The flu season seems to be upon us

Well, tomorrow is supposed to be my first meeting with Margot Duley, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, but unfortunately I don't think that is going to work out too well. You see, the flu is currently spreading around my group of friends like wildfire, and this week just happened to be my turn for the fun. Oh well, just gotta drink a lot of fluids and get plenty of rest, and all should be well again soon.

I can't believe that tomorrow we start February already!!

Exciting day in the office!

Spent today in the office and had a few fun things happen...

First of all, my first feature story got published on the website! Overall I think this section of the website looks great, and it was exciting to finally see everything come together. It was pretty cool to see my name up there under the story.

The other fun thing was my digital camera arriving today! This is the camera I'll be using to take pictures for the feature stories and anything else exciting or interesting happening around campus. Now all I have to do is figure out just exactly how to use all of the different features it has. Adding pictures to this section of the website will certainly be a great new addition.

Overall, a pretty good day!

Let me introduce myself...

Well, I figure since people are going to be reading my stories and other various things I write in this notebook, I should probably give a brief introduction of myself.

My name is Melanie Cain and I am a senior Capital Scholar here at UIS. I was actually in the first class of Capital Scholars to be admitted to the university, and I've really enjoyed being a part of that great program. I am currently in my last semester here and I will be graduating in May with a double major in Business Administration and Communication and a minor in Accountancy. What exactly will I be doing after graduation?? That is a great question - one I constantly ask myself every day. I have lots of different ideas, but nothing set in stone yet. I, along with my parents, will be extremely relieved when I finally make that big decision.

Some other things about me... My hometown is Philo, Illinois, which is a really small place just about 10 minutes south of Champaign-Urbana. Here at UIS, I spent my first three years playing for the school's basketball team, but have switched over to the softball team for my senior year. I also try to stay involved with campus activities as much as I can. In my free time, I like reading, exercising, playing cards and trivia games, rootin for the Illini, and hanging out with friends. That's all I have for now!


I'm the one on the right, on the left is my roommate, Becca

First day on the job!

Today I got to start my new job as a Web Services Assistant/Writer for Campus Relations, a new position that just started here at UIS. I actually found out about this job in one of my communication classes with Professor Hazel Rozema. She announced that they were looking for a student interested in journalism and technology, and it really just sounded like a perfect job opportunity for me to take, so I applied and got the job!

Today was my first actual day in the office, which was pretty exciting. I get to work in the Chancellor's office and I have my own little office with an amazing view of the campus! After getting introduced to the staff, a short meeting was held where I got to meet with the people behind this new position and idea for the campus website. We discussed the purpose of the job, various topics to write about, ideas for my reporter's notebook, and other issues related to the position. Basically what I'll be doing is gathering ideas for feature stories I will write and then post to the UIS website. I'll also be in charge of taking pictures for the site and keeping a reporter's notebook on various things I'm experiencing while on the job. I have to admit, I was a little nervous at first meeting with all of these "higher-ups" on campus, but I soon relaxed and really enjoyed the chance to discuss different ideas with them.

Overall, I am really excited about starting this new job and I'm looking forward to assisting the Campus Relations office create a new idea that will surely be an excellent addition to the university.