Hey Everyone!

UDM professors are really fair, and understanding.  I had knee surgery last Thursday and each of my professors emailed me my assignments, quizzes that I missed, and they let me know what to go over for the upcoming quizzes and tests.  They even were happy to know that my surgery went well, and they all wished me a speedy recovery.  I really felt like I mattered to them.  You do not get that at many other universities.  I am sure professors at other institutions are kind, but you don’t have the personal relationship with them as much as you do here at UDM.

Almost all of my professors know my name, and what I am majoring in.  I think it’s pretty cool that they know that much about me.  I’ve talked to all of my professors after class for help in homework or confusion on a certain topic, and each time they stayed after as long as possible until I understood what was wrong.  My Physics professor, Dr. Hillebrand, actually worked with my father at Ford Motor Company in the 90’s, so he and my dad know each other well and he enjoys teaching me Physics.  UDM has a lot of great professors, and I have enjoyed every one I have had.

Glenn Oppenlander II

Civil Engineering

Freshman

Hi Everyone!!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a good week. Subway is now on campus and I know everyone has been enjoying that. I have at least two foot-long subs a day. So good!  The line isn’t as bad as it was the first week and the service is quick.

One thing I like about UDM is its simplicity. It is just enough. I feel like I have everything I need here. I can’t get over how amazing my professors are. It is encouraging to have them expect you to do well in their class and do what they can to make sure that you do.

The most important thing is to be happy about your major and to be comfortable with the University’s community. I find that here. I get homesick often, but it is all worth it in the end. I’m getting a quality education and there is always something new going on here.

Here is a silly photo of me outside of the school of architecture during the first snow fall:

Lori E. Allan

3^rd year

DMS + Creative Writing

Hey Everyone!

The weather out right now is insane.  It is January 31^st, and it’s pushing 60 degrees outside.  It feels as if I could walk around the campus in shorts.  I really don’t mind the nice warm weather.  I’m kind of sick of the freezing cold, so summer can come any time now.

Well, I finally went to my first UDM men’s basketball game.  I brought some of my friends to the game that don’t go here.  I think it’s pretty cool that I get 4 free tickets to all of the games.   Not many schools that I know offer that.  They enjoyed the experience and really got into the game.  The Titans were up by 15 at one point during the game, but in the closing minutes they were tied.  But, the Titans held tough and ended up pulling through with a win.  With that win, the Titans improved to 12-11 on the season.  They are one of the better teams in their conference.

I have been seeing this flyer all around campus.  It’s called “Dogman’s Last Stand” and it’s a play that the UDM theatre company is putting on.  I actually did not even know UDM had theatre until I saw those flyers.  It sounds pretty interesting, and I might go see it.

UDM Theatre Company unleashes “Dogman’s Last Stand”

The ‘dog bites paperboy’ scenario is merely a starting point for the UDM Theatre Company production of Rick Cleveland’s Dogman’s Last Stand. Running for six performances, February 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, and 12 at the Marygrove Theatre (8425 W McNichols Rd, Detroit, MI), Dogman’s Last Stand flays the concept of preconceived notions and invites us to consider that everything is not as it appears.

Living in a mid-western steel town, Dogman Thompson (Joel Mitchell) is a laid off factory worker with a murky past, who must defend the honor of his canine companion after a run-in with a local punk and paperboy. Set in a gritty town with even grittier characters, Dogman’s Last Stand is the accumulation of an afternoon of suspense, reflection and revelation.

Centered on Dogman’s front porch, he waits and wonders with his friends about the fate of his accused canine, John Wayne. Written by Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning writer Rick Cleveland, Dogman’s Last Stand contains intense adult language and is only appropriate for individuals overthe age of 16.

Glenn Oppenlander

Civil Engineering

Freshman

Hey Everyone!!

The Super Bowl has almost become a religious holiday for people in the U.S.  Everyone watches the game even if they don’t like football.  Baseball may be the nation’s pastime, but football is the king of sports here in America.  Those of you who are reading this are probably asking yourself, “Why is this guy talking about the Super Bowl? How does that have anything to do with UDM?” Well, Michael Bernacchi, a Marketing Professor here at UDM, has had an annual event talking about the effectiveness of Super Bowl ads for the last 27 years!  It’s pretty interesting how advertising works.

UDM Marketing Professor Hosts 26th Annual Super Bowl Ad Nauseum
“Since 1985, University of Detroit Mercy Marketing Professor Michael Bernacchi has hosted his “Super Bowl Ad Nauseum,” which discusses the effectiveness of the advertisements during the Super Bowl. The annual event will be held Monday, February 6, 2012 at noon in the Student Center Ballroom on the McNichols Campus. The event will also be streaming live on http://www.mistreamnet.org.

Bernacchi tells his students to pay attention to the commercials during the Super Bowl, which is where the real game is being played. He explains how the Super Bowl is a huge moment for the advertising world, since a lot of business occurs during the commercial breaks. During the Ad Nauseum event, Bernacchi discusses advertising and what students should be aware of when watching the commercials.

In conjunction with his discussion, Bernacchi also teaches a variety of Marketing classes at UDM, and is co-founder of the web site, “America’s Marketing High School,” found at americasmarketinghighschool.org, with Paul Galbenski of Oakland County Schools and Immersive Engineering. Both Bernacchi and Galbenski developed marketing and advertising course work related to the Super Bowl for high school teachers to use throughout the nation, which can be found on the web site.

The Ad Nauseum event gets larger every year with more students interested in the concept of spending millions on ads for such a short period of time and if the ads are really effective. Mike Bernacchi states, “Students are talking about the game, why not have them learn about the business behind the messages”. This year the Super bowl will spend close to $3 million for a 30 second advertisement spot.

A community service project has been added to the Ad Nauseum discussion this year. UDM is asking every teacher and student in attendance to “Tackle Hunger” by bringing 2-4 cans to the event. The items will be collected at the Ad Nauseam event, in the lobby of the ballroom from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. These items will be donated to Kids Against Hunger and distributed throughout Metro Detroit.

This year, students from Oakland Schools Technical Campus, Avondale High School, Hamtramck High School, Southfield Lathrup High School and Waterford Mott High School plan to attend the event. Those schools that are unable to attend will still be able to view the Super Bowl lecture on the program’s web site and vote for the most effective ad spots.”  That’s pretty sweet isn’t it.  That’s one of the many interesting things here at UDM.

Glenn Oppenlander

Civil Engineering

Freshman

Hi Everyone!!!

I really want to talk about how amazing the professors at UDM are.

It is really tough being away from home. You are independent and on your own and the professors understand that and only want the best for you. I spoke with a professor today who asked me how she could challenge me in new ways. It means a lot when professors want to see you succeed. They want to take you out of your comfort zone and expand your skills and get you ready for the career-world.

My face lights up every time I get a paper back and I see all of the feedback the professor has written. There is always room to improve, but they also make sure to let you know the things you are doing well at. It’s so good when a professor knows you by name and knows your personality.

Stay encouraged! Have a good week. The future is alive and full of potential.

Lori E. Allan

Digital Media Studies + Creative Writing

3^rd year student

Hey, Everyone!

Today, Friday the 20^th, UDM is having a pep rally in the Engineering highbay.  There is also a party at 10 pm in the Grounds Coffehaus.  I’m not going to be able to make the pep rally, but I am going to attend the party in Grounds.  Saturday, the UDM Titans take on Wright State at Calihan Hall.  It should be a pretty intense atmosphere there with the homecoming game, and everything.

One of UDM’s most prestigious programs is the Dentistry School.  They have an entire campus dedicated to that one profession. People from across Michigan, and the country for that matter, go to UDM for the Dental program.  The reason UDM was founded was to help others.  The Jesuits founded the school and that was there goal.  Well, you can tell that is still the goal of this University.

UDM Dental School Presents “Give Kids a Smile”

Many children in Detroit will have a lot more to smile about. With the help of dentists, dental hygienists, faculty, staff and students, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry will provide free oral health care services to more than 150 children from low-income families on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in UDM’s new Corktown Campus.

UDM Dental School will host the event; 4th year students of the dental program with our faculty supervising will put on the bulk care of the event. “Give Kids a Smile” program has been a success for the past decade. “There are so many children in our area that have not seen a dentist,” said Mert Aksu, dean of the School of Dentistry. “UDM’s dental clinic provides care to the homeless, the elderly and AIDS patients, and this event reflects the University’s mission to help others,” he added. “Give Kids A Smile” is a program designed for children, ages four through 16. After each screening, participants will take home a free oral health kit containing toothpaste, floss… and a big smile.

Glenn Oppenlander

Civil Engineering

Freshman

Hey Everyone!

I hope that all of you had a great Christmas break.  I know that I did, and it felt good to relax and not study.   I am sort of glad to be back at UDM, however.  It was nice to see some of my friends that I had not seen over break. My classes so far have been pretty good, and I am enjoying all of them.
The School of Business Administration at UDM is an incredible institution.  I have a few friends that are in the program, and they really like it.  Business has always intrigued me, and I at one point wanted to be an entrepreneur and start my own company.  But, Engineering is pretty sweet and I decided to major in that instead. Anyways, people like Sam Logan had a great appreciation for the School of Business Administration here at UDM.

“The family of Samuel (Sam) Logan has created a scholarship in his name at University of Detroit Mercy. He graduated from the University’s College of Business Administration in 1973. Logan served as publisher of the Michigan Chronicle for 40 years and was co-owner of Real Times, the parent company of the Chronicle and FrontPage, Chicago Defender, New Pittsburgh Courier and Memphis Tri-State Defender newspapers. Named Publisher of the Year three times by the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), he was also inducted in the Hall of Fames of Joe Louis Arena, Cobo Hall, Junior Achievement, the International Institute Foundation, and most recently, UDM’s College of Business Hall of Honor. The Samuel Logan Scholarship at UDM will afford students with limited financial resources to attend the institution that he personally felt so strongly about. Diane Taylor, one of Logan’s daughters, also graduated from UDM with a degree from the College of Health Professions. Taylor explained, “He was extremely proud of his education here and showed his ring proudly to everyone.”

Glenn Oppenlander

Civil Engineering

Freshman

Welcome Back

I hope everyone is coming into the new semester and new year with fresh eyes and enthusiasm. I am excited about all of my courses. Many of them involve designing and writing so that is the root of my excitement.

Here are some things that happened over break that made it a little tough coming back to school:

-Christmas!

-My birthday!

-I spent a lot of time with my older sister

-I ate lots of yummy foods

-No snow, nice weather!

Here are some things that happened since being back at school that make coming back from break not to bad:

-My friend surprised me and bought me a book we needed for class!

-Paris poster to hang in my dorm

-Perfect class schedule

-I’m not sick anymore

-No snow, nice weather!

Happy New Year!

Lori E. Allan

3^rd year student

DMS + Creative Writing

Hello All!!!

Glad to be on break? So am I! The best thing about going on break is feeling confident about my grades for the semester!

I am spending my break at my Grandmother’s house with my older sister and brother. (my sisters and I below)

I am closer to work as well. I work at Abercrombie and Fitch in Somerset mall. I enjoy it! The best thing about December is that I get to be with family, everyone is in the holiday spirit, and my birthday is three days after Christmas. This year, I will be turning 21. I have a birthday dinner every year. This year I am doing something a little different (not really)— I am still doing a birthday dinner just at  a different place. Talk about “changing things up,” right? Haha

Well Happy Holidays to all and I look forward to seeing you all next year!!!

Lori E. Allan

3rd year student

Digital Media Studies + Creative Writing

Hey Everybody,
Finals are finally over!! This week has been pretty strenuous with last minute studying, but I personally believe I did pretty well. I hope everyone else feels the same way. Another thing that helped me was that I only had three finals. Next semester I won’t have it so easy, because I’ll have 18 credits and not 15 like this semester. But, I will try my best and see what happens.

UDM Receives $1.5 million Ford Foundation Grant
December 06, 2011

The University of Detroit Mercy’s Detroit Collaborative Design Center (DCDC) in the School of Architecture received a $1,500,000 grant from the Ford Foundation to develop and implement a year-long civic engagement process that will yield a long-term land-use vision for the revitalization and growth of the City of Detroit. DCDC will be working together with the Detroit Works program to develop and implement the plan.

I read this article off of UDM’s website, and I thought it was really great. I know that the city of Detroit is going through some hard times, and I think it’s great that students from UDM’s Architecture school are helping to improve the buildings around the city. There are quite a few eye sores in the city, but I believe that what UDM and the Ford Foundation are doing will be the starting point for the future of improving the city’s landscape. Well I hope everyone who is reading this has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I will see you all next semester!

Glenn Oppenlander

Civil Engineering

Freshman