epigram newsletter vol 5 dec 2015

1

The first thing I want to express is that you

cannot miss this edition of Epigram. If this is

not the best edition of Epigram, it is one of the

best! The number of students that submitted

their work increases with each edition. Their

writing reflects their intellectual capability and

Read ing and Writ ing !

Special points of

interest:

Read original poems

Read interesting

abstracts

Read students’ essays

Enjoy Scary Stories

In this issue:

Welcome 1

Scary Stories 2-5

Discography Poems 6-11

Newscasts 12

Abstracts 13

Original Stories 14-16

Our Epigram

You are reading Volume 5 of UPR

Ponce’s English Department

EPIGRAM. This issue of Epigram is

dedicated to Reading and Writing as

building blocks for learning and

creative expression. You can also be

featured in our Epigram: Write

something original; Read something

interesting and react to it. Submit

your work. Enjoy!

- - - Professor Pier Angeli Le Compte

Publication of the English Department, University of Puerto Rico at Ponce November 2015 Volume 5, Issue 1

From the Office of the Chair

epigram

ESL (English as a Second Language) skills. I am

honored to head this department, but I am

even prouder to have a dedicated faculty that

has guided their students to achieve their goals.

The real heroes behind the success of Epigram

are the professors who motivate, guide, and

challenge their students to participate and that

have great faith in their talent. Of course, I

cannot forget the extremely hard work and

dedication of Prof. Pier LeCompte. Without

her dedication Epigram would still be a dream.

Thank you all!!!

I would also like to take this opportunity to

wish all a Happy Thanksgiving as well as Happy

Holidays. Please remember our campus reflects

our society. Many of us are fortunate to be able

to give thanks for many things, but we have

many students that are not as fortunate. So

next time you see a classmate, friend, or even a

stranger in need remember to give a helping

hand. Let us help make the world and Puerto

Rico a better place.

- - Professor Regino Megill, English Department Chair

2

Once upon a time there was a boy named Todd.

He had dark hair, brown eyes and loved to play with mud.

Todd was small and had ears like a mouse.

With his father, he traveled to see his new house.

“Dad, I miss mom”, Todd said.

“I miss her too, but your mom is dead”.

Arriving to their new house, Todd felt blue.

You see, the house was dusty and depressive to view.

“Sorry Todd, it’s all I could afford”.

Filled with sorrow his father divulged.

Todd sprinted to the house, so he could explore.

He sprinted to the basement and wondered some more.

In the basement, he found a little black box.

From it a rusty old book he took,

“Beware of the Glook” Todd read from the book

And from the first page on a note Todd gazed:

“Don’t finish the book or the Glook will graze”.

Todd was naive and did not care for the Glook.

You see, he wasn’t scared of a rusty old book.

“Todd, come help me unpack!” his father exclaimed.

Lucky was Todd he had things to arrange.

But, he still took the book and saved it for later.



When the night came and his father dreamt

He took the book and on his bed out loud he read.

“Beware of the Glook and don’t finish the book.

If you finish the book, you will see the Glook.

His bloody red face and his tongue split in two.

His claws and his horns are bloody red too.

His pale yellow eyes will paralyze you,

But before that happens he will play with his food.

Don’t Read the Book by: Abdón López, Honorary Mention in Scary Stories Competition

You will hear horrific scratches from his claws and his hoofs,

Letting you know that he will be there soon.

It will call your name and that’s the cue.

By that time, he will be watching you.

It will let you see what you love one last time,

But next time you’re alone it will be feeding time.

You have been warn, you have been shook,

But all hope is lost because you have finished the book”.



He went nighty night and stored the book in his pocket.

All was fine until he heard scratches from his closet.

Todd heard his name and he hid under his sheets,

And then decided to take a peek.

What he saw made him screech.

His father came and saw something under the sheets.

“There is something in my closet”,

A sound came from the sheets.

What he saw in the closet

Made him tremble and fell to his knees.

He saw Todd in the closet with no organs or heartbeat.

He looked to see who was on the bed,

But all he found was a rusty old book instead.

3

My Anatomy Professor

3rd Place Winner of Scary Story Contest by Nicole García González

It was a semester night and I was

heading towards my car when I

noticed I didn’t have my keys. So I

decided to return to the science

building to look for them. I felt a

presence behind me so I turned

around and it was the janitor. I

looked at his acne filled face, scabby

lips and yellow eyes, and I

remembered it was the janitor that

insulted me because I vomited on a

table in the tech room. I decided to

ignore him and continued to the

entrance of the building. He followed

me to the entrance and then

disappeared into the night.

Just as I entered the building I noticed

that there was an opened propane

tank in the hallway. I hurried to close

it before it became empty. Suddenly, I

got dizzy and I could see the floor

being covered by a thick, bubbling,

black liquid. I felt sick and started

shivering as I felled to my knees. I

could feel the lasagna I had for dinner

bubbling in my stomach going up my

throat gushing up and up while I was

shaking in cold sweat. Then I opened

my mouth and an endless sea of

blood came out. I could feel the

rotting chunks of decomposed meat

traveling through my tongue while I

was still shaking with black thick

liquid covering my knees and feet.

Out of nowhere I heard footsteps in

the puddles of the black liquid

and I looked up towards the

person and it was the janitor

who extended his arms to me.

Then as I extended my vomit-

filled hands I felt a pulsing pain

on my wrists. My vision faded

and it all went dark.

Next thing I knew I was

strapped to a bed and had cuts

on my wrists. Suddenly, I felt a

pulsing pain as if something

went through my flesh; I could

feel the skin being ripped off. I

screamed, as I felt someone

stabbing me; then I heard him

say, “I was supposed to be an

anatomy professor but the

university didn’t give me the job

because I wasn’t recommended

by anybody. So I’m dissecting

people with mental illnesses and

seeing what’s wrong with their

body”. I didn’t let him finish as I

screamed “I don’t have a mental

illness!” He said, “Bulimia is a

mental illness, I’ve kept track of

how many times you vomit a

day”. He then whispered to me,

“don’t worry, I have done this

many times before with other

college students; I know how

stress can get to you”. Just as I

was going to explain he hit me

and I lost consciousness.

I woke up and I was covered in

blood, and I had stiches all over

my body and a huge bloody cut

in the middle. The janitor came

into the room and told me that

I was right; I wasn’t bulimic; I

just had gastritis. And then he

got close to me and said “I’m

sorry, I know I was wrong but

I’m keeping you for my

research”, I was about to

scream but I couldn’t, “I forgot

to mention I ripped out your

vocal cords; now stand still, I’m

going to begin a new

experiment,” he said as he got

near me. He held me down and

pierced a needle through my

cheek and said “I’ll just sew

your lips since you have no use

for them and I just got a call; I

was hired as the new Anatomy

Professor …can’t wait to see

you in class.”

4

It was late at night. I had

just finished studying at the library

and was now walking towards the

parking lot when I heard a

bloodcurdling scream coming from

the university’s cafeteria. The

security guards were nowhere to be

found, like always. To my surprise,

the cafeteria door was open, so in

fear that someone was in trouble, I

gained some courage and decided to

investigate where the scream came

from. The lights were turned off so I

had to turn on my phone’s flashlight

to investigate what looked like an

empty cafeteria. And then I heard it

again, louder and more thunderous

than before. It was a girl calling for

help and what seemed like pots and

pans falling on the floor. At this

point I was sure the poor girl was

being abused, and even though I was

scared for my life, I opened the

kitchen door. If only I could forget

Tenderness B y C é s a r J . T o r r e s G u t i é r r e z ,

2 n d P l a c e w i n n e r o f S c a r y S t o r y C o n t e s t

her blood drenched face. She had all

her clothes ripped off; a rag loosely

wrapped around her mouth and was

tied down to the kitchen table. Her

eyes looked straight into mine like

an animal that wishes to be put out

of their misery. I was ready to dial

911 when suddenly I heard someone

rushing from the other room. I

quickly turned off my phone’s light,

grabbed one of the kitchen knives

and hid behind the open door while

the girl kept screaming in what

seemed to be an attempt to cover up

the noise I was making. I was

determined to save the girl’s life and

mine from this sadistic rapist. As

soon as I saw a gruesome shadow

entering the kitchen, without

hesitation I jabbed the knife into it.

When I heard their body hit the

floor, I ran to set the girl free. I

managed to cut the ropes around her

hands, but upon removing the rag

from her mouth she uttered those

dreadful words: “Behind you!” In a

fraction of a second I passed out.

Today I watch everyone at

the cafeteria through a crack in the

wall; they are all sitting shoving their

food down their throats without even

noticing I am held against my will in

this storage-like room. I am tied up,

unable to speak or abruptly move,

mainly due to the freezing

temperature. The other two here

seem to have no more will in them. I

don’t even know if they are

breathing! My only chance to get out

alive is for someone to notice that the

meatloaf looks way too familiar, and

decides to call the police.

5

Don’t Leave Me 1st Place of Scary Story Contest by Lourdes Montosa ENGL 3201

Why is Lilith always being bad?

She knows that if she keeps on

doing the things she does,

mommy and daddy will keep on

sending her away. She must not

miss me when she leaves! Maybe

she likes leaving because she can

do all the bad things she likes

where ever they take her. I keep

on trying to convince mommy to

let her come back home. When I

finally do convince her, they take

her away again really fast.

It all started when Lilith knocked

on the neighbor’s door and ran.

When Mr. Pritchard saw that

she left running, he ran after her

and she started screaming.

Daddy ran over to see what was

going on but at that very

moment, a horrible scream

broke everyone’s concentration.

When everyone rushed back to

the house, Mr. Prichard’s wife

was dead. Lilith said that she

was told to knock on the

door; she never said by who.

Another time, mommy found

her in my baby sister Rue’s

crib putting daddy’s razors in

between the baby’s fingers

and toes! But the last straw,

as if the last one wasn’t

enough, was when Lilith was

found in the bath tub with

baby Rue. If mommy hadn’t

walked into the bathroom,

Rue would be dead right

now.

After the bathroom incident,

mommy and daddy decided

to take Lilith far away. They

never told me where they

took her, but what I do

know is that I miss her so

much when she’s gone. I’m

not me when she’s gone. It’s

so weird though because, to

me, Lilith doesn’t do anything

wrong. I remember that

Lilith knocked on Mr.

Prichard’s door because I

told her to. That way I had

time for Mr. P to leave the

house and have Mrs.

Prichard all to myself. And,

when mommy found Lilith

in the crib with the baby, it

was because she was taking

the razors out of her toes,

not putting them in. I was

so mad because I wanted to

see the red stuff pour out

of the baby just like it

happened with Mrs. P! The

last time, I remember that

Lilith started screaming at

me was because I was

holding down the baby in

the water and when I finally

let go, mommy entered the

bathroom and saw her

holding Rue. To be sincere,

I don’t understand why

mommy and daddy think

Lilith is being bad. I guess

that being good is really not

good at all. All I know is

that I don’t want to get in

trouble; I’m a good girl.

It sucks that Lilith is gone

because when she leaves I

don’t have a helper. Oh

well, I guess I’ll just have to

go into mommy and daddy’s

bedroom tonight all alone.

6

Mr. Wrong

Poem based in the discography of Drake

By: José A. Rodríguez Ramírez

ENGL 4021 M06

They called me Mr. Wrong but I’m a 6 Man

always feeling Charged Up

I have No New Friends

just a 6 God

It’s like an unusual person

who has No Feelings about yesterday’s

newspaper;

now the new light of the sun

brought me the Best I Ever Had.

Now that I Changed Locations

I live in Some Other Places

where the weather has its Worst Behavior

I’drather be at 6pm in New York until it

changes

It’s Good, the life I have lived so far,

the Sunflower kept my favorite color;

Tony Montana should be the name to

Know Yourself and never be Satisfied.

This is a Part of Me Free Form Poem based on the discography of Katy Perry

By: Lely Ann Rivera Rosado Section M03 of Technical Writing

I don't know about you, but I consider myself as a "Califormia

Girl".

I don't know about you, but I always wanted to "Roar" my

name, strong and powerful.

I don't know if you love like I do, but I love "Unconditionally".

I don't know about you, but I am like a "Diamond" in the sky.

I don't know if you have experienced love, but I survived

"Psycho Love".

I don't know about you, but I experienced "True Love," and it

feels like "Walking on Air".

I don't know if you have a friend, but mine is special and "She's

So Creepy".

Discography Poems

These poems are based on the titles of songs of a particular artist or band

ENGLISH 4021

I don't know about you, but the color of my happiness is like a

"Dark Horse".

I don't know if you heard this before, but there is "Nothing

like the 1st time".

I don't know about you, but my days always are "Hot N'

Cold".

I don't know if you want to be on TV, but if I were on a TV

show, it will be called "Legends Never Die".

I don't know what life is for you, but for me is "Not Like the Movies".

I don't know if you need advice, but I want to remind you that

you can shine like a "Firework".

This has changed my life because I can’t spend time on the fun

activities I enjoy the most. But, my determination to succeed is

greater than the sacrifice and obstacles I have had to face.

Journey

Poem Based on the Discography of American Rock Band Journey

By: Norman Maldonado Benitez, 4021 M06

I feel about myself Just The Same Way you do

Livin’ in the City of Hope

Wanting to be in the Wheel in the Sky

Where the Lights shine all day long

My life is a show called Change for the Better

My past love Walks Like a Lady

But if you ask of my current love situation, you just Ask the Lonely

Nonetheless I’m a man and I’ll Send Her My Love eventually

I’m a person that works hard and Faithfully

My best friend and I went our Separate Ways…

…we are Worlds Apart

Life is a Chain Reaction of events and opportunities

My favorite colors are The Eyes of a Woman

And I know When You Love a Woman you’ll be there with Open Arms

I would change my name Any Way You Want It

And I would advise you to Be Good to Yourself and Don’t Stop Believin’

Come to me Poem based on the discography of: Shinee

By: Cristal L. Medina

I am falling into a deep "black hole" without you.

Please, "don't close the door" of your heart.

Come to me because with you I feel so "Alive".

Don't "Y.O.U" remember? You said I was your "Dream Girl". Your "Dynamite". Forget about "Lucifer", you are my future now.

I know our "Love still goes on", so don't give up on me. Our "Punch drunk love" is eternal.

I see it in the way your "perfect" "Green rain" eyes look at me. It makes the temperature of my body rise as "Fire".

Come to me and let me be your "Beautiful" "Juliette". Surrender to the "Music box" of our love and run away with me.

7

That’s just the woman in me

Taking chances

I am your Angel

All by myself,

Alone

Just walk away or be the man

Follow the map to my heart

Give me a world to believe in,

With Open arms

Love the color of my love

I met an angel that I hate and love

Will my heart go on?

If that is what it takes

I do not know

If we could start over,

I am alive

Love is all we need

Love can move mountains

A new day has come for Ave Maria

Love Me Back to Life Poem based on the discography of

Celine Dion

By: Karla M Rodríguez González

ENGL 4021 Section M06 Prof. LeCompte

“Everybody hurts”

When it is time to say “goodbye,”

But I can see in your “smile”

The “Things I’ll never say”

“Take me away” from “my world”

Because “nobody’s home”

And when I think of our love

I really “wish you were here”

It is not “too much to ask”

Remember “I’m with you”

Because in this “hot” summer

You are “the best damn thing” I’ll

ever knew.

I'm one of the Girls Of Summer,

because I am Amazing

and I feel like I'm Livin' On The Edge.

My ex-boyfriend is a Blind Man, Dude,

therefore my love situation is a Love In An

Elevator.

I'm located at a Pandora's Box where I'm Mov-

in' Out;

rather, I want to be on a Permanent Vacation

or to Fly Away From Here.

My best friend is Crazy and

my favorite color is Pink.

Definitely, I know that I Don't Want To Miss A

Thing,

even if the weather feels like Seasons of With-

er.

If my life was a television show, it would be

called Theme From Spider Man,

Considering that life to me is What It Takes.

The best advice I have to give is Dream On,

Just Push Play and Let The Music Do The Talk-

ing.

You may also call me Angel, Sweet Emotions

and preferably, Beautiful.

Conspiracy Freestyle Poem based on Eminem discography

Author: Gabriel Palmieri

I am the Monster, who acts with Loyalty. I

am like Toy Soldiers.

My past girlfriend makes me want to Puke.

There is Never Enough with my current girl

situation.

Currently at the D12 World I want to go to

the Rock City, where I can find Superman

my best friend.

My favorite color is White America, so

that’s why you know that the Cold Winds

Blows. The weather today my friend Its Ok.

If one day I have my own television show it

will be called My Name Is in which I am

Searching for a meaning in my life.

So the best advice I have to give is We All

Die One Day so do your best. So The Real

Slim Shady please stand up.

Summer Love Poem based on the discography

of Avril Lavigne

By: Lyan M. Núñez Rodríguez


Perspective Poem based on the discography

of Aerosmith

By: Angeliz Guzmán Ortiz


My Lonely Soul

Based on the discography of Tommy Torres

By: Krystal McDougall ; ENGL 4021 - M06

“Dear Tommy”, I am “Amelia”.

I really don’t know how to describe myself,

“I don’t know” who I am.

The only thing that I know is that I am a

woman with a “Broken heart”

Who lives near “The river”,

But wants to be in “Disneyland”.

“One more day”, “I am still here”,

Drinking “Wine for the heart” with my

friends

“Mariana and Angeline”.

“Today you go”, “Don’t say no”.

You are going to leave me with “The coat”

And my lonely soul.

8

When they ask me my gender, I say “So

What?

Because they should know I'm the "The Invisible Man".

I would go to the “Scatman's World”.

Because I would "Be Someone". Because everything would be colored in

"Pripri Scat".

Because my days would always be "Mambo Jambo".

Because "I Love Samba".

I would become "John Larkin".

So “Only You" would be my friend!

I want you to be my friend because you're a "Ballad of Love".

I say "Take Your Time". So you can "Shut Your Mouth and Open

Your Mind".

So you can come to my new world named "Scatman's World" and be my companion.

Come with me, and let's have a good time

and feel like "Ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop"!

Come With Me Based on Scatman John’s album

By: Roberto E. Martínez-Rodríguez


“The city” was alive the in the Singapore night.

Oh, how I wish I could be there tonight.

We just “Settle down” by the waves,

Black “Menswear” at 12 am, the memory

engrave,

You glanced at “Me” and I didn’t recognized

your face,

I know your eyes don’t look at other “Girls”

that way.

The day was warm.

The “Pressure” you felt, I felt it too, just like a

rainstorm.

And “You” whispered:

Shhh, “So far, it’s alright”,

But the “Woman” I knew before acts nothing

like you do

I sighed:

You act so strange, why don’t you just speak

your “Heart out”?

Your eyes spoke “Love me” beyond the night

sky.

Took three long years to realize I was “Falling

for you”

I feel like my current location is a Civil War…

The weather is like a November Rain but,

I have a best friend that is One in a Million

and

is always there for me.

Right know, my life is Pretty Tide Up…

If my life was a television show, it would be

called You’re Crazy…

I’m Mr. Brownstone, and I always feel So Fine

but,

Today, I feel this Appetite for Destruction

that I would rather be Yesterday…

I know that It’s So Easy to Say but,

If I could change my name, I’d change it to

Dead Horse... A poem based on the

discography of Coldplay Author: Reinaldo L Rivera-Figueroa

From songs I hear on sunny and rainy days,

to songs I hear when God puts a smile on my

face.

While I was in my place feeling bigger and

stronger,

I always told myself "help is just around the

corner".

I am a scientist, wanting to be up with the

birds.

I am a scientist, and Charlie Brown is my best

friend.

He's helped me through everything,

and always tells me "life is for living".

And even though my ex is a mayor minus,

my new love situation is us against the world,

against any crisis.

My dream is to one day have my own tv

show,

and it would be named "Square One," and I

would own it.

The whole set would be Yellow, like my fa-

vorite color, and my stage name would

be Mooie Ellebogen.

“July” Poem based on the discography of 1975

By: Natasha I. Román Ortiz


“My Current Truth” Poem based on the discography

of Guns n’ Roses

By: Josué Rodríguez Cintrón


Dreams

Based on the discography of The Weeknd

By: Carolina Camacho ; ENGL 4021 - M03

''The Morning'' came through ''The Hills''

An ''Angel'' came to me

On dark times outside the zone

He asked me ''What You Need''

''Pretty'' ''Shameless'' to admit

that ''the knowing'' it's in me

On ''The Weekend'' ''Wicked Games''

On the streets close to the end

"Real Life" is like this

''Ty Dolla Sign or Nah''

Give me something, and I’ll give you some-

thing

there are no “Angels” in my room.

Poem based on Lana del Rey

Discography

Aleysa Rodríguez M06

I am the woman, Carmen.

My favorite color is blue velvet.

Today I feel high by the beach.

My current location is at west coast.

The weather announces summertime sadness.

I describe myself as young and beautiful.

My ex-boyfriend is my black beauty.

I want to be at Brooklyn baby.

My best friend is American.

I do not want to be in this without-you

situation.

My best advice is that I am off to the races.

I know that this is what makes us girls.

My life it is like a honeymoon.

If my life were a television show, it would be

once upon a dream.

I would love to change my name for Hey

Delilah Hey.

9

All About Me Poem based on the discography of Chris Brown

By: José Luis Torres Rivera ENGL 4021 M06

I am a “Loyal” person

I feel “Super Human”

My television show would be called “Run it”

My ex-girlfriend takes “No Bullshit”

My best friend is “Forever”

Because my life for me is “Sweet love”

Changing my name to “New flame”

The best advice that I would give you “Turn up

the music”

Girl, our current situation is “Yeah 3x” but we

both know “I can transform you”

Because my location is “Next to you”

And I need to be “With you”.

I am an “Ave Maria”

“I Believe” miracles comes from the sky

Feeling like a “Penguin” without no idea

That love cannot be between a penguin and a

“Butterfly”.

I know “I Don’t Wanna Break”

But I am “Miles” away.

I want to be in this “Sea of Lovers” awake

And my best friend is “Burning Gold” trying

to open my eyes today.

This little “Bluebird” wants him to “Be My

Forever,”

But the weather has a “Tragedy”

Because the “Distance” will never end,

And my life is a “Bang, Bang, Bang”, is a ca-

tastrophe.

Now, the best advice I could give to myself

Is to try to “Trust” in a “Human” again

So I don’t have to go back to a shell

And change my name to “Run”, and pray not

to feel this pain again.

In these four corners and two sides

I’m here left alone in a dance party

Wanting to be like gold but…

I’m like fire, no one ever gets close

I wish I was a king for a day

To feel like a heroine

With ears to see and eyes to hear.

My mind says do it, remember it later…

Don’t say anything but…

The best thing there ever was,

Was my stupid ex-boyfriend but…

F%#k you! And don’t ever forget about me

Because baby, if you can’t hang

Then go, go, go like a fly

That’s were your actions will tell me

Your nickel ain’t worth my dime.

Now, I am alone and you will kill me

I wish I could say that “I’m free now”

But it’s almost November

And I still sleeping with sirens.

Count on Me Based on the discography of Bruno Mars

By: Nashalie Aponte ENGL 4021

You know that the other side is cold and crazy

So runaway baby

because I am young wild and free

and in the future a billionaire I will be

It will rain grenade

in this liquor store blues

while you are talking to the moon

I’ll be somewhere in Brooklyn

looking for you, only if I knew

I will make you my treasure

my heart is open for long distances.

I m a young girl that has a moonshine,

this is my love, just the way you are.

“The Lonely” Based on the discography of Christina Perri

By: Mariela Charlotten Silva (M06) 4021

My Life in Song Titles Inspired by the band Sleeping with Sirens

By: Karla M. Oquendo (M06) 4021

The Love of My Life

Poem based on the discography of Maroon 5

By: Fernando Vega Reyes 4021 M06

I’m “The Man Who Never Lied”

who describe my ex-girlfriend as a “Beautiful Goodbye”

you know that “I Can’t Lie,”

and I ran “Out of Goodbyes”

I’m a “Sugar” man

who has a “Secret”

and when I ride my car alone

I remember you and me in my old Chevrolet

I “Love Somebody,”

and I search for her in my “Maps”.

In my “Daylight” I want to see her body,

but she blocks me in her Facebook app.

My best friend who was my “Lucky Strike”

thinks that she is “The Sun” of my life,

and he knows that I want “One More Night,”

but he knows that I’m never get another opportunity in my life.

Finally, I want to tell you something you are the love of my life!

10

Last Thursday, September 3, 2015 a

conference about the University of

Medicine and Health Sciences in St.

Kitts was held in Room 117 of the

Academic Building Ruth Fortuño. The

conference was presented by Earl

Mainer, BA Senior Associate Director

of Admissions and Sean Powers, BA

Director of Admissions.

The entire student body could

participate in the conference, but it was

especially for students of the

Department of Biology who plan to

continue their graduate studies in

medicine. The University of Medicine

and Health Sciences offers two

curricula: the basic science curriculum

in which the student takes four to five

classes per quarter at an average of four

“Afire, Love”

By: Stephanie Enid Ortiz Ramírez a poem based on the discography of Ed Sheeran

An alive colorful “Tenerife Sea”

Surround my “Lego House” in “The City” With the man I want to “Give Me Love”

Forget “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You”

“So” “Runaway” baby, “Good Bye To You”

“I’m A Mess”, but I have real “Friend”

Specially “One” of “All The Stars” That “Wake Me Up” and say “Let It Out”

Remembering my “Homeless” heart

“I See Fire”, my heart “Thinking Out Loud”

I have a new beginning and “Afire Love”

End of my “Gold Rush” life

So I am going to change my name Call me now “Nina”, “Make It Rain”

Forget the past; “She” now has a new:LOVE

quarters; and the extended basic science

curriculum which provides less academic

demand because the student takes three

or four classes per quarter at an average

of five quarters.

The programs are quarterly as mentioned

above, which gives the student the

freedom to choose when they want to

begin graduate studies, providing three

classes start dates which are September,

January and May. The University program

has a total of ten semesters which are

divided as follows:

A) The first four semesters are in the

campus of the Caribbean island of St.

Kitts taking the basic classes

B) The fifth semester program takes

place in Portland, Maine where the

University of Medicine and Health

University of Medicine and Health Sciences in St. Kitts Conference

Report By: Maryangie Martinez ENGL 4021 L06

Sciences has facilities that provide

a clinical practice center with

virtual clinics utilizing human

simulators. Here the students are

assigned to physicians in actual

patient care settings at several

hospitals, clinics and office health

centers in and around the Portland

area.

C) In semesters six trough ten the

students are placed in clinical

rotations at one or more teaching

hospitals affiliated with the

University of Medicine and Health

Sciences throughout the United

States or Puerto Rico.

The University of Medicine and Health

Sciences in St. Kitts offers an option of

graduate studies close to home.

Everything is over

Based on the discography of Kelly Clarkson

Poem By: Sheilymar J. Rivera Santiago

ENGL4021-M06

Prof. Pier Angeli LeCompte Zambrana

“Run Run Run” “Mr. Know it all”

I don’t want your “Dark Side” anymore

“The Trouble with Love is”

That it “Takes You High”

But at the end it is all “Lies”

I do not feel “Haunted” or “Nostalgic”

With your memories

“You Can’t Win”

Because “The War is Over”

And I do not want to be

“Standing in Front of You”

Because I am free,

From now on you can call me

“Miss Independent”

11

Students of Basic English L27 had completed their community service

projects and decided they wanted to do more. Looking for ideas, some students found videos of children in other countries

who had received shoeboxes filled with different goodies. The students were moved by the happiness and gratitude they

saw on those videos.

The Department of Office Systems of UPRP sent an email to the whole university community promoting the

community service activity: Samaritan’s Purse International Relief which included collecting shoeboxes to be sent to

children in different parts of the world.

Send ing Shoeboxes With Love

B y : S t u d e n t s o f E n g l i s h 3 1 0 1 S e c t i o n L 2 7 o f P r o f . P i e r A n g e l i L e C o m p t e

This was the activity they were looking for.

On November 16, 2015 the Basic English

L27 students brought empty shoeboxes.

Small toys, basic necessities’ items, articles of clothing were collected by the students

and then organized.

The students took one class period to organize their boxes and write special

notes to the would-be-children-recipient

of the boxes.

This Christmas, they hope to bring a smile

to those who may have less.

I am blind and deaf-mute

I am a female aka She Wolf

But my soul feels like a Gypsy

Because I know I Can’t remember to

forget

My color is Back in Black

because my Ex If You Go

my TV Reality would be an Empire

because our love is The Torture

I always said that what is done is done

If I could change my name I will be

Rabid

The sun comes out nearly my

depression

but, IM HERE, because I want to be

with you

I leave you Madrid, but there is where

I want to be

The sun comes out always for a better

weather

for my Anthology of boy situations

But you my friend, you can count on

me

A Blind Feminist

Poem based on the discography of Shakira

by: Gabriela Enid Arizmendi Vélez

ENGL 4021 M03 I am the “Girl That You Love”,

The one that is “Far Too Young To Die”

The one with “Kaleidoscope Eyes”

I can say that “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”,

That our love was “Bittersweet”

Now we are just strangers with shared “Memories”

Today I can see a “New Perspective”

That I can be more than a “Casual Affair”

That there’s always “Time To Dance”

My best friend is “Pretty.Odd”

With her I feel that I’m “Too Weird To Live, Too Rare to Die”

Our friendship will “Always” last

I’m in the “Theatre Of Imagination”

Where the weather is a “Northern Downpour”

But I’m “Ready To Go” “Behind The Sea”

“The Green Gentlemen” remind me of my favorite color

I also think that the name “Sarah Smiles” will suit me best

Because I know “The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know”

I can imagine my life as a T.V Show

“Nine In The Afternoon” it should be called

Where I know “The Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press

Coverage”

For me life could be an “Open Happiness”

Or it can also be a “Hurricane”

But remember that we are the ones that choose how we want to live it.

There Is Always Something To Say When You Have A Loud Mind

Poem based on the discography of Panic! At The Disco

by: Veronica M. Garcia Ramirez ; M06

12

Internships and Student Exchanges:

Open doors to the world

By: Ashley Ann López; ENGL 4021 Section M06

2nd Scary Story Contest By: Dr. Lourdes Ortiz Soto

The Halloween Writing Contest Award Ceremony

was celebrated on October 29th, 2015 in front of

the English Department. The purpose of the

competition was to provide genuine opportunities

for students to demonstrate writing proficiency

through stories. The activity began with a welcome

speech and presentation of UPR authorities: Dr.

Leonardo Morales Tomasinni, Chancellor of our

institution; and Dr. José V. Madera Cabán, Dean of

Academic Affairs. Professor Regino Megill explained

the guidelines and procedure that was followed to

evaluate the stories. A panel of judges used a

validated writing rubric to evaluate the 18

submissions.

You can read the four award bone-chilling, heart-

stopping, nerve wrecking and mind twisting winning

scary stories in this issue. All of the participants

received a certificate of participation.

After the ceremony, the participants and the

audience had refreshments with the faculty

members (I must thank the faculty members of the

English Department for helping us raise the funds

needed for the prize money and refreshments!).

Finally, students wore witch hats and frightening

masks to take pictures at the photo booth. A

horrifying zombie, a wicked witch, and an evil tree

with a sinister skull and hairy tarantula adorned the

murky hallways. There were also webs and eight

legged creatures clinging from the walls. Pitch black

bats with bloody eyes observed their human preys.

Does that sound spooky enough?

Then, join us

NEXT YEAR at

our THIRD

HALLOWEEN

WRITING

CONTEST.

I DARE YOU!!!

By participating on internships or ex-

changes, students can benefit both

personally and professionally. Going to

an internship may be one of the best

decisions a student makes because it

opens many opportunities for the fu-

ture.

Rafael Rivera held a conference about

this topic in the conference hall in the

library on September 11, 2015. He

went to an internship in California this

past summer, and he talked about his

experiences and all the benefits that

came from his participation. Students

interested in the topic attended the

conference.

An internship is a work experience

done in local or foreign institutions.

The advantages of participating in one

is that it expands your knowledge,

provides expertise, exposes you to

new cultures, reaffirms your area of

interest, increases competitiveness and

you may get paid for it. It does not

matter what your field of study is be-

cause there are internships for every

possible area that may interest you.

When you go to an internship you gain

valuable work experience since it pro-

vides the opportunity to gain hands-on

work experience that you just cannot

get in the classroom. Companies are

willing to train student as interns and

give them the experience they would

need to get a job. This makes it much

easier to get a long-term job in the

future. An internship helps you to de-

cide if that is the right career for you; if

you are not sure, doing an internship is

a great way to try it out and test your

future career without committing and

find out if it is a career that will satisfy

you. It also helps you to gain confi-

dence; getting experience is a great

way to build your confidence. In addi-

tion, if you have an impressive resume,

you will be more confident in your

chances of securing a job. After you

have done an internship, if an inter-

viewer asks if you know how to do

something, you will be able to say

“absolutely".

We can realize how beneficial it is for

us to participate in an internship and

how this experience can contribute

greatly to our future because of all the

benefits that it brings us. Internships

open doors that otherwise you would

not be able to open. We should give

ourselves the opportunity to experi-

ence new things, especially if they are

as beneficial as an internship.

13

ab·stract noun \ˈab-ˌstraktˈ\

: a summary of points (as of a

writing) usually presented in

skeletal form; also : something

that summarizes or

concentrates the essentials of a

larger thing or several things

Taken from: http://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/abstract

and adolescents), symptom free intervals

occur. There are few or no mood

symptoms and last no longer than two

months. The symptoms are milder than

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD),

which is a more severe type of

depression characterized by a pervading

and persistent low mood and is a

disabling condition, but additional

symptoms involved in MDD may develop

during dysthymia and lead to a Major

Depressive Disorder diagnosis.

Moreover, the simultaneous presence of

these two disorders is known as a double

depression. For people who have non-

chronic major depression alone their

usual “baseline” mood is normal, while

Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD),

also known as Dysthymia is a chronic

(ongoing) type of depression in which a

person’s moods are regularly low and

gloomy most of the day. It is present for

most days over a period of no more than

two years in adults and at least one year

in children and adolescents. During this

two year period (one year for children

people with double depression may

have never known what a normal, non-

depressed mood is. Both disorders are

similar (and both are treatable) but they

are also distinct; with different patterns

of duration and severity. People with

dysthymia are able to maintain a higher

level of functionality than individuals

experiencing a Major Depressive

episode. Furthermore, it is important

to seek the necessary help to improve

the individual’s health and quality of life

because the effects of Dysthymia,

especially after two years, can have a

significant impact on an individual and

without the proper treatment it can

even worsen.

The Diagnostic and Statistical

Manual of Mental Disorders, in 2012,

describes Anxiety Disorders as a group of

disorders that share features of excessive

fear, anxiety, and related behavioral

disturbances. There are many types of

anxieties and they tend to depend on

objects or situations that induce fear,

avoidance behavior or an associated

thought or idea. For example; anxiety due

to separation from attached ones,

selective mutism, specific phobias like

social phobia, panic attacks and

generalized anxiety disorder among a few

others. These types of anxieties can be

identified in any individual or group in our

society; for example, one group that we

can observe are college students.

The Anxiety and Depression

Association of America, 2015, recognizes

that forty million adults in the United

States suffer from an anxiety disorder and

that 75 percent of them experience their

Anxiety Disorders among college students Abstract By: Maryan Vélez Rivera

Edited by: Prof. R. Megill ENGL INGL3191-M06

What is an

abstract?

first episode of anxiety by age 22

(average age of a college student). It is a

very common mental health disease

among college students.

The purpose of this study is

to identify the level and causes of

anxiety disorders among college

students at the University of Puerto

Rico at Ponce (UPR Ponce). The

participants will be classified as

freshman, sophomore, or senior and

area of studies. They will answer a

validated anxiety disorder

questionnaire. The results obtained will

help provide an insight to the possible

causes of anxiety among UPR Ponce

college students. This could provide the

necessary data to develop effective

techniques and methods to help manage

or prevent anxiety symptoms; and by

doing so will help prevent other mental

health conditions and improve students’

academic performance.

Dysthymia: Persistent

Depressive Disorder

INGL 3191-M06

By: Sofía Pérez Zapata

Edited by: Professor Megill

14

One fall evening, three

were three little pigs collecting

food to prepare for the long

winter. They had almost no

food stored, and they only had a

week left. After a little while,

they saw the wolf taking a huge

cart with lots of food to its cave.

The pigs begged the wolf to

share a small amount of food.

The wolf ignored them and

entered the cave. The pigs

continued on their search for

days but with no luck. The day

before winter, they planned to

enter the wolf’s cave and take a

small amount of food. During

the middle of the operation, the

wolf spotted them, and they

quickly fled with some food.

The wolf was mad, and it ran to

their houses. He blew away the

hay house and the wood one

from two of the piggies, but they

managed to escape. When he

went to the third one, he

couldn’t blow it away, so it put

some TNT around it. When it

was about to light the house,

one of the pigs ran out and said:

“Here have a Snickers bar that

will drive your hunger away.”

Then, the wolf calmed down,

and they shared the food they

all had for the rest of the

winter.

Moral: It’s good to

share with those who have

little or no food at all.

It is a man’s need

to admire thou,

for beauty we seek

we naturally do,

and thou, oh thou!

Exceeding us

for thy beauty goes

much further than

just the mere aesthetic.

For Her…by Maria Irizarry English 3251 Professor Torres

“A nobler want of man is served by nature, namely, the love of Beauty.”

The Three

Brothers and

the Wolf To thou virtuous creation,

to thou we plead

to never cease

to our eyes please.

Thy universal completion

is to be cherished

by every nation,

and every generation.

Some may scorn thou,

but always gracious

will we be, our dear,

mother nature.

Jean P. Ballester, Kiara Torres, and

Amanda Rodríguez 3101 Basic English

Dr. Lourdes Ortiz

15

A Beacon of Hope (STORIES THAT TEACH MORAL LESSONS!)

by Kevin Domínguez and Karla Marrero 3021 Oral and Written English Dr. Lourdes Ortiz

In a small town close to a city, lived

a ten year old girl named Claire with her

grandfather. Every night, Claire would ask

her grandpa to tell her a unique bedtime story

and each night the old man would share some

of his most exciting adventures from his

childhood. One night, little Claire went to bed

and waited eagerly for the storytelling to

begin. The old man said: “Tonight’s story will

be about an old friend that I shall never forget.

The first time I met him, he was nothing but a

skinny dirty little guy that seemed to have

been wondering the streets for some time.

Although he was mistrustful around people, he

and I became the best of friends. I am talking

about my old buddy Light the White Husky”.

Since the story was very interesting,

the little girl wanted to know more about

Light and so the grandfather carried on with

his story: “One day I was walking on my way

back home from school when out of the blue I

heard the worst cry I ever heard in my life. It

was coming from one of the back alleys near

the place I lived. When I stopped to take a

look, I saw a little pooch cramped against a

dumpster at the back of the alley. I tried to get

near him, but he growled at me. I felt bad

leering him there all alone. He seemed like he

was injured. If I wanted to help him, I was

going to need a better plan to get him to come

out. Suddenly, I got an idea and ran down to

the closest store on the block and bought some

sausages. When I got back, I simply placed

the meat gently near an open area close to the

dog and waited patiently until he felt safe

enough to come out. I thought he would take

the bait, but it mistrusted me. Five eternal

minutes had passed, hunger got the better of

him. I managed to get a pretty good look at

him after he came out of his hiding spot. He

was limping from his front paw, he also had a

few bumps and bruises, but the thing that

impressed me the most was how skinny he

looked. He had lost some of his hair, so I

could easily see his bones. It was just

painful. I chose to come by the alley

every day to feed the skinny husky runt

until he eventually trusted me. One day

I went down town to see him, but he

was nowhere to be seen. I searched for

him all day and couldn’t find him. It

made me very sad at first, but then a

thought occurred to me. Maybe his

owner found him. A month went by, yet

that didn’t stop me from going to the

alley everyday with hopes of seeing

him again. Four months passed after his

disappearance, my memory of him was

starting to get blurry until it was at the

brink of fading away. On a dark winter

night, I had a weird sensation in the pit

of my stomach, so I decided to go

downtown to see if my friend had come

back. I was too worried that he

might’ve been somewhere outside

exposed to the weather; I wasn’t going

to let him die because of the cold in the

massive blizzard. I couldn’t see very

well due to all the snow, so I tried very

hard not to lose my way to the alley, but

the storm was way too strong and it

eventually covered me. There was

nobody around at this time, the

townspeople knew a blizzard was

coming and took extreme measures to

take shelter inside their homes. I was

trapped and my legs felt numb, I

couldn’t move underneath the two

meters of white flakes. I was feeling

tired and lonely; however, I couldn’t let

myself fall to sleep because doing so

would’ve resulted never waking up

again. As time passed, the storm was

slowly going away until it finally

subsided. I started to see a small glare

of light above all of the mass of snow. I

was probably imagining things since I

was on the edge of passing out. I looked

closer and saw my friend, which I was

searching for this whole time. He was

desperately trying to get me out from

the shivering snow with his paws. The

townspeople were searching for me for

a long time. Because they had high

hopes of finding me, they weren’t

going to give up on the search. They

had placed their trust on the brave

husky’s nose in the attempt of tracking

me down. Thankfully, they arrived on

time before I turned into a complete

icicle. I felt as if he was returning me

the favor for saving his life. It was an

unexpected rescue. I later learned that a

couple had fallen in love with the stray

puppy and decided to rescue him from

the streets. He was later named Light

after his valiant rescue. If it weren’t for

him, I wouldn’t be here telling you this

story”. And so that night, Claire learned

that sometimes help can come from the

most unexpected places, something that

might mean nothing to you can mean

the world to another.

Moral lesson:

We should always try to help those in

need without expecting anything in

return. We’ll never know when we’ll be

the ones that need that gentle nudge to

help us move forward. Also, hope is the

most important trait the townspeople

had when they searched for the little

boy. They never gave up because they

knew that they would find the boy with

husky’s help.

16

Felicity and her Seven Man Crew Joyce Vélez, Gabriela Colón, Melissa Ocasio, Doliany Velázquez, and Jeremy Velázquez

3101 Basic English Dr. Lourdes Ortiz

Felicity was the governor’s only child. She was

the girl everyone wanted to be, but that all

changed when she lost her mother in a car

accident. She became cold towards her family

and friends, and she started to get into trouble

just to forget everything. One day, when she

was about to rob a bank, seven men walked in.

They were all dressed in black and carried

guns. Five of the seven men went into the

vault to take the money, and the other two

stayed behind to be the lookouts. When it was

time to go, they took Felicity with them.

Felicity did everything to escape, but they

cuffed her hands, bound her feet together with

rope and put tape in her mouth. They took her

to a secluded area in the woods. Months

passed and she was still with them. As time

went by, they grew fond of each other and

became friends. During the day they went to

the city to rob and at night they went to the

city to have a good time. Felicity noticed that

her father hadn’t given up on finding her. She

saw a missing persons flyer, and she saw how

much she had changed during the time. In the

photo she had blonde hair and now it was

black as night. Her eyes had a sparkle of

innocence, and now they were void of any

emotion. One of the guys noticed her staring

at her old self and went to comfort her. Out of

the seven of them he was the only one who

had grown really close to her. Later on, they

went to the little cottage in the woods. There

they were having a bonfire, and she heard

some noises coming from inside the cottage.

She instantly got up and went to check it out,

but she didn’t tell the guys. She got her gun

out, and when she opened the door, she heard

the sound of the gun being fired, but she didn’t

remember if she pulled the trigger. When the

guys heard the gun sho,t they all got up and

ran towards the cottage. They found Felicity

on the ground losing a lot of blood. It all

happened in a blink of an eye, someone picked

her up and rushed to her the nearest hospital.

The only thing that went through Felicity’s

mind was her father. One of the nurses asked

her if she remembered her name. Felicity told

the nurse to contact the governor and tell him

that she had found his daughter. When

the governor heard the news, he rushed

to the hospital and found Felicity looking

as white as snow. When Felicity opened

her eyes, she apologized to her father.

After talking to his daughter for a while,

the governor walked out and thanked

the nurse for finding his daughter.

Felicity was staring at the ceiling when

someone walked in. When she looked

into the eyes of the man, everything

stopped, and it was like if they were the

only people in the world. The guy was

stunned because that had never

happened to him. He wanted to ask her

if she felt the same, but he remained

quite. Felicity watched him the entire

time he was checking her vitals. Once

he left, she asked a nurse to bring in the

seven guys that were with her. They all

came in, and she started telling them

what had just happened with the man

that came in. The guys were shocked

for a few seconds because she never

had felt comfortable enough to talk to

them about men. They had never seen

her talk about someone with excitement.

They made it their mission to find this

mystery man. A couple of days passed,

and Felicity never saw the mystery guy

ever again. She had given up hope after

the first day of searching for him. Even

her father was trying to find him. A year

had passed, but Felicity was still thinking

of that guy. On her way home, she

bumped into someone. When she

looked up it was the same guy from the

hospital. She was stunned when he

asked her if she wanted coffee. They

went to a nearby coffee shop and talked

for hours. When she stood up to leave,

he grabbed her hand and hugged her.

She had never felt more alive and happy

in that moment with him. Now, she had

to decide whether to stay with the seven

guys or live happily ever after with

prince charming.

One upon a time, there

was a girl that had a lot of Instagram

followers because she was so beau-

tiful. She had seven older brothers.

One day, when she was reading the

comments on her latest post, she

noticed a string of gruesome com-

ments from a user called

@The_Evil_Queen. This chick was

very jealous of @Snow.White be-

cause she was more beautiful than

the queen. @The_Evil_Queen

hired @The_Hunter4, so he could

hack the account of @Snow.White.

After @Snow.White’s account was

hacked, Snow.White became very

sad. Her seven brothers decided to

help their sister to feel better.

They went and searched for a pro-

grammer that could help recover

the account for her. When the

programmer met @Snow.White,

he immediately fell in love with her.

Once he recovered the account he

asked her to follow him on Insta-

gram with the username of @The-

Prince-Charming. Time went by

and they started to get to know

each other. The eventually fell in

love, “like by like, “comment by

comment”. After wards, the

@The_Evil_Queen’s account was

banned, and she was never seen on

Instagram again.

The moral lesson is not to use

internet to bully people because

what comes around goes around!

Snow White (a modern story)

Jocelyn Rivera, Karina Santiago, Aileen Santiago,

and Jennifer Hernández


17

Rewarding Children with Candy or Desserts is

an Unfortunate Habit of Many Parents By José Martínez Morales, Stephannie M. Rodríguez Rojas and

Yarianna Moreno Rivera

ENGLISH 3202 Professor Torres

When parents teach their children that

candy or sweets desserts are awards

earned by some certain act or behavior,

they’re teaching them that any action

they do will have an award for it, in this

case, food. This habit can cause

problems with children’s behavior,

because parents are teaching their kids

to be greedy and even selfish. The day

when they do not receive candy or

desserts for something, they’ll be

annoyed, mean and irritable.

Fortunately, this bad habit can be fixed

with time, by talking and teaching the

children to eat less candy, and if they

eat, only when it is not for an award,

asking for them gently. This could help

decrease their chances of being

overweight and of developing diabetes.

As many other types of food sources,

candy and desserts have a significant

source of calories. Many of the candy

and desserts manufactured recently are

composed of processed sugars, high

fructose corn syrup and other

ingredients stated to trigger obesity.

This high calorie food source can

change a healthy diet and turn it into a

high carbohydrate, high fat and

dangerous for children’s health. These

types of bad diets enhances the

production of adipose tissues on

children’s bodies. This energy is stored

and, consequently, not used. That

results in anatomical changes,

increasing weight, reducing mobility

and making children less active than

normal. For many active children, a

healthy diet supports all their daily

needs, but in children with a bad

diet can result into bad changes

for their body and metabolism.

Overweight children tend to be

less active and more receptive to

reject physical activities like

walking or even running. So, it is

important to control the

consumption amount of candy

and desserts children ingest in

order to avoid and prevent

obesity, and health conditions

associated with it.

Giving too much candy and

desserts could lead other health

problems like the development of

diabetes. Diabetes is a condition

where insulin cannot work

properly, leading to a high sugar

count in our blood. This disorder

of carbohydrate metabolism has

serious consequences like

constant urination, sugar spikes

and lows, and having to take pills

for the rest of the person’s life. If

this condition is not controlled, it

could lead to a coma, amputation

of a limb and even early death.

Parents that want to reward their

children should really think twice

before giving them these sugary

delights.

Once upon a time, in

a rare and scary kingdom.

There were strange crea-

tures and people. One day a

girl was playing with a golden

magical ball. She threw the

ball really hard, and the ball

fell into a water well. She

was concerned because she

did not know what evil magic

the ball would unravel. Then,

a frog appeared in the water

well. The frog told her that

if she kissed him, he would

jump back into the well and

fetch the ball for her. She

was thinking about the deal.

After thinking for several

minutes, she determined that

it was okay to kiss the frog.

She kissed the frog and in-

stantly the frog turned into a

human. He ran away and

never got the golden magical

ball for the girl.

The moral of the story is

never trust

anyone.

The Frog Prince

Solange Montalvo, Johanelis Román,

Bryan Torres, and José Julián Díaz


18

Second Reading Marathom by Dr. Lourdes Ortiz

The reading marathon is an international event that takes place during the first week of

September. The English Department of the University of Puerto Rico at Ponce celebrated the 2nd Reading Marathon: Reading Opens Pathways on September 8, 2015 in front of the Student Deanship Building. The purpose of the marathon was to provide authentic reading

opportunities for the college community to come together in a stress free environment and

read for mere pleasure.

The Chancellor of our institution, Dr. Leonardo Morales Tomasinni; the Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. José V. Madera Cabán; and the Dean of Student Affairs, Mrs. Acmin Rivera

Velázquez joined us during the activity. They posed for pictures with the coordinators, Dr. Lourdes Ortiz, and Professor Pier LeCompte; faculty members, and Chairperson of the

English Department, Professor Regino Megill Segarra.

The shade of tall trees, fresh green grass, and cool gusts of wind created an optimal environment that would inspire anyone to grab a good book and read. A nutritious snack bar was located in an area where readers took ten minute breaks to munch on crispy red and

green apples, juicy grapes, sweet pears, fruit bars, and mixed nuts. Ice cold water bottles and

fruit juice was also served.

There was a variety of books in ENGLISH available on tables. A table with loaned books

included chapter books, journals, magazines, novels, fiction books, cookbooks, and comic books. Students from different academic concentrations were interested in the donated books table where science journals, English literature, poetry books and issues of Time

magazine were among the preferred books. Students who brought their tablets or mobile

phones had wifi to access an array of reading materials through the Moodle Marathon page.

While the participants read, the coordinators; Dr. Lourdes Ortiz and Professor Pier LeCompte distributed bookmarks, fans, and programs. A giant thermometer was used to

register the total of pages, chapters, and books, read during the marathon. Over 100

participants read over 200 selections proving reading is both enlightening and enjoyable!!!

19

Second Reading Marathom by Dr. Lourdes Ortiz

READ!

20

ENGLISH PROFESSORS H AVE CLASS !

The Funnies

Address:

University of Puerto Rico at Ponce

English Department

P.O. Box 7186

Ponce , PR 00732

Phone:

(787) 844-8181 Extension: 2325

Webpage:

www.uprp.edu

Contact Us :

Being a grammar nerd and writer is quite a lot of fun. Until, that is, you get on Facebook and see the atrocities that people

have inflicted on the English language. Don’t worry; there is a perfect way to comfort the grammar nerd in your life.

But, just what do you say when comforting a grammar nerd? There, their, they’re.

Language Bloopers, Blunders, Mistakes, Slip-ups, Mix-ups, Errors, and Gaffes

This is the section in EPIGRAM where we share with you common mistakes sometimes funny, sometimes embarrassing, and many

times unforgivable -that people make while trying to communicate in English. In this installment we share an example of FAULTY

TRANSLATION. If you think that anybody can translate anything using Google Translation or Babel Fish , you are VERY, VERY

WRONG!

One of our professors shares this anecdote:

“A student once told me that she was eager to meet her future mother-in-law in the United States. The student confessed that she

was not proficient in English. Her soon to be husband mentioned that his mother was about to retire.

Two weeks later, my student was worried because her future mother-in-law was upset with her, and she didn’t know why.

When I asked my student what had happened, she said that she sent her future mother-in-law a sympathy card, but worst of all

the cover of the card was loaded with Chrysanthemums!”

Explanation: sympathy is a false cognate; it means to express sorrow or grief for a loss.

Chrysanthemums are flowers used in funerals.

See if you can decipher the hidden

message in this phrase:

Command Joy Nussin Lot Suffun

epigram newsletter vol 5 dec 2015

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