Dave by the Bell
University Communication’s own Dave Blanks wanders the earth over in search of answers to all of life’s questions... great and small. Okay, so he mainly stays on Appalachian State University’s campus... he still wanders though... and he definitely wonders as he wanders. Listen for silly asides and revolutionary revelations. Priceless.
Episodes

Thursday May 11, 2023
047 What’s Next Graduate?
Thursday May 11, 2023
Thursday May 11, 2023
Dave fumbles about campus somehow managing to find a bunch of seniors who are about to graduate. Dave grills them on their plans for the future! It's every new graduate's dream come true!
Transcript:
Dave Blanks:
Hey friends, on this Dave by the Bell, I'm going to talk to seniors who are graduating and ask them what the heck they got planned next. Stick around, won't you?
Jenna Michalski:
I'm Jenna Michalski.
Dave Blanks:
You're graduating, correct?
Jenna Michalski:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
Congratulations.
Jenna Michalski:
Thank you.
Dave Blanks:
What have you been studying here at Appalachian State?
Jenna Michalski:
Commercial Photography Minor in English.
Dave Blanks:
Cool. So what do you plan to do with that? Be very creative, I would assume.
Jenna Michalski:
I'm trying to get paired with a video production company.
Dave Blanks:
Cool.
Jenna Michalski:
Either start off as an editor or some sort of an assistant.
Dave Blanks:
What are you doing on campus?
Jenna Michalski:
I have a final in about 30 minutes.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, snap. Are you ready for it?
Jenna Michalski:
Yeah, it's my last one so it's getting real.
Dave Blanks:
Is it sad?
Jenna Michalski:
A little bit.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, you liked App?
Jenna Michalski:
Yeah, I did.
Dave Blanks:
You could still be here. You could study more.
Jenna Michalski:
I'm good on that.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Well, you can at least come back and visit?
Jenna Michalski:
Yes, absolutely.
Dave Blanks:
Okay, please do that. All right. What about girl with a dog? Do you think she's a senior? Hey, excuse me. Are you a senior graduating?
Girl with a dog:
No.
Dave Blanks:
Do you have a dog? Hello, dog. Oh, my gosh. What a nice puppy you have. Well, have a good day.
Girl with a dog:
Thank you.
Dave Blanks:
All right, bye. That was a friendly dog. Anyway, still heading down toward the sign Founders Plaza. I see some people. There are people getting pictures over here. I knew it. You look like you're graduating.
Val Moscoso:
I am.
Dave Blanks:
All right, cool. What's your name?
Val Moscoso:
Well, I'm Val Moscoso. I'm graduating with Exercise Science and a minor in Psychology. I'm taking a gap year, but I will go into occupational therapy school.
Dave Blanks:
So what are you doing with your gap year?
Val Moscoso:
I think the goal is definitely to explore a little bit.
Dave Blanks:
Cool. Are we talking worldwide or are we talking US?
Val Moscoso:
Definitely worldwide. But I mean, I'll definitely start out slow with the US something.
Dave Blanks:
Sure.
Val Moscoso:
But yeah, I definitely want to go backpacking in Europe or something like that.
Dave Blanks:
Nice. I was going to say, what's one place that you've never been, that you're sure you'll go specifically.
Val Moscoso:
I definitely want to go to Italy at some point.
Dave Blanks:
Okay, all right.
Val Moscoso:
For sure though.
Dave Blanks:
I love it. All right. Well, Val, the sky's the limit and congratulations.
Val Moscoso:
Thank you so much.
Aru Hopper:
I'm Arou Hopper. I want to go to PA school, and I have to get a bunch of clinical hours for that. So I have a job lined up for me as a CNA, and I'll be working either in Charlotte or in Boone. I'm trying to figure out which one.
Dave Blanks:
Thank you for your time and congratulations. And you have a friend here as well. So what is your name?
Morgan Smith:
Morgan Smith.
Dave Blanks:
So Morgan, you're also graduating?
Morgan Smith:
I am.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Excellent. What are you graduating with a degree in?
Morgan Smith:
Exercise Science.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Same as this. Cool. Are you all headed like to ...
Morgan Smith:
We're heading to the same exam actually.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, no, wait. All right. Okay. When do you have to be there? How much time do you have?
Morgan Smith:
20 minutes.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. All right. You're good. All right. All right. So Morgan, what's next for you?
Morgan Smith:
Same thing, just working to get clinical hours after I graduate.
Dave Blanks:
Do you know where you're doing in your clinicals?
Morgan Smith:
I'm heading back home to do a CNA clinical back home. Kind of want to travel a little bit, so we'll see.
Dave Blanks:
Excellent. Well, you all, thank you so much.
Aru Hopper:
Thank you so much.
Morgan Smith:
Thank you.
Dave Blanks:
Very much. And please come back and visit us.
Morgan Smith:
Thank you.
Aru Hopper:
[inaudible 00:03:33].
Morgan Smith:
Appreciate it.
Dave Blanks:
All right. See you later. Are you a senior maybe?
Freshman:
Huh?
Dave Blanks:
Are you a senior?
Freshman:
I'm freshman.
Dave Blanks:
All right, man. Keep at it. He seemed like a freshman. We're in the student union now, looking for seniors. Is either one of yall a senior?
Foster:
We are.
Dave Blanks:
Can I ask you a question for my podcast?
Foster:
Of course.
Dave Blanks:
Real lighthearted. Okay, cool. Who are you, sir?
Foster:
My name's Foster.
Dave Blanks:
Cool.
Foster:
Like the beer or the child.
Dave Blanks:
And what is your name?
McKenzie:
McKenzie.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. So Foster and McKenzie. So Foster, what have you been studying here at App?
Foster:
I'm a Sociology major.
Dave Blanks:
Where's the next step for you? Where are you going with this?
Foster:
Oh, that's a great question. I'm actually doing an internship this summer with the courthouse, so we'll see if maybe local governments-
Dave Blanks:
Here in Watauga?
Foster:
Yep, absolutely. Here in Watauga.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, nice one. Cool. Well, thanks Foster. Hopefully we'll see you under good circumstances at the courthouse.
Foster:
Fingers crossed.
Dave Blanks:
Hope so. And what is your name again? I'm sorry.
McKenzie:
McKenzie.
Dave Blanks:
Okay, McKenzie. So what have you been studying? Also Sociology?
McKenzie:
Also sociology.
Dave Blanks:
I could have guessed. Where are you going after this?
McKenzie:
I enjoy that Sociology is very broad.
Dave Blanks:
It is.
McKenzie:
You know what I mean? So I feel like I can go into a bunch of different things.
Dave Blanks:
Right.
McKenzie:
But I do think HR is pretty interesting.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. I can't go into Crossroads because they're cranking music. I can't afford to pay for all that Dua Lipa. Excuse me, are you a senior by any chance?
Jana Bowman:
I am.
Dave Blanks:
You are?
Jana Bowman:
I'm Jana Bowman.
Dave Blanks:
Jana, how's it going?
Jana Bowman:
Good, how are you?
Dave Blanks:
I'm good. Where did you ... Did you get some at Cascades?
Jana Bowman:
No, I was coming from the Office of Community Engaged Leadership.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. Is that what you do at App when you're not studying things?
Jana Bowman:
Yeah, I hang out there all the time. I work there. I volunteer. It's just a great place to be. I always pitch it as like, if you care about anything, our office is a great place to be.
Dave Blanks:
If you care about anything.
Jana Bowman:
Anything at all. We do everything from voter engagement to environmental justice to volunteering with nonprofits in the community, leadership.
Dave Blanks:
What if you care about animals?
Jana Bowman:
Animals? We I'm pretty sure just did a day of service to the local animal shelter.
Dave Blanks:
Oh really? Oh, that's cool. I thought I was going to get you because you're naming all people stuff but yeah yeah.
Jana Bowman:
No, it's like I said. If you care about anything, our office is a really great place to be.
Dave Blanks:
All right. How do we find out more?
Jana Bowman:
The best ways to go to our office, which is I believe PSU 138. It's all the way at the end of the Union on the first floor.
Dave Blanks:
All right, cool. Well, thank you very much. So here's my actual question. So, you're graduating. What did you study here at App?
Jana Bowman:
I studied Sustainable Development.
Dave Blanks:
Do you feel like you've learned a lot?
Jana Bowman:
Yeah, definitely. I think specifically within my major, it shifted my entire mindset of how everything is connected. Because I think beforehand you just think about one problem and then another problem. But then within the Sustainable Development major, you kind of learn how everything is a feedback loop and how everything's connected and there are drivers and symptoms of problems, and that really helps you to understand how to fix the overall issue.
Dave Blanks:
Right, cool. What is next for you?
Jana Bowman:
I have a job actually working at a nonprofit in the triangle called The Hunt Institute. It's a nonprofit and they basically advocate for just really progressive public policy agendas for K through 12 education in North Carolina and nationally.
Dave Blanks:
Nice.
Jana Bowman:
I'm connecting policy makers and leaders in education and really just trying to get the conversations about how we can help schools and teachers and communities and kids.
Dave Blanks:
What a great mountaineer you are.
Jana Bowman:
Thank you.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, keep at it.
Jana Bowman:
Thank you.
Dave Blanks:
Man, I'm sure you'll do great things. I appreciate your time. And congratulations.
LA McGee:
I am LA McGee.
Dave Blanks:
LA, What did you study here at Appalachian State?
LA McGee:
Exercise Science. I'm actually moving to Wisconsin to work at an adventure resort as a raft guide.
Dave Blanks:
That sounds so cool. So what's the river that you'll be on?
LA McGee:
I honestly can't remember what it's called.
Dave Blanks:
No, shameful. How did you even get the gig? How did you get the job?
LA McGee:
I found it on a website called Cool Works.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Cool works with a C? Not like so cool that they have to spell it with a K.
LA McGee:
I know, they should do it that way honestly.
Dave Blanks:
Come on. Cool works. Let's listen to LA here. All right. So cool. So do you know anybody out there?
LA McGee:
I do not.
Dave Blanks:
Wow. Are you nervous?
LA McGee:
I am very nervous. I leave in three days.
Dave Blanks:
Oh my gosh. Have you finished all your exams?
LA McGee:
I'm actually about to finish one now.
Dave Blanks:
Good luck.
LA McGee:
Thank you.
Dave Blanks:
And we'll see you on the river.
LA McGee:
Perfect.
Dave Blanks:
All right, thanks. Well, I've actually managed to find a pretty good number of seniors. Hey, excuse me. Hey, are any of you all seniors who are about to graduate? You are? Can I ask you a question for my podcast?
Ivy Crist:
Okay.
Dave Blanks:
Is that okay?
Ivy Crist:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
All right, cool. So where are we? I'm in Club Hub. So what is this place?
Ivy Crist:
So Club Hub is a resource for clubs and organizations on campus. We have physical resources like outdoor games, board games. Then we also do funding for clubs through Club Council.
Dave Blanks:
Cool. Who are you? You're so informative.
Ivy Crist:
I'm Ivy Crist.
Dave Blanks:
All right, Ivy. So are you graduating? Thank you for that information about Club Hub. I appreciate that.
Ivy Crist:
I work here.
Dave Blanks:
Okay, all right. It makes sense that you're in here. What are you graduating with a degree in. What did you study here at App?
Ivy Crist:
Political science.
Dave Blanks:
So what does the future hold for you, Ivy?
Ivy Crist:
So I'm not entirely sure yet, but I would love to work for a non-profit. Not a specific mission, more just like advocacy.
Dave Blanks:
A voice for people who maybe aren't being heard.
Ivy Crist:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
So do you know geographically where that might occur?
Ivy Crist:
Probably to start somewhere in North Carolina or close.
Dave Blanks:
Keep it here. All right. Keep it in the state. Well, Ivy, thanks for your information. Thanks for your time, and congratulations on graduating.
Ivy Crist:
Yeah, of course. Thank you.
Dave Blanks:
I don't know why I'm in the student union. Most of the time I'm outside for these. Only in the student union when it's raining, but it's actually a really pretty day so maybe I'll just go back outside.
Excuse me. Are you a senior here at App by chance?
A Faculty Member:
No, I'm a faculty member.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, are you? For real? Oh, right. Well, I've been, most of the time when people say no, that means they're younger. So I'm like, well hang in there. But I mean, hang in there if you're grading stuff maybe.
A Faculty Member:
Grading, yeah.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Hang in there. I mean, a pretty good number of seniors. Right? A lot of me babbling to myself too. There's like a weird dinosaur shrine out here. Sort of weird. Looking for seniors. Maybe this is one. You know people ask me, Dave? No, they don't. Just kidding.
Lauren Niedzwiecki:
I'm Lauren Niedzwiecki.
Dave Blanks:
You're graduating?
Lauren Niedzwiecki:
Yes, I am.
Dave Blanks:
What have you been studying?
Lauren Niedzwiecki:
Biology with a concentration in Environmental Science.
Dave Blanks:
Cool. All right. So what has been the most memorable part of Biology here at Appalachian State?
Lauren Niedzwiecki:
Probably just the field work. I really love doing field work and being outside. That's really heightened my passion.
Dave Blanks:
Did you have a wow moment when you went out anywhere up here.
Lauren Niedzwiecki:
Probably just the New River. It's so abundant in species.
Dave Blanks:
Can you tell me where you're headed next?
Lauren Niedzwiecki:
I'm going to be working with the Watauga Riverkeeper.
Dave Blanks:
Nice.
Lauren Niedzwiecki:
So I'm very excited about that. And then I think the possibilities are endless from there.
Dave Blanks:
Absolutely. So are you from the area originally?
Lauren Niedzwiecki:
No, I'm from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina.
Dave Blanks:
Okay, all right. But you're sticking around here to work for Watauga Riverkeeper?
Lauren Niedzwiecki:
I am, yes.
Dave Blanks:
Cool. Well, we're happy you're staying.
Lauren Niedzwiecki:
Oh, thank you. I appreciate that.
Dave Blanks:
Absolutely. And congratulations.
Lauren Niedzwiecki:
Thank you. Yep.
Dave Blanks:
Gross. There's somebody's handkerchief. What an old time-y word. Hanky. All right, Yosef statue, don't let me down. I mean, where else? There's the Appalachian sign and the Yosef statue, right? Peacock traffic circle. Nobody's at Yosef.
Going through. Echo-ey. Free expression tunnel. Now I'm sweating. There's a person I can ask. Let's ask them. I see you have a name tag, Emily Pittman. So I'm Dave Blanks here. You can see on my name tag.
Emily Pittman:
I see it, yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Hey, nice to meet you too. So you're graduating as a grad student.
Emily Pittman:
Mmm-hmm.
Dave Blanks:
So what have you been studying here at App?
Emily Pittman:
Social Work.
Dave Blanks:
Okay, all right. So what part of society do you want to work with?
Emily Pittman:
I want to work with students.
Dave Blanks:
Okay.
Emily Pittman:
I really like working with other college students, so I'm excited to do that after graduation.
Dave Blanks:
Nice. Do you know where you're going to do it?
Emily Pittman:
Yes, I'm going to Elon University to work as an academic advisor.
Dave Blanks:
Well, Emily, thank you very much for your answer. I really appreciate it, and congrats on graduating.
Emily Pittman:
Thank you so much.
Dave Blanks:
Thanks, Emily. Oh, thank God. All right, I found the last one. I don't know why that had to be the last one, but mostly just because I'm tired of talking and walking. Congratulations seniors. We're proud of you. You'll always be mountaineers. You'll always have a place up here with us. Come back for homecoming. Come back for 4th of July, for whatever holiday, for all the holidays. I'm Dave Blanks. This has been Dave by the Bell. Bye.

Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
046 The Most Romantic Place on Campus
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
In this Valentine’s Day edition of Dave by the Bell, Dave and University Communications intern Madi chat it up with friendly passersby to get at the heart of this question — “What is the most romantic place on campus?”
Dave Blanks:
Hello, friends. I'm Dave Blanks from University Communications, and I was going to talk today about Valentine's Day. What we're going to do is ask students what the most romantic place in all of campus is. I was going to go see if Madi , our intern, wanted to come along. So, let's go do that.
Hello.
Madi:
So, jacket?
Dave Blanks:
I'm not wearing a jacket, based on what you said. You said you got hot.
Madi:
Fine. We won't wear jackets.
Dave Blanks:
Madi , no jackets for this one. There are romantic places on campus. We're walking right now by the-
Madi:
By the hand statue.
Dave Blanks:
...church hand statue thing with the wheelbarrow. I don't think that's a place.
Eliza:
My name's Eliza.
Dave Blanks:
So Eliza, Valentine's is coming up. Did you know?
Eliza:
Yes, it is.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, it is. Is that an exciting thing for you? A positive thing?
Eliza:
It is exciting.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah?
Eliza:
We're going to go up here.
Dave Blanks:
Okay, let's go up here.
Eliza:
I got my first boyfriend a couple months ago, so this will be... We're going to go this way?
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, let's go this way.
Eliza:
This will be my first Valentine's Day with someone.
Dave Blanks:
Very sweet.
Eliza:
So it'll be fun.
Dave Blanks:
Cool. Yeah, yeah. Are you a freshman at App?
Eliza:
Yes, I am.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Excellent. You're doing the whole college experience thing.
Eliza:
Yes, I am.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Good for you. Okay, so if you had to spend it on campus somewhere, where's the most romantic place?
Eliza:
I really like the duck pond.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Eliza:
That little shelter.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, yeah.
Eliza:
I think that's fun.
Dave Blanks:
All right.
Eliza:
Get bagels or something.
Dave:
Dude…the duck pond!
Savannah:
Savannah.
Dave Blanks:
If you had to pick one?
Savannah:
The duck pond.
Dave Blanks:
The duck pond?
Savannah:
I think it's cute.
Dave Blanks:
You think the duck pond?
Savannah:
Could be kind of cute. Yeah, you could do a little picnic or something.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, okay. That's good. That was a good answer.
Jacob:
I'm Jacob. The solarium, maybe.
Dave Blanks:
You think the solarium?
Jacob:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Why the solarium?
Jacob:
There are a lot of plants and sunlight, I guess.
Dave Blanks:
Right?
Jacob:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
What about outside?
Jacob:
It's cold.
Derek Carter:
I'm Derek Carter. A romantic place on campus?
Dave Blanks:
Right.
Derek Carter:
I'd probably just take her to my job, the cafe. Cascades.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Cool. Right on.
Derek Carter:
They have a Valentine's Day drink, so I'll probably give that.
Dave Blanks:
What's the Valentine's Day drink?
Derek Carter:
It's like chocolate and strawberry.
Dave Blanks:
That sounds good. Is it expensive?
Derek Carter:
It's like $6.
Dave Blanks:
College student can swing that for Valentine's Day, right?
Derek Carter:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
All right. All right. Excellent.
Evan Rice:
I am Evan Rice. Okay. This is a curve-ball. Me and my girlfriend just broke up a week ago.
Dave Blanks:
Oh. I'm sorry to hear that.
Evan Rice:
I'll probably just go for a picnic. I'd start here.
Dave Blanks:
We're on Sanford right now.
Evan Rice:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Okay.
Evan Rice:
Maybe a walk on the trail back there. End up at the baseball field.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Yeah.
Evan Rice:
What have other people said?
Dave Blanks:
Duck pond. How do you feel about duck pond?
Evan Rice:
That’s gross. Like you just get like wafts of smell. Does Gastown...
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Go to Gastown, dude.
Evan Rice:
Yeah, I'd probably stack up on some stuff there. Right?
Dave Blanks:
Excellent. Yeah. Slim Jims, Munchos.
Sam Vanderkin:
Sam Vanderkin. Maybe over by the bell.
Dave Blanks:
Durham Park there.
Sam Vanderkin:
Yeah, there's cute picnic areas. Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. That's cool.
Sam Vanderkin:
Pimento cheese sandwiches-
Dave Blanks:
Yes.
Sam Vanderkin:
...cut into little triangles.
Madi:
Pimento cheese sandwiches in triangles?
Dave Blanks:
Little triangle pimento cheeses.
Anthony Coriali:
I'm Anthony Coriali. Ooh, that's a tough one. I might just hang out in the solarium student union. Peaceful atmosphere, running water.
Dave Blanks:
Nice.
Anthony Coriali:
Yep.
Marissa:
I'm Marissa.
Dave Blanks:
Hey, Marissa. How are you doing?
Marissa:
I'm exhausted.
Dave Blanks:
Oh no. What's going on in your life?
Marissa:
Homework.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, that's the worst. You'll get through it.
Marissa:
Thank you for empathizing.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, I feel for you. So Valentine's is coming up, right?
Marissa:
Oh God.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Marissa:
I can't.
Dave Blanks:
Valentine's is coming up.
Marissa:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
So if you had to pick a spot on this very campus here where you attend school to have a romantic Valentine's Day experience, where would you pick? Where's the most romantic place on campus?
Marissa:
The study room by yourself, because you should focus on your grades and not boys so you can make your own money.
Dave Blanks:
Nice.
Marissa:
Or with your friends.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Study room with friends.
Marissa:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Thank you for your answer. Have a good day.
Diana Cooper:
Diana Cooper. Does none of the above count?
Dave Blanks:
You have to pick somewhere.
Brandon Wayne:
I'm Brandon Wayne. The duck pond, probably.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Okay. All right.
Brandon Wayne:
I'd feed them grapes.
Dave Blanks:
Yes.
Brandon Wayne:
I'd feed the ducks grapes.
Dave Blanks:
I was picturing that your person that you were spending the time with, you were feeding them grapes.
Brandon Wayne:
No, all those grapes got to go to the ducks.
Dave Blanks:
Right. The ducks need the grapes. Yeah.
Hadley Siefert:
I'm Hadley Seifert. Sanford.
Dave Blanks:
Sanford? Yeah. Yeah. We're at Sanford right now. So what would your romantic Sanford date be?
Hadley Siefert:
A picnic.
Dave Blanks:
What kind of food are you serving at your picnic?
Hadley Siefert:
Grilled cheese.
Dave Blanks:
Cheese, excellent. What kind of cheese?
Hadley Siefert:
American. Maybe some strawberries.
Nikki Coddle:
I'm Nikki Coddle. I'd like to say something nice outside, but it's a bit too cold for that.
Dave Blanks:
Let's assume the weather's going to be nice.
Nikki Coddle:
Okay.
Dave Blanks:
All right.
Nikki Coddle:
Then maybe a little picnic outside on Stanford. I think that'd be really cute and romantic. I like to bake, so maybe I could bring the baked goods, the sweets, and then they could bring whatever the savory option is.
Dave Blanks:
Nobody said Crossroads. What if we went into Crossroads? Do you think people would say, "I'd come to Crossroads."
Madi:
It's nice in here.
Dave Blanks:
I know. I like Crossroads. We could ask her.
Katie Carpenter:
Hi, I'm Katie Carpenter. I don't know. I feel like Sanford Mall would be kind of cool.
Dave Blanks:
Sanford.
Katie Carpenter:
Have a little picnic.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Katie Carpenter:
That'd be cute.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Yeah. What would you bring on your picnic?
Katie Carpenter:
I don't know. Little sandwiches, some sparkling cider.
Dave Blanks:
Oh.
Katie Carpenter:
Yeah, I get fancy.
Dave Blanks:
Let me ask this. What's on your sandwich?
Katie Carpenter:
I like chicken salad.
Dave Blanks:
All right.
Katie Carpenter:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
That's the first meaty protein we've had. Everybody's going with cheese.
Katie Carpenter:
Ew. No.
Dave Blanks:
Is cheese romantic to you?
Katie Carpenter:
I don't like cheese that much.
Dave Blanks:
Is chicken more romantic than cheese?
Katie Carpenter:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah? You think?
Katie Carpenter:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
All right.
Emma:
My name's Emma. I would say maybe the solarium or if it's nice outside, Durham Park.
Yeah, I think a little picnic. Maybe take a book, read a little bit. Maybe paint. I don't know. I don't know.
Dave Blanks:
Wow, that's cool. All right. Yeah, that's very active. I like that.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. Who am I speaking with?
Steven:
Steven.
Dave Blanks:
Steven. Hello. I've interviewed you for Dave by the Bell before.
Steven:
Yes, you have.
Dave Blanks:
What question did I ask you?
Steven:
I think it was about Thanksgiving. It was around that time. What are you thankful for?
Dave Blanks:
And I was taking a knee and it looked like I was proposing to you in the picture. Yeah, yeah. But you didn't accept. That's all right. We can still move on with our lives. So where's your spot?
Steven:
It's not part of App State's campus, but it still feels very App State.
Dave Blanks:
Maybe I'll allow it. We'll hear it.
Steven:
I'm trying to think of somewhere on campus, and it's just not coming to me right now.
Dave Blanks:
I know. It's challenging.
Steven:
But somewhere on the parkway. I know that's kind of basic, but it is very nice.
Dave Blanks:
No, it's incredible. It's epic.
Steven:
I'm trying to think of on campus, and-
Dave Blanks:
You got to do it. A beautiful spot here.
Steven:
A sunset at the stadium.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Steven:
While it's completely empty. That'd be really nice. Hanging out with friends and stuff.
Dave Blanks:
That's like the end of a romantic movie right there.
Steven:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, yeah.
Steven:
Very much.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. That was a good answer. Excellent.
Conner Higgins:
I am Conner Higgins. Personally, I've never really liked Valentine's Day just because I feel like it's a weak excuse to have to do something for your partner when you should just do that whenever. That and I know it puts a bunch of single people down, which I don't know. I feel like Valentine's Day should be a day to celebrate being single.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Conner Higgins:
You should be like, "Absolutely. I'm living my life and I'm free."
Dave Blanks:
I like that.
Conner Higgins:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Cool. All right. Well, if you were going to celebrate being single on campus, where would you go and what would you do?
Conner Higgins:
I'd say if you're single and you're either trying to look to meet people, I know the student union's always great, the mall always has a ton of people out there, and I met my girlfriend freshman year in the dining hall, so honestly, even there you could find a little romance in the dining hall.
Dave Blanks:
Awesome, man.
DJ:
I'm DJ. If it's warm out, I'll probably say Sanford Mall, a little picnic. I just feel like that's cute, you can people watch a little bit.
Madi:
So the moral of the story, there's going to be picnics all over campus.
Dave Blanks:
Dude, the picnic business is exploding.
Madi:
The picnic business is booming.
Dave Blanks:
Put your money in picnics right now.
Madi:
Invest in picnics.
Dave Blanks:
Invest. Buy, buy, buy!
Well Madi , thanks for coming along with me for this Valentine's Dave by the Bell.
Madi:
Thanks for having me.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, I don't know. Yeah. You said solarium, right?
Madi:
Yeah. A little coffee date in the solarium.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. I like that.
Madi:
Maybe pick up coffee from Crossroads.
Dave Blanks:
Then go to the solarium.
Madi:
But then take it to the solarium.
Dave Blanks:
Madi , I hope you have a fantastic Valentine's Day.
Madi:
Thanks. I hope you have a great Valentine's Day as well.
Dave Blanks:
Thank you very much. I hope I do too. I'm Dave Blanks. This has been Dave by the Bell. Bye.

Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
045 Location! Location! Location!
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
In this only just barely adjacent to homecoming edition of Dave by the Bell, Dave and University Communications intern Madi chat it up with almost always friendly passersby and pose the question, "If you could live anywhere on campus that was not a residence hall, where would you live?"
Transcript:
Dave Blanks:
Madi, you're our intern.
Madi:
I am.
Dave Blanks:
And we're going to do a Dave by the Bell.
Madi:
We are.
Dave Blanks:
What are we talking about?
Madi:
Well, did we decide what we're talking about?
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, yeah. I think we finally landed on an idea.
Madi:
Did we land on the roommate idea?
Dave Blanks:
No, we're not doing the roommate idea.
Madi:
Oh.
Dave Blanks:
But we will do that one in the future.
Madi:
Okay.
Dave Blanks:
No, no, no. We're not going to do the roommate. We're going to do-
Madi:
If you could live anywhere on campus.
Dave Blanks:
Yes.
Madi:
That's not your residence hall/dorm room...
Dave Blanks:
Right.
Madi:
...where would you live and why?
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, that was it. Good job. Perfect. So, yeah. Do you want to go to Sanford Mall?
Madi:
I sure do.
Dave Blanks:
Okay, let's do that.
I usually just find a person and go, "Hey, excuse me." Like this guy.
Madi:
Hey, you want to be in our podcast?
Anonymous Solarium Lover:
No, that's okay.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, come on man. Do you want to hear the question and then say yes or no.
Anonymous Solarium Lover:
Okay.
Dave Blanks:
All right. All right. So the question is, if you could live somewhere on campus, where would it be and why? So is there a little spot that's your spot? That's your go-to?
Anonymous Solarium Lover:
Oh, God. The Solarium.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Okay.
Anonymous Solarium Lover:
I love that.
Dave Blanks:
Why would you live in the Solarium?
Anonymous Solarium Lover:
It's very peaceful.
Dave Blanks:
Right?
Anonymous Solarium Lover:
I really like it.
Dave Blanks:
Right.
Anonymous Solarium Lover:
It's very calming.
Dave Blanks:
It's like the opposite of this moment.
Anonymous Solarium Lover:
Yes, exactly.
Quin Hernandez:
I'm Quinn Hernandez. There's a little lookout up by Greenwood.
Dave Blanks:
Okay.
Quin Hernandez:
I like looking over it, specifically in the wintertime, because the snow makes it really bright and you can ... The stadium lights up everything.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. All right. You would live up there?
Quin Hernandez:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Because it's beautiful.
Quin Hernandez:
Yeah, it's really pretty up there.
Madi:
What a lovely answer.
Dave Blanks:
I know. That was so good.
Madi:
She was ready.
Andrea Martinez:
I'm Andrea Martinez. Ooh. I would probably live at Walmart.
Dave Blanks:
Wait, wait, wait. That's not on campus. Andrea.
Andrea Martinez:
Technically it's not, but it is
Dave Blanks:
It's on the Appalcart stop.
Andrea Martinez:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
So in that respect, I mean, it is definitely a part of your student life, right?
Andrea Martinez:
Yeah, definitely.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. But with all the options, explain to me why you would live at Walmart.
Andrea Martinez:
Well, I mean, it's just a place I frequent a lot.
Dave Blanks:
Okay.
Andrea Martinez:
But it's also got everything.
Dave Blanks:
Okay.
Andrea Martinez:
You've got a TV.
Dave Blanks:
Yes.
Andrea Martinez:
You've got blankets, you've got food. It's the perfect place.
Dave Blanks:
I knew you were thinking like that. It's very practical of you. All right. Well, thank you for your answer and have a great day. Are you headed ... Where you headed?
Andrea Martinez:
I'm heading to the bus stop, actually.
Dave Blanks:
Are you going to Walmart?
Andrea Martinez:
I am going to Walmart.
Dave Blanks:
No way. Oh, my. That's funny.
Phillip Lavey:
I'm Phillip Leavy. Chapel Wilson, second floor, I guess. That's where the theater department kids seem to hang out. That's most of my friends here at App State, so.
Dave Blanks:
Right on.
Phillip Lavey:
All the professors are super welcoming. All the students, it's like a big happy family there.
Dave Blanks:
Nice, man.
Phillip Lavey:
Yeah, so.
Dave Blanks:
Well, good.
Phillip Lavey:
Without a doubt. Plus the benches are pretty nice to sleep on. Pretty comfy. So, yeah.
Dave Blanks:
From personal experience?
Phillip Lavey:
Personal experience, yeah.
Dave Blanks:
All right.
Meredith Kaiser:
I'm Meredith Kaiser. Okay. I'm honestly going to go with living in the library.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Meredith Kaiser:
Low key, because there's a coffee shop in there.
Dave Blanks:
Right.
Meredith Kaiser:
There's a lot of good study spaces.
Dave Blanks:
Right.
Meredith Kaiser:
There's books. There's a lot of just cool things in there. So, yeah.
Dave Blanks:
What floor in particular? Any ideas?
Meredith Kaiser:
Definitely not the second, because it's kind of loud.
Dave Blanks:
Okay.
Meredith Kaiser:
Probably the third.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Peaceful.
Meredith Kaiser:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Meredith Kaiser:
Very peaceful. Yeah.
Billy:
Oh, man. That's a tough one. Probably up there in that tower right up there.
Dave Blanks:
What? You'd live in the Steam Tower?
Billy:
Oh, is that a steam tower?
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, dude. I don't know if you want to live in the-
Billy:
What's at the very top though?
Dave Blanks:
Steam. Just steam.
Billy:
No, it's not. It looks like somebody out there right now, kind of.
Dave Blanks:
Whoa. Are you for real?
Billy:
It looks like a lookout post.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, my gosh.
Billy:
Is it not? Is it not?
Dave Blanks:
No, it's a steam-
Billy:
You can't get up there?
Dave Blanks:
We call it the Steam Tower. Yeah, you can get up there.
Billy:
Well, I don't know.
Dave Blanks:
I mean, not you.
Billy:
I kind of want to live up there. Maybe the room below it, but that'd be my upstairs deck.
Dave Blanks:
That would be super cool. Do you think people would come visit you if you lived in-
Billy:
No. People don't come visit me anyway.
Dave Blanks:
But if you lived in the Steam Tower, they might be like, Come on, let's go to Billy's house, man.
Billy:
You know what? You know what? Being right here, people would come visit. Because I'd be right here.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, I think they would. Great idea.
Billy:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Thanks for your answer, man.
Billy:
That's it?
Dave Blanks:
That was it. That was all.
Billy:
Did I pass?
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. You passed with flying colors. Yeah. Thanks, Billy. Madi, would you live in the Steam Tower?
Madi:
Probably not.
Dave Blanks:
I don't think so. I think I might come visit Billy, though.
Madi:
I might visit Billy for sure.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, just to see if he was okay, because I'm not sure you can survive up there. But he was like, "There's somebody up there right now." And then I thought I could kind of see them. It was sort of weird.
Madi:
No, I kind of did too.
Dave Blanks:
Did you see them?
Madi:
He tricked me.
Dave Blanks:
He totally pulled one over on us.
Lily:
I'm Lily. The Student Union.
Dave Blanks:
Okay.
Lily:
The arboretum-type room.
Dave Blanks:
Oh yeah, Solarium.
Lily:
The Solarium.
Dave Blanks:
The Solarium.
Lily:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Caitlin, what do you think about Lily's answer?
Kaitlyn:
It's a good answer, but I would probably say the library, because it's open most of the time.
Dave Blanks:
Right?
Kaitlyn:
24 five, and they have some comfy chairs up there.
Dave Blanks:
Wait, did you say 24 what?
Kaitlyn:
24 five.
Dave Blanks:
24 five? I've never heard that.
Kaitlyn:
24 five. It's open 24 hours, five days of the week.
Dave Blanks:
Five days of the week.
Kaitlyn:
Right.
Dave Blanks:
Wow. You're very accurate with that. I was like, wait, did she mess that up? But no. You said it very specifically. All right. So what floor would you live on?
Kaitlyn:
I think the second, but I haven't explored the third or fourth before.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Well, the second floor, from what I've heard, is a little louder.
Kaitlyn:
That's true. I could always go up to the quiet floor if I need some quiet.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Yeah.
Kaitlyn:
I do think the chairs are very comfy on the second floor, and you could definitely sleep on one of those.
Dave Blanks:
Excellent. All right, so now we're in the Student Union. Do you actually want to interrupt somebody who's doing something in the Student Union? Hey, excuse me.
Eva Morgan:
Hi.
Dave Blanks:
Hi, I'm Dave. I have a podcast called Dave by the Bell, where I interview App State students.
Eva Morgan:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Are you an App State student?
Eva Morgan:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Could you hear out my question and maybe answer it?
Eva Morgan:
Mm-hmm!
Dave Blanks:
All right, cool. I like your energy. Very positive.
Eva Morgan:
Thanks, man!
Dave Blanks:
This is Madi.
Eva Morgan:
Hello.
Dave Blanks:
She's our intern.
Madi:
Hi.
Dave Blanks:
So the question for today pertains to the fact that it's homecoming this weekend.
Eva Morgan:
Yeah?!!!
Dave Blanks:
Are you excited?
Eva Morgan:
No, I'm not even going.
Dave Blanks:
Okay, fair enough. Home is the word that we honed in on. If you could make your home somewhere here at App that wasn't a residence hall?
Eva Morgan:
I'd live in the gym.
Dave Blanks:
Where would you ... You'd live at the gym?
Eva Morgan:
I'd live at the SRC.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Why would you live there?
Eva Morgan:
I work out every day.
Dave Blanks:
Okay.
Eva Morgan:
So I'm kind of obsessed.
Dave Blanks:
What do you like about the SRC?
Eva Morgan:
That's a solid question.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Eva Morgan:
That I do not know the answer to.
Dave Blanks:
They have equipment that you can use there?
Eva Morgan:
Yeah. I mean, they have machines and free weights, so.
Dave Blanks:
Perfect. SRC?
Eva Morgan:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Good answer.
Eva Morgan:
Thank you.
Dave Blanks:
Hey, can you tell me your name?
Eva Morgan:
Oh, Eva Morgan.
Dave Blanks:
Thanks, Eva.
Eva Morgan:
Of course. You have a good one.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, you too. Are you going to workout?
Eva Morgan:
Nice to meet you too. Oh, I already did my round today.
Dave Blanks:
Already did it.
Eva Morgan:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Nice. Nice work. Nice work. Have a good one. Madi, you're on the cross country team, right?
Madi:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Do you work out every day?
Madi:
Unfortunately, I don't have a choice if I work out every day.
Dave Blanks:
You're forced to work out every day?
Madi:
I'm not forced every day.
Dave Blanks:
What way do you want to go?
Madi:
It's a forced decision. Bookstore?
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Okay. We could do the bookstore. A forced decision.
Madi:
Oh, maybe these fellows.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Do you think they work here?
Madi:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
So we actually here at App State, do you have a Apple Store? What do you call it? An Apple Store. They're an authorized campus store.
John Paul Hansen:
That's the magic of it.
Dave Blanks:
There we go. You don't live on campus currently, correct, sir?
John Paul Hansen:
No, sir. I do not.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Did you ever live on campus?
John Paul Hansen:
I did.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Where were you? What residence hall?
John Paul Hansen:
Bowie Residence Hall.
Dave Blanks:
You were in Bowie.
John Paul Hansen:
Yes. Getting knocked down currently, right?
Dave Blanks:
You're right. I'm sorry. Are you dealing with that okay or?
John Paul Hansen:
Yeah, a little bit sad. I'd like to go over and get a brick. I don't know what the legalities of brick taking from a active construction zone are, so.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, I think first degree brickery.
John Paul Hansen:
Yeah, first degree brickery.
Dave Blanks:
It could ruin your job here.
John Paul Hansen:
True. True.
Dave Blanks:
So what is your name, sir.
John Paul Hansen:
John Paul Hansen.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. So John Paul Hansen, it's homecoming weekend. Did you know that?
John Paul Hansen:
I did, yes.
Dave Blanks:
All right, all right. So if you could live and make your home anywhere on Appalachian State's campus, that wasn't Bowie. Okay? And that wasn't a residence hall.
John Paul Hansen:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
Where would it be and why would you live there?
John Paul Hansen:
Inside of the Founder's Bell. It's nice and cozy. You can really get inside of it. Once the metal kind of heats up to your body temp, it's cohesive. You're in there. You can't get much colder or warmer. It's a perfect environment.
Dave Blanks:
Right. You would have a lot of interaction because apparently if people rub it or something like that, they do good on their examinations.
John Paul Hansen:
Yes. yeah. And then I kind of crawl out like a hermit crab and just really, you are at my home. Really give it to them. So, yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
Dave Blanks:
John Paul, you're a silly fellow. You know that? Did you know the podcast is called Dave by the Bell?
John Paul Hansen:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
John Paul Hansen:
And so I know this because probably four years ago, I was walking to one of my freshman year classes, and I was stopped by you, Mr. Dave.
Dave Blanks:
No way.
Madi:
Wow.
John Paul Hansen:
Yes. I had a previous appearance.
Dave Blanks:
You're one of our first multiple episode people.
John Paul Hansen:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, yeah.
John Paul Hansen:
This was fun. It's coming full circle.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah, I know. Well, come visit John Paul, who's in the ... What's the name of your store?
John Paul Hansen:
Oh, University Bookstore Tech Center, rebranded from the Computer Shop.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Okay.
John Paul Hansen:
Yep.
Dave Blanks:
All right.
John Paul Hansen:
Yep.
Madi:
What if I go rub the Founder's Bell before finals, and then he just like jumps out-
Dave Blanks:
And he's like. I never rubbed the Founder's Bell, but when I think about my GPA, maybe I should have. I also never exercised while I was at Appalachian State.
Madi:
Hey, this person's watching right now.
Dave Blanks:
That guy. Excuse me, Mr. Flannel. Hey. Hey. I have a podcast called Dave by the Bell, where I interview App State students. Would you mind if I ask you a question? I don't think your name is really Mr. Flannel either.
Ben Perkins:
Oh, you don't? Well, that's good.
Dave Blanks:
No, I'm not aware of your name, but I would assume it's not Mr. Flannel.
Ben Perkins:
Well, if you knew, it'd be weird, because I don't think we've ever met.
Dave Blanks:
That would be crazy, right?
Ben Perkins:
My name is Ben Perkins.
Dave Blanks:
All right.
Ben Perkins:
I'd probably live in the Union. Location-wise, I think it's the best.
Dave Blanks:
Fair enough.
Ben Perkins:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
So what part of the Student Union would you live in?
Ben Perkins:
Well rest in peace to the Whitewater Lounge, but that's where I'd live.
Madi:
That's what I said.
Ben Perkins:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
So I asked Madi this, and she said ... Now why did you like the Whitewater? Let's ask you first, Ben.
Ben Perkins:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
And then, Madi, we'll get your take on why the Whitewater was awesome.
Ben Perkins:
Well, I think originally it was had this classy lounge kind of vibe.
Dave Blanks:
Okay.
Ben Perkins:
And I don't know. It was really secluded, so not a lot of people went there. So I thought that was really cool about it.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, good choice. Ben, thank you. Madi, tell us why you liked the Whitewater.
Madi:
I just have good memories of escaping to there. Well, I remember my freshman year, I was really bored, and I was like, I'm going to just go explore the Student Union. And I felt like I went in there, and it was like a secret hideout almost. And it was just nice and dark, and they would sometimes play music in there. If only it still existed, that's where I'd choose.
Dave Blanks:
Listen, I think I want to encourage y'all to go back to where it was, because now it's the Career Development Center. Okay?
Ben Perkins:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
So take charge of your future.
Ben Perkins:
Oh, yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Okay? All right, please.
Ben Perkins:
I will.
Madi:
Oh, yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Ben. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Ben, thanks for your answer.
Ben Perkins:
Absolutely.
Madi:
Okay, we're at the Alpha Phi Omega table, and we have four students here. Why don't you all introduce yourselves in a row?
Jenn:
Hi, I'm Jenn.
Chris:
I'm Chris.
Gigi:
I'm Gigi.
Skyler:
And I'm Skyler. I would live in the Solarium. It's just the ambience and all the plants and stuff. I feel like it's so lively and fun in there.
Madi:
Awesome. Thank you. Moving on to Chris.
Chris:
Yep. That's my same answer. I would live in the Solarium. Honestly, it's one of the most peaceful places on campus.
Madi:
For sure. What about you?
Gigi:
Same. Same here.
Madi:
Same?
Dave Blanks:
Gigi's there.
Madi:
Skyler?
Skyler:
I've got to say the garden near the LLC.
Madi:
Okay.
Skyler:
I love doing garden work there. It's so much fun. I think I'd make a little home in the little greenhouse with the solar panels on top. I think that would be really cutesy. Yeah.
Madi:
Yeah. That's a great answer. Very unique. Thank you, guys.
Dave Blanks:
Thank y'all so much.
Skyler:
Thank you.
Ashlyn Benzel:
My name is Ashlyn Benzel. Sanford Mall! Right here! I would set up a tent and just stay here. There is, I mean grass. There's trees to climb. My friends. The dining hall's right over there. I mean, you can't-
Dave Blanks:
Nothing wrong with that.
Madi:
Can't go wrong.
Ashlyn Benzel:
Can't go wrong.
Madi:
Great answer. Thank you so much.
Ashlyn Benzel:
You're so welcome.
Dave Blanks:
Maddie, we're done. What did we learn today?
Madi:
Today we learned that Walmart is on campus.
Dave Blanks:
We also learned that if you're going to live in the Solarium, you better like other people, because everybody else is living in the Solarium too, right?
Madi:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Thanks for taking the time. Thanks for coming along with me. You did a great job. Was it fun?
Madi:
It was a great time.
Dave Blanks:
Let's edit this podcast.
Madi:
Sounds good.
Dave Blanks:
I'm Dave Blanks, and this has been Dave by the Bell. Bye, Madi.
Madi:
Bye.

Friday Aug 19, 2022
044 Move in Vibes 2022
Friday Aug 19, 2022
Friday Aug 19, 2022
Dave and photographer Kyla strike out to interview first year students and their helpful parents as they move in to Thunder Hill Hall on the beautiful campus of Appalachian State University.
Transcript:
Dave Blanks:
Hey folks, how's it going? I'm Dave Blanks from University Communications. Today on Dave by the Bell, I'm going to be talking to people who are moving into Thunder Hill, trying to figure out what the moment's like for them. Maybe talk to parents, maybe talk to students. Also, get an idea of what their aspirations and hopes are for the coming year. That's the plan. Let's do it.
All right. There's a lot of folks in here. We're actually going in one of the residence halls. This is Thunder Hill, I do believe. Yeah, that's correct. We have a lot of folks. You've been taking pictures of move in day, Kyla, and those will probably be some of which will end up on our Facebook page.
Kyla:
Facebook and Instagram.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I don't like it in here.
Kyla:
It is chaotic.
Speaker 3:
Excuse me.
Kyla:
Yeah, no problem. Yeah, let's go upstairs.
Dave Blanks:
Let's go upstairs.
Tia Proctor:
I'm Tia Proctor. It is so exciting. I'm just ready to get everything in and get everything sorted and stuff. And then just go explore the campus and just go to King Street-
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Tia Proctor:
... and just have fun.
Dave Blanks:
When you look forward to the coming year, what is something that you're anticipating?
Tia Proctor:
I'm excited for game days.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Awesome.
Tia Proctor:
And learning about business and going through the business college and stuff.
Dave Blanks:
Cool. Tia, thank you so much for your answers. I really appreciate you. You passed with flying colors. Good job. Yeah.
Tia Proctor:
Thank you.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Tia Proctor:
Yeah. Good one.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. And who is this? Your roommate?
Tia Proctor:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
Hello? What is your name?
Maddie Henry:
Maddie Henry.
Dave Blanks:
Hey Maddie, how's it going?
Maddie Henry:
It's good. How are you?
Dave Blanks:
I'm good. How's your room? It looks pretty cool to me.
Maddie Henry:
It is amazing.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Maddie Henry:
I was expecting so much less actually.
Dave Blanks:
Right.
Maddie Henry:
And I'm so excited that we got our own bathroom.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. Maddie, what's the moment like for you right now? What's the feeling?
Maddie Henry:
Nervous, excited, everything. I just want to get everything unpacked and be settled in, have everything go smoothly.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Well, has it been so, so far so good?
Maddie Henry:
So far so good except for the rain.
Dave Blanks:
I know, but at least you're inside right now. Right? Did you get everything in before it started really coming down?
Maddie Henry:
My parents are actually out there.
Dave Blanks:
Oh no. Your poor parents. All right. Well, shout out to Maddie's parents.
Maddie Henry:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Be strong.
Maddie Henry:
I'm from Pennsylvania, so I'm very excited to just meet new people. Get a fresh start and make a lot of friends.
Dave Blanks:
Tia and Maddie, good luck. We're happy to have you as new Mountaineers.
Maddie Henry:
Thank you.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Bye y'all.
Silas Dickerson:
I am Silas Dickerson. I got here about 15 minutes ago. It feels great. Yeah, I'm ready to be here. I'm just ready to be more independent.
Jennifer Leaver:
Hi, I'm Jennifer Leaver.
Dave Blanks:
Who are you helping move in here today?
Jennifer Leaver:
My daughter, Lauren.
Dave Blanks:
Is this your first kid to come to college?
Jennifer Leaver:
No, I have a son in Boulder, in Colorado.
Dave Blanks:
All right.
Jennifer Leaver:
It's been nice to have her close by.
Dave Blanks:
When you look forward to Lauren's first year, what is it that you're excited about for her?
Jennifer Leaver:
Just meeting new people, finding her tribe of friends, and big football games, because she didn't have a school that was oriented around that and-
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. She's definitely got that to look forward to.
Jennifer Leaver:
Yeah. Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Well, thanks so much for helping out and thanks for letting me talk to you. I appreciate you very much.
Jennifer Leaver:
Yeah. Sure, sure.
McKenna Guard:
I'm McKenna Guard. A mix of excitement and nervousness. A good healthy mix. I'm excited for the new community, and my friends last year went here and I just got to see them grow.
Dave Blanks:
Hold on, hold on. Let's let the train pass by. All right. What else was it?
McKenna Guard:
Because my friends, I got to see them grow here in Boone last year, and so I'm really excited to do that too.
Dave Blanks:
Awesome. I'm sure you will. McKenna, thanks for your time. I really appreciate you. Welcome to Boone.
McKenna Guard:
Thank you.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Spencer Daniel:
I'm Spencer Daniel.
Dave Blanks:
Hey Spencer.
Spencer Daniel:
Hey.
Dave Blanks:
Your girls are here?
Spencer Daniel:
I have one daughter here and then her friend is her roommate.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, that works out well. Cool. What's your daughter's name?
Spencer Daniel:
Her name is Allie.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. All right. Is this your first child to come to college?
Spencer Daniel:
First child to go to college. Yes.
Dave Blanks:
All right. What's the moment like? Allie's in her room now.
Spencer Daniel:
Yeah, it's real. It feels real.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Spencer Daniel:
It's exciting. She's so happy to be here. She's been looking forward to this since probably her junior year of high school. And so it's a really exciting time. I feel good that she feels good about it. She's just so excited to be here and have the opportunity to go out on the Parkway and go hiking and do all the outdoor things. And I think that part is what I'm most excited for her to be up here and to experience everything.
Dave Blanks:
Well, let's talk to her. Is she inside?
Spencer Daniel:
Yeah, she is. Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. Cool.
Spencer Daniel:
Come here.
Dave Blanks:
Hey.
Alice Daniel:
Hi.
Dave Blanks:
How's it going y'all? I was just talking to Spencer here.
Alice Daniel:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
And Spencer, this is your daughter.
Spencer Daniel:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. Who am I speaking with?
Alice Daniel:
Alice Daniel.
Dave Blanks:
Alice. How's it going? You go by Alice or Allie?
Alice Daniel:
Well, so my nickname has been Allie growing up.
Dave Blanks:
All right.
Alice Daniel:
But I decided I wanted to go back to my real name.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Cool.
Alice Daniel:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Well that's what college is all about, right?
Alice Daniel:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
Okay, cool. You were moving into Thunder Hill?
Alice Daniel:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
You're in your room. What's going on in your head?
Alice Daniel:
Yeah, I'm really excited. I thought I was going to be more emotional, but I'm actually... I feel like my happiness is overshadowing my sadness about leaving them right now.
Dave Blanks:
Nice. Percentage wise. Good.
Alice Daniel:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Alice Daniel:
Yes.
Dave Blanks:
Excellent. Well, I hope it continues to tip that way, the scale.
Alice Daniel:
Yes. Yeah, I do too.
Dave Blanks:
When you look forward to your coming year, what is it that you're most excited about?
Alice Daniel:
Definitely. I have two things. I think one, I'm really excited to meet new people and just do Young Life or RUF, some kind of campus ministry. And then two, just being in the mountains and doing hikes and just being in the beauty of it.
Dave Blanks:
Nice. Oh, that was perfect.
Alice Daniel:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Well thank you so much for your time and welcome to Boone. We're glad you're here.
Alice Daniel:
Thank you.
Vrishank Thombare:
My name is Vrishank Thombare. I just moved in right now. I just dropped off all my stuff, said bye to my parents.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, man.
Vrishank Thombare:
Just came back. Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
You just said goodbye to them?
Vrishank Thombare:
Yeah. I just said goodbye. I just came back from the rain.
Dave Blanks:
Were they sad?
Vrishank Thombare:
My mom was crying. Oh, my mom was crying.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, no. Oh, man.
Vrishank Thombare:
She was like, "Give me a hug," and all this. She hugged me three times in the rain.
Dave Blanks:
Did you expect that?
Vrishank Thombare:
Yeah, I did. I expected it.
Dave Blanks:
Did you get emotional?
Vrishank Thombare:
I did get emotional, but it's like, I got to start this chapter.
Dave Blanks:
It's true man.
Vrishank Thombare:
New opportunities, new people.
Dave Blanks:
Absolutely.
Vrishank Thombare:
I'm really looking forward to the clubs because they have a lot of nature clubs that I wanted to look at to check them out.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Vrishank Thombare:
I'm also interested in meeting new people from all types of backgrounds and building relationships, creating a network with people, so when I go into my career field I'm able to communicate with people that may have an advantage of something else that can help me.
Dave Blanks:
Whoa, This Hall's all decked out.
Kyla:
People are still moving in.
Dave Blanks:
Somebody decked the hall. It's got balloons and streamers and stuff. This RA really cares. Do you remember your move-in day, Kyla?
Kyla:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Was it hard?
Kyla:
Not really.
Dave Blanks:
No. It was pretty smooth?
Kyla:
Because I didn't have whole load of stuff. I had really small room.
Dave Blanks:
Nice.
Kyla:
And I lived on the second floor of Eggers.
Dave Blanks:
Oh perfect, so you didn't have to climb floor after floor after floor?
Kyla:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, that's a nice feeling.
Vrishank Thombare:
Hey.
Dave Blanks:
Hey dude. What's up Vrishank? Good man. How are you?
Vrishank Thombare:
Just getting to my room.
Dave Blanks:
All right. All right. Enjoy. Hey, guys.
Guys:
Hey.
Dave Blanks:
Well everybody in Thunder Hill seems to have a pretty good attitude thus far.
Father of student:
Sorry.
Dave Blanks:
Oh no, you're good. Come on past. Okay. All right.
Kyla:
But all of these people have moved in.
Dave Blanks:
That lady had a plunger. Did you see that?
Kyla:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
She's a vital member of the team.
Jack Bryan:
I'm Jack Bryan.
Dave Blanks:
Okay. Jack Bryan. And your name, sir?
Tim Johnson:
I'm Tim Johnson.
Jack Bryan:
Just feeling things out right now. I've been here for a little over 24 hours, so everything's still pretty fresh. Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
Room looks good.
Jack Bryan:
Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate it.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah. Yeah.
Jack Bryan:
Just getting used to the campus and everything. Exploring a little bit.
Dave Blanks:
And Tim?
Tim Johnson:
I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous, but then I got everything in place and I just did my own thing, and I feel fine now. I can't wait for it. I know it's going to sound cliche, but I can't wait for all the friendships we're going to make with other people. I'm actually really excited for that.
Dave Blanks:
Nice man.
Tim Johnson:
Yeah.
Dave Blanks:
That's nice. It's cliche for a reason, man. That's a good thing.
Tim Johnson:
Mm-hm.
Dave Blanks:
All right. And Jack, what about you? What are you looking forward to for this year?
Jack Bryan:
Got to be the football games.
Dave Blanks:
Yeah.
Jack Bryan:
Got to be.
Dave Blanks:
Awesome. All right. Are you stoked for Carolina?
Jack Bryan:
Yeah, absolutely.
Dave Blanks:
You're going to be there.
Jack Bryan:
Absolutely.
Dave Blanks:
All right. Absolutely. Well, thanks guys. I appreciate your time and welcome to Boone.
Jack Bryan:
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Kyla:
Stairs is all the way down. If you pass... They're right across from the elevators.
Mother of student:
Okay.
Dave Blanks:
Thanks, Kyla. You're so helpful.
Kyla:
I get so many questions.
Dave Blanks:
Oh, I know. People are like, "Hey, help me put together my bed. Where's the door? Where's my child?"
Hopefully everybody's moved in by the time you're listening to this. Thanks so much to everybody who let me barge in on them. I really appreciate it. Kyla, thanks for taking pictures. I'm Dave Blanks. This has been Dave by the Bell.

Saturday Mar 21, 2020
043 In like a lion...
Saturday Mar 21, 2020
Saturday Mar 21, 2020
On this March-centric Dave by the Bell, University Communications' Dave Blanks asks Appalachian students to finish the old adage, "In like a lion out like a..." He also discovers what they are planning for spring break.
Transcript
Dave Blanks: Hey, folks, I'm Dave Blanks from University Communications back once again with a Dave by the Bell, and on this edition it's March, the month of March. In like a lion, out like a... Right? Out like a lamb is the saying. On this podcast we're going to talk to Appalachian State students and ask them to finish the sentence, "In like a lion, out like a..." and then hopefully they'll come up with something silly. I don't know. We'll see what happens.
Dave Blanks: Well, so for today to be like a lion day, it's really nice outside. Whoop, I said that and then I got outside and it's a little chilly, but it's really pretty. A lot of people with short sleeves. Surely we'll find some people to talk to.
Robert Armstrong: I'm Robert Armstrong. I'd say I'm a lamb.
Dave Blanks: You think a lamb? And why do you believe you're a lamb?
Robert Armstrong: A little meek, honestly.
Dave Blanks: All right. Okay, cool. So also, what are you doing for spring break?
Robert Armstrong: I'm going to Chicago and watching a hockey game.
Dave Blanks: Sweet. Are you from Chicago?
Robert Armstrong: No. A lot of my family is though.
Dave Blanks: Oh, cool. Well, enjoy yourself.
Robert Armstrong: Thank you.
Dave Blanks: Hockey in Chicago for spring break.
Emily Stasiak: I'm Emily Stasiak.
Dave Blanks: In like a lion, out like a...
Emily Stasiak: ... tiger.
Dave Blanks: That's two tigers in a row. Yeah. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Maybe that's why. No, it's in like a lion, out like a lamb.
Emily Stasiak: Oh. I would say I'm more of a lamb. More innocent and I don't feel like I'm big enough to be a lion.
Dave Blanks: Do you think you'll grow into being a lion?
Emily Stasiak: Maybe eventually, but not right now.
Dave Blanks: Well, I hope you maintain your lambness for as long as you can. And where are you going for spring break?
Emily Stasiak: I'm going home. I'm just going to work.
Bryan Gertz: Yeah, I'm Brian Gertz.
Dave Blanks: So Brian, it is March and there's an old saying that goes along with March, and I want you to try to finish the saying. You may be familiar. In like a lion, out like a...
Bryan Gertz: ...lamb.
Dave Blanks: Good job. The first one to get it so far. All right, a check mark for Brian. So would you say, Brian, that you are more of a lion or more of a lamb and why?
Bryan Gertz: I'm a lion because I'm a go-getter. I'm always working. I'm always hustling, never really lay down for anything.
Dave Blanks: What are you doing for spring break?
Bryan Gertz: Oh, spring break I'm heading over to Wrightsville Beach. Heading down the mountain.
Dave Blanks: Cool. What are your plans there, what?
Bryan Gertz: I'm going to hang out on the beach, dip my toes in the sand. All the good stuff.
Dave Blanks: Nice. You got to take a break from the hustling sometimes. Thanks, Brian.
Bryan Gertz: Yeah, take it easy.
Nikki Parker: I'm Nikki Parker. I don't know. A cat? I don't know.
Dave Blanks: Out like a cat?
Nikki Parker: I don't know.
Dave Blanks: Okay. Well, okay. So, in like a lion, out like a lamb. Do you think that you are more of a lion or a lamb?
Nikki Parker: I don't know. Probably a lion because a lot of people just say I'm intimidating with my personality, so I just feel like that's probably it.
Dave Blanks: What are you doing for spring break?
Nikki Parker: I'm just going home to spend time with my family.
Tayah Hichue: I'm Tayah Hichue. I don't know. I'd say lamb. I'd like to think I'm more gentle.
Dave Blanks: Yeah. All right, cool. And the last part, what's spring break look like for you?
Tayah Hichue: I think I'm going to go cave camping.
Dave Blanks: What? Where?
Tayah Hichue: Worleys Cave.
Dave Blanks: Where's that?
Tayah Hichue: It's in Tennessee.
Rachel Gains: I'm Rachel Gains.
Dave Blanks: March, in like a lion, out like a...
Rachel Gains: ... lamb.
Dave Blanks: You did it. You got it. Congratulations! All right, so now would you say that you are a lion or a lamb?
Rachel Gains: You know, I think I'm more like a lion. I'm pretty straight forward and pretty strong-willed so I tend to be more forthcoming and more of a ferocious person in my daily life.
Dave Blanks: Last part, what are you doing for spring break? It's coming right up.
Rachel Gains: I am actually going on visits to PhD programs to Illinois and then to Rutgers. So what do you want to study? I'll be doing bioengineering, synthetic biology type of stuff.
Dave Blanks: Nice. What's a problem you hope to solve with bioengineering?
Rachel Gains: I want to work in biosynthesis of petroleum alternatives. So oil, gasoline, plastics, anything like that.
Dave Blanks: You make App proud. You are so very App.
Rachel Gains: Thank you!
Josh Hemphill: I'm Josh Hemphill.
Dave Blanks: And can you give me your name?
Jacob Gillard: I am Jacob Gillard. I think I'm more of a lion because I feel like I'm just strong and brave.
Dave Blanks: Right on. Okay. And Josh, are you more of a lion or a lamb and why?
Josh Hemphill: I think I see myself more as a lion because I'm aggressive and I always try to go get it any day.
Dave Blanks: And what are you guys do for spring break? Do you know yet? That's the last part.
Jacob Gillard: I'm going to Panama City.
Dave Blanks: Woo! Yeah, all right! And what about you Josh?
Josh Hemphill: Going home to Charlotte.
Dave Blanks: Okay, cool. Y'all have a great spring break. Be careful in Panama City, man.
Jacob Gillard: I'll try, I'll try.
Dave Blanks: All right, thanks guys.
Josh Hemphill: Thank you.
Jackie Christ: I am Jackie Christ.
Dave Blanks: All right, cool. So, Jackie, in like a lion, out like a...
Jackie Christ: ... lamb.
Dave Blanks: Good job. All right, you're the third one that's gotten it so far. So would you, Jackie, say that you identify more as a lion or a lamb and why?
Jackie Christ: I don't really know how to answer that question. I guess I would try to be a lion, be the predator rather than the prey. Right? I don't know.
Dave Blanks: But you feel as though you're more of a lamb?
Jackie Christ: Yeah, I guess, but I want to be a lion.
Dave Blanks: Right. You're aspiring to be a lion?
Jackie Christ: Yes, I would say so.
Dave Blanks: What are you doing for spring break? That's the last part.
Jackie Christ: Oh, hopefully winning the Sun Belt Championship for our basketball team.
Dave Blanks: Awesome. Well, good luck.
Jackie Christ: Thank you.
Dave Blanks: Thanks for answering my question.
Jackie Christ: Of course, thank you.
Beatrice Parker: Beatrice Parker.
Dave Blanks: In like a lion, out like a...
Beatrice Parker: ... bear?
Dave Blanks: A bear!
Beatrice Parker: Oh, really?
Dave Blanks: No, it's not bear. It's lamb. It's in like a lion out like a lamb. All right. So do you feel, Beatrice, that you are more of a lion or more of a lamb and why?
Beatrice Parker: Oh, just depends, man! I would say lamb, maybe.
Dave Blanks: Okay, why?
Beatrice Parker: I get more on doing my own thing, not out getting things done, just eating my grass.
Dave Blanks: Yeah. All right, I get that. Okay. And here's the last part. What are you doing for spring break?
Beatrice Parker: Spring break? I'm going to go take my boyfriend to meet my grandma.
Dave Blanks: Whoa. Where's that?
Beatrice Parker: Shelby, North Carolina.
Dave Blanks: So he's never met your grandma before.
Beatrice Parker: Yeah
Dave Blanks: Is there anything special that you informed him about your grandma? Like, "Hey, heads up about grandma... This."
Beatrice Parker: She likes to go to the bathroom with the door open.
Dave Blanks: Is he prepared for that?
Beatrice Parker: No, but it's okay. She's got a dog that humps everything. And she's going to offer him food 24/7 so...
Dave Blanks: That sounds like not such a bad deal.
Beatrice Parker: Yeah, she's a good lady. She's awesome.
Dave Blanks: Well Beatrice, have fun on spring break.
Beatrice Parker: Awesome. You too, man.
Dan Davidson: Yeah. My name is Dan Davidson.
Dave Blanks: March, in like a lion, out like a...
Dan Davidson: ... elephant.
Dave Blanks: I like that guess. It's actually "in like a lion, out like a lamb."
Dan Davidson: Okay.
Dave Blanks: So would you say that you're more of a lion or a lamb and why?
Dan Davidson: I would say lamb in terms of the weather, because I love warmer weather.
Dave Blanks: Nobody's worked it back to the weather. Everybody's made it about their personality. But you were like, no, weather-wise, this is what I like. This is pretty nice weather in Boone right now. Are you sticking around for spring break or going somewhere else?
Dan Davidson: I'm going down to Florida. I'm going to Disney World.
Dave Blanks: Cool. Have you been before?
Dan Davidson: Yes, I have. My family actually has season passes so been few times this past year.
Dave Blanks: Awesome. What's the best part of Disney World for you?
Dan Davidson: Probably the Magic Kingdom just because if you go to Disney, that's the place that you have to go for sure.
Dave Blanks: Right on. Okay, cool. Well, Dan, thanks for your answers.
Dan Davidson: Thank you, have a good day.
Dave Blanks: Thanks, Dan. You too. Have fun at Disney.
Dave Blanks: Everybody on their iPhone.
Devin Mullins: I'm Devin Mullins.
Dave Blanks: Okay, so Devin. In like a lion, out like a...
Devin Mullins: ... fish? First thing that came to mind.
Dave Blanks: Are you into aquariums and stuff?
Devin Mullins: No, I just really want some fish right now.
Dave Blanks: So it's actually "in like a lion, out like a lamb." Would you say that you're more of a lion or more of a lamb?
Devin Mullins: I'm more of a lion because of Game of Thrones.
Dave Blanks: So isn't the lion the House Lannister?
Devin Mullins: Yeah. There's a quote Tyrion's dad says which is, "A lion does not concern himself with the opinion of sheep." Which I know is not a lamb necessarily, but it works.
Dave Blanks: It works. All right, that's great. I love Game of Thrones so much. And here's the last part is where are you going for spring break? What are you doing?
Devin Mullins: I'm going to Washington DC to visit my sister.
Dave Blanks: Cool. Well thanks for your answers so much. I really appreciate it.
Devin Mullins: Where can I check out your podcast?
Dave Blanks: Please check it out on iTunes or Spotify.
Devin Mullins: I will, awesome.
Dave Blanks: Thanks, man. All right. Game of Thrones. So awesome. Good answer like that.
Danielle Lapensee-Rankine: I'm Danielle Lapensee-Rankine.
Dave Blanks: So, Danielle. There's a saying that goes with the month of March and that saying goes "in like a lion, out like a..."
Danielle Lapensee-Rankine: ... Mmm, I don't know. Kitten.
Dave Blanks: Out like a kitten, all right. That's not bad. You got the sentiment right, but it's "in like a lion, out like a lamb."
Danielle Lapensee-Rankine: Ah, okay.
Dave Blanks: Would you say, Danielle, that you are more of a lion or more of a lamb?
Danielle Lapensee-Rankine: I'm not sure. I want to say lion. Because everyone wants to be the lion. They want to be powerful and strong, I guess.
Dave Blanks: I feel the same way. I want to say lion.
Danielle Lapensee-Rankine: I want to say lion, but I guess I'd say lamb. I'm calmer and less outgoing, I suppose.
Dave Blanks: Right. And the last part is what are you doing for spring break?
Danielle Lapensee-Rankine: Oh, I'm helping my mom move into an apartment near her work.
Dave Blanks: She could have hired somebody else but you were "like, no, I got you."
Danielle Lapensee-Rankine: We're all going down to help her.
Dave Blanks: Okay. It's a team effort. Oh nice.
Danielle Lapensee-Rankine: My sister and my dad and I, yeah.
Dave Blanks: Cool. Well, I hope it goes well. Don't pull anything and you should feel good cause you're a good daughter.
Danielle Lapensee-Rankine: Thank you.
Rachel Tilley: I am Rachel Tilley.
Dave Blanks: Okay. And I want you to finish it. In like a lion, out like a...
Rachel Tilley: ... light.
Dave Blanks: Out like a light? That's pretty good. That's not bad. It's not accurate, but I like it. All right, you got the alliteration part right. It's "in like a lion, out like a lamb." Have you ever heard that?
Rachel Tilley: No, I have not.
Dave Blanks: Never before. Would you say that you are more of a lion or more of a lamb.
Rachel Tilley: I'm more of a lion, because my personality is really out there and I would say I have a pretty aggressive go-getter nature.
Dave Blanks: Right. Okay, here's the last part. What are you doing for spring break?
Rachel Tilley: I'm going to go to New Mexico and Arizona to study on native American reservations.
Dave Blanks: Oh, cool. Do you know the reservation you're studying at?
Rachel Tilley: I'm going to Hopi, Zuni and Navajo.
Dave Blanks: What do you want to learn there?
Rachel Tilley: How their college process goes, their access to college. Why is the rate of tribal colleges they go to higher than universities like this one.
Dave Blanks: I didn't know it was.
Rachel Tilley: It is. They have a different access rate, basically, or they don't feel as comfortable coming to big public schools because a lot of people aren't familiar with native American history or their culture and things like that.
Dave Blanks: Very interesting. Well, cool. I hope you have fun and learn a lot.
Rachel Tilley: Okay, thank you.
Dave Blanks: I don't know if like... Does lamb have negative connotations? I guess lamb kind of does. I don't think it does.
Dave Blanks: Hey, excuse me. Hi, my name's Dave and I have a podcast called Dave by the Bell where I... It looks like you want to go. All right, she's leaving. People run away.
Sarah: Sarah.
Dave Blanks: So hey, Sarah. There's a saying that goes with the month of March and that is "in like a lion out like a..."
Sarah: ... okay...it's..Dandelion.
Dave Blanks: Out like a dandelion, that's good. So it's actually "in like a lion, out like a lamb." Would you say, Sarah, that you're more of a lion or more of a lamb and why?
Sarah: Well, okay, so probably more like a lamb, I guess. Okay. So I wouldn't consider myself a lion because I wouldn't consider myself to have a fierce personality. So, I mean I wouldn't consider myself to be very direct or blunt or anything like that. Or how should I say? I guess if you think of a lion, in a sense, I guess you think of leadership also. But I mean I'm not the kind of person that likes to lead. I like to help those that are leading.
Dave Blanks: Right, a facilitator.
Sarah: Yeah, pretty much.
Dave Blanks: Very helpful lamb. So what are you doing for spring break is the last part.
Sarah: I'm going home to visit my family.
Dave Blanks: Cool.
Emma Frost: I'm Emma Frost.
Dave Blanks: Okay. So Emma, there's a saying that goes with the month of March. Are we going in here?
Emma Frost: Yeah.
Dave Blanks: Okay, it's in like a lion, out like a... You don't know?
Emma Frost: No.
Dave Blanks: All right. It's in like a lion, out like a lamb. Would you say, Emma, that you're more of a lion or more of a lamb?
Emma Frost: I feel like I'm a mixture, though. I guess a lion because I go after what I want, but then I'm also like a lamb. I'm a little bit shy about it, I guess. But I still really work for it.
Dave Blanks: I think everybody is innately some kind of hybrid, but they think they're one or the other. So I feel like that's a very honest answer. Okay. And the last part is what are you doing for spring break?
Emma Frost: I am going to the beach. It'll be a nice break.
Dave Blanks: What beach?
Emma Frost: Charleston.
Dave Blanks: Yeah. Oh cool, right on. Good food down there. Lots of waves.
Emma Frost: Shopping.
Dave Blanks: A lot of shopping. All right, cool. Well, Emma, thanks so much for your answers.
Emma Frost: Thank you.
Jordan McKay: I'm Jordan McKay.
Dave Blanks: So Jordan, it's March, in like a lion, out like a...
Jordan McKay: ... tiger.
Dave Blanks: In like a lion, out like a lamb.
Jordan McKay: Interesting.
Dave Blanks: It pertains to the weather. Do you think that you are more of a lion or a lamb?
Jordan McKay: I'm more of a lion because that's my astrology sign as a Leo and I have red hair that used to look like a mane when it was really long.
Dave Blanks: Right on. I love those answers. That's perfect reasoning. And then the last part is what are you doing for spring break?
Jordan McKay: I'm going on an ASE program to DC to help out with some LGBTQ populations.
Dave Blanks: What is ASE for people who don't know what that is?
Jordan McKay: It's Alternative Service Experience and we do an alternative break, basically.
Dave Blanks: Like you could go to the beach, but instead...
Jordan McKay: Right, we're doing service. Maybe at the beach.
Dave Blanks: Right. Okay, cool. Well I hope you enjoy yourself and help lot of people.
Jordan McKay: Thank you so much.
Dave Blanks: Yeah, thank you.
Dave Blanks: Fantastic answers. Not many people know the old saying. Thanks to everybody who let me bother them. All the students. I appreciate your time. That's another one in the books, y'all. I'm Dave Blanks. This has been Dave by the Bell.

Friday Feb 14, 2020
042 Valentine’s Dave 2020
Friday Feb 14, 2020
Friday Feb 14, 2020
On this Valentine's Day special, Dave interviews App State students to discover what they truly love.

Thursday Dec 19, 2019
041 Turkey Day Embarrassment
Thursday Dec 19, 2019
Thursday Dec 19, 2019
Appalachian State University students share surprising and embarrassing moments from their recent Fall Break.
Dave Blanks: Hey folks, what's up? My name's Dave Blanks from University Communications and I'm back again with a Dave By The Bell. On this edition of Dave By The Bell, the students are smack dab in the middle of final examinations. They're walking around being stressed out, potentially. Maybe they're super prepared, possibly they are not super prepared. They're in final exams now, but they also just came from the holiday break, Thanksgiving. Many of them celebrated, so that means that they were in close proximity to their family and sometimes when you hang out with your family, maybe something embarrassing could occur, something surprising might occur. So we're looking for surprises or potentially embarrassing things that happened, because those are fun stories.
Katie Hines: I'm Katie Hines, so my brother is a really big stickler on everything and he saw my grandma pour a glass of wine and he said, "How many is that?"
Dave Blanks: Oh my gosh.
Katie Hines: He's only nine.
Dave Blanks: What?
Katie Hines: He's a major rule follower.
Dave Blanks: Yeah, a real rule follower. What do you think he's going to do when he grows up?
Katie Hines: He wants to be a lawyer, it makes a lot of sense.
Dave Blanks: What's his name? Can you say his name?
Katie Hines: His name is Henry.
Dave Blanks: Okay, how long has Henry been such a rule follower?
Katie Hines: Always. He's always been like that. We're used to it, but we can break the smallest rule and it will not get by him.
Dave Blanks: He's going to be like a hall monitor.
Katie Hines: Oh yeah, he is at his school.
Dave Blanks: Wow.
Katie Hines: Yeah, he's on the safety patrol.
Dave Blanks: I kind of respect that. He knows what he wants and he's doing it.
Katie Hines: He does know what he wants. He's very set on everything.
Dave Blanks: How did your grandma handle it?
Katie Hines: We just laugh because we're used to it by now, it's like-
Dave Blanks: Oh, Henry.
Katie Hines: It's, whatever at this point.
Avery Pope: I'm Avery Pope. Yeah, my cousin was kind of being weird and rude to everyone.
Dave Blanks: Okay, rude cousin?
Avery Pope: So we cut it short.
Dave Blanks: So that was unexpected.
Avery Pope: Yes, that was unexpected.
Dave Blanks: All right, maybe he was having an off day.
Avery Pope: Yeah, he just got a dog, the dog is really cute.
Dave Blanks: Well then the dog should improve his mood.
Avery Pope: Yeah, it didn't.
Dave Blanks: It's a big responsibility too. Maybe it's keeping him up at night. Is it a puppy?
Avery Pope: It is.
Dave Blanks: Yeah, maybe that's it, he's cracking under the pressure. Puppy pressure.
Avery Pope: Oh yeah.
Dave Blanks: Thanks Avery.
Avery Pope: Of course.
Alex Lipovan: I'm Alex Lipovan. I choked.
Dave Blanks: What?
Alex Lipovan: I choked on my food.
Dave Blanks: You did?
Alex Lipovan: Yeah.
Dave Blanks: What was it you were eating?
Alex Lipovan: It was mashed potatoes.
Dave Blanks: How did you do that?
Alex Lipovan: I know, I think I was talking and then eating at the same time and just-
Dave Blanks: How bad was it?
Alex Lipovan: I was tearing up.
Dave Blanks: Oh man, that's pretty bad.
Alex Lipovan: Yeah.
Dave Blanks: Did anybody try to help you?
Alex Lipovan: No.
Dave Blanks: What did they do?
Alex Lipovan: They just kind of sat there and watched.
Dave Blanks: At least they didn't laugh.
Alex Lipovan: I got lucky it was mashed potatoes.
Dave Blanks: Yeah, for real. I've never choked on mashed potatoes.
Alex Lipovan: Yeah, I don't know how it happened.
Dave Blanks: I figured you would say it's some kind of bone, or something like that.
Alex Lipovan: No.
Dave Blanks: Turkey bone.
Alex Lipovan: No.
Dave Blanks: No, taters.
Alex Lipovan: Yeah, taters.
Seth Douglas: My name is Seth Douglas. Well, most of my family's from Maryland, so we had a crab bake instead of a turkey dinner.
Dave Blanks: That sounds awesome.
Seth Douglas: And my grandfather made a very big mess under the table.
Dave Blanks: How did he do that?
Seth Douglas: Well, we were breaking the crabs and so most people were keeping it on the table, like grown adults. But I went to my grandfather's side of the table and I found it like what you'd expect like a little kid having.
Dave Blanks: Did you call him out?
Seth Douglas: Oh yeah, we called him out the whole entire rest of the vacation.
Dave Blanks: Did he continue this kind of behavior throughout the rest of the vacation?
Seth Douglas: Oh yeah, he's an ornery old man.
Dave Blanks: Wow, he sounds like a character. So what's your grandpa's name?
Seth Douglas: His name is Captain Dave.
Dave Blanks: Captain Dave. Was he actually a captain?
Seth Douglas: Yeah, he was a captain in the coast guard.
Dave Blanks: Cool. Captain Dave. Here's to you.
Eliza King: I'm Eliza King. No, my family's pretty embarrassing all the time.
Dave Blanks: So you were totally not surprised by any of the embarrassing stuff that happened.
Eliza King: Yeah.
Dave Blanks: All right, gotcha.
Hope Frohock: I'm Hope Frohock. I don't know, I guess ... We went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving. It was their first time hosting it.
Dave Blanks: Oh, is she a new homeowner or something?
Hope Frohock: Yeah, they just got a new house.
Dave Blanks: Okay, do they have any kids, or just the two of them?
Hope Frohock: Yeah, they have three kids.
Dave Blanks: Three kids?
Hope Frohock: Yeah, so pretty wild.
Dave Blanks: So, they were always there, but it was at somebody else's house.
Hope Frohock: Yeah, yeah.
Dave Blanks: Okay, how did they do?
Hope Frohock: It was interesting.
Dave Blanks: Okay, what was different?
Hope Frohock: It was just a little more chaotic since usually my mom is the one who sets up. So it was just all over the place.
Dave Blanks: But mom was there?
Hope Frohock: Yeah.
Dave Blanks: How did she enjoy it? What was she like? "Not so easy, is it?"
Hope Frohock: Yeah, exactly, yeah.
Allison Eller: I'm Alison Eller. I don't know if anyone else does this, but we have the little poppers where you pop it open and you have the little colored crowns.
Dave Blanks: Yeah.
Allison Eller: So we all had colored crowns on and we're playing with our toys at the Thanksgiving table and I thought that might be a little odd.
Dave Blanks: So what was your toy?
Allison Eller: Oh, I had a little kaleidoscope.
Dave Blanks: Oh sweet.
Allison Eller: Yeah, it was cool.
Dylan Coleman: I'm Dylan Coleman. I don't know, I was at the Thanksgiving dinner table and we were going around saying things we're thankful for. Of course, I'm a college student and I haven't seen my family for almost a semester-ish. So they're asking me college questions and just expecting very profound answers and immaculate experiences that I don't have yet. But yes, I just kind of told them vaguely of like how my semester's going. I don't know, I guess they were expecting something huge.
Dave Blanks: How long have you been here?
Dylan Coleman: I've been here for a semester, I'm a freshman, yeah.
Dave Blanks: That's it? Yeah.
Dylan Coleman: Yeah.
Dave Blanks: Yeah, what do they expect?
Dylan Coleman: Exactly, so yeah.
Dave Blanks: It'll get profound, I'm sure.
Dave Blanks: Or maybe not.
Dylan Coleman: Yeah, maybe not.
Mario Espinoza: I'm Mario Espinoza. I was with my girlfriend's family. They live in Valdez, which is close to where we live.
Dave Blanks: Valdez, yeah, right? What's your girlfriend's name?
Mario Espinoza: Shea.
Dave Blanks: When you were hanging out with Shea's family, did anything unexpected, maybe embarrassing happen?
Mario Espinoza: Absolutely.
Dave Blanks: What? Oh, great. Do tell.
Mario Espinoza: She has this cute little nephew named Lan and I love-
Dave Blanks: Lan?
Mario Espinoza: L-A-N, Lan. I love playing with him. He's only six years old, but I just accidentally pushed him. He fell back and hit his head on the couch.
Dave Blanks: No, ow.
Mario Espinoza: I was like, "I am so sorry." It was terrible.
Dave Blanks: Oh, did anybody witness it?
Mario Espinoza: No one else did, so I could just play it off. I was like, "Oh, he hit himself." You know?
Dave Blanks: "Lan, I don't know, he just fell over."
Mario Espinoza: No, but I was very apologetic.
Dave Blanks: Is he okay?
Mario Espinoza: He's totally fine.
Dave Blanks: Well, thank goodness for that. Poor Lan.
Mario Espinoza: Yeah.
Grace Le: I'm Grace Le.
Dave Blanks: So Grace, did you go home for Thanksgiving?
Grace Le: Yes I did.
Dave Blanks: Okay, cool. Did you hang out with your family?
Grace Le: All the time.
Dave Blanks: Constantly, right? No escape.
Grace Le: No.
Dave Blanks: So did anything unexpected or potentially embarrassing happen?
Grace Le: Yeah, so Saturday I went to Concord Mills, it's like a mall. My sister lost her phone, so I was running around the whole place, trying to find it and then I ran into a kid, like the kid fell.
Dave Blanks: How old was he?
Grace Le: I don't know but the kid was probably around like toddler, I guess. I don't know.
Dave Blanks: You smashed into a toddler?
Grace Le: I felt so bad and then I was like, "I'm so sorry." And then the mom looked and then I just ran. I was like, "I can't, I can't do this!"
Dave Blanks: You didn't help him up or anything? You just, "Run away."
Grace Le: Yeah, because if I'd helped, I feel like the mom would've been like, "I can't believe ran over him."
Dave Blanks: Oh yeah. So did you find your sister's phone?
Grace Le: Yeah, we did.
Dave Blanks: Thank goodness. I hope that kid's okay.
Grace Le: Let's hope so too.
Dave Blanks: I hope the cops don't catch up with you.
Grace Le: I'm going home.
Dave Blanks: Get out of here.
Dave Blanks: I was looking for fun answers and I did get some fun answers. Thanks App State students. Hopefully you out there listening got sort of a vibe for what it's like as an App State student when you go home. Was that what the mission was? I don't know. I think that's what we accomplished. Either way, I'm Dave Blanks and this has been Dave By The Bell.
Dave Blanks: You can listen to Dave By The Bell, wherever you get your podcasts like Stitcher or iTunes and on a Spotify. Yeah, so check us out. Search for Dave By The Bell. Tell a friend, write a review. I would be very thankful and if I saw you and you told me that you wrote me a review, I would give you a solid, super cool high five. Thanks very much to Pete Montaldi who handles our web stuff along with Derek Wycoff, also on the web team and Alex Waterworth, thanks to Chase Reynolds for additional photography. Thanks to you listener, for your time. Have a fantastic day and I will talk to you next time.

Friday Oct 25, 2019
040 Dave by the Bell: Is App State right for me?
Friday Oct 25, 2019
Friday Oct 25, 2019
University Communications' Dave Blanks asks current Appalachian students what they would share about App State with a friend who is considering attending the university. Spoiler alert: Everyone loves Appalachian State University.

Friday Aug 30, 2019
039 Dave by the Bell: The Strangest Thing
Friday Aug 30, 2019
Friday Aug 30, 2019
Dave Blanks of Appalachian's University Communications interviews first-year students and their parents during Move-in Day 2019 to discover the strange and unusual things they've brought with them to the residence halls.

Wednesday May 01, 2019
038 Dave by the Bell: Why Choose App State?
Wednesday May 01, 2019
Wednesday May 01, 2019
University Communications' resident goofy goober, Dave Blanks, and UComm intern Alyssa "The Juggernaut" Rodriguez interview students on Sanford Mall to find out why they chose to attend Appalachian State University.

Who is this person?
University Communication’s own Dave Blanks wanders the earth over in search of answers to all of life’s questions... great and small. Okay, so he mainly stays on Appalachian State University’s campus... he still wanders though... and he definitely wonders as he wanders. Enjoy a podcast rife with silly asides and revolutionary revelations. Priceless.