2012-10-30

University of South Carolina and USC Gateway have broken promises

This article is a little lengthy and has nothing to do with a card creation.  This is about an injustice to the USC (University of South Carolina) Gateway students.

These USC Gateway students are TOTALLY being left out for consideration for living on campus for next year.

The USC committee members say the USC Gateway students don't qualify for consideration because they consider these students  "transfer students".  These students "live" on campus at The Roost.  They are assigned USC ID's, USC Carolina Cards, USC accounts, USC email, USC P.O. Box, and even mailed bills from USC, but they are "NOT" to be considered USC students???

Read my letter....then I ask you....do you know anyone at University of South Carolina who will stand up and speak for those great students who kept "their end of the bargain????

Dear Dr. ___,(I left her name out to be nice)

A decision made by a USC Housing committee dealing with housing for next year is appalling and unprofessional.  Mitchell, my youngest, is in the Gateway Program at USC. He lives at "The Roost", a dorm on  the USC campus, but takes his classes at Midland being transported using USC shuttles.  The USC Gateway Program is in first year and is modeled after Clemson, College of Charleston, and Furman programs.  These students were told they were "a USC student in every way" (a quote by several key college leaders and speakers at orientation in front of over 300 parents and students at the Darla School of Business auditorium) and they would be entitled to anything that any other rising USC sophomore would receive.  Wouldn't  that be for the same, equal opportunity to be in the pool for campus residency? This committee has declared that the "USC Gateway students"  transfer students and none would be allowed to live on campus. 

They were "sold" this program and it came with restrictions; they wouldn't be in the lottery/pool for certain sporting events or allowed to hold an office of any kind during this freshman year.  Okay...they accepted the terms.  They were given requirements that must be met to be considered for the Sophomore class at USC.....2.5 GPA and 30 hours at Midland.  Each student "signed" an agreement, and no where on there did it state that they would also be excluded from the pool to have an equal opportunity to live on campus for next year. 

Mitchell's has A's and a B's, not too bad considering he is "Pre-Pharmacy" and taking two sciences together each semester.  He's even tutoring students in Chemistry and Calculus at night in his dorm. Many of these students are maintaining their grade requirements.  They have worked hard to "meet USC requirements" only for USC to break "their" promise.  They feel betrayed! If you could had heard the "Sale's Speech" for this program and now USC is adding a semicolon to their sentence to get out of promises made.  What's fair?....put these Gateway students "into the equation", like every other on-campus freshman, the opportunity to live on campus next year. 

 No, it is not written on paper; it was spoken on phones, in a introduction letter, and in an assembly for students and parents "right" on campus in the auditorium of the Darla Moore School of Business on orientation day.

This is the birth (1st year) of the program for USC, a copy of Clemson,etc as I have already mentioned.  USC will not get good reviews for what they have done.  USC feels students will "settle" for the program "anyway they can get it" next year.  My son and other students didn't go into the program to just "settle" for whatever rules USC wants to change whenever during the course of the year. Remember, they were told they were "USC students in every way"!!

The decision to leave these Gateway students "out of the equation" in regards to  NO CONSIDERATION for a chance for living on campus next year is APPALLING, unprofessional, a travesty and certainly sets a "bad example".  

I'm not a gifted writer and perhaps have not clearly stated and expressed the concerns and disappointments of many of the Gateway students and parents, but I'm more than willing to speak to anyone who is willing to give me an audience.  This situation needs to be addressed. We are talking about 80 - 100 students or less.

No, the students didn't speak to authorities; they called home to moms and dads very upset.

University of South Carolina, these students kept their side of the bargain....you have not.  Again, your actions appalling and disheartening!  Step up to the plate, make it right, make it fair.  Making it fair is all these students are asking.

Problem: USC is closing  3 girls' dorms for renovations and will lack about 500 beds.   (Perhaps USC should enroll 500 students less for the freshman class......take care of the people/students in your house that are there now!) This is the 4th year (that I know of) where housing has been an issue and now they can use The USC Gateway students as a way of skirting around a never ending problem they face each year.



2012-10-23

A treating we will go.....

I had so much fun using this Concertina  fold card that I did another for the challenge at PCW Die Cut or Stamp Challenge.  The candy corn svg/studio is a freebie this week from them....isn't that great!

I didn't include the candy in the first two photos so you could see the Trick or Treat backboard I made on my Silhouette Cameo. The candy corn was also cut on my Cameo. I used MS goo punch, along with K & Company paper.  There was so much "going on" I opted not to add anymore embellishments.

A2, no stitching...can you believe it!

side view

with candy....I forgot to put the "whites of the eyes" in this photo..oops!
Other challenges:

2012-10-22

It's been awhile...need to drop-in for a SPELL

Oh My Gosh...I saw Sue's fold card at House Mouse and Friends October Blog Hop!!! today and I immediately had to sorta CASE it.  I'd been wanting to do this Concertina  fold card.  Again, I used this wonderful stamp from Starving Artistamps. I used my silhouette to cut a black circle frame for  the image. Other than that, everything else was just punches...sweet....haha (I used last year's purchased K & Company Halloween pack.)

A2, just a bunch of punches and folds

side view

2012-10-20

FORGET bubble, bubble, toil.......

(inside)..Id rather dive into CHOCOLATE !

The cards are a tad different...one has acrylic bubbles and the other has plain bubbles, but a spider web in the corner.  The witch legs/cauldron svg was an October 8th freebie from Treasure Box Designs. The spider web svg freebie was from Digital Designs by Stephanie.  (Cut with my Silhouette Cameo.)

I used a lot of pop-ups for dimension, sizzlet witch hat die, MS goo punch, vertical embossing, distressing, shadowing, glitter and stitching.

A2 vertical

A2 vertical, acrylic bubbles

2012-10-17

Quick Out-the-Door Personalized Cards

Each year I make my World Travelor SIL formal embossed cards with just her name on the card for business.  But, then I throw in those silly, quick cards like below.  The first is simply black and white with just accents on the princess crown.   The second, is colored with copics and just Xerox - ed ten times.  The third is what you make when you drop ink on the card and you don't want to waste the image....haha  I used the adorable Scarlette Cafe from Bugaboo Stamps.

Coloring = 10 minutes, copying and printing a batch of 15 cards = 2 minutes, embossing = 5 minutes and glitter pen on crown took 2 minutes, folding the cards and putting my name on back = 3 minutes.  Start to finish....22 minutes  You may say, "well, that looks like a 22 minute production of 15 cards", but there are those days that "this is all you need" and someone will enjoy it no matter WHAT it looks like...haha

Black and White, with gold glimmer on crown..all cards are embossed.

Colored one, scanned and ran 10 through the printer

This is how you make a card when you drop ink on it and don't want to waste the image.
PS  I merged a public .png princess crown image to Scarlette's head.



2012-10-15

Halloween Candy Treats

This is not exactly the way I wanted to post the candy treats I made, but everyone kept eating them.  The eyeballs and ears are gone and I only had one candy corn sucker left to put in my photo...haha  I even forgot to photograph the peanut butter ball eyeballs....yum yum

Look closely and you can see "brains on a stick".  I stuffed the brains with peanut butter ball ingredients.  The candy corn has heath bar butter brittle.  The bones and witch fingers have a large pretzel as their base.  The eyeballs with blood were really cool, but as I said, they got grabbed and eaten..lol

Each individually wrapped

2012-10-11

Beware the Gamecocks

I have been playing with vinyl again.  I bought the maroon (we'll call it garnet for Carolina sake) cups from Walmart.  I personalized each for the guys in my son's suite....USC on the front and their name on the back.  The vinyl was free and the cups were a total of $2 so if they lose them or throw them away, I  didn't have much invested except for a little time...haha

I also bought a cauldron from the Dollar Tree...guess how much...yup...a dollar.  It says "Beware the Gamecock"....lot of candy, eyeballs, and spider webs inside.

Tomorrow....the Halloween candy melts I've been making.  The first batch was eaten by family and friends before I could take a picture.

University of South Carolina - Gamecocks

12" in diameter and 7" deep....yum yum

2012-10-10

Oscar the Grouch (Long Post)

Oscar maybe grouchy, but he can surprise you with "words of wisdom" at times.  I made 2 different cut files using my Silhouette Cameo. (see below)  Just email me if you would like the file...remember...I must have your email.  Find my email in the tab "Have a question for me?"

I made "three" different tags for Oscar to wear so Hunter can change them as he sees fit on any given day.  The sentiments were all freebies from Create with TLC.

Below "my card for today" is my very own pack of tags I change out on any given day according to what kind of day I had at school or home.  Please don't take offense to any of my quotes.  If you know me, I love my students.....but then there are "those" days.....haha

Shaped card that opens, A2, pop-ups on eyebrows, silver foil for trash can

Extra neck tags that Hunter can alternate



Now "my" Quote/Tag holder...





The students will see this when they know they were naughty...trust me...they KNOW...haha  and we all have a little laugh over it....but they know to "beware"  ( I have high school students)
OOPS>>>> suppose to be TACT, not TACK.....I hold this one "dear to my heart" and my students know that....haha



2012-10-09

Things that go BUMP in the night...

I seem to always start a new posting by saying "I just love this image".  Now...really folks....I just don't think I could make a card with an image I "don't" like.  I might not like the "end product" of my card creation, but at least I start out with an image I love or like...hahaha

I could envision this witch's buns bumping into the night...(hee hee snort).  She's from Witches Trio at Starving Artistamp.

I get so much inspiration from card craft friends and fellow bloggers and this time it was Deloris at Stamping at the Lake.  We have been cyber friends for several long years.

A2 vertical, copics, ribbon, Cheery Lynn Frame die, Spellbinder die, flower punch, goggle eye and stitching

Challenges:
Hiding in My Craftroom: black, orange and purple
Creative Inspiration: Black and orange
Oozak:  die cuts

2012-10-08

Sending Treats to You....

My son, being at college, loves care packages.  He told me to be sure to include a bag of candy corn.

I just love this silly,adorable image I bought last year from Digi Doodle Shop.  The online store closed its doors for good on Oct. 3.  What a shame!  

Pat, at Stamp, Paper, and Ink, inspired me and helped me with the stamp template.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the Fiskars Stamp scissors so I made a template for the edges of the stamps on my Silhouette Cameo. I plan to CASE her beautiful Poppy card, but in the meantime, while I was already working on the Halloween card, I thought "Why not incorporate the stamps in this card?" And, here it is......haha

A2 vertical, copics, DCWV paper, SU window punch, candy corn paper clip embellishment, stitching

Challenges:

2012-10-07

Dare to be different

This card is dedicate to Cricut Cutter, Xochitl.  She's the only one I know that would put a bow on a skull....which she did the other day on her post.  Having all boys and men in our house, the only bow that will see the light of day here will be on a card!!!

After seeing Lola's card using Spellbinders Label 22, I knew it was a "must have".....came in the mail today and here it is along with Cheery Lynn's Fanciful Flourish die, a MS skull punch, and an old flower punch. (Humm...maybe it was Xochitl's blog...who ever...I loved it!)

A2 vertical, stitching, jewel, pop-ups for dimension, distressing

Challenges:


2012-10-06

Winter Scene with Doodle Pantry

I'm still liking the warm weather because that's the kinda gal I am, but I wanted to try my first challenge at Joan's Garden . It required: a winter theme, a stamp, a die and a tree.  Hummmm...think I have those.

I merged two files (to make my scene) from Doodle Pantry...Winter Wishes and Snow Birdie. I used the Poppystamps window die, Memory Box "Twigs and Berries" die, Silhouette Store bird and bow cut files.

I made the garland in Silhouette.  If you have a Silhouette machine, I will be happy to send you the file.  I haven't made into svg format yet. Find my email under "Have a question for me?"

A2, stitching, glitter and lots of pop-ups for dimension

Side view to help show some of the depth

2012-10-05

The Latest Dirt.....

(inside).....what's up at your digs?

Gosh....I just can't resist a good, silly pun every now and then. Being away for so long, I have lots of gossip...oops...I mean necessary information I'm needing to catch up on with friends I haven't spoken with lately.

I think this is pretty CAS.  I used the digital stamp Mud Pig from Doodle Pantry.  I also employed MFT's Wood Grain Fence, along with my own shovel svg.  Some stitching, pop-ups, distressing, copics, scrap paper from a friend and I call it done.  I promised myself I would mail both .... tomorrow!

I'm entering this in Link Up For Pink Challenge (use pink), the CDAC Progressive Challenge #21 (use this pig from Doodle Pantry and the monthly Doodle Pantry Challenge #28(use any image.)  Makes this girl happy!!!

I apologize for the bad lighting on these 2 cards

A2, vertical...2 scenes a tad different

2012-10-04

Cookie Monster

I found this delightful Cookie Monster svg at Stampinbykris. I'm not telling my age, but after #%* years, Cookie Monster still makes me smile.  I made the card for Hunter, as you can probably tell by my the sentiment on the inside of the card.



Do you have a zillion papers of all colors and designs and yet when you make that "special" card you don't have that exact color you need??? My husband just doesn't understand as he looks at my mountain of papers...haha

2012-10-03

Breast Cancer Awareness

I join the millions who come together to help raise awareness of breast cancer.  I lost family members and I know survivors as well. I will post this card in the challenge at Link Up For Pink.

I continue to be inspired by a KittieKraft wreath card.  I used Impression Obsession twig wreath and sprigs along with old fern punch, MS fern punch and Scor-Pal to make score lines on white wall.

A2 ,vertical, ribbon, stitching, embellishments, jewels

2012-10-02

Gooooo USC Gamecocks

Oh Yeah....the big game is almost here...USC Gamecocks and the Georgia Bulldogs!

My son is a freshman at USC with not much chance of getting a ticket...$170 for the nosebleed section. ESPN with be there in the "horseshoe" so he'll be in the middle of that along with some tailgating.

I sorta broke my promise not to make anymore football theme cards...what was I thinking??? At least, I sorta made it into a Halloween card. I thought it was rather clever disguising the Gamecock mascot in a ghost sheet...heehee  I'm sending this to Hunter.  You will be happy to know that he is walking with little assistants, smiling, saying a few words and yes...watching FOOTBALL on TV.



I used my Silhouette Cameo to "print and cut" the Gamecock, then used the Trace and Offset keys to made the perfect little ghost sheet for the Gamecock.  I made a little tab so you could flip it up to see the Gamecock.   The little ghost is from the Silhouette store.

2012-10-01

Have a boo-tiful day!

This little card was quick and easy...mainly because I drew inspiration from KittieKraft.  Kittie has a special talent for using dies and I'm doing my best to think outside the box but using her card as my inspiration to accomplish this task....haha

A2, Impression Obsession Twig Wreath, Cheery Lynn Sentiment Frame, MS punch,old fern punch, metal embellishment, pop-ups for dimension, ribbon, jewels, and stitching
PS....the purple is not THAT purple...it's deep, dark and rich