Cleveland-Area College Tour

A few weeks ago, the Xavier college counseling department traveled to the Cleveland area and visited 11 colleges and universities. It was a great trip, which allowed us to get a good feel for schools I have never been to before. I thought it would be great to put down some notes and observations from each of these schools. Take a look, and if any seem interesting, I urge you to investigate them further! Over the next few days, I will write about a few of the schools and I will put the location of each school, the size of each school, the middle 50% for the SAT’s (average scores for acceptance), and a few facts. Enjoy!

John Carroll University: University Heights, OH

3,000 students-SAT: 1460-1790-Total COA $44,520:

-40% of graduates come out with more than one major

-Maximum class size is 29

-D3 Sports, 13% of students involved in Greek Life, and 20% of students commute from home

-Most families only pay between $10,000-$15,000 out of pocket

-Last year, out of 370 Jesuit High School Students that applied, 320 were accepted

Counselor thoughts: JCU seems like it would be a good fit for many of our students. It had a great community feel, and everyone there is available to help students succeed. JCU had a gorgeous campus, with a vibrant student life atmosphere. A quiet neighborhood surrounds the campus, but the school is less than 30 minutes from downtown Cleveland.

Hiram College: Hiram, OH

1,400 students-SAT: 1340-1790-Total COA $40,000

-Although founded in 1850 by the Disciples of Christ, Hiram is a not a Catholic institution

-40% of students are 1^stgeneration college students

-Average class size is 16

-They have 2 (15) week semesters. 12 weeks are traditional classes with finals, and then 3 weeks of specialty work of the student choosing, such as internships or study abroad.

-Tuition guarantee, so whatever you pay as a freshmen, that price will not increase

-Strong sciences and management programs, and a solid pre-nursing program

Counselor thoughts: With 60% of the students hailing from Ohio, it may be tough for our students to find this school a good fit. However, it is obvious the faculty cares deeply about the success of their students, and if a student is looking for a close-knit community with the ability to be very active on campus, it may be worth checking out this small college.

Case Western Reserve University

4,300 students- SAT: 1865-2165-Total COA $50,000

-Top notch nursing and engineering programs

-“Single-door admissions”-accepted into CWRU, student can enroll in any major

-Nursing program starts right away, giving student clinical hours early on. Students finish with nearly 16,000 clinical hours (near double the national average)

-Engineering program is not a traditional curriculum, looking ahead for new way of engineering, and wants students who can think ahead, think critically, and have good oral and written communication

-School has its own Think Box with a 3D printer

-Professional atmosphere throughout college/campus

-Utilizes ‘University Circle’, which has been named one of America’s best college areas with beautiful surroundings, and numerous museums, hospitals, and music venues, where students can gain free admission.

Counselor thoughts: CWRU is a top-notch institution, and any student thinking about engineering, nursing, or even business should consider this school. They have access to incredible facilities, and students are pushed to perform at high levels. Situated in a beautiful and active part of Cleveland, there is always something going on to keep students busy…when they aren’t studying.

The College of Wooster

2,000 students-SAT: 1640-1985-Total COA $48,000

-Nationally recognized as the top school in undergraduate research and senior capstone. Each student does one full year of research with 1 professor.

-City of Wooster is a growing, safe, culturally diverse and has a vibrant downtown

-1/3 of students participate on Varsity sports

-Study abroad very popular and school has its own entrepreneurship center

-11:1 student to teacher ratio and zero teacher assistants

Counselor thoughts: Wooster is a fabulous college. The students there are very serious academically, but it does not seem overly competitive. Students looking for personal attention, and a chance to research and explore an area of interest, should seriously consider this school. 

-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

AAfCW 2013 Volunteer Update #5

This is the fifth weekly update by the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) for the 2013 season. Today's update includes reports of Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher received from April 22 through 4:00 p.m. on April 29 with sightings of birds by volunteers and staff spanning that period.

Informational updates:

We have had a few more reports of Piping Plover nests but we are still experiencing a slower than usual beginning to the 2013 nesting season. American Oystercatchers are off to a decent start with nests in a few locations. Please continue to monitor beaches that have not had Piping Plovers or American Oystercatchers reported yet as they could appear any time through May and still attempt to nest. Additionally it is likely we will have reports of Common Tern and Least Tern for the first time this year in the upcoming week. The first Common Terns of 2013 in Connecticut were seen in Hammonasset State Park this weekend. Hurricane Sandy may have modified some beaches to favor terns in many areas while simultaneously damaging valuable habitat in other locations, and once again we are expecting the unexpected when it comes to their populations. Your observations, including negative data, will help us figure everything out and are tremendously valuable.

Survey and monitoring updates:

Piping Plover
1 pair at East Broadway Milford on 4/23
1 pair at East Broadway Milford on 4/24
2 pair at Long Beach on 4/24
3 pair at Milford Point on 4/24
1 pair, 1 adult, 1 nest at Milford Point on 4/24
1 pair at Long Beach on 4/24
3 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/24
5 adults at Griswold Point on 4/24
2 pair at Bluff Point on 4/25
3 pairs, 4 adults at Milford Point on 4/25
1 pair at East Broadway Milford on 4/25
3 pairs, 8 adults, 2 nests at Griswold Point on 4/26
1 pair, 1 adult at Bluff Point on 4/26
5 adults at Griswold Point on 4/26
2 pairs, 1 adult, 2 nests at Milford Point on 4/27
3 pairs, 4 adults at Bluff Point on 4/27
2 pairs, 1 adult, 2 nests at Milford Point on 4/28
3 adults at Griswold Point on 4/28
1 pair, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/28
1 pair, 2 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/28

American Oystercatcher
5 pairs at Cockenoe Island on 4/24
3 adults at Goose Island on 4/24
1 pair at Milford Point on 4/24
4 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/24
1 pair at Griswold Point on 4/24
6 adults at Bluff Point on 4/25
2 pairs at Milford Point on 4/25
2 pairs, 1 adult at Menunketesuck Island on 4/26
1 pair at Salt Island on 4/26
1 pair, 1 adult at Bluff Point on 4/26
4 adult at Milford Point on 4/27
1 pair at Bluff Point on 4/27
1 pair at Milford Point on 4/28
3 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/28
3 pair, 1 nest at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/29
2 pair, 1 nest at Milford Point on 4/29
1 pair at Stratford Point on 4/29
2 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/29

This concludes update #5 through 4/29/13 as of 5:00 p.m.


Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society partnering to improve conditions for coastal waterbirds in Connecticut.

Axxxe Wetsuits

Yes, this is absolutely a rave about someone's product- I have bought Axxxe suits and absolutely love them. Yeah, they're a bit more expensive but not in the long run. My first suit lasted easily twice as long as any other I've owned, and when you factor in the comfort level of a suit that is custom fitted- they're absolutely worth every penny. Total quality every step of the way here- materials, construction, service- I'll never go back to the off the rack deal. Cool to see the folks who actually made my suit and there's some decent surfing as a bonus. Mick Waters put it together- you should buy his really wonderful movie 'Little Black Wheels' if you haven't already done so. Email info @ foamandfunction.com and we'll sort one out for you. Clip was found thanks to the always great Cabinessence blog. 

Indian Island

Most of Indian Island is managed by the Navy as a convenient place to store WMD, but the bluff and the beaches south of the county road are public, accessible, and wonderful. Two weeks ago we brought the Beach Watchers class here -- on a beautiful afternoon after they had been cooped up in a small room watching slides all morning.

This one mile stretch includes the tombolo between Marrowstone and Indian Islands, a long stretch of till bluffs, and a beautiful spit that encircles a tidal lagoon.  There are several different places you can park and get to the beach.

AERIAL VIEW

Net drift is northwest into Oak Bay, where sand and gravel once accumulated to form another long tombolo between Indian Island the the mainland.  This was altered when they made the cut back in the early 1900s and the beaches have been sort of on their own ever since, although the east side (this one) and the west side have taken different paths.

We saw some fairly fresh failures in the glacial till bluffs, evidence of an oblique bar building at the base of the gravel beach, and some relatively recent overwash on the spit (recent means the last 6-7 years - February 2006 and December 2012 both had events that probably carried gravel over the berm, but there may have been others, too).


Previous Posts:
Indian Island  (January 2007)
Marrowstone Isthmus (October 2010)
Indian Island, Eastern shore (April 2012 - posted in October)

Port Townsend

This beach lies at the edge of the shipyard at the west end of Boat Haven marina.  It's the jumping off place for the Larry Scott trial, which follows the old railroad grade along the bluffs and past the paper mill, before heading up the hill to the west.

This stretch of shoreline was once a barrier beach, separating Kah Tai Lagoon from Port Townsend Bay. Now it's the main road into town, a large marina and boat yard, and a lot of commercial real estate.  There used to be a curved railroad trestle extending offshore to a barge dock, but the last portions were removed a few years ago and the small riprapped headland in these shots was where the trestle began.

AERIAL VIEW

The beach was once continuous along the northern shore of the bay, with longshore transport generally to the north and east.  Sediment derived from bluffs in the vicinity of Old Fort Townsend would have passed here on its way towards Point Hudson and eventually to Point Wilson.  In some communities, historical development completely obliterated the foreshore, but here in Port Townsend the old wharves and and made land simply broke the shoreline into a complex series of pocket beaches.  They are still neat beaches - and wonderful opportunities - they're just not part of a larger system the way they once were.

What caught my eye was the contrast between the two adjacent beaches.  The longer sandier beach on the east and the small, coarse gravel beach tucked up against the promontory.  Is there some process keeping these beaches segregated and different - perhaps different responses to waves from differing directions? Or is this a historical artifact, just waiting for time to blend these beaches into a single curve?  Maybe the beach is still responding to the change in wave regime that accompanied the removal of the old rail trestle.

Video: Huge waves pound seawall | Otago Daily Times

Video: Huge waves pound seawall | Otago Daily Times Online News : Otago, South Island, New Zealand & International News

St Clair Beach was bombarded by monsters from the deep yesterday evening. The seawall at the Esplanade shook from the impact of 2m waves, which were breaking 50m offshore and sending spray 20m into the air. 

Seawater covered the 6m-wide walkway and nearly reached the road. 

Dozens of people visited the Esplanade to see the big wave action, take photographs and play in the spray.

''I could see the spray from Andersons Bay. At first, I thought it was sea mist,'' St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club member Steve Wilson said.

However, the waves were even bigger on Saturday night, he said.

''I've never seen a tide like that. It was the biggest I've ever seen around the Dunedin coast.

''It was coming up the drains in Portsmouth Dr and either side of the Edgar Centre was under a foot (30cm) of water.''

A clutch of intrepid surfers braved the waves yesterday, but took care to keep close to the St Clair Salt Water Pool.

The Surf Forecast website recorded the swell at 2.11m at 6pm yesterday. A 1.7m high tide is expected at 6.30am today and a 2.8m high tide at 7pm.

Dunedin City Council parks and reserves manager Lisa Wheeler said staff would be checking the dunes for erosion caused by the high seas today as soon as the tides allowed.

A MetService severe weather watch for high winds in Otago was dropped last night. North Otago bore the brunt of high winds yesterday with gale force gusts of 46kmh to 64kmh experienced at Oamaru and Moeraki in the afternoon.

-nigel.benson@odt.co.nz

Large waves hit the St Clair seawall

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Bridgeport WildLife Guards Habitat Restoration Event at Beardsley Park

Below is a post from Audubon Connecticut's Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe:

Bridgeport WildLife Guards invite you to participate in May 4th Habitat Restoration Event at Beardsley Park, Bridgeport

In November of 2012, the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds in partnership with the Student Conservation Association and the City of Bridgeport launched the WildLife Guards Program as a means of increasing awareness about beach nesting birds found at the City’s Pleasure Beach, amongst the local community.  At the heart of the program are the WildLife Guards, a team of Bridgeport high school students, who will be out on the beaches this summer monitoring bird species, such as the state threatened Piping Plover and Least Tern, and encouraging a “share the shore”  philosophy among beachgoers. 

 Karizma, Imanie, Natalie, Jamiya, and Amani

The WildLife Guards receive green job training and employment through the program.   Audubon provides lessons in bird identification and monitoring, general ecology and the history of Pleasure Beach, while training by the Student Conservation Association focuses on job readiness, including lessons in website design, online communication, and resume writing. 

The Guards in turn develop and present bird themed activities to elementary school students participating in Bridgeport’s Lighthouse Afterschool Program on a monthly basis.  Approximately 120 students at 6 schools are learning about the birds of Pleasure Beach through games, crafts, and other activities.  Just recently the students created signs featuring drawings of Piping Plovers, Least Terns, and American Oystercatchers that ask people visiting the beach to give the birds space while they are nesting.  Their artwork is now on display at Pleasure Beach, Long Beach and other beaches across the state.

The WildLife Guards have also participated in monthly conservation projects, including the habitat restoration work at Beardsley Zoo & Park, Stratford/Milford Christmas Bird Count, the Great Backyard Bird Count, and the Rock-to-Rock Earth Day Bike Ride.

On May 4th, 2013, in celebration of Earth Day, WildLifeGuards are looking for volunteers to come out to Beardsley Zoo & Park located on 1875 Noble Avenue in Bridgeport, CT to help make the conservation pond an exceptional habitat for the wildlife. The conservation pond is located right across from the duck feeding area at Bunnells Pond and provides habitat for birds, turtles, and other wildlife.  If you would like to volunteer to help clear invasive plants, please RSVP at our Facebook event page (www.facebook.com/BridgeportWildlifeGuards) or e-mail jamiyawildlifeguards@gmail.com by May 3rd, 2013.  The event will start at 10:30AM and end at 2:30PM. Park at the tennis courts on the east side of Noble Ave, and walk down the hill to the conservation pond.  Wear work boots and long denim pants, and please bring a water bottle.  Other supplies will be provided.  The event will take place rain or shine; a light lunch is included.  There will be a free raffle prize drawing for all and T-shirts for the first 60 volunteers.  This event is sponsored by the Student Conservation Association, the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, the City of Bridgeport, and the Beardsley Zoo.  We hope you can join us!

The WildLife Guards Program is sponsored by Audubon’s Toyota TogetherGreen program.


Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society partnering to improve conditions for coastal waterbirds in Connecticut. 

Erle Pedersen

Chip's brother Simon's jet bottom. The pictures say it all really....

Long Beach fencing party completed

A final successful public fencing party took place at Long Beach in Stratford last Friday. CT DEEP and AAfCW staffs thank everyone who took the time to come out on a cloudy cool, then warm, then cool again morning and afternoon. Your help got us through the longest stretch of beach we have very well as we successfully fenced off three sections and spent time looking for birds all the way to Pleasure Beach and assessed the changed habitat of the barrier beach.

After migratory peaks the numbers of Piping Plover at Long Beach have been fluctuating with some people seeing zero birds during monitoring visits and others finding a couple of pairs. On Friday we had only two males who were feeding on the mudflats of Great Meadows Marsh. Here's hoping that number goes up as the temperature does. Below are photos by Patrick Comins of the fencing operation.

The group getting instructions from Rebecca Foster of CT DEEP

What has to be hauled out

 Erica Morgan of CT DEEP in green along with Sean Graesser and Scott Kruitbosch at right

  Michael Brooks trailing some of our great volunteers

 

 Patrick Comins pushing way too much and red from the sun plus the hard work

Up the fencing goes

Thanks again to everyone who joined us at Long Beach or at the previous fencing parties! We will post other volunteer opportunities throughout the season from special work on offshore islands to fireworks coverage to fencing removal in August.


Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society partnering to improve conditions for coastal waterbirds in Connecticut.

AAfCW 2013 Volunteer Update #4

This is the fourth weekly update by the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) for the 2013 season. Today's update includes reports of Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher received from April 15 through 4:00 p.m. on April 22 with sightings of birds by volunteers and staff spanning that period.

Informational updates:

Thank you to all of the volunteers who joined us at Sandy/Morse Points and Long Beach for string fencing erection last week! Your assistance really helped move the process along and was greatly appreciated by everyone involved.

As we continue with unseasonably cold weather please keep in mind we only want to monitor and survey our birds during what is now nesting season when the temperature is above 50 and it is not raining. Cool and very windy days are also best to stay home on. The idea is that we do not want to add further stress to birds on eggs during conditions that could be fatal to them.

With that said we seem to be experiencing a slower than usual beginning to this nesting season. Many beaches still have birds that are trying to find a mate or territory with numbers that fluctuate depending on the survey time. We have received primarily observations of independent or small groups of adults. Beaches with no birds are still important to monitor right now and through at least mid-May so that we can be sure none arrive or attempt to nest there. Least and Common Terns will be arriving in Connecticut around May 1, and along with the American Oystercatcher, please remember these are birds we will want to be recording as well.

At beaches owned by their respective municipality, such as Long Beach in Stratford, please call the town or city's animal control department if you see dogs on the beach and are so inclined. Let us know the results of your attempts to contact the authorities there and we will record this information or speak directly to the municipality if needed.

Survey and monitoring updates:

Piping Plover
3 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/16
3 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/16
6 pairs at Milford Point on 4/16
1 pair at East Broadway Milford on 4/16
3 pairs, 1 adult at Griswold Point on 4/16
8 adults at Bluff Point on 4/16
2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/17
1 pair, 2 adults at Bluff Point on 4/17
1 adult at Sandy Point Stonington on 4/17
1 pair, 1 adult, 1 nest at Griswold Point on 4/17
3 pairs at Bluff Point on 4/17
4 pairs, 3 adults at Milford Point on 4/18
13 adults at Griswold Point on 4/19
2 adults at Long Beach on 4/19
3 pairs, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/20
2 adults at East Broadway Milford on 4/20
1 adult at Milford Point on 4/20
1 pair, 1 adult, 1 nest at Griswold Point on 4/20
1 pair, 8 adults at Bluff Point on 4/20
9 adults at Bluff Point on 4/21
2 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/21
1 pair, 2 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/21
1 pair, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/22

American Oystercatcher
2 pairs at Falkner Island on 4/16
2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/16
2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/16
2 pairs, 3 adults at Milford Point on 4/16
4 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/16
1 pair at Griswold Point on 4/16
1 pair at Bluff Point on 4/16
2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/17
4 pairs, 1 adult at Sandy Point Stonington on 4/17
3 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/17
1 pair, 1 nest with 1 egg at Milford Point on 4/17
1 adult at Stratford Point on 4/20
2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/20
3 adults at Milford Point on 4/20
2 pairs at Griswold Point on 4/20
2 adults at Bluff Point on 4/20
2 pairs at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/21
3 pairs, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/21
1 pair at Sandy/Morse Points on 4/22

This concludes update #4 through 4/22/13 as of 5:00 p.m.


Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society partnering to improve conditions for coastal waterbirds in Connecticut.

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