Katie Phung

kphung@bryant.edu

Hi everyone and welcome to the Bryant community! I am a junior Accounting major from Cranston, Rhode Island. I am one of the 17 students on the Orientation Leader 2012 team, a Resident Assistant in Hall 16, and a Student Intern/Research Assistant for the Office of Planning and Institutional Research. I take pride in all of my involvements on campus, from the Greek Life community to club tennis and everything in between. Feel free to ask me questions through my email at any time!

Banquet season

April 30th, 2013

The end of the semester is quickly coming to a close with only a week left of classes and then, finals to follow. Not only are things are wrapping up in the classroom but also, for the co-curricular activities here at Bryant. It is always bittersweet come late-April and early-May especially if you hold an executive board position in the club/organization or have been a part of it since you've been a "Bulldog". All of the accomplishments, changes and hard work put into the year is reflected upon during these banquets. I have attended a handful since my freshman year and they never get old. Each of them have a unique theme and a strong message to take away from it.

This year, I am the Greek Life representative on the planning committee for the Office of Campus Engagement (OCE) banquet. This, by far, has been my favorite annual banquet to attend since being at Bryant. My freshman year, it was "seasons" themed so attire varied from golf polos to sundresses. My sophomore year, it was an international theme and flags from many different countries decorated the whole room (Multipurpose Activity Center). This year, it is "candy" themed so cupcake towers is an idea of what you will see in a week. I am in charge of entertainment on this year's committee with my co-chair Kate Leary so I hope that everyone is excited to see what we have planned for that.

Each student organization and club is represented at this banquet alongside their advisors. The administration is always in attendance as well. The core of the OCE reception is to recognize a student leader from each class from the pool of nominated individuals for carrying out the "Bryant" values, an advisor for their close work with a particular group, Greek life achievements, biggest impact by a major organization during the year, and the growth of other clubs. May the odds be ever in the favor of all student leaders and organizations this year the OCE banquet.

Best,

Katie Phung

Class of 2014

Spring Splash

April 25th, 2013

The last weekend in April always marks Spring Weekend for Bryant University. Every year, the Student Programming Board and other major organizations host a series of events from Friday morning to Sunday night. These year's s artists that will be performing on Saturday night are Kap Slap, Timeflies, and New Boyz. Kap Slap is a DJ who does a mashup of songs into a dubstep style. Timeflies is a music duo of producer Rob Resnick and vocalist Cal Shapiro. Timeflies incorporates elements of pop, electro, dubstep, and rock in their music. They are best known for "Timeflies Tuesday" and most known for their remake of the song, "Under the Sea". New Boyz is a mix between a hip-hop and rap group that made their mark in the music industry as of 2009. For them, some of their popular songs are "Tie Me Down", "You're a Jerk", and "Better with the Lights Off."

For this year's weekend events:

Friday, April 26th

10:00-2:00 pm: Daytime Events (Rotunda)

2:00-5:00 pm: Field Events (Bryant Center Ratio)

5:00-7:00 pm: Festive Meal (Salmanson)

8:30 pm: John Cassidy (Janikies)

10 pm: Big Bingo with Bryant at Night (Main Gym)

11 pm: Bryant at Night event (Main Gym)

11 pm: Make your Own T-shirts (Bryant Center Lawn)

11:30 pm: Pasta Pig Out sponsored with HEAL and Bryant at Night (Bryant Center Patio)

Saturday, April 27th

12:00-4:00 pm: WJMF Springstock Concert and Field Events (Behind Koffler)

5:00 pm: Bryant's Best Pizza Tasting sponsored by Greek Life (South Dining Hall)

7:00 pm: Spring Weekend Concert (Hall 16 Lot)

10 pm: Karaoke DJ (South)

11 pm: Late Night BBQ (Bryant Center Patio)  

Sunday, April 28th

7:00 pm: Outdoor Movie (Bryant Center Lawn)

This is definitely a nice break and something that students look forward to before the stress of final exams and the end of the academic year/spring semester. It already looks like this is going to be the third year of beautiful weather for Spring Weekend. Today, it is mid-60s and so is the rest of the week.

Happy Spring Splash,

Katie Phung 

Class of 2014

Who do you Relay for?

April 17th, 2013

This year, Relay for Life would be very different for me since I have participated in many since middle school. I grew up going to the annual Relay events in Cranston and have gone to every one since I have been a freshman here at Bryant. However, for all those years, the event took place outdoors but unfortunately due to torrential downpours, Relay for Life had to be moved from the usual track and field to the MAC (multipurpose activity center) in the Wellness Center. Yes, this did limit space and it did limit the number of activities that we could have but everyone made the best of it, last Friday.

The weather didn't put a damper on what the night was dedicated to. The luminaria ceremony to honor all those who have battled cancer, who lost the battle to cancer, or may still battling cancer was quite an impact on everyone that was in attendance. A few students spoke about their connection to cancer whether it be the lost of a parent to the illness or a member of the Bryant community. This is easily the most touching part of the whole evening. As part of the Bryant Relay, you crack a glow stick in honor of who you Relay for whether it be a parent, aunt/uncle, brother/sister, cousin, friend or for someone that you know. This year, I cracked not one but two glow sticks, one for my cousin and one for my Dad.

The theme was Rockin' Relay which if you couldn't tell already was based around music. Not only did I have a personal connection to Relay this year because of my family ties but I was also a part of the committee under sponsorship alongside two other Greeks, Will Bryce and Kyle Lasky. A total of 43 teams and over 500 participants were involved with Bryant's Relay event. All of them together accounted for more than $42, 220 to help in the fight against cancer. It was an honor to be a participant of the third highest fundraising team, Alpha Omicron Pi -Red with a little over $2,500 in donations.

The event was an overall success and I could not be more proud of everyone who participated in Relay, this year.

Fighting for a cure,

Katie Phung 

Class of 2014

It’s that time again, Restaurant Week

April 10th, 2013

Are you one who enjoys fine dining or fresh cuisine? Do you like the waterfront view? Want to get off-campus, this weekend? Want to try new things? Want to get three courses for the price of one main entree?

If you answered "yes" to any one of these things, then you should attend Restaurant Week in Newport before it ends on this Sunday, April 14th.

This annual event was established in 2006 to have local residents and tourists come to Newport and the surrounding counties to taste the culinary talent that the town provides at an affordable price. It also helps not just the restaurant business but also, it helps to stimulate business for the shops and lodging accommodations. Restaurant Week became so popular that it is now expanded to a bi-annual event occurring in early spring and late fall.

Newport is one of my favorite places to go to in Rhode Island and if you haven't been there, this is the weekend to do. It is going to be sunny on both Saturday and Sunday in the mid-50s. Also, the drive from Bryant is a little under an hour away too.

A three-course prix fixe for lunch is only $16 and dinner is only $30. Just phenomenal if you ask me! Savor Newport's hospitality with more than 50 restaurants. Throughout the ten days of dining, there are food and wine pairings, cooking classes, wine tastings, and chef-led culinary tours in addition to restaurant sales.

This year's new sponsor of the event is the Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival.

Updates on the Newport Restaurant Week can be found through social networks including the Facebook page and Discover Newport's Twitter feed under #nptrw.

For a list of 50 restaurants that are participating in this event, go to http://www.discovernewportrestaurantweek.org/restaurants

Bon appetit,

Katie Phung 

Class of 2014

Greek Week 2013: Temple Run

April 3rd, 2013

Being Greek has come with many new experiences. As a sister of the newly added sorority of a little over a year, Alpha Omicron Pi, comes participation in the annual Greek Week that takes place every April. This year's theme is Temple Run. My chapter was able to participate last year but was not able to win just yet since we were new to the community. This year, we are able to win so my sisters are ready for some fierce competition with the other three sororities: Sigma Sigma Sigma, Delta Zeta, and Zeta Phi Beta Inc. On the men's side, there will be five fraternities competing to be the winner of Greek Week: Sigma Chi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Delta Chi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, and Phi Kappa Tau.

Each and every member of the Greek community exudes pride for the chapter that he/she is in. It is a week that celebrates how proud we are to be Greeks, Greeks of leadership, philanthropy, character, and scholarship.

This year's "Temple Run" Greek Week begins this Sunday, April 7th to Saturday, April 13th. In chronological order, the events are as follows:

Sunday, April 7th: Lip Sync at 7 p.m. in Janikies Auditorium

Monday, April 8th: Greek Olympics at 3 p.m. on the Bryant Center Lawn

Greek Olympics include an egg and spoon race, tug-of-war, human knot, and pie eating contest

Tuesday, April 9th: Basketball tournament at 3 p.m. in the MAC and Scavenger hunt at 9:15 p.m.

Wednesday, April 10th: Nugget bowl at 3:30 p.m. on the Bryant Center Lawn

Thursday, April 11th: Brain Bowl at 4:30 p.m. in South

Friday, April 12th: Relay for Life and Kan Jam tournament

Saturday, April 13th: Volleyball tournament at 2:30 p.m. in the MAC

Sororities and fraternities participate in separate pools. The top three chapters in each event are ranked from first to third and at the end of the week; there is a Greek banquet where the winning sorority and fraternity of Greek Week are announced.

Let the games begin,

Katie Phung 

Class of 2014

Spice Out Arthritis

March 27th, 2013

Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII) like any other Greek organization has a national philanthropy in which they serve. As a sister of Alpha Omicron Pi, we serve the Arthritis Foundation. One of the sorority's highest virtues is tireless commitment to give.

AOII's signature event to raise funds for our philanthropy at other chapters is "Strike Out Arthritis!" The events all over the United States and Canada have not only helped to give back but also, increase awareness about the disease. Other chapters' events have included whiffle ball tournaments, ping pong, volleyball, barbecues, basketball and more.

Because Beta Upsilon was just recently chartered at Bryant University, we are hosting our first event like "Strike Out Arthritis!" called "Spice Out Arthritis" which you probably guessed right and has to do with food. This event was inspired by "Chopped" and perfect for anyone that loves to cook, ability to showcase their talent, and a little competition. This is all while raising money for a good cause, our cause, the Arthritis Foundation.

Sisters of AOII will be outside Salmo and around the Rotunda throughout the week with more information about the event if you wish to participate. The event itself will be on Sunday afternoon, April 7th. Mark it down in your calendar and come one, come all as a competitor or spectator. All are welcomed.

Friend, Son, Brother.

March 20th, 2013

As a resident assistant, you develop many close relationships during your time between your staff, residents, and administration. In hall 16, a suite-style first-year and transfer students residence hall, I am on duty at a desk which helps me get even more interaction with the residents in the building. One of those familiar faces to all of the RAs in hall 16 was Cameron (Cam) Fitzpatrick, a freshman student who passed away last Friday due to a severe nut allergy. Cam was a part of the International Business program here at Bryant and hoped to study abroad in Australia. He was selfless and never judged anyone before knowing them. I had the pleasure of meeting Cam at Orientation and then again on move-in day with his mother, Robin Fitzpatrick. I got nothing but positive vibes from the Fitzpatrick family. Cam really was a resident that RAs are honored to have and lucky to have known. That goes for all for everyone who got to him in the 6 months that he spent here at Bryant. Second to Plymouth, Cam made Bryant his home away from home for himself and all those he encountered. We are lucky to have such a strong community in hall 16 because of people like Cam who helped to build it, this year.

When I asked his Bryant IDEA professor about Cam, she said "he was a fine young man ... so personable, so serious about his work, so articulate, and a young person with such a promise." He was not only someone that was loved by friends and suitemates but also in the classroom by peers and professors.

It is now my mission at Bryant to honor his memory and keep his spirit alive. I have put together a memory book for the Fitzpatrick family to know how much Cam meant to our community or send condolences to their son/brother. If you would like to sign it, it will be in hall 16 until the end of the week during the hours that RAs are on duty. Also, there are bumper stickers ($10) and bracelets ($2) being sold in his honor. Please contact me at kphung@bryant.edu if you wish to purchase one or both of those. A scholarship fund has also been set up in his name if you wish to donate to that as well. I really would appreciate anything big or small that members of the Bryant community can do.

Stay tuned for the details of the University's tribute to Cameron Fitzpatrick but until then, let's celebrate the life that our friend, son, and brother lived.

In the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years.

Katie Phung 

Class of 2014

Bryant University Lends a Hand

March 6th, 2013

14 college students. 4 advisors. 7 hour drive. 1 mission.

That mission is to give back to three organizations: Food and Friends, Little Sisters of the Poor, and St. Anthony's Catholic School After Care Program.

A grant from Liberty Mutual and donations from members of the Bryant community, family, and friends have helped us to get to Alternative Spring Break (ASB), beginning this Sunday. Last year, I was able to do community service for a few Rhode Island organizations and thoroughly enjoyed what that offered me so I wanted to take "lending a hand" to a higher degree. This year, I will be going to Washington D.C. to give back.

Yes, it may not be a typical Spring Break destination but when I am doing something for the better of the community and something that I am passionate about, I will take that any day. I am excited to strengthen relationships with the people that I already knew prior to ASB and build upon the ones that I have just developed through our acceptance into the program. Washington D.C. is one of my favorite cities, if not, my favorite so I cannot wait to spend five days there!

Each member of the ABS 2013 team will be documenting their memories for you all to follow at

http://bryantasb2013.blogspot.com/

Until next time,

Katie Phung

Class of 2014

Impossible is not in Bryant’s vocabulary

February 27th, 2013

When student leaders tell you that there is something [an organization] here at Bryant for everyone, there is so much truth behind that. If one of the 90 organizations does not interest you, Bryant gives you the opportunity to start your own. All you need is to write a proposal for the organization that you want to start and find at least ten interested members to participate in it with you. The proposal is then presented in front of the Student Senate panel for approval. If passed, you are free to go about running your club/organization as one that is recognized on campus and open to the Bryant population.

From the day that I set foot on campus, getting involved was something that I wanted and needed to do. The organization fair at the start of each semester definitely helped me to decide where I wanted to focus my involvements in. Whether it be a media organization, sports club, Greek life, programming, or special interest group - all of them were available for me right for the start.

The only thing that I was interested in and did not see at the organization far last year was tennis. As a result, a handful of friends and I proposed the idea of developing a tennis club to the Student Senate. We were fortunately approved a semester after getting logistics together. Nothing is impossible here at Bryant. Average athletes with a big goal put their minds together and now, we all will be participating in our first tennis tournament on Saturday at University of New Hampshire.

Try and try again until you succeed,

Katie Phung

Class of 2014

Ladies’ Night at Bryant

February 20th, 2013

As a Student Ambassador, I not only get the opportunity to give tours to prospective and accepted Bryant students but also, I am able to host high school juniors and seniors too. In high school, I attended two overnights here. One of which was Ladies' Night. It was kind of crazy that four years later, I am now on the other side as an overnight host for two high school seniors, one from Connecticut and the other from Massachusetts. I will hosting again next Wednesday afternoon into Thursday morning.

The Ladies' Night experience was helpful to me in my decision-making process during the college search and for these students, they were looking for that insight too. For me, it was the deciding factor on whether I would be attending Bryant or another institution. Obviously, I am here now at Bryant and it has been one of the best decisions that I have made, so far.

Ladies' Night runs from 3 p.m. on a weekday to 2 p.m. the following day. The first session gives students the chance to see who's who at Bryant from the faculty, staff, and administration. It is then followed by dinner in our dining hall and group activities in one of our meeting rooms. Each student's night concludes around 9:30 p.m. and it is up to the host to decide what to do from there. For me, I took this opportunity to bring both of my students back to my suite to bond and talk more about Bryant.

The second day begins around 8:30 to 9 a.m. with breakfast in our dining hall. I enjoyed the various food options available to be during my overnight and still do now that I am a student here. From there, each of the Ladies' Night students participate in Bryant 360. Bryant 360 is a series of mock classes with professors here at Bryant in areas such as marketing, communication, psychology, accounting, and other areas. After two mock classes, there is a luncheon that is held for all of the students with members of the Admissions team, faculty, and staff. Meeting and being able to talk to members of the Bryant community has always been something that I have thoroughly enjoyed from the time that I did my overnight to my time as student. The luncheon concludes their day unless any of them want to get a campus tour from the members of the Student Ambassadors program.

Good luck to all those in the college search, I hope that you seriously consider Bryant University as an option. We would love to have call this campus your home too!

Katie Phung

Class of 2014