my heaven. haha) I bought more than enough souvenirs for everyone back home, and honestly only spent about 80 US dollars. The exchange rate here is awesome!

While my shopping experiences have been wonderful, I have also experienced some things that I never have back in the US, one of these things being poverty. In America, if a child has to beg for money, the government or at least someone will always help. You just don't see that kind of thing back home. Here, I have had at least a dozen or so young boys come up to me and ask for money. It is heartbreaking. They wear no shoes, have dirty clothes and their eyes have the saddest look in them. I can't help but wonder why the government doesn't do something about this, or wonder where their parents are, or if there are places they can go to find help. My host mother and I were out in the city when a boy came up to our car, pleading for some loose change. Amelia gave the boy a few Reais (The Brasilian form of currency) coins and told him, "God bless you, go get a job." I wonder if there are jobs available for children like him. Amelia said that there is always an opportunity for them to work for their money, no matter how low the class they are. It makes me sad, but I can't help but see her point. It seems sometimes that people, children included, will beg for money just because they know people will feel sorry for them and give. The work ethic here is generally only productive for the middle to upper classes. It seems that everyone else is content to be where they are, which I don't understand. My teacher, Dr. Pace from MTSU, said that it's very difficult for someone from the lower class to rise into middle, and almost impossible for them to rise to upper.

Well, enough on that subject. Don't want to depress anyone. Brasil is so different from America in so many ways. And I have only been here a week! I am excited to see more and learn more about this culture that is so different from my own. I already feel that being here has opened my eyes more to the world. Instead of reading about it or seeing pictures of it, I feel like I am living it.

Oh yeah...the World Cup starts soon and they tell us that the whole city goes CRAZY! Even now, you can go anywhere and see the colors green, yellow, blue and white. People here have so much national pride! It's not like in America. Sure, we are proud, but it's not like everywhere you go Americans are wearing red, white and blue flags and stars is it? Nope. But here, it's just natural. It makes the city even more vibrant because of that. And the music! I expected to come here and hear nothing but Brasilian songs, which of course I do hear those, but you would not believe that Brasil has the worst case of Beiber Fever. That's right. Brasilians LOVE Justin Beiber, and I can't meet anyone new who doesn't sing along with the "Baby, baby, baby oooooh" song. It's so funny! They also love Lady GaGa very very much. Those two seem to be the most prominent, definitely. The Brasilian music I have heard has honestly mostly been in my music class. Every now and then I have heard some Brasilian music in the streets or at a restaurant, but it's American music all the way, especially for the young people.

Whew, this is getting long and it's getting late. I have school at 9 am tomorrow, and everyday from Monday to Friday. We are going to Morro Branco beach this Saturday! I'm sure it will be a blast!

Tchau, tchau. (Bye Bye) *It's pronounced like the Italian Ciao. Pretty cool, huh?!

Samantha Hearn
Volunteer State Community College

Picture colorfulbrasil: Me in Fortaleza posing with colorful street artwork.

Picture hostbrothers: Me with my host brothers! Victor is on the left, Arthur on the right. If you get confused, Arthur is the one with longer hair.

Remembering Hayden Shrum

Former Vol State student Hayden Shrum, 23 died after losing his battle with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia on May 26, 2010.

“I’ve known him since he was 15. He was the starting pitcher for us for two years. I recruited him from Macon County High School,” said Mike Crossland, Head Baseball Coach.

“He was actually buried in his Vol State uniform. Nobody will ever wear his uniform here again as long as I’m here,” said Crossland.

“Hayden was always one that had a smile on his face. He never complained after he had chemo or anything. He spent a lot of time letting others know that you can be positive even when things go bad,” said Bobby Hudson, Dept. Chair of Health and Physical Education.

Crossland said, “Hayden was free-spirited, never let anything bother him. He lived life.”

Shrum was a sports writer for the Macon County Chronicle and kept a journal on caringbridge which is an online journal for patients dealing with cancer and other health issues.

“He was a tremendous writer. Every hat we gave him to play in he would write, ‘no regrets.’ I don’t think the kid had any (regrets),” said Crossland.

Crossland said that Shrum would come by Vol State to visit after he had blood work. He was at Vanderbilt Medical Center from May 2009 until Thanksgiving 2009.

“He sent me a text message on Thanksgiving saying he was cancer free. His ten year old sister donated bone marrow for his transplant,” said Crossland.

“The funeral was very emotional. He touched a lot of people,” Crossland added.

“He has been an inspiration to people in the athletic department. You might not have known when he was around, but you always knew when he wasn’t,” said Hudson of Shrum’s humble nature.

Hudson said that Shrum’s story will never be forgotten at Vol State.

Volunteer State Community College

Registration Rocks Even in the Rain

Registration Rocks will be in the Pickel Field House gym at Vol State tomorrow due to the chance of rain, and all scheduled events will go on as planned.

The band, video game contest, free Subway subs, and the program and student organization tables will all be in the Pickel Field House.

Volunteers are being asked to meet in the gym at the welcome table.

Students wanting assistance with advising, admissions, PIN look-up, and registration help should go to the Ramer building. Computers will be there as well.

Here is the updated Registration Rocks line-up.

Advising help - all day - Ramer 174

Admissions help - all day - Ramer 173

Computer Lab for students who have seen an advisor and would like to register - 11am-2pm - Ramer 175

Online orientation in the computer lab - 11am-2pm - Ramer 175

Extra computers if others are full - all day - Thigpen Library

Welcome Table - 11am-2pm - Pickel Field House

Vol State programs, services, student organizations and help - 11am-2pm - Pickel Field House

Subway Subs for the first 500 people - 11am-2pm - Pickel Field House

Cooler back pack giveaway for the first 400 people - Pickel Field House

Live Band - 11am-2pm - Pickel Field House

Video Game Contest (Streetfighter 4) - 11am-2pm - Pickel Field House Room 118

A reminder: Today is the first day of registration, but you don’t have to register today. Registration will go on all summer. We are encouraging students to register for classes early so they get the courses they want.

Volunteer State Community College

Travel Study-Spain

Vol State student Karen Yates just returned from a travel study trip to Spain:

I loved my study abroad learning experience and I am living proof that you can learn and enjoy at any age! Here I am standing in the back of the Royal Palace of La Granja. It is beautifully surrounded by the Guadarrama mountains. This palace was once the royal palace of Philip V. It has splendid baroque architecture as well as magnificent gardens. Additionally, there are hundreds of tapestries to view. The art of tapestry is just remarkable.


This palace is located in Segovia, Spain where my study program took place.

In addition to the numerous cities I visited I had the privilege of seeing numerous museums, some of which held Picasso's, Diego's and El Greco's most famous painting, "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz (1568-1588) which is painted on oil/canvas. It stands 480 x 360 cm and was painted for his own parish, Santa Tome' in Toledo, Spain. The story is that the Count was quite a nobleman during the 14th century. He is buried there. When the parish priests initiated the project to refurbish the Count's burial chapel, they also commissioned El Greco. This painting became El Greco's masterpiece.

Toledo is a very romantic city to visit. Acero steel is manufactured here and any history buff would know this is where the suits of armor where produced. The museums showed how they knights began training as children in their armor. 50 kilos per suit! Plus the horses had to wear armor as well.

I also visited the University of Salamanca, which is the 3rd oldest university in the world and is still operational. They are known for their college of literature.

The Alcazar palace in Segovia, one of the many palaces of interest as well. Here is just one of the palaces that Columbus came to ask for money and ships to sail to Cathay (China), but ended up discovering the America's! It is within walking distance. History is everywhere in Spain. I walked past the Roman Aqueducts (built in the 1st century) everyday on my way to school. They stand 900 and is approximately 2950 feet long. This was made out of granite blocks joined together without mortar! The symmetry is amazing. Ancient Romans were such fabulous engineers. These aqueducts transported water from the Fuente Fria river.

Aside from Spain's history, the landscape is beautiful. It is the chance of a lifetime to study abroad. You only have one life, so make sure you are penning the page to your book everyday as you want it to read.

-Karen Yates

Volunteer State Community College

Dean Accepts New Position

Dr. Bonny Copenhaver has been the Dean of the Humanities division at Vol State for the past five years.

Dean Copenhaver has accepted the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs at Motlow State Community College in Lynchburg, Tenn.

“This is a change. It is a brand new position. I start July 1^st, and my last day is this Friday June 11^th. It’s kind of sad for me. I feel at home here,” Copenhaver said.

Dean Copenhaver said the dedication that people have here for their students and their passion for teaching is what she likes best about Vol State.

“I think it will be an opportunity to get to know people. I’m going to get to bring together people to work together on a new team. I’m excited,” she said regarding her new position.

“I love working here and I love the people that are in my division. I’ve learned and grown so much. I’ll come back and visit,” she said.

Copenhaver has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English, and a doctorate degree in educational leadership.

Volunteer State Community College

Travel Study Taj Mahal Visit

Vol State students have been voyaging across the globe as part of travel study programs. Tina Newman was just in India. Here is a report from the trip:

I am in Agra, India mesmerized by the inspiring and enchanting beauty of the Taj Mahal. We arrived here early morning around 6 a.m. to be ahead of the crowd and of course the heat. Pictures can not describe the beauty of this massive structure. The quality of the stone inlay work that decorates the entire structure is marvelous and perfect in hundreds of ways. Each stone has been hand carved out of the finest white marble money can buy. Truly one would have to see it to believe it. A romantic story follows the history behind the Taj Mahal. This famous land mark is without a doubt an enchanting labor of love. It would inspire anyone of any age to fall head over heels in love and never look back. The Taj is something that one could imagine from a fairy tale. Simply, it is a monument built by the great Shahjahan and his skilled carpenters in memory of his favorite wife Mum Taj Mahal, which today it is called Taj Mahal for short. The Taj sets along the western bank of the Yamuna River which can be seen from the platform of the Taj. This beautiful labor of love took over 22 years to complete. Now today it houses the tombs of the late Mum Taj Mahal and Shahjahan where they rest in peace together.

-Tina Newman

Summer Cafeteria Changes

The summer semester is in full swing, so what does this mean for hungry college students? The cafeteria is open for the summer but there are a few changes in menu items.

The hot bar won’t be offered for lunch most of the time during the summer. “We will have the grill mainly for the summer.” said Paul Fields, First Choice Foods Owner.

Fields said that the sandwich cooler will be open and they will have wraps, subs, and croissants with chicken and turkey salad.

“We do have tuna salad on grilled bread, and we have a baked chicken sandwich from the back. Not everything that comes from the back is fried. We can break any menu items up and do a la carte,” he added.

Breakfast is still offered from 7:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. with bacon, sausage, biscuits, gravy, and eggs on the hot bar.

“We are here June and July, and I’ll operate while classes are in session,” he said.

The summer hours for the cafeteria are 7:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Volunteer State Community College

Art Manifesting Through Music

Music and art tend to inspire people, and the two go hand in hand at times.

James Story, Department Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts at Vol State finished one of his Maymester classes with an assignment that showed how music inspires art, and the way art inspires music.

Student Michael Lotfi used his talents to teach the class while painting, after listening to music that Story had given him.

“It was an African American code song from the slavery days. It showed the way they would speak in code so that people wouldn’t know what they were saying. ‘Wade Through the Water’

was one of the codes meaning they would travel through lakes and rivers,” said Lotfi.

“The piece was collectively about the struggle of slavery and the journey to freedom. The black toward the bottom of the piece represents the darkness and racism. As it starts to move up the piece it turns into blue to signify the journey through the waters,” Lotfi explained about his work.

Lotfi used different objects in this painting to demonstrate his vision for the music. Broken glass pieces and text were incorporated.

Lotfi feeds his passion for painting whenever possible while continuing his education and reaching his goal of a career in the medical field.

Registration Rocks!

Vol State will host Registration Rocks for the third year on Wednesday June 9, 2010 from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The event is free for everyone.

“It is the first day registration opens up for new and transfer students. This is the first opportunity they will have to register," said Derek Pennycuff, Webmaster.

“The idea is to get people on campus to learn about anything from the library to the different academic support systems. It's fun and it's the summer. Being a college student isn't just about life in the classroom,” Pennycuff added.

“The first 500 people get Subway. It is a fun day for people to be on campus,” said Heather Harper, Assistant Director of Admissions.

There will be a video game contest with the latest version of “Street Fighter” which is rated T for teens.

“Anybody can join in the video game contest. In the past we have had parents and siblings,” said Pennycuff.

“It’s a wonderful day. It gives students the opportunity to meet each other. There is live music and free food. It’s just a great opportunity for students to relax, enjoy the campus, and meet staff,” said Terry Bubb, Director of the Advising Center.

Bubb points out advisors will be available for students to speak with and register for classes. He said that if there is a long line there are options to do fun things while waiting to speak to someone.

Everyone is encouraged to attend Registration Rocks and enjoy the campus in a non-stressful setting.

Volunteer State Community College