Source: http://dft.ba/-5EUb

As the last finals week of my freshmen year drones on, I’ve noticed how I slow down while dealing with endings. Nostalgia swarms in and my movements become sluggish. My dorm has been undressed to it’s original state and with blank walls comes rapid thought.

Memories of how my school hallways went from poorly lit, stuffy spaces to the tree-lined streets of Milwaukee.

The first meetings and fascination with interesting personalities. Growing confidence and gaining independence.

Loss, waiting, and incredibly difficult choices.

Multiple failures and steps towards improvement. Lessons from fascinating professors that have helped me gain an open mind.

Figuring out what I want, who I want to be around, and where I should be headed. Knowing my plans can and will change.

It’s hard knowing what to make of endings, especially less permanent ones like this. Yes, I have regrets. But I’m using them as motivation. It’s is a better alternative to the “#yolo #noregretz” attitude that encompasses my Facebook feed.

It’s been a pleasure writing on the College Life blog this year. If you’d like to follow my work this summer, you can follow me on Twitter @nataliewickman and visit my website for blog posts and freelance articles. Have a wonderful summer.

I still remember move-in day. My first college meal. That awkward square dance where I can assure I did not meet my husband. My first college class. My first hot cookie night. The first time I felt comfortable on campus.

It’s important to reflect. It allows us to realize how far we’ve come. I learned how to pronounce all of the names of those weird buildings. Lanyards were put away, deep into our dressers, as if to forget how lame we were in the beginning. And I eventually navigated the public transit system.

I learned a lot this year. Not just about Milwaukee and college culture, but in my classes. I wrote a couple of posts, one about professor’s secret lives and one about guest speakers.

It’s been a great first year! Here’s a list of the things I could not have survived the year without:

1) My Macbook Pro

2) Hot cookie night at Cobeen

3) MU Fanatics shirt

4) iPhone

5) Post-its and highlighters

6) Spotify

7) Unlimited meal swipes

8) leggings

9) all of the new friends I’ve made

10) the promise of three more years to come…

Have a great summer!

The idea of exposing a little extra skin may seem a bit intimidating, but it can be a fun way to make a statement. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to have a perfect silhouette to rock a crop top!  You CAN wear a crop top without feeling too overexposed. Crop tops also add nice balance if you’re wearing high-waisted pants, shorts, or a maxi skirt. When pairing a crop top with high-waisted bottoms, but you don’t have to worry about feeling too self conscious about your belly. Wearing a crop top with high-waisted bottoms will show just the right amount of skin on your upper waist, and you won’t have to stress about any tummy rolls or food babies.

There’s a crop top out there for any occasion. If you’re looking for something more casual, opt for a breezy, flowy crop top. If you’re going out, it can be fun to pair a crop top with trousers or a skirt. You can also find crop tops with a deep back if you’re feeling daring enough to show a little extra skin.

Now that the weather finally feels like it’s warming up for good, crop tops are definitely on their way towards being season-appropriate. Make a statement this spring and upcoming summer by revealing a little skin and wearing a crop top. They’re also a fun option that’ll help keep you keep cool during summer music festivals.  The revived crop tops of 2013 definitely have a different look than back in the 9os: restructured with straps on the back, polished with collars, feminine with lace, and casual with chambray. Take a look at my top picks below and rock the one best suited for your occasion!

On The Celebs

Vanessa Hudgens

http://photos.posh24.com/p/1613189/z/celebrities_on_holiday/vanessa_hudgens_coachella_crop.jpg

Rihanna

http://www.sydney4women.com.au/wp-content/uploads/rihanna-long-hairabs-crop-top.jpg

Lacey Schwimmer http://www.newsgab.com/attachments/celebrity-pictures/389917d1302037885-lacey-schwimmer-light-burgundy-crop-top-gray-skirt-star-magazines-3rd-annual-all-hollywood-event-la-4-3-11-laceyschwimmer_star_magazine_3rd-annual_all_hollywood_event_la_040311_.jpg

Katy Perry http://www4.pictures.stylebistro.com/gi/Katy+Perry+Tops+Crop+Top+lNuxY9hFI1al.jpg

For Your Closet 

http://www.nastygal.com/product/dulcet-lace-crop-top/_/searchString/crop%20top

http://www.plndr.com/product/details?ProductID=231230&VendorCode=SDL&a=15696

http://www.threadsence.com/tiger-lily-chambray-crop-top-p-7187.html

http://www.motelrocks.com/shop/products/Motel-Fonda-Halter-Crop-Top-in-Cosmic-Boogie-Print.html

“Facebook me.”

Here’s how to make the livin’ easy

Sure, in Milwaukee we’re used to nine months of clouds, rain and snow. But for three months the gods decide to give this dreary city some sunshine–and suddenly Milwaukee transforms. Restaurants, bars and concerts instantly become more fun when you’re in shorts and tank tops. This summer, when the temperature heats up, throw on your flip flops, head off campus and have a great time in this quirky city.

Hints, HINTS & MORE HINTS

-The LIMOs still run in the summer.  Even though it’s warm out, stay safe!

-The summer is a great time to meet new friends in the Marquette community.  Since less people are here in the summer, you have more opportunity to get out of your regular crowd and hang out with your new neighbor or that kid from class.

-If your house or apartment doesn’t have air conditioning, make sure you find a friend who does!  It gets hot and humid.  If you can’t find friends with AC, head to Raynor, sprawl on a comfy chair and read that book you never got around to during the school year.

-Warning to new home and apartment renters:  You may not have television or Internet for the first few weeks of summer.  Be prepared to call Time Warner Cable before you move in, or to watch seasons of “The O.C.” or “Lost” on repeat.

-Biking is the easiest, cheapest and possibly fastest way to get around the city. For beginner bikers, ride on Wells Street and Kilbourn Avenue rather than Wisconsin Avenue.

-Party outside.  Come February, you will do anything to go back in time and drink wine on your balcony. But don’t leave your trash for neighbors to pick up.

-Treat yourself to outside brunch. Try The Wicked Hop in the Historic Third Ward.

-Unless you take summer classes, you won’t have homework. So take full advantage of the many happy hours downtown.

-Go out to eat at restaurants on the Milwaukee River. Try out Rustico for dollar slice pizza on Monday nights from 4 p.m. to close.

-Be prepared to spend money – but it’s all worth it.

-If possible, avoid the Rec Center after 5 p.m.  When everyone gets out of his or her jobs and internships it’s hard to find a good machine.

Go to Bradford Beach on Saturdays for the best people-watching in the city.  Even take a stab at volleyball, if you’re feeling adventurous.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

 After Newtown, we talked about gun control. After the fatal bus gang rape in Delhi, we talked about sexual assault. In 2010, after Marquette rescinded an offer of deanship to Seattle University professor Jodi O’Brien, we talked about Marquette’s LGBTQ community. We talked about what went wrong. We talked about how to make it right. And then we stopped. Because we thought we fixed the problem. Because three years had passed.

The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning community rests in a perplexing state on campus. The multiracial, multicultural, multidenominational group of Marquette students and faculty walk up and down Wisconsin Avenue as an integral part of Marquette. They aren’t defined by the one facet of their identity. One you may not even know about. But this small, proud community isn’t always treated with the level of respect Marquette and the Catholic identity calls upon the gold and blue community to exemplify.

According to the 2012 Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, 54 percent of the sample LGBTQ population says they had experienced discriminatory words, gestures or behaviors directed at people who identify by the same sexual orientation. The heterosexual population reported 29 percent.

The climate survey went deeper into the topic of diversity and inclusivity asking the Marquette community if they felt accepted or felt they belonged as an individual on campus. Seventy four percent of the heterosexual population agreed or strongly agreed with both statements, while 49 percent of the LGBTQ population agreed or strongly agreed. Words and looks may not wound, but they still sting. Imagine hearing the words: acceptance, diversity, inclusivity and respect when you took that first campus tour of Marquette. Knowing you would be proud to put on that Marquette T-shirt at your high school after sending in your acceptance the spring of your senior year, only to find out a summer later and a little into your freshman year you faced a community everyday where those words didn’t ring true 100 percent of the time.

Catholic Identity

Emily Wright sat sipping her coffee at the Brew in the Alumni Memorial Union while students passed waving hello and wishing each other a good morning. Two friends hugged and asked how each other’s weekend was. She explained that she did not come to Marquette because it was Catholic or Jesuit, but because of the focus on serving the community and loving the individual. While she has witnessed and understands the university has certain Catholic values they have to uphold, she sees a difference in the Catholic Church and the educational institution Marquette is.

“I think there is a difference between Jesuits and the Catholic Church and Catholic individuals as a whole,” Wright, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and president of Marquette’s Gender Sexuality Alliance, says. “Yes, it is a Catholic university but at the same time it is trying to be a college campus.” A campus that’s multi-denominational and multicultural.

“I feel Marquette doesn’t sell itself as a super conservative, small Christian campus, but is trying to sell itself as a diverse university and cultural accepting university.”

Marquette, as a Catholic, Jesuit university, strives to serve people from all walks of life. With part of the mission statement focusing on diversity and faith, the climate is religious in nature but geared toward advancing knowledge of those in its community. In its mission statement it says, “We must reach beyond traditional academic boundaries and embrace new and collaborative methods of teaching, learning, research and service in an inclusive environment that supports all of our members in reaching their fullest potential.”  This means all those who teach, learn, advise or partake in the communities within our community are to be treated inclusively.

At a university with students who come from urban, rural, conservative or liberal backgrounds, balancing faith and sexuality can be difficult. But university provost John Pauly believes it is not a matter of juggling the Catholic identity and growing LGBTQ community, or a matter of one only being able to exist without the other.

“Our Catholic social teachings insist on the fundamental dignity and worth of all human beings,” Pauly said in an email. “Our deepest Catholic commitment is to seeing ourselves as all God’s children.”

“The fundamental principle of Catholic social teaching is human solidarity. That means everybody.”

By its very nature of the word, “everybody” signifies inclusivity. But equal representation isn’t being felt on all ends of the spectrum.

Nicole Cunningham, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, is an active voice on campus. As the spokesperson for Marquette’s GSA and an ally for the GSA community since her freshman year, Cunningham has rode Marquette’s rollercoaster ride of progression and regression in creating a safe, comfortable home for the LGBTQ community.

The main snag in the line is that she doesn’t really see the Catholic identity meshing with the educational identity on this topic.

She understands the Catholic stance on sexual orientation. “It says it’s OK that you’re gay and identify as LGBTQ but you should practice celibacy,” Cunningham says. “Unfortunately that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.” According to Cunningham there is a big question of how to balance being both Catholic and an educational institution.

“Marquette has to decide what is going to happen and I don’t know if there is a way to reconcile with these two identities,” Cunningham says. “Yes, it is a Catholic institution, but at a higher education level it has the obligation to protect students and make them feel at home in a safe, reliable university.”

If you go up three floors to room 332 in the AMU you will find the Gender Sexuality Resource Center. With a table, receptionist desk and pamphlets of information on the Human Rights Campaign and a basket of HRC stickers and goodies, the environment welcomes all who enter. Just a few steps from the entrance and to the left is Susannah Bartlow’s office.

Bartlow is in her first year as director of the GSRC, a new space as of this year where students can have an open dialogue and find resources regarding human sexuality and gender identity. Bartlow says there are multiple elements of Catholic thought that create a Catholic identity, two of which are to be welcoming and inclusive. But Bartlow says it’s also important to remind ourselves, “We’re in a university, not a seminary.”

“We have a culturally Catholic identity and Catholic values are constantly being explored in an intellectual context,” she says. “It is the role of the university to create appropriate spaces to explore (other values), even if it is a contradiction.”

But outside of the Gender Sexuality Resource Center and GSA, the work of inclusion is hard at work, according to Pauly.

“The work of inclusion occurs multiple places on campus,” Pauly said. “It occurs when LGBTQ faculty and staff feel comfortable talking about who they are, when we straightforwardly discuss gender and sexuality issues in our classes and when we attend carefully to the special physical, social and spiritual needs of that community.”

Tension and progress

Words cut deep. Riley Hoerner, a junior in the College of Education and Style editor for the Marquette Journal, has been called a faggot, been verbally assaulted outside the 7/11 and had empty cigarette containers thrown at him from passing vehicles, but he doesn’t hide one part of many that makes him who he is: his sexuality.

“You do kinda just stop and wonder why exactly they are doing that,” Hoerner says. “Especially as someone who was raised Catholic and identifies with that religion and knows that the teachings say we are to be welcoming and accepting of everyone.”

Hoerner says he tends to look the other way when things like this happen. He doesn’t try and hide who he is. He sees Marquette as a welcoming and progressive university, for the most part.

“Most faculty and administration are welcoming,” he says, “and I don’t try to downplay who I am in class or at Marquette.”

In his high-heeled wedges, leather pants and vest, he senses tension. He isn’t the only one.

Wright and the GSA want to host a drag show in order to expand the organization’s reach to transgender students and begin educating the Marquette community and club members on something that can be fairly taboo within society.

“As a Catholic institution they have certain values they have to uphold and a drag show doesn’t mesh,” Wright says. “People will support, but there is always going to be that tension because of the Catholic teaching. That tension always exists. We are directly and indirectly limited in what we can accomplish.”

The organization walks on eggshells, but never quite reaches the point where they break.

It’s not just the drag show and programs the GSA would like to have. The tension is planted deep in the wounds of many students who were here three years ago this May. It’s when the Jodi O’Brien news broke.

In May of 2010 Marquette was criticized nationally, locally and even by its own students and faculty after it rescinded an offer of deanship for the College of Arts & Sciences to Jodi O’Brien, an openly gay professor at Seattle University.

Marquette said thedecision was based on concerns about O’Brien’s past writings on gender and sexuality and their compatibility with Marquette’s Catholic identity and mission. O’Brien is a lesbian scholar. At the time the university said the decision was in no way related to her sexual orientation.

Cunningham was a second semester freshman at the time the Jodi O’Brien bombshell dropped. It was one of the reasons why she wanted to transfer from Marquette come the end of the year.

“Everyone felt really angry and betrayed by the administration,” Cunningham says. “You feel the administration doesn’t have your back. It was really sickening.”

“It was mostly disturbing because Marquette has a nondiscrimination policy, but it was all tossed out the window, and it was like well, if Marquette isn’t going to protect this group of people, what does that mean?”

But with the setback came progress: the appearance of the Gender Sexuality Resource Center, the admittance of Vagina Monologues back on campus, the Laramie Project and the new extension of domestic partner benefits to staff who identify as LGBTQ.

“Marquette has worked harder not just to be inclusive but to signal its inclusiveness,” Pauly said.  “We have continued to hire LGBTQ faculty and staff, extended domestic partner benefits, strengthened our counseling and health services for students, begun building an LGBTQ alumni group, and created a Gender and Sexuality Resource Center whose design drew heavily upon the experience and advice of LGBTQ faculty, staff and alums.”

But even with these steps forward comes setbacks. As the university tries to appease many, it has found there is no set answer to any difficult question or problem.

The most recent? It happened only two months ago. Marquette pulled university sponsorship of FemSex in late February. The 12-week long workshop was held at the GSRC and aims at increasing student engagement in speaking about female sexuality. After further review by the university it was determined that the student-led program didn’t match the Center’s mission. The program is currently operating off-campus.

The bumpy road of Marquette’s history doesn’t end here. And it’s not just the administration with a history.

Marquette’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship was put on probation last summer after being accused of asking one of its former officers to step down due to his sexual orientation. The organization maintains that the student was asked to forgo his positions because of his views against celibacy, which opposes the group’s beliefs.

It was first labeled as a discrimination and harassment case. But it was later reduced to just a discrimination case.

Not everyone views the apparent tension in a negative light, per se.

“It’s an interesting tension,” the GSRC’s Bartlow says. “For me I don’t think of it as a contradiction, (but it) is a tension that people have to work through with trying to develop more conversation about the intersection of sexuality.”

Wright, who knows the student dismissed from InterVarsity and was a proponent of FemSex, said the university’s inconsistent stance on the LGBTQ is jarring. However, she appreciates when the university shows signs of progress–however minimal it might be.

“They have tried to change things, I feel like, to a degree,” Wright says. “They haven’t necessarily stopped us from doing things that we want to do and there hasn’t been a crackdown. But there is still tension.”

And when something goes awry and Marquette receives bad publicity, that’s typically when the change comes.

“They are trying to not look bad and made some concessions due to Jodi O’Brien and the negative vibe that was on campus,” Wright says. “So in all we are relatively progressive if you think about the production of the Laramie Project, panel discussions, the fact the GSRC exists. So, in those ways we have been progressive.”

The Future

As the university continues to aim for inclusiveness, students sense a stronger feeling of tolerance and acceptance from their peers.

“I really truly feel like a large majority of the student population is at least tolerant,” Cunningham says, “but obviously there is a difference between tolerance and acceptance.”

Hoerner says the future is difficult to predict. Yet he’s hopeful. “I think there is going to be much more visibility on campus,” he says. “I know there are LGBTQ students who are afraid to walk down the street, and one day they won’t be.”

“I know that off-handed comments still have the power to wound, and that we could all be more conscious of how we speak in one another’s presence,” Pauly said. “We are also learning to ignore the voices of prejudice.”

If the predicted progress is to happen, changes need to occur. And if Hoerner, Wright, Cunninghman and Pauly don’t agree on everything—they do agree students perhaps hold the answer.

See, this issue boils down to a few things: communication and educating the masses.

And the “masses,” are the masses of peers, friends or the morning Brew buddy who walk on Wisconsin Avenue.

“It really comes down to the students being supportive through discussion and realizing the resources we have at Marquette like the Gender Sexuality Resource Center,” Hoerner says.

Having support from the university is necessary. But having support from peers is vital.

“The biggest thing is that people have to speak out and tell administration what they think,” Cunningham says. “ It is ultimately the students that are really going to have to push forward.”

Cafe Benelux’s stained wood and Lowland European decor might make you feel like you’ve flown to Europe for your date, but its reasonably-priced dishes will remind you that you’re still benefiting from Milwaukee’s affordable dining scene. And with its selection of over 250 beers, you can’t go wrong in the beverage department. Order a sampler of four tiny beers to share if you can’t decide on one. ($10-19) 346 N. Broadway // 414-501-2500

The Anniversary: Buckley’s

Small but elegant Buckley’s restaurant is located near the lake in its charming 19th-century building. With a small menu offering a variety of dishes ranging from corned beef to hand-crafted pasta, Buckley’s is great if you’re not sure what kind of food you and your date want. And you can take comfort in the fact that it’s always really good. ($10-33) 801 N. Cass St. // 414-277-1111

The Second Date: Louise’s

With its American-influence and fresh twist on Italian cuisine, Louise’s restaurant mixes the basics of Italian cooking with non-traditional ingredients. Their ravioli is always a hit, which is a great non-messy date food. But a “Lady and the Tramp”-style spaghetti meal is always an option, too.  ($10-20) 801 N. Jefferson St.  // 414-273-4224

The Double Date: Izumi’s

This cozy sushi bar on the east side is welcoming, even if you’re not so into the whole raw fish thing. Besides boasting great sushi options, Izumi’s offers a full menu of fully-cooked meals and vegetarian options. Compare your chopsticks skills and order some edamame to share while your meal is prepared. ($18-36) 2150 N. Prospect Ave. // 414-271-5258

The Weeknight Date: The Comet Café

When you are finally seated at Comet Cafe (hopefully at the counter – and it’s worth the wait), embrace the diner atmosphere while you and your date eat classic sandwiches and entrées with a twist. Order a cupcake or slice of pie to share before you leave. ($8-12) 1947 N. Farwell Ave. // 414-273-7677

The Meet-the-Parents Date: Bosley on Brady

A popular Brady Street steak and seafood restaurant, Bosley on Brady offers Key West-inspired dishes in a bright, airy atmosphere that compliments the food and adds to the Florida feel.  Order the seafood symphony (it changes nightly) and end by sharing “the trio,” which includes three tiny desserts. ($18-36) 815 E. Brady St. // 414-727-7975

In the depths of the Union Sports Annex, students 

Weeknights after 9 p.m., the introverted Annex evolves into a gregarious buddy-buddy setting where the patrons are as upbeat as the jukebox, which is bound to be playing Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days.”  These are, in fact, just that: the glory days.  High-fives, laughs and cheers are contagious.  And a $3 “big ass” beer in hand is just as important as the bowling ball itself.

Welcome to the world of Marquette bowling—a weekday get-away.

So bowling and college kids you ask?  Doesn’t exactly seem like the match-up you’d expect.  Bowling was your uncle’s sport.  Or what you do at your little sister’s birthday party. It was for the two ends of the spectrum: the uncoordinated youth using bumpers, or those nearing their mid-life crisis. The image of a polyester shirt with your name embroidered over the pocket hasn’t exactly helped the sport’s image either.

Yet, bowling is America’s No. 1 participatory sport (according to the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America) and professional bowling is also a ratings hit on ESPN.  You’ll find plenty of college bowling teams–including some Division 1 schools.  So it’s no wonder the sport (with a long history in Milwaukee, by the way) is increasingly popular among college students.

“Bowling league is definitely picking up,” says Olivia Pintozzi, a senior in the College of Communication and member of Team Hob Knob.  “We are dedicated to the game… but getting everybody together on a weekday, it’s a good break and really what it’s about.”  There are twelve teams that bowl during the meets, and each team can have four bowlers roll on that night.  The league runs Monday through Friday nights and has become a niche for many students.

“Most people here are seniors,” says John Musech, a senior in the College of Business Administration and player for Team Soup Kitchen.  “Last year we didn’t know too much about it, but we heard you have to sign up early for senior year.”  Seniors make up the majority of the crowd, but not all of them are college seniors.

One senior—the kind who is actually eligible for Medicare and carries an AARP card—is a regular bowler at the Annex and supplies a youthful attitude when it comes to his enthusiasm for bowling. Doug, a resident of Milwaukee’s Humboldt Park, makes the 30-minute bus trek to the Annex to get his game on.  So what has made Doug a recurring Annex bowler for the last decade?  “It relieves stress … that’s why I keep coming back.” While he may be the oldest one in the room, his bowling attitude and emotion are as youthful as anyone there.  “He usually gives me high-fives when I get a spare, and sometimes gives me a kiss on the cheek when I get a strike,” Pintozzi boasts.

Beyond just getting love from the seniors, the women of Marquette also win in bowling regardless of their score as they can seamlessly transition from $3 big beers at the Annex to Murphy’s Irish Pub “ladies drink free” Wednesday nights. “Murph’s has ladies night after so it’s pretty huge,” Pintozzi says with a smile.

There is a face to every sport; Michael Jordan idealized basketball, Albert Pujols makes the modern baseball player while Pete Sampras defined tennis.  So who symbolizes the game of bowling?  He or she may eerily resemble the Big Lebowski.  The famous movie character portrayed by actor Jeff Bridges painted a picture that was 300 pounds large, with hair down to his shoulders, dark sunglasses and a face that hadn’t been cleaned in decades.  The most important characteristic of all, he had a giant pitcher of beer nearby at all times.

But the similarities between Marquette’s bowling league and the Big Lebowski bowling model really begin and end at that giant beer nearby at all times.

Knocking down pins followed by knocking down pints has actually become a tradition for the of-age bowling crews.

And most of the bowlers agree on one thing: the more you drink, the better the bowling goes.  In fact, some bowlers see drastic spikes in their bowling abilities after downing a few.  “By the third game, you are primed and ready to go—the more you drink, the better you play,” theorizes Charlotte O’Halloran, a senior in the College of Business Administration and bowler for Team Bub’s Nation.  It’s all part of the science that goes into weeknight bowling for college students.

If you bowl on Wednesday nights, be prepared to take on other elite squads including the likes of “The Beer Splits,” “Emilio Estevez,” “Split Happens” and “The Corn Ballers.”

Some team names are random word plays, but Nate Schulz, a senior in the College of Engineering, has a telling tale to his team name:  “I bowl with a bunch of engineers who lived on the fifth floor of Carpenter Tower [my] freshman year. Three guys were kicked out by Marquette (or dropped out pending being kicked out), two were suspended, two more were put on probation, and another two dropped out later due to grades. As a result, we called ourselves the ‘Filthy Fifth.’”

In terms of setting, the Annex has as close-knit a neighborhood feel as Mr. Rogers’ hometown—“the people always know the exact pair of shoes I like and most people know each other on a first name basis,” says O’Halloran.

D12’s “My Band,” Creed’s “One Last Breath” and every other song from your “NOW 9” album is fair game to be played at the alley.  And the competitive environment is only in talk, not typically practice. Sure, there are some bowling league champions that hang out at the Annex alley, but the majority can be described as “amateurs” on their best day.  Slipping and wiping out is not a rarity.  Especially after a few jumbo beers.

“Literally the funniest part is watching people wipe out,” Pintozzi says.  But  the best thing about it?  You’ll have twelve lanes of bowlers ready to cheer you on as you arise from your slip of shame.

Beyond beer, wipe-outs and friendships spurring, love is in the air at the Annex alley, weeknights, 9 to 11:30 p.m.  Seniors Brian Letke and Megan Brockman, who started dating thanks in part to their connection through the league, didn’t need Christian Mingle or eHarmony to find love: it was destined that they meet at the alley.  “We fell in love in a hopeless Annex,” Brockman admits.  Why did their love eventually bloom at the Annex?  “The Annex was our place because of the $3 tallboy beers on Wednesday nights. And possibly the nachos.”

So if you’re looking for fun and games, friendships, love, senior citizens, the alluring opportunity to win one of those cherished “Marquette intramural championship” T-shirts–or if you’re just seeking some cheap beer, the Marquette weeknight bowling league surely has a polyester shirt with your name embroidered on it to spare.

Now that the weather is finally starting to warm up, you’ve finally got a chance to show some skin without freezing your…legs…off. One trend that I’ve noticed is the high-slit maxi skirt, and I’m really liking it. The addition of a high slit on a floor-length maxi skirt will give you a sultry vibe but also a relaxed look. The subtle twist of exposing a little leg can easily be transitioned from day to night. Try pairing the skirt with a tee or simple tank top for the day, or a sheer chiffon or bold-patterned top for the night.

Since attention will be drawn to your legs and feet, feel free to be creative in your choice of footwear. Flats or sandals might be the best choice for daytime, and ankle-strap heels or wedges might be a fun choice for nighttime. What’s important is that you’re comfortable, especially if part of your maxi skirt is long enough to reach the floor. If you choose to go with a high heel and aren’t the best walker in heels, I would recommend wedges or a chunky heel simply because they will offer you more support.

What’s great about thigh-high maxi skirts is that they can be worn for casual or dressy events. You can look elegant in black, edgy in obmré, or summery in coral. So don’t be afraid to flaunt those killer legs and try out some of my top picks for the season.

On The Celebs 

Rachel Bilson  http://nubry.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Rachel-Bilson-High-Slit-Maxi-Skirt-Topshop.png

Solange Knowles and Zoe Kravitz http://www.fashionmate.in/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/solange-knowles-zoe0kravitz-high-slit-skirt-fashion-trends-2012.jpg

For Your Closet 

http://www.nastygal.com/product/slow-fade-maxi-skirt/_/searchString/skirt%20

http://www.tobi.com/product/49807-tobi-twisted-max-skirt?color_id=66961

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?Br=F21&Category=bottom&ProductID=2034679058&VariantID=

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=27378306&parentid=SEARCH+RESULTS

According to Style.com, chiffon fabric and peekaboo veiling is on the trend report for Spring 2013. I have been eyeing this a lot, too. Chiffon is a perfect fabric and texture for the warmer weather that is hopefully coming up. It flows, gives movement and provides an extra elegance to an outfit.

Chiffon is usually the fabric to use for chic blouses and flowing maxi skirts or dresses. I love a chiffon dress on a girl. Chiffon dresses always look so flattering on many different body types. The fabric is also very light and shows off movement, which is very fitting for the breezy Spring weather.

The see-through or ‘peekaboo’ trend is also very practical. A little see-through piece is edgy, yet can still be tasteful. I’ve seen many looks on the runway that help me draw inspiration.

Here are some chiffon pieces that have caught my eye:

Rochas Spring 2013 RTW. I really love this maxi skirt. Especially that it has a high-waist. It looks luscious, very light, and flow-y. Pairing this with a tank top or crop top could be a great outfit. (Image from Style.com)

Akris Spring 2013 RTW. These dresses could be worn for a night out. They’re edgy and they incorporate the chiffon (almost looking mesh) and a little peekaboo. (Image from Style.com)

An AllSaints look. I really love this whole outfit, especially the simple chiffon skirt. (Image from us.allsaints.com)

These are perfect Spring outfits that incorporate chiffon and peekaboos. (Images from nastygal.com)