An Aztec Adventure

I took a trip to a place I had never been, with people I had never met, and did an activity I had never tried.

One of the best decisions I have ever made.

This past month, I went on an “Aztec Adventure” and if you’re not familiar with what that is, simply:  it’s an experience of a lifetime.

Organized by SDSU’s Aztec Recreation Center, an Aztec Adventure is an outdoor trip that allows its participants to break away and engulf themselves with nature.

I found myself in Arizona. Canoeing upstream in the Colorado River.

For me the trip was a way to take a break. A way to feel the stresses that had built up from my work and school routine, slowly drift away with every stroke into Arizona’s Black Canyon.

And although I didn’t anticipate it, I met some amazing people in the process.

There were 14 of us.  We battled currents upstream, relaxed in natural hot springs, hiked in pitch black caves, gave each other mud facials and slept under the stars. We  did all of it, together.

These complete strangers became my friends, and now we’re all tied together with these lasting memories of this amazing trip.

I must say to be out in the wild and turn off your phone saying goodbye to email and twitter  for four days was a little nerve racking. But hey, what’s life without a little risk… a little adventure.

Campus Construction Update

Canyon Crest Construction

The City of San Diego has begun a construction project on the SDSU campus. The project will upgrade city sewer services as mandated by Federal law by installing new sewer lines along Canyon Crest Dr. on the northern edge of the campus near parking Lot X. The City’s project activity may unavoidably impact some University activities. The University recently completed year-long negotiations with City officials in an attempt to reduce these impacts as much as possible. The majority of the work will be completed at night between the hours of 8:00 pm to 5:00 am with normal both lanes of traffic opened after 5 am through the Spring 2013 semester. After 8:00 pm one lane of traffic will always be available with traffic control personnel controlling vehicle activity. Special considerations have been arranged for Viejas Arena and other large venue events where the City’s contractor will be required to schedule their start times for these and other large events to begin after the campus is clear from event traffic.

Following the Spring semester, from May 20-June 30, 2013, there will be a period of time that trenching will need to occur across Canyon Crest Rd. During this period, vehicle through traffic will be closed from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am. At no time will Canyon Crest be closed to vehicle traffic during normal business hours. More information will be provided on the details of this activity as the time nears.

A “Dang” Hard Semester

I’ve been told that pain and struggle bring people together.

Although I don’t want to explicitly say that my classes this semester have caused me pain and struggle, I will say that they have been challenging.

Very, very, challenging.

But because of it, I’ve built a relationship with a handful of fellow public relations students that I am very grateful for and never thought I could have made.

Maybe it was the late night hours in the library together, the timed news releases, the survey construction, the media pitching, the “fatal flaws,” or the fact that we had seen each other break down and go crazy with stress and anxiety throughout the semester; but without being pushed and challenged to the very end by my professors I don’t think we would be as close as we are now.

When I think about it, a college semester is more than just the knowledge you learn, but the life skills and relationships you build.

So although I may be suffering and crawling across the finish line of finals now, I know it will be all worth it in the long run.

Wherever my career takes me, wherever my final semester at San Diego State leads me, I know I can always rely on the support from the future “PR studs” who I’ve gone through this semester worth of challenges with, no matter how crazy they are.

Good Luck with Finals!

Follow David on Twitter @DavidRozul

Storm and Nasatir Hall Renovation Update

The scheduled hard demo work of the building section highlighted below between north and south Storm Hall will be starting tomorrow, Friday, 9/21.  In an effort to minimize noise disruptions sounds blankets have been installed on site.  The sequence of work for this will be about two days, starting tomorrow and into this Saturday as well.

Huddle Up!

Jim Herrick is the Director of the SDSU Alumni Association. This post originally appeared in his blog, Directly Speaking.

Okay, huddle up!

Pardon the football analogy but it is difficult not to go there at this time of year.  And the team approach to problem solving remains in vogue.

The problem, or challenge, as it were, is that only two percent of our undergraduate degree-holding alumni are annual donors.  We have dissected this at length for six months and concluded that Aztec alumni who love their alma mater will help improve this abysmal percentage if they fully understand why it is important to do so.  First some facts that support the notion that it is readily apparent that Aztec alumni love SDSU:

• Our basketball tickets are sold out and the season does not start for two months.
• Our Aztec for Life Alumni membership is soaring.
• Our Comprehensive Campaign for San Diego State University is tracking nicely at $340 million on the way to $500 million.

What our research indicates is that alumni do not understand that annual gifts of any amount factor into the rankings provided by US News and World Report and that donating to SDSU helps the university rise in those rankings and therefore in national stature. What alumni may also not understand is that any amount literally means ANY amount and that gifts to any San Diego State University department, college, entity, athletic team or program, scholarship, or particular academic major or program all count as gifts to SDSU.

We also learned that many alumni fall into two categories.  Category one is, “The only time you communicate is to ask for money.”  Category two is, “I’ve never been asked.”

Well, we are going to start asking.

Because here is the punch line: We need all of our alumni who love SDSU to donate some amount to any SDSU entity every year.  We need you to declare by action that you believe in your alma mater. We need you to be counted as among those who are helping State carve a better reputation.

Did I mention any amount?

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