Kristin Rubisch

As an almost-second-semester graduate student, I have learned some really unexpected things about graduate school. Sadly, not all of these things are good. Many of these lessons weren't quite taught by professors, but were garnered from other experiences during my time. Even so, I wish I had known them when I was applying to and selecting a graduate school.

That being said, I am sharing these thoughts to help you to make a more informed decision on where to apply and where to go - straight from a graduate student's (and not a faculty's) mouth.

Two Alfred University students broke into West Side Wine and Spirits at 2:30 a.m. on April 29.

Surveillance videos from the liquor store show two males breaking in through the back door of the store, using their cell phones as flashlights. One of the students was seen on the tapes taking several bottles from the shelves and placing them in a bag he carried. An officer later confirmed that these were bottles of rum. The other man approached the counter and stole a folder containing confiscated ID's before they vacated the store.

Over one year ago, I wrote my first “What the (blank) is going on in (Blank)?” article.

That first article, published on Feb. 9, 2009, touched on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since then, I have covered current conflicts from Algeria to Zimbabwe (and everything in between) for a total of 16 articles within this column. That does not include the spoof issue article or this current issue’s.

In my final piece for this column, I want to touch upon a few important things to remember when studying active conflicts.

Alumnus Doug Kass will speak at this year's commencement ceremony on May 15 at 10 a.m. in McLane Center.

Several events have been scheduled for the days between the last day of examinations and commencement for seniors and graduate students.

Comedian Rob Paravonian will be performing on May 10 at 10 p.m. in the Knight Club. Paravonian, who has performed in Alfred before, combines stand-up comedy and musical performance. His best-known skit is Pachelbel's Rant, a commentary on the overuse of one specific chord progression. He has also appeared on Comedy Central and written several songs for cartoon shows. This will be a free event.

Uncle Alfred's Sub Shop opened this past Thursday at 17 North Main Street.

Ellen Odell is a first-time business owner and was inspired by her aunt, who owns a similar shop in Geneseo called Aunt Cookie's. Odell told several members of the Fiat Lux staff that her aunt had a location here in Alfred in the 70's, but it closed. She decided to open the sub shop when she saw the small variety of dining venues in the community.

Algeria is perhaps one of the most unclear and peculiar conflict cases in recent history. Despite increasing economic stability as a result of their large oil and natural gas reserves, there is still turmoil within this North African nation. Unfortunately, the Algerian government is accused of hiding information from the international community and suppressing dissenting media; this results in some lack or even fabrication of evidence in certain situations that must be kept in mind.

America's pastime has started its season and fanatics around the country are settling into several months of baseball bliss. I’ve personally been watching baseball as long as I can remember and have started shaping my predictions for the season, keeping in mind that all of these choices are subject to change, particularly after the All Star break. The readers should also be aware (if they aren’t already) that the author is more versed in the National League than the American League and that she is a St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Merrill Field has been connected to MRSA infections among university athletes.

MRSA, or Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, is a severe antibiotic-resistant version of the more common staph infection. Caused by a bacteria, it is characterized by skin lesions that resemble boils or abscesses and is spread by skin-to-skin contact and contact with contaminated equipment.

Merrill Field, like any inanimate object, can become a repository for the bacteria, but it must first be contaminated.

The conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir is one that has a serious impact on every person in the world; both of these countries have nuclear capacity, so a solution to this territorial dispute is critical to global stability.