The Southern News

SCSU honors those fighting cancer and remembers the ones who have passed

Southern News — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:50:39 +0000

By ELIZABETH DISHIAN—Staff Writer |

At Relay for Life it’s hard to pick one beautiful moment, but if a student had to, most would pick the Luminaria ceremony, according to Jennifer Nolte, vice president of Colleges Against Cancer. SCSU’s 2012 annual Relay for Life was hosted this past Saturday, April 28, on the Jess Dow Field.
“Last year, I was able to speak about why I relay,” Nolte said. “When I spoke about my mom, who had passed away when I was young to cancer, a shooting star went overhead. I didn’t realize this until after the ceremony when someone had approached me and mentioned it. I couldn’t help but get goose bumps knowing that had to be a sign that my mom was watching over me.”
The Luminaria ceremony is to honor those who are fighting the battle and to remember those who have lost their fight, Nolte said. There is also a slideshow that plays with pictures and names of everyone who is being honored and remembered. After the Luminaires are lit and the slideshow is played, most participants walk in d silence around the track.
“The Luminaria ceremony is an incredibly moving event for anyone who experiences it,” Sandra Bulmer, advisor for Colleges Against Cancer, said. “Whether you’re honoring someone who is dealing with cancer or remembering someone who has died, I think everyone at the event has someone or several people they think of. And the people walking silently around the track, you can sense the seriousness of the event in a wonderful way.”
The students in Colleges Against Cancer are incredibly dedicated to this task and put an enormous amount of their time and effort into making Relay for Life at Southern possible, Bulmer said.
“The money that is raised is very carefully allocated to services and research dealing with cancer,” she said. “And that’s because of all of the volunteer hours to keep the expenses low for Relay for Life. Many times you donate your money and you don’t know where it goes, but in our case a very high percent goes to the cause.”
According to the Relay for Life website, there were 525 participants, 63 teams and a total of $35,525 raised thus far.

Stefen Keller, Colleges Against Cancer member, and Stephanie Guerrera, student life graduate-intern, are slimed after Keller is awarded
the Values Award from the American Cancer Society.

“It’s a good feeling when someone volunteers his or
her time,” Bulmer said. “This organization would never get any proceeds from Relay for Life if we didn’t have the volunteers that we do.”
CAC does other fundraising on campus, such as working with sports teams and club events, according to Grace D’Amico, president of CAC. The club also collaborates with other events on campus in hopes of making Relay for Life even bigger.
“We work together to fight against cancer in a college setting,” Nolte said. “We have various activities such as the Great American Smokeout we hold in November and the Pink Athletic games like rugby and hockey.”
Students at Southern should “without a doubt” become involved with Relay for Life, Nolte said.
Students join the cause at first because it’s fun, according to Emily Guerrucci, North Campus Townhouse community adviser. But then when students realize they can support so many different people fighting this battle, it’s hard to imagine why people wouldn’t help out and join Relay for Life.
“I think students should get involved because this organization is working on changing the future for both our generation and many others,” Nolte said. “We are working towards a cure and I think that with every dollar we are that much closer to finding answers.”
Relay for Life inspires people to get involved in helping find a cure because everyone is affected by cancer in some way, D’Amico said.
“It’s a wonderful thing to do for many reasons; it’s fun to raise the money but it really does allow you to socialize in ways with people that we don’t do anymore,” Bulmer said. “You walk around the track all day and night and have great conversations that we don’t take time to have anymore.”
Not only do students get to socialize, but they also get so much more out of Relay for Life, she said. Fun, life-changing, important—these are all feelings students have when being involved with Relay.
Southern has so many people to thank for all their hard work for putting Relay for Life together, especially CAC, Bulmer said.
“Every time I go to a [CAC] meeting, I’m awestruck at how many students show up,” she said. “And there aren’t many things on campus that I see that students show up for.”
The executive board for CAC is professional and efficient, according to Bulmer. That’s part of the reason they have good attendance and also why students keep coming back to volunteer.
“If you told me four years ago that I would be a co-chair of this event I would have thought you were kidding,” Nolte said. “It is amazing how much you will learn when you join any organization, and the bonds you will create.”
Nolte also said CAC makes people feel welcomed and excited to make a difference.
“I became involved because I’m passionate about finding a cure for cancer,” she said. “I know that I am not a doctor and won’t be able to contribute directly to research myself, but I know donations are a part I can help with.”
The people who participate in Relay all do so for their own individual reasons, Nolte said.
“I relay because both of my parents were affected by cancer,” she said. “My mom unfortunately lost her battle, but my dad is now cancer free. I relay for more birthdays and the future.”

Students wear a hijab for Islamic awareness

Southern News — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:23:02 +0000

Top photo: Mariam Mansour, Muslim Student Association member,
puts a Hijab on graduate intern Kristina Santoro. Bottom
photo: Hijabs displayed on a table in the student center.

Kristina James – Staff Writer

A big smile covered Kristina Santoro’s face as her friend, Mariam Mansour, wrapped a blue satin hijab around her head.
“I am very interested in how they keep them on,” Santoro, graduate intern for Student Life at SCSU said with a laugh. “I love their culture.”
Santoro, as well as other female students, participated in Wear a Hijab for a Day on Wed., April 25. The day consisted of a two-part event that called for participants to wear a traditional hijab all day, which is a head scarf worn by Muslim women, then attend a discussion about their experience later on that night.
According to Mansour, a senior social work major at SCSU, the Muslim Student Association put this event, along with several others, together as a part of Islamic Awareness Week. She said MSA members hoped to be able to clear up any misconceptions people might have about their culture.
“People think we wear the hijab because we are all bald,” Mansour said, “but that is not true at all. We wear them as a sign of modesty.”
According to Qur’an 33:59, Muslim women who believe in the Muslim faith should “draw their garments around them” whenever they are out in public or in the presence of a man.
Gul Khan, a junior biology major at SCSU, said this rule is often misunderstood. She said it does not mean Muslim women must wear a hijab.
“It is all about covering up,” Khan said. “I choose not to wear the hijab but I make sure I am completely covered up. I always wear long pants and my sleeves are never shorter than three quarters.”
LaTasia Paris, 22 of Stamford, said she always thought Muslim women were forced into wearing the hijab.
“I have to be honest, I have always believed that Muslim women were suppressed and abused,” Paris said. “I thought they were forced into putting on all that stuff.”
Marwa Mansour, a sophomore psychology major at SCSU and Mariam Mansour’s sister, said although she wears the hijab, it was a personal choice and was never pushed on her.
“I wore it in the fifth grade for the first time,” Marwa Mansour said. “My mother explained to me that wearing it was a commitment and that if I put it on I could never take it off. But she did not make me do it. I felt like I was ready for it.”
She said wearing the hijab empowered her; it empowered her as a young woman and empowered her as a Muslim.
However, Marwa Mansour said she has had some negative experiences, with non-Muslims, because of her headdress.
She said after moving to the U.S. from Egypt, in her junior year of high school, a male student called her a terrorist and pulled off her hijab.
“I slapped him across the face and got in a lot of trouble,” Marwa Mansour said. “But he never did.”
Marwa Mansour said she has also seen people flinch when she reached for her handbag. She said people always assume Muslims are up to no good.
Mariam Mansour said she understood the only information most people get about the Muslim culture is from TV, and a majority of the time the information obtained is negative.
However, she said there is a simple solution to this problem.
“People should just ask us,” said Mariam Mansour. “It is much better to hear it from us then to assume and judge us.

Mixed opinions on SCSU’s sexual harassment code

Southern News — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:17:14 +0000

Simone Virzi – News Writer
What should a professor do if a student draws a heart with an arrow next to their name on an exam? This was an example referenced several times at the Community Forum on Campus Climate, held last Friday, April 27.
Members of the Sexual Harassment Prevention Task Force, other professors and students attended to examine what the force has already done and what the university needs to do to avoid future sexual harassment cases.
In regard to the heart drawn on the exam, some of the attendees argued it was an innocent drawing, while others said it could be the start to sexual harassment.
What happens when a student harasses a professor was discussed the most at the forum, but force members said they have discussed in other meetings what happens when a professor harasses a student.
The task force, which has only had five meetings, first convened on March 5 of this year and subcommittee meetings include training, definitions and climate survey.
Michele Salamone, faculty development, said the Sexual Harassment Task Force was formed this semester.
Marianne Kennedy, interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said she was “appalled” after reading the university’s policy that “discourages but does not forbid” consensual relationships between a professor and a student.
Steve LaRocco, a task force member and English professor, said one of the issues is the university needs to find out what is “unwanted sexual contact.” What also needs to be addressed is what occurs when a professor and student potentially want to be in a relationship.
“[The] university won’t support you if a complaint comes out of a relationship,” he said, referencing if a professor and student are in a relationship.
According to Debra Risisky, a professor in public health and member of the task force, who read off a PowerPoint, the “last assessment of [the] SCSU Campus Climate [was] conducted in 2006.”
Next semester in the fall, the university will conduct another survey online for the Southern community to complete. In the meanwhile, Risisky said climate data has been collected from other universities.
Freshman Madison Breuer, one of the three students at the forum, offered a suggestion to the force to help prevent sexual harassment.
The university “needs to be more clear,” she said, adding that Southern needs to list what will happen regarding consequences.
Jeannette Oppedisano, a women’s studies professor, said the university should have a “safe environment” where sexually harassed students can go.
She also said students should “stand up for themselves” and tell the perpetrator to stop sexually harassing them. The comment was disputed because students have different personalities, as some are more aggressive while others get scared.
Student Destin Pervis-Pritchett said sexual harassment “guidelines should be made very clear.” He also said someone needs to say, “This is inappropriate” and do something about it before it becomes sexual harassment, which he defined as “ongoing.”
He referenced the example of a heart drawn on an exam and said in his opinion that is not sexual harassment, but it is “inappropriate.”
Another issue discussed was that sexual harassment could be a power issue: a professor may intimidate some students, because they control their grade. However, Greg Adams, task force member and sociology professor, said a professor can also be intimidated by a student.
He referenced a situation in 2009 in which one of his students was sexually harassing him, and he felt powerless: the student had paid money to have a seat in his classroom.
Cathy Christy, Women’s Center director and task force member, said everyone–both faculty and students–need to be educated more.
Marcia Smith Glasper, executive assistant to the president and task force member, said there are “multiple levels or layers of responsibility” the Southern community needs to take. This applies to training to be done by the faculty, including supervisors and deans, which is a “requirement,” Smith Glasper said, who is also the executive director of Diversity and Equity.
LaRocco said the law has a “loose definition,” so the university needs to have a more refined definition. He also referenced a point Smith Glasper had made earlier in the forum: “What’s a reasonable person’s standards?”
After the forum, Breuer quickly summarized why she attended in two words: “David Chevan.” She then said he should no longer be a faculty member at the university, referring to the lawsuit that SCSU student Wendy Wyler filed against the university earlier this semester, claiming the music professor had sexually harassed her.
Breuer also said there is “a lot going on with sexual assault.” However, when a professor sexually harasses a student, the student does not feel they have any control.
“No one takes [sexual harassment] very seriously,” she said.

Study shows texting and driving leads to daily deaths

Southern News — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:01:30 +0000

Simone Virzi – News Writer

As technology becomes increasingly important in society, younger people are finding it harder to let go of their cell phones – even while driving.
Bridgestone tires recently conducted a survey amongst over 2,000 people between the ages of 15-21. The company found that one-third of participants admitted to reading text messages while driving.
Senior Summer Pichette texts while driving, but said she does realize it is dangerous.
“I’ve heard stories about people texting while driving and not focusing on the road,” she said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “more than 15 people are killed and more than 1,200 people are injured every day in crashes that were reported to involve a distracted driver.”
Pichette said her ex-boyfriend once told her a girl in his town was texting while driving and because she was not paying attention, she hit a truck. Her younger sister was in the car, but did not survive the accident.
The story showed Pichette “more people should be aware about texting while driving,” and referred to the story as “sad.”
Senior Mike Tweedie also said he texts while driving, but he tries to be careful.
“I do text and drive, however, I keep my responses short and I normally only text at red lights,” he said “I text while driving because texting at a red light is easier and less of a distraction than talking while driving.”
The Bridgestone survey also discovered 24 percent of the participants “do not believe that talking on the phone while driving is dangerous.”
Pichette said although texting and talking on the phone are bad, they are not equally risky.
“I don’t think it’s as dangerous as texting,” she said, adding while someone is talking on the phone, their “eyes aren’t glued to the phone.”
The survey also concluded “girls engage in distractions behind the wheel far more than boys.”
This conclusion may be accurate because according to Jon Bloch, chair of the sociology department and Ph.D., “some research shows that in general women tend to multi-task more than men.”
Although he was not familiar with the survey, Bloch said texting while driving is an issue, especially since public service ads try to discourage texting while driving.
“Teens and young adults often think they are invincible, and the possibility of death, like aging, seems a million light-years away,” he said. “Young people also like to tempt fate, and do things they have been told they should not do to see if they can get away with it without being harmed. This is called the boomerang effect. Someone says ‘Don’t do X,’ and so X is exactly what people do.”
According to the survey, “teenagers and young adults say their parents engage in distracted driving more than themselves.”
Pichette said sometimes her aunt puts make-up on while driving; but she does not know how her aunt can drive at the same time, since her eyes are not on the road.
Bloch also said this conclusion could possibly be accurate.
“It is also true that adults often do not behave in ways they should, so young people might also model their behavior on the example set by their parents or other adults,” Bloch said.
Pichette said teenagers, especially newer drivers, should be focusing on the road instead of texting – Bloch also agreed.
“Newer drivers are of course less experienced, and so are more likely to have care accidents,” Bloch said. “This is exacerbated when they also try to drive and multi-task.”
Since texting while driving “is a serious problem,” Pichette suggested the university should bring more awareness to the issue by holding events on campus.
“I think it would be beneficial because I haven’t been to or heard [about a program] like that,” she said.
Tweedie also said it is an issue that should be addressed.
“Texting and driving is an important issue and we need to educate the college kids on proper driving etiquette,” he said.

Southern community takes a ‘stand against racism’

Southern News — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:58:04 +0000

Freddy Heredia – Staff Writer

Throughout the past week the SCSU community has come together to take a stand against racism.
Sponsored by the YWCA, the Office of Diversity & Equity Programs, Multicultural Center, Programs Council and SCSU NAACP hosted a program April 27 in the Engleman Hall rotunda as they asked for students to sign and take a pledge for the National Stand Against Racism Day before marching across campus to show their support.
Julie Jones, a political science major, was one of the students at the event asking for passing students to sign a pledge and handing out shirts to commemorate the national stand. Jones said there have been events throughout the week, but Friday’s march throughout campus grabbed many people’s attention for those who have yet to hear about the stand against a national issue.
Jones said Southern brought in youth from the community and had 10 students speak on personal issues with racism. There was also a video-viewing on “Stand Against Racism.”
“We are going from Engleman to Conn Hall,” Jones said. “When students see a bunch of people walking together, other people are going to be wondering what it is about. We had two tables [Thursday] at Conn Hall, and we have gotten a lot of people and pledges, and are really happy people are taking time to do this.”
Many students’ attentions were drawn to the pledge board to participate in the fight against the existence of racism in the country. Kayla Tiska, freshman psychology major, stopped at the crowded table in the rotunda and agreed that everyone should be aware of the issue and come together.
“I think it’s something that needs to be acknowledged and I was more than happy to sign for it and participate in making the issue known. It’s a really good cause,” Tiska said, “I think it’s awesome and unifying the student body, as well as bringing people together—people that believe in a good cause. I think it’s bringing out positive vibes from the student body, so I’m all for that.”
Eliminating racism and celebrating the richness of diversity is the main objective for those involved in the event. For Jean Pierre, senior international business major, the petition sends one big message: the community at Southern does not comply with racism.
“Today we are going to take a stand against racism,” Pierre said. “As you know there was a recent incident with Trayvon Martin and we want to get the word out that racism is still here and we need to come together and put aside any inequality and stand together.”

Editor’s Note: Open doors

Southern News — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:48:33 +0000

What to do, what to do.
Four years of college, now it’s time to go home. For any of you following my series of depressing graduation-based columns, I thank you. For those who haven’t, well, you probably won’t be reading this anyway—your loss.
But now it’s time to look around. Survey the people surrounding you that are getting ready to don those awkward black robes and ill-fitting hats. Will that guy be famous? How long until she’s unemployed? What percentage of this graduating class will end up dancing on a pole? All pressing questions, but none more pressing than which of those you will be.
For every graduating class at Southern there is a Rob Parker; unfortunately, most don’t quite reach the height of their aspirations.
It really comes down to the looking glass through which you are choosing to view your college diploma. Walking across that stage and receiving the faux diploma from the nameless person you won’t give a second thought to for the rest of your life can mean many things. Walking across that stage may be a good photo opportunity for parents and relatives, but what it means to you is more important.
That piece of paper can open doors, but it is your responsibility to walk through them. If graduating from college is something you’re looking at as the end of an era, the end of the road, the culmination of everything academic and scholarly in your life, the day you stop having to learn— reality-check time, because it will be.
Every day is a lesson; every job is a class; learn or fail, adapt or die.
Well, maybe not die, but like I said, don’t be in the pole-dancing percentage.
Taking a job just for the money isn’t the answer either. Who needs the meager, minimum-wage paycheck from Applebees? This is the moment of truth when it comes to nailing down your employment dreams. Take that unpaid internship, relocate for your dream job—do whatever you can before it’s too late.
I’ve been told before, you either choose the job you want, or you get chosen by one. That sentiment couldn’t be more true. Now is not the time to travel the world, unless your goal in life is to be a world traveler. Now is not the time to take a year off, unless your goal in life is to be unemployed.
A diploma from Southern may be exciting for a day, but realizing you’ve completely wasted it will be depressing for a lifetime. Don’t let that happen to you.
So do yourself a favor, take my advice and continue to learn. Continue to aspire to be something better. Don’t settle, and for God’s sake, don’t try to tell me it’s just for the exercise.

Lessons a freshman learns

Southern News — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:14:42 +0000

Mackenzie Hurlbert – Staff Writer

As my freshman year comes to an end, I can’t help but feel a bit sentimental. No longer will the excuse “Oh she’s just a freshman” apply to any regrettable remarks or mistakes I may make. Likewise, I am reminded once again that these four years are my countdown to the real world, and I’m already a quarter of the way there.
Of course any upperclassmen reading this is probably rolling his or her eyes and muttering, “Yeah? Well I’m on the final stretch, so quit complaining.” While I may be sad about this school year coming to a close, at least I can tell myself I’ve spent my first quarter of my college career smartly and that I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way. Some lessons—such as how to isolate a virus from a soil sample, or what the difference is between a spondee and a dactyl— may not be as useful to my everyday needs as others—such as how to get ready in 10 minutes and how to tell if yogurt has gone bad or not.
In any sense, college teaches us much more than just what takes place inside the classroom. It’s a growing and learning experience and allows us to test out the waters without a guiding hand. While some may have regrettably chosen to sink, I am proud to say that I’m one of those who managed to stay afloat and achieved this by learning from the experiences I had during my first year at Southern.
First off, I learned that Conn is not as awesome as it seems on orientation day. I don’t want to jump on the “Ewww Conn” bandwagon because I do think that it could be a lot worse, but I have to say that what I look forward to the most this summer is my mom’s cooking. I learned to save a meal exchange for Friday so I can eat a tasty dinner at the student center before a weekend of salad and stir-fry at Conn. I also discovered that if I want to use an Anywhere Meal for my boyfriend when we eat together, I have to get in line again and pretend I’m just really hungry and can eat two burritos.
After living in a dorm for the first time, this year has been an eye-opening experience for me. Luckily my roommate is awesome, so I didn’t have many issues there, but the community showers and late night violin practices left me clicking my slippers and repeatedly saying, “There’s no place like home.” First off, flip-flops in the shower is a must because, as I regret to inform you, people do much, much more than sing in there. Second, be considerate and nice to the cleaning lady, or else she’ll leave the trash bins overflowing. Lastly, lock the door every night before you go to sleep because you never know when some idiot boy will come barging in at 2:30 a.m. belting out “Have a holly jolly Christmas!” Ridiculous, right? It happened.
As far as school goes, I learned that time management is key. If you waste time watching TV shows or going out with your friends when you really need to be writing a paper, afterwards you’re going to be stressed out to the extreme. Likewise, if you waste your time and don’t bother handing in homework or studying for tests, you are wasting either your own or your parents’ money on an education you are not ready or mature enough for. Of course everyone has their own priorities, and it’s up to them to figure them out. I’m just glad that the mindset I entered with my freshman year with has not faltered one bit.
I learned a lot this past year as a freshman, but the most important lesson was to stick to who I am. Drinking and clubbing just isn’t me, and I didn’t want the stereotypical college culture to change me as I had seen it change my friends. Some people “find” themselves in college, others lose themselves, and boring people like me just work on being themselves. Lessons on life are always useful, but for me, the things I learned about myself were the most worthwhile.

Evolution of laughter

Southern News — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:12:40 +0000

Jessica Giannone – Opinions Editor
Like everything else in the world, the pleasant things we experience, too, have evolved to suit our needs. Survival of the fittest kicked in as far as giggles go. What many don’t realize, however, is these giggles serve a beneficial purpose—biologically and emotionally.
With that said, laughter is not just a means of expressing humor: it is recognized as one of the healthiest practices a person can partake in. Fostering physical and mental advantages such as stress reduction, improved immunity, attention, creativity, alertness, muscle activity, endorphins, pain tolerance, increased respiration and oxygen to the brain, laughter can be used as a way to improve body, mind and life in general, simply because multiple brain regions are working together at once.
So why has this trait evolved as far as literal survival goes? Psychology says laughter was necessary as a form of communication, and Freud would say it is a release of sexual or aggressive tension. Whatever the theory, we know we have an easy fallback to make our day when things aren’t quite going our way—and the perks are priceless.
So how does one encourage laughter for him or herself on a daily basis? Well, here are five tips to achieve a chuckle:
1) Start with a smile, then laugh away. Studies show smiling also releases endorphins, so “fake it till you make it!”
2) Watch funny movies and videos/read funny books, articles, etc. Any amusing activity than contains humor will be sure to spark a giggle.
3) Have a laughing buddy. If there is one person or a group of friends that can trigger the laughter, go to them.
4) See the big picture. If something is frustrating, it can help for one to imagine him or herself viewing the scenario as if it were a comedic sitcom to lighten up the agitation.
5) Get tickled. For most, it works every time!
A special technique to elicit laughter is laughter yoga. This practice integrates unconditional laughter with yogic breathing, without relying on humor, to trigger contagious and therapeutic laughter. Steps and activities to accomplish this laughter, which the body cannot differentiate from “effortless” laughter, include the following:
1) Start off by clapping hands together while saying “ho, ho, ha, ha,” which is believed to stimulate pressure points, activate the diaphragm and prepare the body to breath and become energized.
2) Walk around the room and greet people with laughter (instead of saying hello, just let out a chuckle).
3) One can then pretend he or she is on an imaginary cell phone and laugh into it, while possibly passing it to others and making funny gestures.
4) Participants then pretend they are driving a car to lower inhibitions.
5) Lastly, partake in argument laughter (create a pretend argument with a partner and exchange laughs as “defenses” rather than words).
By the end of the session, one should be relaxed, alert and feeling positive. A video demonstrating this practice can be found at the following webpage: http://www.laughteryogaamerica.com/learn/laughter-yoga-258.php
For further reading on more benefits and the specific brain functioning behind laughter, see: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8- health-benefits-of-laughter.html
“Tips for more laughter in your life:” http://www.laughtertherapy. com/laughtertips.htm#Tips for More laughter in Your Life
Research on hormones involved in laughter: http://stress.about. com/b/2008/04/14/more-research-on-laughter.htm
Regardless of how you mange to get those giggles going, I suggest you take at least five minutes a day to let yourself lose. May you be the last man laughing

If we swapped roles

Southern News — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:08:19 +0000

Jessica Giannone – Opinions Editor

So we know there are distinct gender differences when it comes to social standards, but let’s take a few moments to reflect on how funny things would be if there were no variations. Let’s imagine the following actions as if the opposite sex were to carry them out. Here, friends, are what girls can get away with that guys normally can’t.

Holding each other and putting cheeks together in photos
Holding hands and walking
Sleeping in the same bed under the covers
Dancing by themselves
Hugging long and tight/kisses on cheek, etc.
Cooking for each other when sick
Sending each other flowers
Adjusting clothes for each other
Selecting outfits for each other
Baking cookies together
Going to dinner and a romantic movie together and sitting next to each other
Crying in public
Cuddling together on the couch and gossiping
Go into a friend’s stall while they’re peeing/ going to bathroom together in general
Giving homemade birthday cards to each other
Brushing each other’s hair
Giving each other massages
Going for martinis
Sending each other pictures of themselves to see what they look like
Wearing clothes of the opposite sex
Call each other baby/honey

What we think we know might change for the better

Southern News — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:04:31 +0000

Jessica Giannone – Opinions Editor
This article isn’t about graduation; it’s about life.
Back when we were younger, and we weren’t sure what we’d become–when the glory revolved around adults with their productive lives, and children had nothing but the stains on their new shirts to worry about—something changed.
Suddenly knowledge caught up to us. We tried different things, developed different interests and the passion to go along with those, in addition to untouchable motivation. Become an astronaut—why not? We knew what we wanted, we knew the tools we needed, and we knew we could get there. We were so ahead of the game.
We had it all: the encouragement, the acceptance and the excitement to pursue our dreams. Our confidence was intact, and our heads were untainted by external forces. Then we became exposed to the catalysts for forgotten dreams.
No one can figure out what it is about growing up that tampers with these tools of perseverance. It could be that we become more realistic; we become afraid of rejection, wasted time, money and effort; and we compare ourselves to others. We’re certainly more susceptible to everyone else’s opinion.
But the reality might actually become simple negativity, the fear irrational, and the comparisons just a reflection of that fear and vulnerability to failing. What went wrong? (Aside from the economy).
When we got to college, our options sprawled all over the place with an opportunity here and a class there. Maybe our enthusiasm grew, as we met new people and were surrounded by ambition. Maybe we’re confused at what we want because we see the real sides to our original passions: not much pay, little opportunities and a ton of work. The overwhelming steps to get and maintain a career may come into play until the point where we say screw it and major in whatever seems reassuring for a future.
Anyone can tell you you’re better off doing something else. Anyone can put in their two cents about your educational path. Though the bottom line is, we can’t go wrong if we’re pursuing what we want— setbacks or no setbacks. Nonetheless, this end-chasing is like a constant circle of ups and downs; first nothing, then something. Then something, then nothing.
If we could rewind close to square one, we would be at the spring of assurance with what we truly desire; the core of our goals would surface with diminished second-guessing at that age where we had no doubts (rocket scientist—I’ll take it). Rewind a little more and we’ll see that where some of us may be now, is where we were at the get-go–that precious time when we had no idea what to do (before we upgraded to Pull-Ups).
We still don’t know what we’ll become, and we glorify those adults who do. We, again, have those critical years ahead of us where we have yet to be presented with ideas, chances and doors for whatever it is we will decide to become.
That is the beauty of life, and it all starts with graduation.