Top Ten Summer-Themed Movies

Josh Eversole, Marketing Intern

If there is one inherent truth about me, it is that I love movies. I’m a complete cinephile and I don’t care who knows it. One thing cinephiles love to do is rank their favorite movies by certain directors, genres, etc. Without further ado, here are my top ten summer-themed movies of all time.

10. Adventureland

Adventureland was released in 2009, which makes it more recent than almost every other movie on this list. Regardless, it is one of the best summer-themed movies because of its ability to convey relatable human emotions including the despair of a horrible summer job.  The movie details love triangles, betrayal, and joy all rolled into a coming-of-age film where the characters band together in spite of all the problems in their jobs and lives. Adventureland really nails the message that no matter what your background, everyone feels the same emotions and has similar fears and goals.

9.  Dirty Dancing

I know I will catch some flack for having this on my list, but I don’t care. Dirty Dancing rules. Growing up with three sisters, I have seen Dirty Dancing more than probably any other man in America. What makes Dirty Dancing one of my top ten summer-themed movies are its amazing soundtrack and the fact that it is one of the cheesiest movies ever made. The only way this movie could be more 1980’s and cheesy is if John Hughes had directed it, and that is exactly why it is great. Plus, nobody puts Baby in a corner.

8. Do the Right Thing

Arguably Director Spike Lee’s greatest film, Do the Right Thing follows the events in one neighborhood on the hottest day of the year in Brooklyn, New York. This film is a social commentary on race relations and people’s actions. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people and sometimes, those same good people do bad things. Do the Right Thing was edgy when it came out in 1989, and would still be considered edgy if it were released today, which is one of it’s true markings as a timeless film.

7. Caddy Shack

Caddy Shack is one of my favorite summer movies because it doesn’t follow the formula of beaches or a summer camp for its setting. Instead, it’s set on a golf course. What could be more boring than a golf course, right? Wrong. Caddy Shack is full of comedic legends like Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, all bringing their best stuff to tell the story of a caddy saving money for college. This movie is an absolute classic and one of the greatest comedies of all time.

6.  Wet Hot American Summer

What I love about Wet Hot American Summer is that it totally lampoons every 80’s summer camp movie. This film is absolutely hilarious and includes actors like Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper, before they became the huge stars they are today. This film takes place during the last few days of camp at Camp Firewood and everyone is gearing up for a talent show and trying to close the deal with their summer flings. This movie is hysterical (especially the town montage) and is definitely worth a watch.

5.  Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson’s latest film, Moonrise Kingdom, is a romantic-comedy about young love in the 1960’s. This stylized film is just as fun to watch, as it would be to experience. Full of the regular quirky characters that Anderson is so well known for, Moonrise Kingdom is a great movie for any audience, be it a group of friends or your significant other on movie night.

4.  Dazed and Confused

Everyone’s favorite day of school is the last day, and Dazed and Confused shows why. With everyone preparing for the big field party that night, the story follows every type of person you ever met in high school. From jock to nerd, all types are focused on in this movie that gives all characters a voice and ultimately makes for an extremely nostalgic movie, even if you didn’t grow up in the 1970’s.

3. Jaws

Jaws is one of the scariest movies of all time, largely because of the implied scares of a shark lurking nearby. It has made people scared to go in the water for decades after its release. Jaws is a great summer movie because the shark terrorizes Amity Island, which is one of the most popular vacation spots in New England. Jaws also provides us with some of the most iconic lines and scenes in movie history. Whether it is the shark biting the naked night swimmer, or Brody’s famous improvised line “We’re going to need a bigger boat,” Jaws is an excellent summer movie.

2. Stand By Me

Based on Stephen King’s The Body and directed by Rob Reiner, Stand By Me is one of the quintessential summer movies, if not one of the best movies ever made. Stand By Me is about a writer reminiscing about an adventure he took with his childhood friends, after the death of one of his compatriots. The way he tells the story is what makes the movie so great. All of us have had a time in our lives where we reflect on our past, and how it shaped who we are today, and Stand By Me does just that. With wonderful performances by child actors Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell, Corey Feldman and River Phoenix, Stand By Me is worth a watch.

1. The Sandlot

While this may not be the “best” movie on this list, it is absolutely my favorite summer movie. The movie is a modern depiction of the endless summer that so many children crave. The Sandlot is one of the most beloved children’s movies of all time and has so many iconic scenes, characters and lines that it really needs no more explanation, which is why it tops my favorites list.

Sharpen Your Mind

Nicole Brown, Marketing Intern Coordinator

Staying healthy means taking care of both our bodies and our minds. Keeping your body in shape is already a common goal, but many forget that keeping your mind sharp takes effort as well. Sharpening your mind requires a combination of maintaining general health and specific brain training. Include some of the following suggestions in your routine to help you get (and keep) your mind working well.

Regular aerobic exercise not only boosts your mood and makes you generally healthier, but also increases blood flow to the brain.

Eating a balanced diet that includes fatty fish and antioxidant and omega-3 rich foods not only helps keep your body running correctly, but may also improve brain function. Also, try adding coffee or tea to your routine—both are show to have mental benefits, like decreasing your likelihood of Alzheimer’s, though the specific benefit depends on the beverage. After you drink your coffee or tea, chew a piece of gum. The slight increase in heart rate means more oxygen circulates to your brain and it can help keep you more alert!

Be sure to make time to sleep. Much important memory formation happens while you sleep, so depriving yourself of sleep doesn’t give your brain the time to move memories into the long-term memory category. Plus, naps have been shown to improve memory, even if they are only six minutes long! So next time you’re feeling sluggish, go ahead and take that nap! For the most restful nap, be sure to nap less than 30 minutes or in 90-minute increments. And don’t nap too close to bedtime or you might interfere with your nighttime sleep! Just remember to set an alarm if you need to be up. Try FreakyAlarm if waking up isn’t your strong suit. Not only will it wake you up, but it’ll make you solve puzzles (which fall into the brain training category, below) before the alarm shuts off, too.

Set aside non-sleeping, relaxing time. Relaxing and de-stressing not only make you feel better immediately, but also help you avoid the negatives associated with long-term stress.

Spend time with your friends and family. Not only does this help reduce the stress hormone cortisol, but it also increases your “cognitive reserve,” strengthening your brain so that if some part declines, other parts can compensate. Plus, people that maintain relationships with family and friends have been shown to live up to 20% longer. Pets count as family too! Spending time with furry friends can have a positive impact, physically, mentally and emotionally, including encouraging you to stay active.

Finally, make sure to train your brain, and often. The brain-training company Lumosity offers games to improve your cognitive function. You can play some for free or purchase a subscription for access to all of them! They even have an iPhone app (and ones are in the works for other platforms).  Other brain-training games include Sudoku, Chinese checkers and crossword puzzles. Even better, pick a game that cross-trains your brain, meaning that it makes you use both your left (which controls verbal memory and logic) and right (which controls visual memory) brains together! Just be sure to change things up every once and a while. Changes to routine add excitement and make sure that you train different parts of your brain! For a simple way to change things up, try using your non-dominant hand. Right-handed? Stir spaghetti sauce with your left hand. Left-handed? Brush your teeth with you right hand. Or try walking backwards!

For more tips and the science behind those listed, visit ABC, LiveScience or Women’s Day.

UK's Best Kept Secrets

Samantha Stein, Marketing Intern

No matter how many websites you look at, how many brochures you read, or how many tours you take, the best way to learn about a college is from first-hand experience. I clearly remember being a lost freshman, wishing I had a cheat sheet for all the things on campus that I had yet to figure out. But I slowly learned that my favorite dinner at Commons was on Tuesday nights, Coffea’s bottomless cup is the best all-nighter companion, and to never (never!) drive on Rose Street when classes let out.

Here is the marketing team’s UK cheat sheet, which includes many of the little-known parts of campus you might not know about otherwise.

Food:

• The Subway in the Engineering complex has a much shorter line than the Student Center’s, but they only serve cold sandwiches.
• Fusion, the dining hall in Erikson, serves the best international food, with quesadillas, pasta, curries and more. They’re only open until 2 p.m. but have great options for a wider variety of food.
• Lemon Tree is also in Erikson and open for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12 p.m. They take reservations for $10 per person (drinks excluded) and have a new menu every day. The menu has a more traditional, home-cooked feel with three-course lunches, which include items such as pastas, fish and various salads and vegetables.

Fitness:

•  Alumni Gym Body Shop is open from 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. on weeknights.
• Any student can sign up for a free personal trainer for a full semester at The Underground in Donovan Hall. Personal trainers are also available at The Johnson Center, but there is a fee per session.
• The Lancaster Aquatic Center hosts free Discover classes for scuba diving and fly fishing on certain weekends. Use those links for dates and information on signing up!
• You can rent camping gear, tents, and even cooking utensils from the Johnson Center for free. Equipment must be reserved one day in advance by filling out a Reservation form, found on their website.

Parking:

• Nearly every E-Lot and parking garage is open after 3:30 p.m., if you have a valid UK permit. Most of these lots are also available to visitors after 7:30 p.m., as well. Just be sure to double-check the posted signs at the entrance to the lot!

Libraries:

• At Willy T, any student can rent a laptop to use for free anywhere in the library. They are available on a first come, first serve basis with no reservation needed. Go to the main desk with a valid student ID to check one out for up to four hours.
• At the Hub, in the basement of Willy T, students have access to free IT services and answers to computer-related questions.
• In the computer lab on the bottom floor of the Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library, the DART machine lets you deposit money into your PLUS account without a processing charge.
• There is a lot of software available for students to download onto their personal computers, free of charge!

Whitehall Classroom Building:

• The building is always open if you want to practice a presentation or study for an exam in your actual classroom to feel more comfortable.
• On the third floor, there are computer labs that students can use for last-minute printing and completing homework between classes.
• There is a post office in the basement where you can send letters and packages and buy stamps.
• When the weather is bad, there is an underground tunnel that connects the basement of Whitehall to Patterson Office Tower.
• Other tip: Be sure to always have a sturdy umbrella in your backpack for any surprise rainstorm while you’re other places on campus!

The Student Center:

• The most comfortable chairs on campus are located outside the Grand Ballroom in the Student Center.
• If you purchase Ticketmaster tickets at the Student Center window, the attendant can help you find the best seats for the best price.
• The Cats Den has free popcorn, just ask the attendants for some. They usually have both normal, buttered popcorn and another flavored variety.
• The Cats Den also rents out laptops and netbooks if you are in need of one; they just hold your student ID while you have it.
• If you stop by any help desk, you can print up to 5 pages for free. Just bring your flash drive or you can connect to your email.

These tips are only some of the best-kept secrets at UK. Others are sure to surface as you find your own favorite perks about campus. Ask around when searching for new places or just tough it out on your own. UK is a large school, with many different buildings and structures, each one waiting to be discovered. The more you explore, the more you’ll find!

Dining Plan 101: Managing Meal Swipes and Flex Dollars

Allyson Lough, Marketing Intern

After living on campus for two years as a student and resident advisor, I have discovered the art of using my dining plan to the fullest. Below, I’ve compiled some basic tips about the dining services at UK that will help you get the most out of your meal plan!

Selecting a meal plan is the first challenge. There are two types of dining plans: weekly plans and block plans. With a weekly meal plan, you are allotted a set number of meals to use from Sunday to Saturday.  If you are living on campus, you are required to have at least the minimum meal plan (seven meals per week). You won’t always be able to get to your car for a Kroger run, and cooking meals in your residence hall kitchen can be a hassle, so this makes seven meals a week hard to budget out.

I suggest one of the block plans, either the Wildcat or Champion plan. With these plans, meals reset at the end of the semester, rather each week. They roll over from week to week so you’re free to use them however is most convenient for you. Be sure to keep track so you don’t run out too early in the semester!

Understanding Meal Money

• Meal Swipes get you an entire meal, either at the dining facility or to-go at Commons, Blazer, Ovid’s, Fusion and Intermezzo. These are the main dining facilities that accept swipes. Dining options in the Student Center accept swipes from 5 p.m to 8 p.m. on weeknights. (Here is more specific information on the hours swipes are accepted.) Unused meal swipes are not redeemable and do not carry into the next semester.
•  Flex Dollars are dining dollars that students can use for a wider variety of food options on campus.  A certain amount is allotted with each dining plan. Flex dollars can be used at any dining facility, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Most of the time, I have too many swipes and not enough flex. Flex Dollars also carry from the fall semester to the spring semester so you won’t lose unused Flex Dollars from the previous semester. Flex Dollars reset after each academic year so use all of it before spring move-out!
• Plus Account Money must be loaded separately from a dining plan and you must use that account to do laundry in your residence hall and print from campus libraries. You can also use it at some restaurants and businesses around town.

General things to know about dining at UK:

• You can always check the remaining meal plan balance and load plus money into your account under the Financials tab on the myUK portal.
• The hidden treasures of Quick Stop: There’s only so much Starbucks coffee and Panda Express a person can consume. The Quick Stops at Blazer, Commons and the Student Center are an underused treasure! They all have a selection of products similar to a small convenience store that students can purchase with Flex Dollars.
• The longest lines are at the Student Center during lunchtime, around 11:50 a.m. Aim for before then and try to avoid directly after classes release, unless you are prepared to wait. Starbucks lines get long between classes so get there before class changes to avoid a lengthy wait.
• Ovid’s has the best breakfast options during the week, so get there in the morning for an early study session or between classes. Ovid’s also allows you to get four side options, like fruit, yogurt or chips, for the equivalent of one meal swipe. I go in just to grab some fruit to store in my room fridge for quick breakfasts.
• Ovid’s and the Starbucks in Ovid’s is open 24/7 during finals week for all the students studying for exams in the library. Make sure to have to flex dollars saved for that week!
•  Dining Plan change deadlines:
• You can downgrade your meal plan until September 13^th
• You can upgrade your meal plan at any time
• You only get one upgrade and one downgrade per semester
• All changes must be done at the Dining and Plus Account Office in the Student Center

After a semester on campus, managing your dining plan will take less effort and planning. If you’re finding you have too many swipes, take your friends to dinner! If you don’t have enough swipes during the week, find people who have big meal plans!