Ideal Campus

Here's the video in ASL web address if you don't want to read the English version.
http://myvideoviewer.gallaudet.edu/projects/thy.pham/SamIdealCampus.asx

I did my ideal campus map with Georginia Fitzpatrick and Jonathan Smoot. Our campus buildings are the same color because we wanted them to look organized and neat. My main focus of the campus is the dorm.

There are five different dorm buildings. They are right next to each other, which we felt like that was very important, so people can interact with each other. Social life is a very important role in a college life. I have no idea what I would be doing here at Gallaudet if I had no social life. I couldn't imagine being isolated. Also, if people wanted to visit their friends in another dorm to do homework or chat, they wouldn't have to walk all the way to the other side of campus to do that. When the weather is hot or cold- people don't have to worry about staying outside too long.

Dorm #1 is for Freshmen. Dorm #2 is for Sophomores. Dorm #3 is for Juniors. Dorm #4 is for Seniors, Graduate students, transfer students, etc. The reasons that we have four dorms include each class can be with their own classmate. They can mix if they want to. We believe in letting the upper classmen socialize with the freshmen. It is important for the freshmen to see what the upper classes are doing, so we can make sure we are on the right path like them.

Also, we have a Dorm #5- that is a "family dorm." Some people in today's society have kids and still want to go through college even if they have children. Our university is very open to having those kinds of brilliant people to come to our university. Dorm #5 has extra bedrooms in each dorm for their children. There is also a daycare in the basement. The daycare has free service for the parents with children. They can drop off their children down in the basement while they go to their classes.

The dorms have ramps for wheelchairs. For People who use wheelchairs, we recommend living on the first floor. Every dorm building has stairs and elevators. We think elevators are important for wheelchair accessible. Stairs are to be used if there is a fire. There are doors to open to use the stairs. Children would have a hard time opening the doors in the family dorm because the opening to the door is high, so that children can't get hurt on the stairs.

People are also welcome to live off campus but we recommend that they stay on-campus. It is very time consuming to live off campus.

We want people to feel at home when they go to college. It should be considered their "2nd home."

Introduction

Hello! (My words used here are the same as I used from my last semester course gsr 102- the url address for where I used my information is this... http://samanthagsr102.blogspot.com/)

My name is Samantha Lee. I am from Nebraska and came to Gallaudet via MSSD. I have two younger sisters I love. I wouldn't mind having another baby sister! They are now 11 and 12 years old. They both go to South Sioux City, Middle School.

I want to explain, I grew up in a mainstream program from Kindergarten all the way up till my junior year of high school. I grew up oral and Signing Exact English (SEE). When I enetered in the 7th grade, one of the interpreters told me there was a Deaf club in Iowa, which was near my home. I decided to go to Deaf club one night.Oh boy, the moment I entered the building into this room, I couldn't believe what I saw. I saw a room full of people communicating in American Sign Language (ASL). I was overwhelmed; I could not understand most of the stuff they were saying. I went home that night, and I cried to myself. I felt like I didn't fit in today's world. I didn't fit in the hearing world; the communication was hard. I didn't fit in the deaf world either; I didn't know ASL. But, then I decided about a month later, I will try to go to Deaf club again and learn ASL. I did go to Deaf club once a month, and I started picking up ASL quicker than I ever thought I would! And, during this time- I knew Gallaudet University was for me, but that's another story!

And, during my middle school and high school years- I've always wanted to go to a Deaf school. I was sick of being mainstream- and being the only "Deaf one" in my mainstream school. My dad wouldn't let me go to Iowa School for the Deaf because he said that school is really low education. I accepted that, until after my sophomore year. One summer, I met a girl in St. Louis, Missouri that went to Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) in Washington, DC on Gallaudet's campus. She was in the same grade as me- and I asked my mother if I could please, please go to MSSD. My mother liked the idea of me going to MSSD because it would be a great opportunity for me that I can use before I enter Gallaudet University.After I left Missouri, I arrived home- I asked my father if I could go to MSSD. His immediate reaction was "NO." But, then after we discussed it for after an hour- after I explained to him- it would be a great experience before Gallaudet. He decided I could go to MSSD after my junior year, but I had to stick with the mainstream school during my junior year because my father wanted to visit Washington, DC before he lets me go. So, after my junior year, we went to Washington DC to visit MSSD. My father liked what he heard about MSSD during open house. He did let me go to MSSD for my senior year. For once in my lifetime, I was so happy I could experience a Deaf school! It was a hard year for me, but that's another story!

Now, I am here at Gallaudet for my second semester! I am hoping to get my MA in ASL/English Bilingual Deaf Education. I also want to minor in Linguistics. My prediction of why we will use blogs is so we can discuss about a topic and write about it! It is used to share opinions and learn from other people's perspective. =D