You know the saying you learn something new every day? This week we found out how true this really is; no matter how well you think you know a person or place, there is always something that will surprise you. The scavenger hunt we participated in made us explore things like student life and research that goes on Seton Hall’s campus, but also made us investigate people and things we might not think about regularly.
For example we asked Professor Friere of our Spanish department what she thought of social media in this day and age, and we learned that despite the hardships that her family has gone through, social media has managed to bring them together even when they are miles apart.
We learned that there are people beyond Seton Hall that have opinions and thoughts they’d like to share, and that there are places right around the corner we may never have known existed, but now do.
We believe we exceeded expectations with this activity, but tweets from our classmates Liam, Kassidy, and Mary also caught our eye. Liam highlighted places off campus such as The True Salvage Cafe, which we are now dying to try, and people such as Shaunak Rajurkar for his very distinct passions in both business and music. Mary posted graphics that we thought really drew readers in and got them to read what she was saying. Our favorite was her tweet about New York City rooftops; it really showcases just how beautiful the city is.
One tweet we believed was extremely intriguing was Mary’s tweet about Seton Hall when it was older. She had mentioned that Seton Hall used to be a male-only school, and that each one of them had to wear the same hat every day! That was a tweet we responded to, “Wow this is so interesting. I hope it’s true… that would be quite a sight to see: the same hat on every single person every day. #twinning #Boll3422.”
Lastly, we agreed that Kassidy had an interesting tweet when she pictured an alum and how he used the tools that the business school in Jubilee has. Our response to that was, “This is so cool that an alum reflected back on his time here at Seton Hall and how he utilized the technology that the business school has! #smartie #Boll3422.”
One of the best parts of the project was all the different prompts we could use to formulate our tweets. We picked the ones that really let us get creative with our responses and the people we talked to.
School spirit was a fun one to do since our team is currently ranked 10th in the country!! “Fight fight fight for the blue and white! The Pirates took a 73-64 win over Providence this last Wednesday and are looking to take yet another W against DePaul next Wednesday, the 29th, to add to their 7-0 conference record. 🏀 Will you be there? #BleedBlue #Boll3422.”
We decided to branch out and figure out what our younger crowd here around campus like to hang out. “Ten-year-old Sadie of Maplewood, NJ says her favorite place to eat in South Orange is Tito’s Burritos. Her go to order is the nachos WITH guacamole🥑…and it has never looked so good! #titosburritos #Boll3422.”
After talking to the younger generation, we wanted to talk to a professor to find more out about them as well during this experiment. “Bringing her family closer even across international borders Professor Claudia Freire of our Spanish department said, “’My grandfather was kidnapped in El Salvador & the only way we knew he was still alive was because we got a call over FaceTime.’ #whysocialmedia #Boll3422.”
We found it interesting how students typically get their news. “’I get most of my news from Twitter! If it’s on at home I’ll watch it with my parents, or at the diner by my house!’ Kali Fino, 20, Psychology major #extraextra #boll342.”
There are endless amounts of beautiful views in South Orange to witness, “’My favorite view on campus is the top floor of the dorm Xavier. Being able to wake up and see the sun rise every day was something truly special.’ Alexa Vanderlinden, junior at Seton Hall #goodmorning #Boll3422.”
Finding out information about our campus may have been the most interesting parts of this experiment. “’Did you know it is a popular rumor on our campus that there are in fact underground tunnels that connect different buildings? It is claimed that when it snows, the paths where it melts on the green the fastest are where they are located!’ Caileigh Finnegan, junior at Seton Hall.”
“’Greek life if one of my favorite organizations to be a part of on campus, it brings so many men and women together raising money for great causes.’- Tempest Morrissey (pictures right), a junior communication major and sister of Alpha Gamma Delta #sisterhood #Boll3422.”
“Only 10.6 miles from our campus, Newark Liberty International Airport is at the disposal of SHU students’ fingertips. Whether it’s to set out on your next adventure or to get to home sweet home, EWR lets you jet away with the snap of your fingers! #travel #student #Boll3422.”
While completing this, we feel as though we discovered the power of social media. Twitter alone has allowed us to share the words of others and spread what they have to say about our little nook of the world here in South Orange. It was a challenge to get some people to participate or take their picture. For example, for the student on the street post, multiple students had to be asked before one agreed to get their picture taken and cooperate.
From Nicole's Perspective 