By Rachel Kann
In America fashion trends have lead people to invest their paychecks in products and surgeries so they could posses whiter teeth, bigger boobs, and skinner waistlines. One of the most controversial fashion trends is the alternating of skin complexion. While skin complexion may be used to evaluate the person’s fashion sense; it has deeper roots in culture stigmas.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
The Reality with Reality TV
By Jenni Cochran
At any given moment of the day, you can turn your television on and a reality TV show will be playing on nearly every channel. Reality shows are defined as “television programs that present real people in live, though often deliberately manufactured, situations and monitor their emotions and behaviors,” according to MSN Encarta. Reality shows today can go from an intimate interpersonal experience between two people to anything else imaginable, such as jumping off cliffs only to provoke a few laughs and a few more broken bones. There are reality shows about business, cooking, law, relationships, jobs, fitness, surgery, sports, home repair, car repair, even life repair. If you can think of it, chances are, it has already been thought of and will be featured on VH1. The monstrosity of reality TV is something not easily ignored.
One Friday Night
By Seth Hadenfeldt
Where are you on Friday nights during the fall and spring semester? If you’re a student that lives near the campus, chances are you’re playing on or around the College Hill. The usually void area at the corner of 23rd and College Street fills up on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings with students searching for a good time.
As the typical college student myself who likes to drink and spend several hundreds of dollars each year on the activity, I’ve seen alcohol bring a lot of good times, shenanigans, and unforgettable stories into my life. I’ve also experience the dark side of tickets, disappointment, and unnecessary problems. Alcohol can ruin the lives of our friends and make it easy for people to make bad decisions. To further examine how alcohol affects the lives of students at this campus, I decided to follow two University of Northern Iowa students around on what they consider a typical Friday night. I will be sharing their individual accounts and reveal information discovered through further research that every college student should be aware of: alcohol related crimes and punishments, violence and sexual abuse, how alcohol can affect your future, and what it means to be a responsible drinker. In this story I am not opposing the consumption of alcohol. I am only trying to shed light on the darker side to make you, as a reader, a more responsible drinker.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Is Cedar Falls Boring?
Cedar Falls is a small town that does not seem to have many exciting places or things to do. If you stand in the Prairie Lakes Park at Viking and Hudson, and make a 360 degrees turn, the tallest building you’ll see is the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) water tower. Everything else seems flat, while much of the countryside is carpeted with cornfields. During winter, the fields will be covered with snow like a gigantic white blanket. It appears that Cedar Falls is not much of a place to stay. Is it?...MORE>>
Complex Stigmas Behind Complexions
Complex Stigmas Behind Complexions (Rough Draft from last week)
By Rachel Kann
Looking at the multiple stigmas associated with skin complexion...need a lead and more history along with quotes.
http://sites.google.com/site/rkann13/
By Rachel Kann
Looking at the multiple stigmas associated with skin complexion...need a lead and more history along with quotes.
http://sites.google.com/site/rkann13/
Change in Curriculum: Constructing a Two-Way Street
By Courtney Styron
Well friends, it is time for more construction in Cedar Falls. As always, plan for a slow moving process, inconvenient roadblocks, and other impatient travelers down the road. You will be happy to hear, or should I say not hear, that this construction does not require the use of loud, obnoxious jackhammers. You see this construction is more abstract. Lang Hall will not close down due to the project, and the Communication Department will still conduct classes as usual, however there are several changes needed to be implemented to the Public Relations curriculum, and the biggest is to construct a two-way street between students and faculty.
My original intent for this blog was to be a voice for the students.
For the past four semesters, as I sat in class, walked down the halls, and spent time outside class with my fellow Public Relations majors I began to collect an abundance of complaints regarding our department, however, I had never heard of anyone doing anything about it. So, when this opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it thinking I would speak out, and let the “Big Wigs” have a piece of my mind. It is funny how things, or perspectives, can change. I was surprised, to
say the least, with the outcome of my research, and thus the direction of this article is vastly different than my original thoughts. Believe it or not, but in many aspects the students and faculty are on the same page, we just didn’t know it. So, instead of ranting and raving just about what the students believe needs to be changed and pointing fingers at those who need to change them, I have complied a list of three main issues that everyone agrees needs to be addressed and suggestions for both ends of the spectrum. By creating a “two-way street” of communication and cooperation it will allow for a much smoother process.Not Enough Hard Hats
The first critical concern among students and faculty is no secret: we only have one Public Relations professor, Dr. Gayle Pohl, Associate Professor.
Marilyn Shaw, Coordinator of Advising, said, “No matter how talented and dedicated we are, we cannot operate every aspect of a department by ourselves… we need fresh new blood to help out… we need more innovated ways to bring more into the picture.”
In order to have a well-rounded education it is important to be exposed to different perspectives. With seven PR courses, some of which have more than one section offered, our lone professor cannot be expected to teach them all. And though the professors who have “crossed-over” to help teach the PR courses are undoubtedly experts in their respective fields, they are not necessarily in Public Relations. This causes gaps within the courses and the overall curriculum.
According to John Fritch, head of the Communication Department, they have been working with several options to manage the problem. Our toughest battle however is with the economy. With major budget cuts across the board, it was to be expected that the Communications Department would too be hit. Unfortunately, just as it was approved to begin a search for an Associate Professor in Public Relations last fall our bubble was burst. All searches across the university have been frozen, and there is no telling when the process will begin again.
A few other suggestions for temporary solutions include: bringing in professionals from the community to teach a shortened course, reaching out to alumni to teach a short course, and hiring short-term instructors to fill in where needed.
“Some professionals can teach, some can’t,” Fritch said as we discussed the alternatives. When weighing the options, extra caution must be given to details such as this in order to preserve the standard of education. What good would it do to have a different perspective if the course was lacking the sufficient content?
Filling in the Pot Holes
Why Take Route U.N.I.?
1. Only State school to offer PR Degree in Iowa
Compare:
University of Northern Iowa: Communication Studies: Public Relations
2. Rounded Program
- Only program that students are required to take classes in Communication Studies, Public Relations, Business, and Journalism
3. PRSSA/PRide
The second concern to address is the gaps within the curriculum. Of the students and faculty I spoke to everyone mentioned a need for a design or graphic communication course to be added. And there is good news. Fritch informed me that beginning in Fall 2010, a new course tentatively titled “Visual Communication” would become a requirement for all General Communications majors, and an option as an elective for all other Communication majors, including PR.
Currently, public relations students are required to take 57 credit hours and of those only one course (3 credits) focuses on computer skills: Editing and Design. The course was created to help students navigate the basic functions of programs such as Indesign, and help sharpen their editing skills. It is a very board course, and does not enter into the element of web design. Considering the technologically centered world we live in, this seems absurd; however adding to a curriculum is not an easy task. For instance, it is already a challenge to most students to graduate in four years, adding another required class to the program would only frustrate those who want a four-year plan. Most students do not enjoy taking more than 15 credit hours a semester, so something has to give. Simply replacing one class with a new one is not always the most logical, or best decision. “We have requirements because we think they are important,” said Fritch.
Rest assured that they are constantly looking at the curriculum: what can go, what needs to be changed, and what needs to be added, however it takes two years to get a new class into the catalog. As students, it’s easy to become impatient, however we must understand the bigger picture, and not let the “Students First” motto become excessive.
Because of the extensive process it is extremely important to focus our energies and resources to the most efficient and effective approach to adding a class. The new “Visual Communication” class for example is less focused on how to use programs and more about the principles of usage. “The tools will change, and it is impossible to constantly update software. Our goal is that you (the students) can figure out the technology yourself and for us to show you how to make good choices with design,” Fritch explained.
Trapped in the Round-about
The third issue is the question of redundancy.
“When we are in meetings we talk about what she be taught in each class, but whether that is what translates, I’m not sure,” said Dr. Pohl. She went on talk agree that as faculty they should take more responsibility to evaluate each other in the classroom as well.
As students we share of the responsibility to our education. If we feel as though we have had the same class three times just with different titles, we need to address it. One way is to hold accountable those who instruct us with the evaluations at the end of the semester. Filling them out completely, and honestly will help not only the professor but also the department in determining what needs to be adjusted.
Get In the Zone
UNI’s “Student First” outlook on education is great, however as students we can’t sit back on autopilot and expect to receive the best education possible. It is easy to point fingers and count on others to fix the problems, but I challenge you to be a proactive participant in the process.
For instance, when deciding on electives don’t settle for the “easy” classes, but instead choose classes based on content that will enhance your degree.
Another corner stone of your education can come from outside the classroom. Involvement in organizations such as PRSSA and Pride are excellent avenues to opportunities in the future.
Finally, have patience. Well-constructed projects take time and a joint effort.
Express Lane for Success in PR
Go Beyond the Classroom:
Experience with Real Clients
Local and National Networking
Scholarships Available
Portfolio Builders
Travel Opportunities
1. Public Relations Student Society of America
“It is career suicide to not be in PRSSA”- Dr. Pohl
2. PRide: Student Firm
We are all working toward the same result: a smooth transition from a dead end to a two-way street.
Playing to Heal
By: Karen Brudvig
When a child becomes a victim of abuse, poverty, loss of a loved one, violence, or other traumatic event, people immediately assume the child will need years of intense therapy with a counselor to heal from this painful experience. But what if the child really only needs to play kickball with their friends? That’s the question Project Joy answers everyday.
Established in 1989 by Steve Gross, Project Joy is a non-profit organization dedicated to ‘spreading the joy where it’s needed the most’. They spread this joy through play programs throughout the nation, targeting ‘at risk’ children or those affected by traumatic experiences. They started by bringing local inner-city Head Start programs into their specialized play center which featured everything a young child could imagine. Tunnels, rope swings, and a jungle gym were set on brightly colored mats which lined the floors and walls which made for soft landings. They changed their approach a few years later in order to reach even more children. (http://www.projectjoy.com/)
Through their Powerplay Program, Project Joy’s playmakers teach childcare providers the basics of play. They supply them with the materials needed and the support to successfully teach children, especially targeting those in low-income neighborhoods or those who work with children affected by trauma. These teachers and childcare providers come out of the programs renewed and inspired to help children through play. Play is a child’s ‘work’. According to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, children need to engage in play in order to learn social skills such as conflict resolution, decision-making, sharing with others, and self-esteem (http://www.aap.org/pressroom/play-public.htm). They identify themselves and others through playing, while decreasing levels of depression and anxiety. Without play, these crucial social skills cannot be learned effectively, and the children are left behind others their age.
In a Psychology Today article about the power of play, it says that in “the aftermath of trauma, children lose their flexibility.” (http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19990701-000030.html) They still play, but their play re-enacts the experience that occurred. Children need play in order to release their emotions in a more constructive way than therapy alone. “Post traumatic lay demonstrates that if we don’t find a way out of difficult situations, we will play much of our lives over and over again,” said psychiatrist Lenore Terr. “Play is important because it gives us an emotional discharge.” 
Dusty Reese, a school psychologist in Cedar Rapids, believes play therapy is very beneficial and an important form of therapy for children who have suffered traumatic experiences in their lives. “Often times, play is the only way for a clinician to understand the traumatized student’s needs,” commented Reese. “They often struggle to communicate verbally, so their feelings can only be exhibited through play therapy. Play is a normal part of a child’s life, and is therefore, developmentally appropriate. While adults and older children can verbalize their feelings and reason through them, young children often do not have these skills and must use play as their vehicle.”
In particular, Project Joy targets children who are most “at risk”. These risk factors include living in poverty, being mistreated or abused, having seen or been touched by violence, and have experienced trauma such as the death of a loved one. These threats and fears cause children to stop playing, thus cutting them off from others and impeding their development. Project Joy and their hundreds of certified playmakers throughout the nation are getting kids back in the game and fighting against these risks.
After the flood waters subsided in communities from Hurricane Katrina, the memories of the devastation were still deep in the minds of children. Children not only lost their homes, their belongings and possibly loved ones; they were also misplaced from where they grew up and the children with whom they played with every day. Afraid the storm may happen again, young children were reluctant to leave the side of their mothers and kept themselves from socializing with others. Upon hearing the stories of the children, Project Joy found this a necessary place to ‘spread the joy’, and to train childcare providers to help these kids. In two years of working on the Gulf Coast, Project Joy has trained more than 250 childcare providers to be professional ‘playmakers’, and along with the training, they provided them with play resources. A documentary was made by filmmakers Aimee Corrigan and Franco Sacchi about the plight of childcare workers in the Mississippi and how Project Joy has these workers. After the Storm: The Project Joy Story documents the power of play and the healing effects of the techniques used. It also tells the stories from the childcare workers’ perspective of the amazing differences in the children before and after Project Joy came in. http://www.projectjoymovie.com/
But even with the renewed smiles of children after a play session, how can people determine if Project Joy’s program really works? Loyola University of Chicago partnered with Project Joy to develop a Project Joy Playfulness Scale (PJPS), in order to scientifically measure the change within children using play techniques taught by Project Joy. The scale is currently being developed for children ages 3-5 years old and was started to show progress in the child throughout the sessions. The PJP Scale asks questions about the child’s behavior such as how often they smile or laugh. It focuses on four main components of playfulness which include: active engagement (such as curiosity or passion), joyfulness, internal control (such as sense of safety or confidence), and social connection with others. They hope to have the scale done in 2009, so they can start evaluating children more effectively.
Besides Loyola University in Chicago, play therapy is currently being studied at hundreds of universities and research centers in the United States and around the world. The largest program is located at the Center for Play Therapy at North Texas University. Here they host students from all 50 states and several countries around the world who will receive their graduate degree in therapeutic play. Their mission statement says “our mission is to encourage the unique development and emotional growth of children through the process of play therapy, a dynamic interpersonal relationship between a child and a therapist trained in play therapy procedures. The therapist provides the child with selected play materials and facilitates a safe relationship to express feelings, thoughts, experiences and behaviors through play, the child's natural medium of communication.” (http://cpt.unt.edu/about-us/mission-and-purpose/) Just as Project Joy is helping children affected by traumatic experiences, these universities are training therapists to successfully help children overcome trauma, anxiety, and mental disabilities.
Besides Loyola University in Chicago, play therapy is currently being studied at hundreds of universities and research centers in the United States and around the world. The largest program is located at the Center for Play Therapy at North Texas University. Here they host students from all 50 states and several countries around the world who will receive their graduate degree in therapeutic play. Their mission statement says “our mission is to encourage the unique development and emotional growth of children through the process of play therapy, a dynamic interpersonal relationship between a child and a therapist trained in play therapy procedures. The therapist provides the child with selected play materials and facilitates a safe relationship to express feelings, thoughts, experiences and behaviors through play, the child's natural medium of communication.” (http://cpt.unt.edu/about-us/mission-and-purpose/) Just as Project Joy is helping children affected by traumatic experiences, these universities are training therapists to successfully help children overcome trauma, anxiety, and mental disabilities.
Along with using play therapy for children going through trauma, anxiety or with mental disabilities, a form of play therapy is also being used for helping children with autism. Autism is a largely social communication disorder which makes it difficult to connect with others. Play helps them verbalize their feelings and develop positive relationships with others. The Association for Play Therapy says, “Very often play therapy can allow parents to take an active role in their autistic child's growth and development. Play therapy can be taught to parents, and, over time, parents can become their child's therapist while also building a stronger, more meaningful relationship.” (http://www.a4pt.org/ps.playtherapy.cfm?ID=1653) So not only do children affected by autism benefit from play therapy, their parents are also able to build a stronger relationship with them by becoming their therapist. The parents can be trained to help their autistic child become better connected in society with other people through playing.
Every day, research is being done on the benefits of play therapy and more people are being trained in the methods of “joyology” in order to help our most precious gifts- children. Through trauma and heartbreak, children are finding their smiles everyday through playing and from the childcare workers who have made it their life missions to put a little “joy” in children’s lives. As Project Joy’s motto says, “Life can hurt. Play can heal.”"Living in Sin" or Best Friends with Benefits?
By: Molly LaKose
Many years ago cohabitation before marriage
was seen as a form of “living in sin.” Those who choose to live with another of opposite sex often times had to hide the living arrangements or risk being shunned from their family and social circle. Over the past four decades, premarital cohabitation has overcome much of the stigma it once had. Cohabitating is no longer seen as "living in sin" and more couples are choosing cohabitation as their preferred lifestyle. With cohabitating more socially acceptable and more partners choosing cohabitation one would think these “co-habitators” must be on to something, right? Not exactly, statistics show that though more couples are choosing to live together before marriage, the chances they actually get married or stay married drop drastically over those who never lived together before marriage.
Cohabitation between unmarried couples has become socially acceptable in the eyes of more than half of young singles in the United States today. The percentage of cohabitation is at its all time high and continues to grow. The National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, which studies marriage and child well-being, found that, since 1970, the number of Americans living together has increased from 500,000 opposite-sex couples to more than 10 million in 2000. David Popenoe, who wrote Cohabitation, Marriage and Child Well-Being while working for The National Marriage Project says, as a result, marriage rates have plummeted.” “The yearly number of marriages per 1000 unmarried women ages 15 and older has dropped by nearly half since 1970, from 76 to 41 in 2005.” There has been no decline in recent times for young people’s desire to become a couple, which means if cohabitation was no longer socially acceptable as it was years ago, a much higher percentage of the population would be married.
Experts say cohabitation in place of marriage should be considered a major concern for society. First, married people generally tend to be happier, healthier, wealthier, and live longer then unmarried couples living together and singles. Also, marriage typically brings many benefits to all those involved including children. Research shows that even more concern should be directed to the effects of children living in unwed homes. “More then 40 percent of cohabitating couples today have children…children born to cohabitating versus married parents have over five times the risk of experiencing their parent’s separation.” This same study says, cohabitating couples tend to have higher rates of family violence, child abuse, and significantly lower incomes then married couples with children.
So, what is it that makes cohabitating so attractive to today’s generation? It is no secret when a person is in love they want to spend their free time with their significant other. Many people feel it is convenient to live together before marriage, especially if you are already spending nights
with one another. It saves money paying just one set of bills rather then two separate rent checks and utilities. In today’s economic crisis it seems to make sense, why pay more to live when you don’t have to? People find that they are able to spend more free time with their loved one living together rather then juggling time between two different places all while saving a couple dollars along the way.
Cohabitating couples use cohabitation to weather uncertainty about the relationship. Some cohabitating couples feel it is important to live together prior to marriage to determine whether the relationship will last through marriage. It seems these are the same ideas among the young, “In the past 25 years the percentage of high school seniors who ‘agreed’ or ‘mostly agreed’ with the statement ‘It is usually a good idea for a couple to live together before getting married in order to find out whether they really get along’ has climbed from 45 percent to 64 percent for boys and 32 percent to 57 percent for girls.” This trend is starting at a young age and is continuing into adulthood, “In a statistically representative national survey of young adults between the ages of 20 and 29, commissioned by the National Marriage Project in 2001, 43 percent agreed that ‘you would only marry someone if he or she agreed to live together first, so that you could find out whether you really get along.’”
Others, who may be reluctant about the idea of marriage, prefer cohabitation because of the idea of maintaining freedom without a legal marriage. People like the idea that if the relationship doesn’t work cohabitation is much more a “no strings attached” approach then with marriage where you have mountains of legal issues to deal with before divorce may be granted. Depending on the circumstances and the willingness for compromise a divorce may not be finalized for years. Those in favor of cohabitation find it comforting that they have no legal obligation to the other if the relationship does not last.
With so many believing that cohabitation is a smart move to “test the waters” before marriage, what is it that causes so many relationships to fail? Experts say not all cohabitating couples are necessarily doomed for failure. It isn’t necessarily the numbers one should be concerned about. It’s about being on the same page as your partner before making the commitment to move in together. From the USA Today article, Cohabitation is Replacing Dating, Marshall Miller says, “In focus groups, women perceive cohabitation as a step before marriage to that partner whereas men are tending to see cohabitation as something to do before you make a commitment”
Couples who are thinking about moving in together, need to seriously communicate, about what each person sees as a result of making the commitment to do so. That way there are no surprises down the road, when saying “yes” to a live-in arrangement from either person. Often the break up occurs when the couple realizes they had two separate meanings of what living together really meant. She tends to feel hurt and betrayed. While he tends to feel wrongly accused for promising more than the commitment he was willing to make.
As stated before, living together before marriage is appealing to some because they see it as a “trial marriage.” A way of determining whether the relationship will last with marriage. However, this idea seemingly a positive one can in fact, be the deal breaker in the relationship. If the “trial run” isn’t successful, then the couple feels free to break up and move on. The problem with this is moving in together with the mindset of it being a “trial” reinstates the fact that the relationship may not work. “When people feel ‘on trial,’ they don’t commit in the same way as when they have vowed to make it work ‘for better or worse,” says Marie Hartwell-Walker, ED.D. in her work, Cohabitation: Issues That Affect Intimacy. If both partners want the “trial” to result in marriage, the couple needs to communicate openly about the willingness to put forth effort at difficult times in order to stay together rather then using it as grounds for breaking up.
A major factor why some cohabitating couples break off the relationship before marriage may be a result of the high divorce rate among those already committed to “for better or worse.” Especially, if one or both partners come from a home of divorced parents. Hartwell-Walker says, “The high divorce rates of the 1970s and 1980s have resulted in many young people being phobic about marriage. Having lived through the confusion, pain, and instability of their parent’s breakup, they never want to go through anything similar again. They especially don’t want to put a child through what they experienced.” When they suddenly find themselves in love with another, living together may seem like a better alternative for a long term commitment then being vulnerable to a potentially doomed marriage.
Finally, whether we realize it or not our family and loved ones have a major influence on the success and outcome of our lives. It is difficult for a relationship to stand strong if those around you do not approve of the live-in arrangement. Every couple, no matter how strong, runs into difficult times. When this happens we generally look for guidance from our loved ones. When those around you approve of your relationship and like your partner they generally step in and try to help you and your partner with advice, encouragement, and support. You may not have the support of those around if they disagree with cohabitation and believe it is immoral. You may begin to feel it is the partner they don’t approve of rather then the cohabitation. This may lead to breaking up. After all who wants to be with someone when your family is already against the relationship or the choice you made to cohabitate?
Love is without a doubt one of the best feelings a person can experience. With love however, comes many highs and lows. Love is not constant it is experienced and felt differently in every relationship. No two relationships are the same. Therefore, there is no formula for the perfect couple. Each decision you make should ultimately be made through openness and honesty and be determined on what works best for you and your partner.
When considering the possibilities of living together remember, there are pros and cons. Numbers and statistics don’t necessarily need to determine the outcome of your relationship if you choose to cohabitate. What is important is that both partners understand and their commitment. If your expectations are the same and you are willing to work through any hardships that come your way, then cohabitation may be the perfect fit for your relationship before marriage or as a substitute. There is no perfect definition of how a relationship should work what matters is what works best for both of you.
Many years ago cohabitation before marriage
was seen as a form of “living in sin.” Those who choose to live with another of opposite sex often times had to hide the living arrangements or risk being shunned from their family and social circle. Over the past four decades, premarital cohabitation has overcome much of the stigma it once had. Cohabitating is no longer seen as "living in sin" and more couples are choosing cohabitation as their preferred lifestyle. With cohabitating more socially acceptable and more partners choosing cohabitation one would think these “co-habitators” must be on to something, right? Not exactly, statistics show that though more couples are choosing to live together before marriage, the chances they actually get married or stay married drop drastically over those who never lived together before marriage.Cohabitation between unmarried couples has become socially acceptable in the eyes of more than half of young singles in the United States today. The percentage of cohabitation is at its all time high and continues to grow. The National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, which studies marriage and child well-being, found that, since 1970, the number of Americans living together has increased from 500,000 opposite-sex couples to more than 10 million in 2000. David Popenoe, who wrote Cohabitation, Marriage and Child Well-Being while working for The National Marriage Project says, as a result, marriage rates have plummeted.” “The yearly number of marriages per 1000 unmarried women ages 15 and older has dropped by nearly half since 1970, from 76 to 41 in 2005.” There has been no decline in recent times for young people’s desire to become a couple, which means if cohabitation was no longer socially acceptable as it was years ago, a much higher percentage of the population would be married.
Experts say cohabitation in place of marriage should be considered a major concern for society. First, married people generally tend to be happier, healthier, wealthier, and live longer then unmarried couples living together and singles. Also, marriage typically brings many benefits to all those involved including children. Research shows that even more concern should be directed to the effects of children living in unwed homes. “More then 40 percent of cohabitating couples today have children…children born to cohabitating versus married parents have over five times the risk of experiencing their parent’s separation.” This same study says, cohabitating couples tend to have higher rates of family violence, child abuse, and significantly lower incomes then married couples with children.
So, what is it that makes cohabitating so attractive to today’s generation? It is no secret when a person is in love they want to spend their free time with their significant other. Many people feel it is convenient to live together before marriage, especially if you are already spending nights
with one another. It saves money paying just one set of bills rather then two separate rent checks and utilities. In today’s economic crisis it seems to make sense, why pay more to live when you don’t have to? People find that they are able to spend more free time with their loved one living together rather then juggling time between two different places all while saving a couple dollars along the way.Cohabitating couples use cohabitation to weather uncertainty about the relationship. Some cohabitating couples feel it is important to live together prior to marriage to determine whether the relationship will last through marriage. It seems these are the same ideas among the young, “In the past 25 years the percentage of high school seniors who ‘agreed’ or ‘mostly agreed’ with the statement ‘It is usually a good idea for a couple to live together before getting married in order to find out whether they really get along’ has climbed from 45 percent to 64 percent for boys and 32 percent to 57 percent for girls.” This trend is starting at a young age and is continuing into adulthood, “In a statistically representative national survey of young adults between the ages of 20 and 29, commissioned by the National Marriage Project in 2001, 43 percent agreed that ‘you would only marry someone if he or she agreed to live together first, so that you could find out whether you really get along.’”
Others, who may be reluctant about the idea of marriage, prefer cohabitation because of the idea of maintaining freedom without a legal marriage. People like the idea that if the relationship doesn’t work cohabitation is much more a “no strings attached” approach then with marriage where you have mountains of legal issues to deal with before divorce may be granted. Depending on the circumstances and the willingness for compromise a divorce may not be finalized for years. Those in favor of cohabitation find it comforting that they have no legal obligation to the other if the relationship does not last.
With so many believing that cohabitation is a smart move to “test the waters” before marriage, what is it that causes so many relationships to fail? Experts say not all cohabitating couples are necessarily doomed for failure. It isn’t necessarily the numbers one should be concerned about. It’s about being on the same page as your partner before making the commitment to move in together. From the USA Today article, Cohabitation is Replacing Dating, Marshall Miller says, “In focus groups, women perceive cohabitation as a step before marriage to that partner whereas men are tending to see cohabitation as something to do before you make a commitment”
Couples who are thinking about moving in together, need to seriously communicate, about what each person sees as a result of making the commitment to do so. That way there are no surprises down the road, when saying “yes” to a live-in arrangement from either person. Often the break up occurs when the couple realizes they had two separate meanings of what living together really meant. She tends to feel hurt and betrayed. While he tends to feel wrongly accused for promising more than the commitment he was willing to make.
As stated before, living together before marriage is appealing to some because they see it as a “trial marriage.” A way of determining whether the relationship will last with marriage. However, this idea seemingly a positive one can in fact, be the deal breaker in the relationship. If the “trial run” isn’t successful, then the couple feels free to break up and move on. The problem with this is moving in together with the mindset of it being a “trial” reinstates the fact that the relationship may not work. “When people feel ‘on trial,’ they don’t commit in the same way as when they have vowed to make it work ‘for better or worse,” says Marie Hartwell-Walker, ED.D. in her work, Cohabitation: Issues That Affect Intimacy. If both partners want the “trial” to result in marriage, the couple needs to communicate openly about the willingness to put forth effort at difficult times in order to stay together rather then using it as grounds for breaking up.
A major factor why some cohabitating couples break off the relationship before marriage may be a result of the high divorce rate among those already committed to “for better or worse.” Especially, if one or both partners come from a home of divorced parents. Hartwell-Walker says, “The high divorce rates of the 1970s and 1980s have resulted in many young people being phobic about marriage. Having lived through the confusion, pain, and instability of their parent’s breakup, they never want to go through anything similar again. They especially don’t want to put a child through what they experienced.” When they suddenly find themselves in love with another, living together may seem like a better alternative for a long term commitment then being vulnerable to a potentially doomed marriage.
Finally, whether we realize it or not our family and loved ones have a major influence on the success and outcome of our lives. It is difficult for a relationship to stand strong if those around you do not approve of the live-in arrangement. Every couple, no matter how strong, runs into difficult times. When this happens we generally look for guidance from our loved ones. When those around you approve of your relationship and like your partner they generally step in and try to help you and your partner with advice, encouragement, and support. You may not have the support of those around if they disagree with cohabitation and believe it is immoral. You may begin to feel it is the partner they don’t approve of rather then the cohabitation. This may lead to breaking up. After all who wants to be with someone when your family is already against the relationship or the choice you made to cohabitate?
Love is without a doubt one of the best feelings a person can experience. With love however, comes many highs and lows. Love is not constant it is experienced and felt differently in every relationship. No two relationships are the same. Therefore, there is no formula for the perfect couple. Each decision you make should ultimately be made through openness and honesty and be determined on what works best for you and your partner.
When considering the possibilities of living together remember, there are pros and cons. Numbers and statistics don’t necessarily need to determine the outcome of your relationship if you choose to cohabitate. What is important is that both partners understand and their commitment. If your expectations are the same and you are willing to work through any hardships that come your way, then cohabitation may be the perfect fit for your relationship before marriage or as a substitute. There is no perfect definition of how a relationship should work what matters is what works best for both of you.
Shocking Details on Electricity Thieves Think you can get away with it? Serve a life sentence if you get it wrong.
20.4(15) Refusal or disconnection of service. A utility shall refuse service or disconnect service to
a customer, as defined in sub-rule 20.1(3), in accordance with tariffs that are consistent with these rules
b. Service may be disconnected without notice:
(1) In the event of a condition on the customer’s premises determined by the utility to be hazardous.
(2) In the event of customer use of equipment in a manner which adversely affects the utility’s
equipment or the utility’s service to others.
(3) In the event of tampering with the equipment furnished and owned by the utility. For the
purposes of this sub-rule, a broken or absent meter seal alone shall not constitute tampering.
“We have also had situations where meters have been stolen from vacant homes and attached to homes where the electricity has been disconnected for one reason or another,” explains Tammy Byrd, Supervisor of Cedar Falls Utilities Customer Services. “Eventually this is caught by one of our meter readers who notices that the electric meter serial number doesn’t match the data in his hand-held meter reading device.” Another common form of electricity theft is to invert the meter. This is where the resident will pull the meter out of the socket and plug it back in upside down, which causes the meter to run backwards and the kilowatt hours register to go down instead of up. The user leaves the meter inverted for a number of days to shave usage off of the bill and the meter is then reinstalled before a meter reading. This has actually happened several times to CFU and they generally catch it once the readings continue to go down, in comparison to previous months, rather than up. For further information on theft in the Cedar Falls, Iowa area you can contact Tammy Byrd at 319-268-5242, or click on her name to e-mail her.
There are a few other possibilities that are even more dangerous than tampering with meters. Some people risk being zapped by trying to tap the big power lines that run between poles. This is a big no-no…see picture for graphic detail. This man has experienced the fatal result of a high voltage shock; this is called the blowout effect. This man was actually
tampering with underground lines, not even the pole-lines. Believe it or not, there are four exit points from this man’s body. Can you find them?This man tried to use insulated cutters to tamper with a high voltage power line. Only High Voltage Hotsticks, with Voltage-rated Gloves can be used for this work, and it’s necessary to be a trained, qualified electrical worker to properly repair the lines. So you’re dying to know all four points that the electricity shot thru? The right thumb, left elbow, abdomen, and pelvic area where the high voltage arc blows out completed the circuit back to the ground. For more graphic images and stories from Iowa utility companies, contact Eric Stoll, Electric Services Coordinator for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities.
Consumers have even become as desperate as to steal copper from companies to do wiring themselves. This adds to the burden on paying consumers and to the dangers for utilities workers. $131,502.21 in copper and tools was stolen from Alliant Energy in 63 theft cases. However, they have seen a large reduction this year in thefts through April. “Total losses are only in the $2,000 range through the end of April. We are not sure why this is the case or if this will continue,” says Ryan Stensland, the media contact for Alliant Energy. Still, theft cost Alliant more than $250,000 in 2008.
To focus slightly more on how common this is in Midwestern states like Iowa, Alliant provided energy theft figures for 2006 and 2007. Due to the flooding in 2008, collection activity was suspended in several areas. Alliant has four primary first tier subsidiaries, Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), Alliant Energy Resources, Inc. (Resources) and Alliant Energy Corporate Services, Inc. (Corporate Services). The figures below were provided by Alliant’s media contact, Ryan Stensland, to show theft costs in IPL and WPL. IPL services selective markets in Iowa and southern Minnesota and WPL services selective markets in south and central Wisconsin. The Alliant row represents the total between IPL and WPL.
IPL-341 cases, $162,198
WPL-331 cases, $76,693
Alliant (total)-672 cases, $238,891
2006
IPL -383 cases, $92,384
WPL-321 cases, $156,677
Alliant (total)-704 cases, $249,061
So there was a slight decrease in the theft in 2007, but not great enough to lower the rates of consumers. Especially with the Iowa floods, consumers will have higher rates for many months to come to pay for all the repair and revamping everything will need.
So how do they catch these people? Investigators are commonly employed by city utility companies so that they can catch thieves before other customers pay too much for their crime. Nevada Power Company, for example, has seven full-time investigators on staff to keep an eye on their ever-growing population of power thieves. They uncovered 1,400 cases of theft in 2007 alone, and although the exact dollar amount is not available, the figure rose 19% from 2006. In the past two years, the economy has become dramatically worse and the number is rising. However, the number of actual thefts can only be determined by th
e ones that get caught by the investigators.Those crooks who get away with stealing electrical materials and electricity cost other utility customers even more money. Rates go up for other customers, and Detectant, a company based in Escondido, California, estimates that utilities lose up to 3 percent of total distribution revenues to theft. Detectant helps companies like Dayton Power and Light Company prevent and catch cases of theft of service. DP&L, located in Dayton, Ohio, has unfortunately already investigated 860 cases of suspected theft in January and February of 2009. This is a 70 percent increase from the same period last year; 70 percent! Dayton does try to catch the culprits before the fines for theft rise above $500, which is the dollar limit that separates the charge of a misdemeanor from a felony.
“People should work with utility companies and seek help from special payment programs before they consider doing something desperate and dangerous, such as tampering with electric meters, says Ryan Lippe. All utilities companies take this problem very seriously, including Alliant Energy. Stensland sums it up; “Alliant Energy takes energy theft seriously. Customers who tamper with our equipment and steal energy are subject to any costs associated with the incident as well as criminal charges.” Unfortunately for us, those thieves who aren’t caught in the act, make us pay for their electricity.
Clearly Iowa doesn’t have the biggest problems with theft of electricity, but the risky business of it is out there. You can find Iowa’s regulations and policies on utilities on the Iowa Utilities Board’s website: http://www.state.ia.us/iub/.
To report a possible theft case in Iowa, contact your local utilities provider.
Cedar Falls Utilities
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Iowa Initiative to Reduce Unintended Pregnancies
Approximately fifty percent of pregnancies are unintended in Iowa and across the nation. An unplanned pregnancy can place a heavy burden on parents, grandparents, and taxpayers alike. The Iowa Initiative to Reduce Unintended Pregnancies is a five-year research program that aims to reduce this high rate of unintended pregnancies among women in Iowa ages 18-30.
The Initiative is using research, networking, public outreach, and collaboration with established providers around the state to increase access to family planning services and information. Further information can be found at the Iowa Initiative website http://www.iowainitiative.org/.
....MORE>>
The Initiative is using research, networking, public outreach, and collaboration with established providers around the state to increase access to family planning services and information. Further information can be found at the Iowa Initiative website http://www.iowainitiative.org/.
....MORE>>
Empty Canvases and Silent Orchestras?
Empty Canvases and Silent Orchestras?
By John Showalter
The educational system has always been a hotbed for debate. Whether the object of discussion is the Scopes Trial of the early 20th century, the intelligent design debate of today, or budget cuts for educators and/or programs, people are passionate about schools. They provide education for children and jobs for many adults with a passion for teaching. There may be fewer jobs on the horizon, however; at least in the art and music programs. With the current economic crisis and the demand for budget cuts to accommodate, many people may find art and music classes as expendable. This may be a grave error on their part.
Numerous surveys have been conducted concerning the tangible effects of art and music education a person’s development. There is an apparent association between increased cognitive ability and critical thinking, abilities that can be applied to various different areas of business and education. The scores of people involved in classes concerning math and reading increase for those who are involved with art classes. The Americans for the Arts organization lists a multitude of positive statistics concerning arts education. Among them are: students being 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and are 3 times more likely to be awarded for school attendance.
The benefits of art education expand beyond just the academic. Tony Wagner interviewed numerous business, nonprofit, and educational leaders. The conclusions he reached from this research were that some of the biggest determining factors in looking for employees were critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and leadership, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurialism, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing information, and curiosity and imagination. One can tell from some of the previous statistics in the article that arts education would improve people’s skills in many of these fields.
Many of the interview subjects for this article stressed how these skills could be improved through the use of arts education. Diane Franken, executive director of the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education and teacher of visual arts for 30 years, said that this is the “Conceptual Age” and that the “Information Age” has been left behind. She said that even though business leaders want people who can think, many major decision makers often don’t have any arts background whatsoever. Arts education offers a respite from the standard lecture class in lieu of something more “hands on.” Amy Pollitt, elementary music teacher for the Belmond-Klemme school district, says that this education goes beyond intelligence and creates a “connection to the soul” and develops students’ “emotion and empathy.” Lynnette Clark, elementary art teacher for the Belmond-Klemme school district, stresses the all too important quality of being able to “think outside the box”, and how art education improves the inherent capability to do this. Franken goes so far as to say that in order for the United States to compete for other countries arts education is an essential. She says, “Businesses can not, have not reinvented themselves for the 21st century.” Statements such as these educators have made combined with statistical data seem to make a rather scathing indictment of the cutting of art programs.
The shape of the current United States economy has many areas in a financial crunch, however, the arts included. To many, this area of education may seem expendable, so arts education has been struck especially hard. In former US president George W. Bush’s budget plan for 2006 and 2007, he cut approximately $4.3 billion from the education budget. From arts education alone he cut a massive $35 million, and this was before the full onset of the current economic crisis. With the current budget crisis at the University of Northern Iowa, President Ben Allen has faced a fiscal reduction of a whopping $15.9 million for 2010. The university website compiles a list of proposed financial strategies to come through, and although arts education is not yet listed as one of the affected areas, one must wonder what the future holds for the art, music, and theatre programs at UNI. UNI senior and prospective music teacher Kevin Taylor says that budget cuts have affected the school’s ability to repair broken instruments or replace them with new ones. Perhaps this is a taste of what is to come?
Though the University of Northern Iowa’s art departments may not be reeling from budget cuts yet, the grade school level seems to have fared much less kindly. Amy Hunzelman, director of education at UNI, says that the Independence school district recently cut its art classes for grades K-5. It has become more and more common for classroom teachers with art or music minors to teach these classes if they are not eliminated, which Hunzelman says will not work because these teachers do not have enough prior experience.
Clark said that in a recent hiring dilemma for the Belmond-Klemme school district the administration considered making Mrs. Kelley, a high school Spanish teacher with an art minor, the new teacher for these classes on top of her prior duties rather than hiring a new full-time teacher. Although the Belmond-Klemme school district has not yet seen incredible difficulty, both Clark and Pollitt say that teachers they have met at regional education conferences have been affected. There have been repeated cutbacks and eliminated positions. Of the current methods employed by educational boards, Clark says, “Sometimes they kind of piecemeal.” And this is only in the Midwest, a place where Pollitt says that arts are valued. One must wonder at what may possibly be the deplorable state of these programs in other regions of the United States. The state of arts education in Iowa is not ameliorated by the fact that the Iowa Core Curriculum recently reduced its art and music requisites. Franken says that this in effect increases the difficulties for finding art careers and creating a portfolio of experience. Franken also says that the dropout rate is higher than ever in the state of Iowa and that she thinks in two years the bottom will finally drop out. She points out that it seems people want to create, however, as the highest number of school applications are to art schools. She also notes that theatre enrollment has gone down dramatically. Perhaps legislators should give the people what they want?
Despite the current situation, Taylor is not too afraid of being unable to find a teaching position. He says that many of the music directors in the state are retiring soon and that numerous jobs will open in the next five years. He also says there seems to be a trend of teachers only staying with an art or music program for one to five years before leaving it behind because they don’t feel like doing it anymore. Perhaps lower salaries are responsible for some of these decisions. Taylor said that the salaries are low at small schools. Pollitt said that in small communities teachers are spread thin, which may help to corroborate these claims.
Although arts programs are seeing a lot of strife, it seems there are some programs that are same from the axe. There are the basic “Three R’s”. English, science, and math classes seem near untouchable by budget cuts. Even physical education classes and sports teams are generally safe, due to the fact that sporting events bring in revenue for the school and the obesity crisis that has struck America. Those who do not look into the evidence supporting arts education see them as less essential, which is a damaging move for the American educational system.
In response to these circumstances, many people have started to raise their voices. Famous film producer George Lucas (of Star Wars and Indiana Jones fame) began his own non-profit educational organization, Edutopia, contributing to art education. There is an example of a man whose creativity and ability to think “outside the box” has made him millions. Franken says that the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education has sent out 100 advocacy pamphlets to schools across the state of Iowa to promote the benefits of art education and their continued funding. Many unhappy parents and art students have voiced their discontent, she says. Pollitt is a member of the Music Educators’ National Conference and the ICDA, organizations that support the funding of music education.
It would appear not all hope is lost for American arts education. Franken says that although we’re on a “rocky road” right now, that more and more legislators and school districts are beginning to support the cause. She believes there are great things ahead. Others are less optimistic. Pollitt says that it is hard to say where arts education will be in ten to twenty years.
Though the future may be uncertain, hope should be held out that arts education programs will receive the attention they deserve. If these programs are lost, perhaps the possibly ensuing educational disaster will act as a powder keg that will stimulate a return to keeping these programs well-funded. The only certainty is that there will be change, either for better or for worse.
By John Showalter
The educational system has always been a hotbed for debate. Whether the object of discussion is the Scopes Trial of the early 20th century, the intelligent design debate of today, or budget cuts for educators and/or programs, people are passionate about schools. They provide education for children and jobs for many adults with a passion for teaching. There may be fewer jobs on the horizon, however; at least in the art and music programs. With the current economic crisis and the demand for budget cuts to accommodate, many people may find art and music classes as expendable. This may be a grave error on their part.
Numerous surveys have been conducted concerning the tangible effects of art and music education a person’s development. There is an apparent association between increased cognitive ability and critical thinking, abilities that can be applied to various different areas of business and education. The scores of people involved in classes concerning math and reading increase for those who are involved with art classes. The Americans for the Arts organization lists a multitude of positive statistics concerning arts education. Among them are: students being 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and are 3 times more likely to be awarded for school attendance.
The benefits of art education expand beyond just the academic. Tony Wagner interviewed numerous business, nonprofit, and educational leaders. The conclusions he reached from this research were that some of the biggest determining factors in looking for employees were critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and leadership, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurialism, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing information, and curiosity and imagination. One can tell from some of the previous statistics in the article that arts education would improve people’s skills in many of these fields.
Many of the interview subjects for this article stressed how these skills could be improved through the use of arts education. Diane Franken, executive director of the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education and teacher of visual arts for 30 years, said that this is the “Conceptual Age” and that the “Information Age” has been left behind. She said that even though business leaders want people who can think, many major decision makers often don’t have any arts background whatsoever. Arts education offers a respite from the standard lecture class in lieu of something more “hands on.” Amy Pollitt, elementary music teacher for the Belmond-Klemme school district, says that this education goes beyond intelligence and creates a “connection to the soul” and develops students’ “emotion and empathy.” Lynnette Clark, elementary art teacher for the Belmond-Klemme school district, stresses the all too important quality of being able to “think outside the box”, and how art education improves the inherent capability to do this. Franken goes so far as to say that in order for the United States to compete for other countries arts education is an essential. She says, “Businesses can not, have not reinvented themselves for the 21st century.” Statements such as these educators have made combined with statistical data seem to make a rather scathing indictment of the cutting of art programs.
The shape of the current United States economy has many areas in a financial crunch, however, the arts included. To many, this area of education may seem expendable, so arts education has been struck especially hard. In former US president George W. Bush’s budget plan for 2006 and 2007, he cut approximately $4.3 billion from the education budget. From arts education alone he cut a massive $35 million, and this was before the full onset of the current economic crisis. With the current budget crisis at the University of Northern Iowa, President Ben Allen has faced a fiscal reduction of a whopping $15.9 million for 2010. The university website compiles a list of proposed financial strategies to come through, and although arts education is not yet listed as one of the affected areas, one must wonder what the future holds for the art, music, and theatre programs at UNI. UNI senior and prospective music teacher Kevin Taylor says that budget cuts have affected the school’s ability to repair broken instruments or replace them with new ones. Perhaps this is a taste of what is to come?
Though the University of Northern Iowa’s art departments may not be reeling from budget cuts yet, the grade school level seems to have fared much less kindly. Amy Hunzelman, director of education at UNI, says that the Independence school district recently cut its art classes for grades K-5. It has become more and more common for classroom teachers with art or music minors to teach these classes if they are not eliminated, which Hunzelman says will not work because these teachers do not have enough prior experience.
Clark said that in a recent hiring dilemma for the Belmond-Klemme school district the administration considered making Mrs. Kelley, a high school Spanish teacher with an art minor, the new teacher for these classes on top of her prior duties rather than hiring a new full-time teacher. Although the Belmond-Klemme school district has not yet seen incredible difficulty, both Clark and Pollitt say that teachers they have met at regional education conferences have been affected. There have been repeated cutbacks and eliminated positions. Of the current methods employed by educational boards, Clark says, “Sometimes they kind of piecemeal.” And this is only in the Midwest, a place where Pollitt says that arts are valued. One must wonder at what may possibly be the deplorable state of these programs in other regions of the United States. The state of arts education in Iowa is not ameliorated by the fact that the Iowa Core Curriculum recently reduced its art and music requisites. Franken says that this in effect increases the difficulties for finding art careers and creating a portfolio of experience. Franken also says that the dropout rate is higher than ever in the state of Iowa and that she thinks in two years the bottom will finally drop out. She points out that it seems people want to create, however, as the highest number of school applications are to art schools. She also notes that theatre enrollment has gone down dramatically. Perhaps legislators should give the people what they want?
Despite the current situation, Taylor is not too afraid of being unable to find a teaching position. He says that many of the music directors in the state are retiring soon and that numerous jobs will open in the next five years. He also says there seems to be a trend of teachers only staying with an art or music program for one to five years before leaving it behind because they don’t feel like doing it anymore. Perhaps lower salaries are responsible for some of these decisions. Taylor said that the salaries are low at small schools. Pollitt said that in small communities teachers are spread thin, which may help to corroborate these claims.
Although arts programs are seeing a lot of strife, it seems there are some programs that are same from the axe. There are the basic “Three R’s”. English, science, and math classes seem near untouchable by budget cuts. Even physical education classes and sports teams are generally safe, due to the fact that sporting events bring in revenue for the school and the obesity crisis that has struck America. Those who do not look into the evidence supporting arts education see them as less essential, which is a damaging move for the American educational system.
In response to these circumstances, many people have started to raise their voices. Famous film producer George Lucas (of Star Wars and Indiana Jones fame) began his own non-profit educational organization, Edutopia, contributing to art education. There is an example of a man whose creativity and ability to think “outside the box” has made him millions. Franken says that the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education has sent out 100 advocacy pamphlets to schools across the state of Iowa to promote the benefits of art education and their continued funding. Many unhappy parents and art students have voiced their discontent, she says. Pollitt is a member of the Music Educators’ National Conference and the ICDA, organizations that support the funding of music education.
It would appear not all hope is lost for American arts education. Franken says that although we’re on a “rocky road” right now, that more and more legislators and school districts are beginning to support the cause. She believes there are great things ahead. Others are less optimistic. Pollitt says that it is hard to say where arts education will be in ten to twenty years.
Though the future may be uncertain, hope should be held out that arts education programs will receive the attention they deserve. If these programs are lost, perhaps the possibly ensuing educational disaster will act as a powder keg that will stimulate a return to keeping these programs well-funded. The only certainty is that there will be change, either for better or for worse.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Recycled Fashion
By: Liz Deppe
You’ve always wondered how celebrities find all of those vintage (insert favorite band) t-shirts and although you hate to admit it, do wish you could look half as cool in that funky outfit as the girl sitting next to you in Chemistry. Finding your one of a kind look is not as difficult as most people think. Shopping alternatives is easier on your wallet and friendlier to the environment than the ever popular mall trip. Taking a break from a normal shopping routine can be daunting, but with some background knowledge you’ll be a pro at scouring the bargain racks.
Economic hard times are a major force in turning snubbed thrift and consignment stores into new shopping grounds for many customers. In a recent press release Adele R. Meyer, executive director of the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops (NARTS) explained the reason behind the recent surge of resale.
“Some people shop because it makes them feel better, others shop out of need... professionals still have to look good, children outgrow their clothes, teens need prom dresses and newlyweds have new homes to furnish. Recessions present the opportunity for resale shops to attract new customers.”
Thrift and consignment stores both offer gently used clothing and can help guarantee everyone on campus will not be your dressing double. Unconventional shopping methods are similar in that they offer used products at discounted prices, but vary in the way they obtain their merchandise. More>>
You’ve always wondered how celebrities find all of those vintage (insert favorite band) t-shirts and although you hate to admit it, do wish you could look half as cool in that funky outfit as the girl sitting next to you in Chemistry. Finding your one of a kind look is not as difficult as most people think. Shopping alternatives is easier on your wallet and friendlier to the environment than the ever popular mall trip. Taking a break from a normal shopping routine can be daunting, but with some background knowledge you’ll be a pro at scouring the bargain racks.
Economic hard times are a major force in turning snubbed thrift and consignment stores into new shopping grounds for many customers. In a recent press release Adele R. Meyer, executive director of the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops (NARTS) explained the reason behind the recent surge of resale.
“Some people shop because it makes them feel better, others shop out of need... professionals still have to look good, children outgrow their clothes, teens need prom dresses and newlyweds have new homes to furnish. Recessions present the opportunity for resale shops to attract new customers.”
Thrift and consignment stores both offer gently used clothing and can help guarantee everyone on campus will not be your dressing double. Unconventional shopping methods are similar in that they offer used products at discounted prices, but vary in the way they obtain their merchandise. More>>
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The Other India
By: Kyra Malmanger
One billion people can not be wrong; a country halfway around the world in a land with deep historical culture, safaris, great food, and the Taj Mahal. India is filled with a rich culture and an unique society entice Americans to learn more about their way of life.
India on the surface seems like a great country with a lot of historical value people are able to learn a lot from. They boost it is the land of festivals, tigers, Buddha, and Taj. There are a lot of good things India is able to offer vacationers looking for a different experience, but there is another side of India. Approximately 75 percent of the Indian people are living below the poverty line in rural areas. The conditions the people are living in are horrid and unimaginable for the people in the United States to comprehend. MORE>>
Have You Gotten Your Facebook Fix For The Day?
Just five years ago, in a little tiny dorm room, located on Harvard University’s campus, three gentlemen created a social network. Who would have thought that something as simple as this would evolve into the world’s largest social network? The start of this phenomenon started as a spinoff of a Harvard University version of Hot or Not, called Facemash.
As a sophomore, Mark Zuckerberg invented Facemash. Zuckerberg then decided to create a different kind of social network. At the time Harvard was trying to create a social network in which all students could be on, thereby connecting everyone. Zuckerberg commented in a news article months after creating Facebook, stating that he thought it was ridiculous that it was going to take the university two years to complete this social network, when he knew he could do it better and have it up and running in a week. At the start of this network, called thefacebook.com, it was restricted to students of Harvard College. Within the first month of it being up and running, more than half of the undergraduate population at Harvard was registered on the service.
Soon after reaching out to the Harvard population, Zuckerberg decided that it was time to expand this network even further. Zuckerberg enlisted the help of his roommate Dustin Moskovitz. They, as a team, first spread it to Stanford, Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell, and Yale, and then to other schools with social contacts with Harvard. By the b
eginning of the summer, thousands and thousands of people were using it. In June of 2004, Zuckerberg decided to move Facebook’s base of operations to Palo Alto, California. It was this time in the history of the corporation that they dropped the The from its name. One year later, Facebook launched a high school version in September of 2005. From this point it only seemed logical to Zuckerberg to expand to employees of several companies, including Apple Inc. and Microsoft. It didn’t take long for Facebook to realize that they should just be opened to everyone or at least everyone 13 years and older with a valid e-mail address.
According to Facebook Facts the main purpose of objective of Facebook is to help people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers. The company develops technologies that facilitate the sharing of information through the social graph, the digital mapping of people's real-world social connections. From its initial starting, Facebook had received its first investment of $500,000 in June 2004 from co-founder Peter Thiel. As months progressed Facebook was forced to borrow more and more money. It has been disclose that during the 2005 fiscal year, Facebook had net loss of $3.36 million. Of course this was right at the time that MySpace, another social network was being sold because of lack of funds. Rumors began to surface about the possible sale of Facebook to a larger media company. When word began to spread, Zuckerberg mentioned that he did not want to sell Facebook, and denied any rumors of selling. Still this didn’t stop offers from coming in trying to buy Facebook. The first offer came from and unknown bidder, for $750 million. Ironically the offers didn’t stop there. Yahoo proceeded to make offers on Facebook reaching as high as $1 billion. Co-founder Thiel indicated around this time that Facebook internal worth was around $8 billion based on their projected revenues of $1 billion by the year 2015. In and news release writing in 2007 on Times website, Zuckerberg commented Facebook was unlikely to sell, he wanted to keep it an independent organization. Shortly after this article was written, Microsoft approached Facebook and offered and estimated $300-500 million for the rights to the company. In the end Zuckerberg and other co-founders stuck to their guns and didn’t sell Facebook.
Currently “Facebook has more than 200 million active members” Facebook Statistics .With thousand and thousand people registering for Facebook each and every day, what is it that draws people to this website? Why are people constantly checking their Facebook accounts? The answer to this question comes from the people, depending on one’s age, current working situation and other general demographics, this answer varies for everyone.
“Anyone who says they are not a Facebook creeper is lying.” Junior at the University of Northern Iowa, Samie Poerstel, has seen and heard many stories of these creepers and their day to day activities. Lately a common interest or reason for getting on Facebook has been t
he urge to “creep” or follow up on certain friends that either you have not talked to in awhile, or for some, it could be friends you saw just the other day. Either way if you tend to find yourself going from Facebook page to Facebook page trying to figure out who’s going out with who, or who's in a fight with who, you could be a certified creeper. And yes, you can be considered a creeper if you are constantly checking up on the new photos being added by friends. Kolbi Moore, admitted creeper, was caught saying, “I admit it, I’m an avid creeper. I love getting on Facebook and looking for all the juicy gossip that’s between all the people I have listed as my friends. It can be like a little mini rush.” Although being a Facebook creeper may be one main reason that draws people to Facebook, after asking around and getting different points of view, there are many other reasons that have people checking their Facebook.
Boredom, it hits us all at some point or another throughout the day. What do you do to cure your boredom, ever thought of Facebooking? Beth Bruns, UNI marketing analysis, said “I don’t really get on Facebook throughout the day, just when I’m at home. I may visit it two or three times a night, just quick visits and only because I’m bored and have nothing else to do.” Recent studies have shown that corporations have started banning the Facebook site from computers in the offices. The reason for acting on this was in fear that when co-workers were bored they would be getting on Facebook instead of working. A recent survey shows 50% of employees are blocked from Facebook. Jess Nissen pointed out, “It’s just something to do when you don’t have anything else to do. There’s no rhyme or reason for why I get on, other than pure boredom.” Whether you are creeping on other individuals or visiting Facebook out of boredom, there is no question that we all are constantly checking Facebook for its original purpose.
Staying connected to family, friends, and co-workers is the bottom line what Facebook represents and it's intent. When evaluating Facebook’s overall purpose, it’s really a impressive network that we have. From personal experiences it has proven to be an easy way to stay in contact with close classmates that have since graduation moved out of state. Although one may not be able to visit with them in person, Facebook makes the communication processes between individuals effortless. Barb Litterer noted, “Facebook is a great way for me to stay in touch with my nieces and son, as they are all away at college.” On the other hand, Molly Wade, professional photographer who has a Facebook webpage highlighting her business pointed out, “Facebook has been is a great tool for me publicizing my photography business. I would even say 95% of the traffic on my official website is directly from viewers seeing my Facebook page.”
Though Facebook attracts us all for different reasons, through Facebook’s efforts of constantly updating applications, and the initial set up, they continue to engage all users and keep us coming back for more. We may not all agree with the way that Facebook is being run; whether that be in their new homepage set up, the information that is being requested, or even the appearance of the site, surprisingly that doesn’t stop us from coming back. When you think about it Facebook really has complete control over everything. Acknowledging that Facebook does have control every
thing that is going on with Facebook and everything that you do on Facebook, it’s still unbelievable to believe how far we have come with technology over the years.
From the little Harvard dorm room to housing over 200 million users, Facebook has definitely left its footprint on our society. People from all over have their own reasons for visiting Facebook, whether to creep, out of boredom, to check on family, friends or coworkers, or to install all the newest applications that are being updated on a regular basis. We all have our own reasons for visiting Facebook. It’s astonishing to think that although we are all are very different, and live very different lives, for about 200 million of us, and on average 100,000 joining every day, we are all connected through one social network.
As a sophomore, Mark Zuckerberg invented Facemash. Zuckerberg then decided to create a different kind of social network. At the time Harvard was trying to create a social network in which all students could be on, thereby connecting everyone. Zuckerberg commented in a news article months after creating Facebook, stating that he thought it was ridiculous that it was going to take the university two years to complete this social network, when he knew he could do it better and have it up and running in a week. At the start of this network, called thefacebook.com, it was restricted to students of Harvard College. Within the first month of it being up and running, more than half of the undergraduate population at Harvard was registered on the service.
Soon after reaching out to the Harvard population, Zuckerberg decided that it was time to expand this network even further. Zuckerberg enlisted the help of his roommate Dustin Moskovitz. They, as a team, first spread it to Stanford, Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell, and Yale, and then to other schools with social contacts with Harvard. By the b
eginning of the summer, thousands and thousands of people were using it. In June of 2004, Zuckerberg decided to move Facebook’s base of operations to Palo Alto, California. It was this time in the history of the corporation that they dropped the The from its name. One year later, Facebook launched a high school version in September of 2005. From this point it only seemed logical to Zuckerberg to expand to employees of several companies, including Apple Inc. and Microsoft. It didn’t take long for Facebook to realize that they should just be opened to everyone or at least everyone 13 years and older with a valid e-mail address.According to Facebook Facts the main purpose of objective of Facebook is to help people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers. The company develops technologies that facilitate the sharing of information through the social graph, the digital mapping of people's real-world social connections. From its initial starting, Facebook had received its first investment of $500,000 in June 2004 from co-founder Peter Thiel. As months progressed Facebook was forced to borrow more and more money. It has been disclose that during the 2005 fiscal year, Facebook had net loss of $3.36 million. Of course this was right at the time that MySpace, another social network was being sold because of lack of funds. Rumors began to surface about the possible sale of Facebook to a larger media company. When word began to spread, Zuckerberg mentioned that he did not want to sell Facebook, and denied any rumors of selling. Still this didn’t stop offers from coming in trying to buy Facebook. The first offer came from and unknown bidder, for $750 million. Ironically the offers didn’t stop there. Yahoo proceeded to make offers on Facebook reaching as high as $1 billion. Co-founder Thiel indicated around this time that Facebook internal worth was around $8 billion based on their projected revenues of $1 billion by the year 2015. In and news release writing in 2007 on Times website, Zuckerberg commented Facebook was unlikely to sell, he wanted to keep it an independent organization. Shortly after this article was written, Microsoft approached Facebook and offered and estimated $300-500 million for the rights to the company. In the end Zuckerberg and other co-founders stuck to their guns and didn’t sell Facebook.
Currently “Facebook has more than 200 million active members” Facebook Statistics .With thousand and thousand people registering for Facebook each and every day, what is it that draws people to this website? Why are people constantly checking their Facebook accounts? The answer to this question comes from the people, depending on one’s age, current working situation and other general demographics, this answer varies for everyone.
“Anyone who says they are not a Facebook creeper is lying.” Junior at the University of Northern Iowa, Samie Poerstel, has seen and heard many stories of these creepers and their day to day activities. Lately a common interest or reason for getting on Facebook has been t
he urge to “creep” or follow up on certain friends that either you have not talked to in awhile, or for some, it could be friends you saw just the other day. Either way if you tend to find yourself going from Facebook page to Facebook page trying to figure out who’s going out with who, or who's in a fight with who, you could be a certified creeper. And yes, you can be considered a creeper if you are constantly checking up on the new photos being added by friends. Kolbi Moore, admitted creeper, was caught saying, “I admit it, I’m an avid creeper. I love getting on Facebook and looking for all the juicy gossip that’s between all the people I have listed as my friends. It can be like a little mini rush.” Although being a Facebook creeper may be one main reason that draws people to Facebook, after asking around and getting different points of view, there are many other reasons that have people checking their Facebook.Boredom, it hits us all at some point or another throughout the day. What do you do to cure your boredom, ever thought of Facebooking? Beth Bruns, UNI marketing analysis, said “I don’t really get on Facebook throughout the day, just when I’m at home. I may visit it two or three times a night, just quick visits and only because I’m bored and have nothing else to do.” Recent studies have shown that corporations have started banning the Facebook site from computers in the offices. The reason for acting on this was in fear that when co-workers were bored they would be getting on Facebook instead of working. A recent survey shows 50% of employees are blocked from Facebook. Jess Nissen pointed out, “It’s just something to do when you don’t have anything else to do. There’s no rhyme or reason for why I get on, other than pure boredom.” Whether you are creeping on other individuals or visiting Facebook out of boredom, there is no question that we all are constantly checking Facebook for its original purpose.
Staying connected to family, friends, and co-workers is the bottom line what Facebook represents and it's intent. When evaluating Facebook’s overall purpose, it’s really a impressive network that we have. From personal experiences it has proven to be an easy way to stay in contact with close classmates that have since graduation moved out of state. Although one may not be able to visit with them in person, Facebook makes the communication processes between individuals effortless. Barb Litterer noted, “Facebook is a great way for me to stay in touch with my nieces and son, as they are all away at college.” On the other hand, Molly Wade, professional photographer who has a Facebook webpage highlighting her business pointed out, “Facebook has been is a great tool for me publicizing my photography business. I would even say 95% of the traffic on my official website is directly from viewers seeing my Facebook page.”
Though Facebook attracts us all for different reasons, through Facebook’s efforts of constantly updating applications, and the initial set up, they continue to engage all users and keep us coming back for more. We may not all agree with the way that Facebook is being run; whether that be in their new homepage set up, the information that is being requested, or even the appearance of the site, surprisingly that doesn’t stop us from coming back. When you think about it Facebook really has complete control over everything. Acknowledging that Facebook does have control every
thing that is going on with Facebook and everything that you do on Facebook, it’s still unbelievable to believe how far we have come with technology over the years.From the little Harvard dorm room to housing over 200 million users, Facebook has definitely left its footprint on our society. People from all over have their own reasons for visiting Facebook, whether to creep, out of boredom, to check on family, friends or coworkers, or to install all the newest applications that are being updated on a regular basis. We all have our own reasons for visiting Facebook. It’s astonishing to think that although we are all are very different, and live very different lives, for about 200 million of us, and on average 100,000 joining every day, we are all connected through one social network.
Do Cell Phones Equal Beer?
81.3% of drivers in the U.S. have talked on their cell phones while driving, according to a Nationwide survey conducted in 2008 (http://www.nationwide.com/). Talking on a cell phone is considered a major distraction and according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, 80% of all accidents are caused by distracted driving.These statistics have impacted many states that want to lower the percentage of accidents. As of October 2008, six states had laws banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. These states include: California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Utah and Washington State, plus the District of Columbia. In May of 2008, a study was released explaining the potential impact a new state law banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving would have (http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones). The study found that the law would reduce traffic deaths by about 300 per year, but only in extreme conditions, like icy roads. The study also found that since the law is not well enforced, it may not discourage drivers from using their cell phones while driving.
Despite the lack of enforcement, more laws are being passed. In about 18 states, drivers under 18 are prohibited from using cell phones while driving. In California, drivers under 18 are not allowed to use any mobile device while driving.
Text messaging has also become a concern in many states. As of October 2008, seven states had passed laws prohibiting texting while driving. These states include: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Washington, plus the District of Columbia. A 2007 survey by Nationwide Insurance found that 19% of people text message while driving. The states banning text messaging while driving are trying to lower this statistic.
Statistics show that driving while talking on a cell phone can be dangerous, but according to one study conducted by psychologists at the University of Utah (http://www.unews.utah.edu/), driving with a cell phone is as dangerous as drunk driving. The study’s co-author, Frank Drews, said, “We found that people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood alcohol limit.” The study’s lead author said, “Just like you put yourself and other people at risk when you drive drunk, you put yourself and others at risk when you use a cell phone and drive.”
The study at the University of Utah found similar impairments between driving drunk and driving while talking on a cell phone. Some drivers believe that driving with a hands-free cell phone is safer than driving with a handheld cell phone. Megan Nolte, a student at the University of Northern Iowa, said, “I think it’s safer to drive with a hands-free cell phone than with a handheld cell phone. I have better control of the vehicle when I use my hands-free cell phone because I have both hands on the wheel.” Even though people believe it’s safer to use the hands-free cell phone, researchers at the University of Utah found that driving with handheld and hands-free cell phones both impair driving at the same degree. The study also found that people driving with a cell phone were 5.36 times more likely to have an accident than undistracted drivers. The risk is about the same for drivers with a 0.08 blood-alcohol level.
According to a previous study in 2003 by Drews and colleagues at the University of Utah (http://www.unews.utah.edu/), the reason for accidents caused by distracted drivers is called “inattention blindness.” This condition takes place when drivers look directly at road conditions but do not really see them because they are distracted by cell phone conversations. These drivers are not aware that they are impaired. A study by Drews and colleagues conducted in 2005 found that teenagers and young adults that talk on cell phones while driving have reaction times that are as slow as those of elderly drivers.
Driving with a cell phone is a growing problem with more than 100 million U.S. drivers talking on cell phones while driving. It is estimated that “at any given moment during daylight hours, 8% of all drivers are talking on a cell phone (http://www.unew.utah.edu/). The researchers at the University of Utah found that the percentage of drunk drivers at any given time is much lower, so the risk of talking on a cell phone while driving is higher than drunk driving because more people are driving with a cell phone than driving drunk. The researchers said, “The main reason there are not more accidents is that 92% of drivers are not on a cell phone and are compensating for drivers on cell phones.”
The increase in this growing problem of talking on a cell phone while driving can be attributed to the increased reliance on cell phones (http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones). According to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (http://ctia.org/), there are over 266 million people in the U.S. subscribed to a cell phone plan as of October 2008. There were only 4.3 million people in 1990 with cell phone plans. This increase in cell phones has led to the increase in people who drive while talking on a cell phone. According to the Insurance Information Institute (http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones), there are two dangers that come with driving while talking on a cell phone. First, drivers are distracted and must take their eyes off the road when dialing a number. Second, when people are absorbed in their cell phone conversations, they become extremely distracted, risking the safety of passengers and pedestrians. Research shows that even though driving with a cell phone is not the most dangerous distraction while driving, it is the most prevalent, making it the most common cause of this type of accident.
While some believe talking on a cell phone is extremely dangerous, possibly as dangerous as drunk driving, others don’t think it’s that dangerous. One driver, John Firth, said, “I don’t think there should be any laws prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving. I don’t get so absorbed in my conversations where I don’t pay attention to what I’m doing. I need my cell phone at times, and I’m happy I have the freedom to call someone while driving in Iowa.” The study at the University of Utah supported Firth’s belief to some degree. Their researchers found that “cell phone use is far less likely to be the cause of a crash or near-miss than other distractions.” According to the study, reaching for a falling object while driving increases the risk of an accident by nine times, while talking on a cell phone while driving increased the risk by 1.3 times. Therefore, driving while talking on a cell phone does not have as much risk for an accident as some other distractions.
Another area affected by people driving with cell phones is business. As a result of the accidents relating to driving with a cell phone, businesses are increasingly prohibiting their employees from driving while talking on a cell phone. Some court decisions have been made to settle disputes between employees driving on cell phones and other drivers. In many cases, the employer was held liable for the accident caused by their employee using a cell phone while driving. Employers could be held liable if they don’t implement a policy for the safe use of cell phones. According to http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones, “employers may be held legally accountable for the negligent acts of employees committed in the course of employment.” The executive director of United Way of Wapello County, Desiree Johnson, said, “I do not advise my employees to drive with cell phones while driving. It’s too dangerous.” Even though only a few high-profile cases have been brought to court concerning this issue, employers are still taking precautions so they won’t be held liable.
Like any controversial issue, there are opponents and supporters to driving while talking on a cell phone. Many supporters say driving with a cell phone demands greater concentration to the conversation, which makes the driver focus on things other than the road and think about other things. Opponents to the laws prohibiting driving with a cell phone think drivers should be educated about the all distractions while driving. Opponents also believe that the existing laws prohibiting driving with cell phones should be better enforced. The Iowa Legislature this session considered restricting cell phone use, but the bill died for lack of support.
Driving with a cell phone is an increasing controversial topic in the United States. Many studies have been conducted to decide if driving with a cell phone is as dangerous as other distractions, or even as dangerous as driving drunk. States that agree with these studies are taking action. There are at least ten states with laws prohibiting cell phone use or text messaging while driving. As more studies arise confirming the dangers of cell phone usage while driving, more states will follow in the prohibition of driving with a cell phone. As long as accidents associated with driving with a cell phone keep happening, laws and studies about driving with a cell phone will continue to be in the headlines. This is a controversial issue, and there are pros and cons to both sides of the issue. After reviewing everything, drivers just need to keep in mind the dangers associated with driving while talking on a cell phone and what they can do to prevent an accident.
Peace: Back By Popular Demand
Back By Popular Demand
By: Mandy Miller
By: Mandy Miller
The peace sign celebrated a “far out” 51st birthday is April. However, this globally famous symbol has not soured with old age. After all of these years, the peace sign has taken on various roles throughout the global society. Better known for the anti-war and counterculture movement of the 1960’s, the symbol has been associated with many different groups, movements, and holds many different meanings around the world. 
Founded in 1958, the peace sign was designed for the British nuclear disarmament movement. It was later adopted by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and was the face of the 1960’s counterculture. Worn mainly by the young people and hippies, the movement protested the Vietnam War, fought for Constitutional civil rights, protested of decisions by political leaders, the preservation of the fragile ecosystem, and advocate the rights of women, homosexuals, and minorities. For more information on the peace sign, visit Peace Symbol
Today, the symbol seems to be more of a fashion statement rather than a cause for a movement. The symbol is placed on various handbags, shoes, clothing, and jewelry. Many people wear the peace sign not for a global cause, but to fit in. Some “true” followers of the peace signs causes have found that some don’t even know the history or meaning of the symbol. Some find this to be the equivalent of an atheist wearing a Christian cross.
Diana Harwood, a mother and University of Northern Iowa staff member thinks there is a total split between people actually believing in the causes under the peace sign and those jumping on a popular bandwagon.
“There are those who really believe in it and there are those who really don’t,” said Harwood. “I think the people who believe in it are genuine.”
This change in the symbol of the original movement, has altered the original causes they fought for. Groups who once fought for causes under the 1960’s peace sign counterculture, are now separating and fighting their own battles. While the peace sign still holds its identity to bring the world together as one, some groups found in the 1960’s have expanded supporters out and have adopted their own movements and symbols.
Gay rights supporters have taken on their own battle for equal rights. The gay movement for marriage rights has become quite a controversial issue in American culture. Several U.S. states have legalized same sex marriage, sending those in opposition into an uproar. Many concepts such as the LGBT (Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) encourage people to be proud of their sexual orientation and identity. This is commonly represented by the Pride flag or Rainbow flag, which simply displays the colors of the rainbow. For more information on the LFBT go to LGBT
Ian Pacido, is a Massachusetts native and is opening gay. While Placidosupports the movement, he doesn’t see it as being entirely unified as one. “The ‘gay movement’ has become a two front battle,” said Placido. “You have the group of gays who are fighting for equal rights while there is another group fighting for special rights.”
Andrew Kilbourn, a jun
ior at the University of Northern Iowa, feels there has been an improvement in the rights for homosexuals, but sees a longer battle. “We still have a long way to go,” said Kilbourn. “And not just in laws and representation. We need to change the stereotypes and perceptions that bring these people down, and that is a much harder thing to change.”
The fight for minority rights has also changed, with many changing their views on different cultures and religions. While Christianity is the largest Western religion in the United States, many are adopting different religions, dropping their religious affiliation altogether, or are at least accepting of the differences of the world’s many religions. For statistics on contemporary religions visit USA Today
Nik Zaid Hanis, a Malaysian student studying at UNI, has not felt as he has been targeted by anyone as a result of his ethnicity or religion. “I don’t feel an instant judgment placed on me because I’m from a different country,” said Hanis. “In Malaysia, it can be a dangerous thing for someone to come out and openly criticize a particular religion.” While some citizens do not have a problem doing this in America, Hanis keeps his religion private. “As a Muslim, I keep my faith as my own private and personal thing.”
Harwood has seen large social changes since she was a child and believes the recent presidential election played a part in this. “Minorities are more accepted than when I was a kid,” said Harwood. “I think Obama being elected has been especially helpful for minorities.
Kilbourn has stronger feelings about religions, but nevertheless, is accepting of them. “If you want to believe in a God, that’s fine, but please don’t preach or judge; something I find difficult for Iowans,” said Kilbourn.
The “Go Green” movement is the one movement commonly associated with the peace sign that still hold close ties to the movement. The “Green Movement” has exploded into nearly every segment of the United States market. While there is solid scientific research supporting the benefits of recycling, eating organic and reducing emissions, there are many who make it an element of pop culture or deny the need for reduced emissions in the first place.
Placido said, “It {Green Movement} has legitimacy, but is often overshadowed by nutcases who go to the extreme.”
While advocates of Mother Earth have been fighting to protect her since the 1960’s and before, some still do not believe it is worth it. Harwood firmly believes the Green Movement and the presence of global warming to be science, and not a belief. Harwood takes extra care to educate her children on the issue as well as how they can provide for their own future by being “green.”
“I always remind them to recycle and we go to the recycling center as a family. We work to turn off lights and make the least amount of trips in a car,” said Harwood. “We never thought about recycling when I was a kid, and I think my kids will grow up to be better caretakers of the Earth,” she added.
Kilbourn addressed the issue of citizens being in denial of the problem of global warming. “It’s [global warming] the same reason why some people don’t go to the doctor when they know they are sick,” said Kilbourn. We hope it will just go away; we hope that things will just sort out without us having to do anything or admit anything is wrong.”For more updates on the Green Movement visit Tree Hugger
There are also new segments of a political countermovement forming as a result of a change of a Republican dominated government to a Democratically dominated government. The election of the first African American president, Barack Obama, has also sparked many good and bad changes in social groups.
The Department of Homeland Security recently reported that, “The economic downturn and election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment.” The full report can be viewed at: Department of Homeland Security. Rightwing extremism occurs in various forms across the globe. Groups include Neo-Nazis, Skinheads, and groups seeking total political influence.
A former Skinhead who spoke about his past life at UNI said, “We did not care who you were, if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, it was not going to be good.” For more information on Skinheads visit Skinheads
These groups target various people including minorities, but as a foreign student, Hanis does not feel as if he has been targeted by any particular hate groups during his stay in the U.S. “I’ve never had any personal experiences with hate groups before in my life,” said Hanis. “Nevertheless, there will be extremist groups will ‘take action’ in ‘cleansing’ what they believe to be a threat to their community.”
While Placido is from Massachusetts, a top liberal state, he hasn’t been exempt from judgment based on his sexual orientation. “I’ve experienced hate based on ignorance, but not from any particular group,” said Placido.
With the rise of rightwing extremists, there is also a rise in the popularity of the Democratic Party. After living in Portland, Oregon and Boston, Massachusetts, Placido saw the differences in those affiliated with the Democratic Party.
“From living in Portland, I realized in being liberal for the sake of it and intelligent liberals,” said Placido. “Many people in Boston make political decisions based on facts, research, and what the right thing is, while liberal in Portland like to protest and fight because it’s the current fad.”
In looking at the big picture, the history of the 1960’s very well may try to repeat. However, it’s obviousthe transition of the use and meaning of the peace symbol and what it represents have changed. Regardless of what symbol represents what movement, we are living in times of drastic change, which will also go into historic documents. It is a mystery as to what symbolism will evolve out of this age and represent the first ten years of the 21st century.
Founded in 1958, the peace sign was designed for the British nuclear disarmament movement. It was later adopted by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and was the face of the 1960’s counterculture. Worn mainly by the young people and hippies, the movement protested the Vietnam War, fought for Constitutional civil rights, protested of decisions by political leaders, the preservation of the fragile ecosystem, and advocate the rights of women, homosexuals, and minorities. For more information on the peace sign, visit Peace Symbol
Today, the symbol seems to be more of a fashion statement rather than a cause for a movement. The symbol is placed on various handbags, shoes, clothing, and jewelry. Many people wear the peace sign not for a global cause, but to fit in. Some “true” followers of the peace signs causes have found that some don’t even know the history or meaning of the symbol. Some find this to be the equivalent of an atheist wearing a Christian cross.
Diana Harwood, a mother and University of Northern Iowa staff member thinks there is a total split between people actually believing in the causes under the peace sign and those jumping on a popular bandwagon.
“There are those who really believe in it and there are those who really don’t,” said Harwood. “I think the people who believe in it are genuine.”
This change in the symbol of the original movement, has altered the original causes they fought for. Groups who once fought for causes under the 1960’s peace sign counterculture, are now separating and fighting their own battles. While the peace sign still holds its identity to bring the world together as one, some groups found in the 1960’s have expanded supporters out and have adopted their own movements and symbols.
Gay rights supporters have taken on their own battle for equal rights. The gay movement for marriage rights has become quite a controversial issue in American culture. Several U.S. states have legalized same sex marriage, sending those in opposition into an uproar. Many concepts such as the LGBT (Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) encourage people to be proud of their sexual orientation and identity. This is commonly represented by the Pride flag or Rainbow flag, which simply displays the colors of the rainbow. For more information on the LFBT go to LGBT
Ian Pacido, is a Massachusetts native and is opening gay. While Placidosupports the movement, he doesn’t see it as being entirely unified as one. “The ‘gay movement’ has become a two front battle,” said Placido. “You have the group of gays who are fighting for equal rights while there is another group fighting for special rights.”
Andrew Kilbourn, a jun
ior at the University of Northern Iowa, feels there has been an improvement in the rights for homosexuals, but sees a longer battle. “We still have a long way to go,” said Kilbourn. “And not just in laws and representation. We need to change the stereotypes and perceptions that bring these people down, and that is a much harder thing to change.”The fight for minority rights has also changed, with many changing their views on different cultures and religions. While Christianity is the largest Western religion in the United States, many are adopting different religions, dropping their religious affiliation altogether, or are at least accepting of the differences of the world’s many religions. For statistics on contemporary religions visit USA Today
Nik Zaid Hanis, a Malaysian student studying at UNI, has not felt as he has been targeted by anyone as a result of his ethnicity or religion. “I don’t feel an instant judgment placed on me because I’m from a different country,” said Hanis. “In Malaysia, it can be a dangerous thing for someone to come out and openly criticize a particular religion.” While some citizens do not have a problem doing this in America, Hanis keeps his religion private. “As a Muslim, I keep my faith as my own private and personal thing.”
Harwood has seen large social changes since she was a child and believes the recent presidential election played a part in this. “Minorities are more accepted than when I was a kid,” said Harwood. “I think Obama being elected has been especially helpful for minorities.
Kilbourn has stronger feelings about religions, but nevertheless, is accepting of them. “If you want to believe in a God, that’s fine, but please don’t preach or judge; something I find difficult for Iowans,” said Kilbourn.
The “Go Green” movement is the one movement commonly associated with the peace sign that still hold close ties to the movement. The “Green Movement” has exploded into nearly every segment of the United States market. While there is solid scientific research supporting the benefits of recycling, eating organic and reducing emissions, there are many who make it an element of pop culture or deny the need for reduced emissions in the first place.
Placido said, “It {Green Movement} has legitimacy, but is often overshadowed by nutcases who go to the extreme.”
While advocates of Mother Earth have been fighting to protect her since the 1960’s and before, some still do not believe it is worth it. Harwood firmly believes the Green Movement and the presence of global warming to be science, and not a belief. Harwood takes extra care to educate her children on the issue as well as how they can provide for their own future by being “green.”
“I always remind them to recycle and we go to the recycling center as a family. We work to turn off lights and make the least amount of trips in a car,” said Harwood. “We never thought about recycling when I was a kid, and I think my kids will grow up to be better caretakers of the Earth,” she added.
Kilbourn addressed the issue of citizens being in denial of the problem of global warming. “It’s [global warming] the same reason why some people don’t go to the doctor when they know they are sick,” said Kilbourn. We hope it will just go away; we hope that things will just sort out without us having to do anything or admit anything is wrong.”For more updates on the Green Movement visit Tree Hugger
There are also new segments of a political countermovement forming as a result of a change of a Republican dominated government to a Democratically dominated government. The election of the first African American president, Barack Obama, has also sparked many good and bad changes in social groups.
The Department of Homeland Security recently reported that, “The economic downturn and election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment.” The full report can be viewed at: Department of Homeland Security. Rightwing extremism occurs in various forms across the globe. Groups include Neo-Nazis, Skinheads, and groups seeking total political influence.
A former Skinhead who spoke about his past life at UNI said, “We did not care who you were, if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, it was not going to be good.” For more information on Skinheads visit Skinheads
These groups target various people including minorities, but as a foreign student, Hanis does not feel as if he has been targeted by any particular hate groups during his stay in the U.S. “I’ve never had any personal experiences with hate groups before in my life,” said Hanis. “Nevertheless, there will be extremist groups will ‘take action’ in ‘cleansing’ what they believe to be a threat to their community.”
While Placido is from Massachusetts, a top liberal state, he hasn’t been exempt from judgment based on his sexual orientation. “I’ve experienced hate based on ignorance, but not from any particular group,” said Placido.
With the rise of rightwing extremists, there is also a rise in the popularity of the Democratic Party. After living in Portland, Oregon and Boston, Massachusetts, Placido saw the differences in those affiliated with the Democratic Party.
“From living in Portland, I realized in being liberal for the sake of it and intelligent liberals,” said Placido. “Many people in Boston make political decisions based on facts, research, and what the right thing is, while liberal in Portland like to protest and fight because it’s the current fad.”
In looking at the big picture, the history of the 1960’s very well may try to repeat. However, it’s obviousthe transition of the use and meaning of the peace symbol and what it represents have changed. Regardless of what symbol represents what movement, we are living in times of drastic change, which will also go into historic documents. It is a mystery as to what symbolism will evolve out of this age and represent the first ten years of the 21st century.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
“Sexting”: The New Craze among Teens?
Imagine a young boy or girl at thirteen, just entering their teen years, sitting in court about to be charged with trafficking in child pornography
. This means they could face jail time and be registered as a sex offender for the rest of their life. Many teens and young adults in America
Sexting is just coming into the public eye and becoming a problem in schools across the nation. Teachers have faced the growing struggle of stopping texting in class during the past decade as having a cell phone becomes more common for young kids. “Texting isn’t the only problem in schools anymore, sexting is much more serious and even harder to control,” said Mary Sherrick, aMason City High School
According to the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, “one in five teenagers have
e-mailed or texted a nude or semi-nude self-portrait to someone else.” Teen girls are more likely to be sending the sexts, and the main reason is to get noticed. They are easily influenced by celebrities and there have been recent sexting scandals of racy photos of teen celebs like Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) and Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana). “I think it is sick that our generation has come to this. I see young girls not even 11 or 12 wearing less and less clothes and it makes me sad,” said college student Ana Gossman. “These girls are just trying to get the attention of perverted little boys. They are growing up much faster than they should and it makes me scared for the future,” said Gossman.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and Cosmogirl.com recently surveyed teens and young adults in their “sexting” habits. It was the first public study of its kind to find out the numbers of teens and young adults that are sending or posting sexually suggestive texts and images. The results show that many teens are engaging in sexting with the hope of having a sexual encounter. It said, “64% of the 1,280 respondents said they had received sexually suggestive messages.” The young boy teens view the sexts as “digital trophies,” proving that they did something or got a girl to show something personal of theirs. The boys parade it around and make sure everyone knows about it.
The sexting habit of young teens is not going unnoticed. According to Mike Brunker on msnbc, “sixPennsylvania Pennsylvania
So what is anothe
r major problem with sexting? Nothing in cyberspace ever really goes away. Pictures on the internet never truly get deleted. Even though the majority of the sexting exchanges are between boyfriend and girlfriend, what happens when a relationship goes sour? The distressed party can use those indiscreet photos and messages to hurt and humiliate. There are even Web sites just for the purpose of burning your ex. So the seemingly innocent acts when two young teens are “in love” can come back to haunt them at any time... Potential employers, college recruiters, teachers, coaches, parents, friends, enemies, strangers and others may all be able to find past posts, even after they are deleted. It is nearly impossible to control what other people are posting about a person. Even if they have second thoughts and delete a racy photo, there is no telling who has already copied that photo and posted it elsewhere.
As more cases have come about in theUnited States Pennsylvania
So what can a parent of a young teen do? They need to follow up with kids and have the tough conversation that most likely neither one of them wants to have. According to the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, “studies have shown that the pre-frontal cortex of the brain, the area responsible for impulse-control, judgment, decision-making, planning, organization, and emotion does not reach full maturity until the age of 25.” That means that kids, no matter how smart they are, are still figuring out how to make wise decisions. Their parents need to not be afraid to be parents. Teenagers need parents, not another friend. Some tips for parents:
Unfortunately some parents and school officials have been too late. In the past year, sexting has led to a tragedy. According to People Magazine, Jessie Logan, 18, a senior in a Cincinnati High School, took a nude photo of herself and sent it to a boy she was seeing. She learned that the picture was being sent around between four schools in the area and the kids began calling her names. Jessie was humiliated and on July 3, she committed suicide. Jessie’s mother, Cynthia is now working with the nonprofit organization wiredsafety.org to have programs to teach teens about the problems and dangers of sexting. Although parents are talking with the teens and schools are having harsher punishments for texting in class, it is ultimately up to the teens to make the right decisions. Hopefully by seeing other students being prosecuted, it will send the message that sexting is serious and leads to unimaginable consequences that they do not want to face.
. This means they could face jail time and be registered as a sex offender for the rest of their life. Many teens and young adults in Sexting is just coming into the public eye and becoming a problem in schools across the nation. Teachers have faced the growing struggle of stopping texting in class during the past decade as having a cell phone becomes more common for young kids. “Texting isn’t the only problem in schools anymore, sexting is much more serious and even harder to control,” said Mary Sherrick, a
According to the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, “one in five teenagers have
e-mailed or texted a nude or semi-nude self-portrait to someone else.” Teen girls are more likely to be sending the sexts, and the main reason is to get noticed. They are easily influenced by celebrities and there have been recent sexting scandals of racy photos of teen celebs like Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) and Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana). “I think it is sick that our generation has come to this. I see young girls not even 11 or 12 wearing less and less clothes and it makes me sad,” said college student Ana Gossman. “These girls are just trying to get the attention of perverted little boys. They are growing up much faster than they should and it makes me scared for the future,” said Gossman. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and Cosmogirl.com recently surveyed teens and young adults in their “sexting” habits. It was the first public study of its kind to find out the numbers of teens and young adults that are sending or posting sexually suggestive texts and images. The results show that many teens are engaging in sexting with the hope of having a sexual encounter. It said, “64% of the 1,280 respondents said they had received sexually suggestive messages.” The young boy teens view the sexts as “digital trophies,” proving that they did something or got a girl to show something personal of theirs. The boys parade it around and make sure everyone knows about it.
The sexting habit of young teens is not going unnoticed. According to Mike Brunker on msnbc, “six
So what is anothe
r major problem with sexting? Nothing in cyberspace ever really goes away. Pictures on the internet never truly get deleted. Even though the majority of the sexting exchanges are between boyfriend and girlfriend, what happens when a relationship goes sour? The distressed party can use those indiscreet photos and messages to hurt and humiliate. There are even Web sites just for the purpose of burning your ex. So the seemingly innocent acts when two young teens are “in love” can come back to haunt them at any time... Potential employers, college recruiters, teachers, coaches, parents, friends, enemies, strangers and others may all be able to find past posts, even after they are deleted. It is nearly impossible to control what other people are posting about a person. Even if they have second thoughts and delete a racy photo, there is no telling who has already copied that photo and posted it elsewhere.As more cases have come about in the
So what can a parent of a young teen do? They need to follow up with kids and have the tough conversation that most likely neither one of them wants to have. According to the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, “studies have shown that the pre-frontal cortex of the brain, the area responsible for impulse-control, judgment, decision-making, planning, organization, and emotion does not reach full maturity until the age of 25.” That means that kids, no matter how smart they are, are still figuring out how to make wise decisions. Their parents need to not be afraid to be parents. Teenagers need parents, not another friend. Some tips for parents:
- Talk to your kids about what they are doing in cyberspace
- Know who your kids are communicating with and know where they are going online.
- Use privacy controls, check browser histories
- Consider limitations on electronic communication
- Be aware of what your kids are posting publicly
- Set expectations as to what is “appropriate” behavior
Parents also need to make sure their children know that others might forward their pictures or messages to people they do not know or want to see them, and that school administrators and employers often look at online profiles to make judgments about potential students/employees. It is essential that young teens grasp the potential short-term and long-term consequences of their actions.
Unfortunately some parents and school officials have been too late. In the past year, sexting has led to a tragedy. According to People Magazine, Jessie Logan, 18, a senior in a Cincinnati High School, took a nude photo of herself and sent it to a boy she was seeing. She learned that the picture was being sent around between four schools in the area and the kids began calling her names. Jessie was humiliated and on July 3, she committed suicide. Jessie’s mother, Cynthia is now working with the nonprofit organization wiredsafety.org to have programs to teach teens about the problems and dangers of sexting. Although parents are talking with the teens and schools are having harsher punishments for texting in class, it is ultimately up to the teens to make the right decisions. Hopefully by seeing other students being prosecuted, it will send the message that sexting is serious and leads to unimaginable consequences that they do not want to face.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
My Blog
I don't have much but I'm working on a couple interviews right now and I have also found a few articles on the importance of art and/or music education on a child's cognitive development.
Spanish in America
By Noah Lienau
You can hear it all across America. Whether you’re in the grocery store, your local Wal-Mart, or running your daily errands, there is no escaping. Even today’s kids can’t get away from it. It’s in their classrooms at school and it’s invading their favorite television shows at home. Spanish, the fastest growing language in the United States, is being spoken everywhere. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for people to be hearing. In 1990 the Hispanic population of the United States was 22.4 million people. Today this number has skyrocketed to an astounding 44.3 million people. This means that from 1990 to 2006, the U.S. Hispanic population has almost doubled in size. Because of this jump, Hispanics now make up about 14.5 percent of the nation’s total population (Facts for Features). These numbers show that although the Spanish language has been present in the United States for many years, it has in just the last 16 years, become more widespread and, as a result, more influential on America’s schools and businesses today more than any time in the nation’s history. MORE>>
Bargain Hunting in the College Marketplace
By Megan M Nolte
“I’m more price conscious then convenience conscious now,” said Courtney Goforth, a senior at the University of Northern Iowa. It seems everyone is looking for the best deal, and for high school seniors that deal is college tuition.
With tuition increasing the Office of Student Financial Aid at the University of Northern Iowa wants to be sure students understand how much they are borrowing and what that may mean for them in the future.
The 2009-2010 school year, will see a tuition increase of 4.2% more than the 2008-2009 school year. Students who are a part of the College of Business will see an added $500 to their yearly tuition on top of the 4.2% increase (http://www.uni.edu/tuition/09-10/undergrad.shtml).
The Office of Student Financial Aid is changing the way they do things this year in an attempt to make students more responsible for the amount they borrow. One way they are doing this is by requiring students to accept, decline, or reduce their loans this year instead of being able to passively accept money.
“We wanted to be sure students were actively involved in accepting their loans and knew what they were accepting,” said Tim Bakula, Assistant Director Student Employment. In the past students have come back after receiving their refund checks without understanding how much they had borrowed in government loans. With this new way of accepting loans the Office of Student Financial Aid is hoping students will be more aware of what has been awarded to them and what they will be receiving for the 2009-2010 school year.
Along with accepting their loans students now have a link in their award notifications from which they can access information about what they are accepting and the stipulations on receiving financial aid from government loans (http://www.uni.edu/finaid/award_letter/index.shtml).
In addition to the change in actively accepting financial aid instead of passively, the Office of Student Financial Aid is requiring students who are first time borrowers of private loans to complete a loan entrance counseling before the funds being received from loans can be disbursed to the student. Students must also read the University Of Northern Iowa Office Of Student Financial Aid Private Alternative Loan Education Packet and fill out a form at the end in order to receive loans (http://www.uni.edu/finaid/pdf/AltLoanEdInfo.pdf).
These loan counseling sessions are a way of keeping students on top of what they will need to pay back after graduation. Only students who are borrowing a private loan need to have a counseling session. In these sessions students are first asked how much they are borrowing. Loan counselors want to be sure students are only borrowing the minimum amount they need to get through the school year. The counselors go through a budget with students to make sure they borrow all federal loans offered before going to private loans. Students will have all private loans denied by the school if they have not accepted all federal loans offered to them.
An informal survey found that more than half of students are aware of how much they will be responsible after graduation and most take an active part in how much they’re borrowing even if they don’t know what the total is at this point. Most students are in charge of paying their own tuition or at least part of it, so for new and current students the tuition increases are of great concern.
To accommodate for these rising prices students can get almost twice as much in unsubsidized and subsidized as they could 3 years ago. For the 2006-2007 school year incoming freshmen could only receive a total of $2,750, but for the last two years incoming freshman could receive $5,500 in aid ($3,500 from subsidized and $2,000 in unsubsidized loans).
Federal loans have not only increased for incoming freshman though, as juniors and seniors have also seen a large increase in the amount showing up on their award notifications. During the 2006-2007 school year juniors and seniors may have seen $5,500 offered to them in subsidized and unsubsidized loans, but this year students entering their third and fourth years of school can see up to $7,500 on their award notification ($5,500 subsidized and $2,000 in unsubsidized).
Adam Swope, a third year student at UNI was able to claim independent this year due to his parents not being able to co-sign any loans for him. This is a problem for many students where parents refuse to co-sign or are unable to co-sign. For those whose parents are refuse to co-sign it is much harder to claim independent, but for students whose parents cannot receive loans the Office of Student Financial Aid is trying to work with students.
“When I was in college you couldn’t live at home for more than a week at a time if you claimed independent,” said Pat Blank, a professor at the University of Northern Iowa, “In fact the University checked up on me by calling my parents to make sure I didn’t stay there over the holidays.”
Today the regulations on being independent are much different. The first way students may qualify as an independent is based on questions they fill out on their FAFSA (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/index.htm). The FAFSA asks questions about the age of a student, marital status, pursued degree type, and many others. These questions many times can qualify students for independent status. Some questions may have extra requirements for the students if they answer yes, such as this question: “Are you or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?” This question would require the student to submit documentation.
Another way students can be changed to independent status is based on their parent’s ability to co-sign their loans. The Office of Student Financial Aid can determine this in two ways; one is to have parents apply for the Direct Parent PLUS loan and another is by having parents do a credit check.
“If parents receive a negative result from one or both of these applications, meaning they are denied, then the students is considered independent in terms of loans,” said Deb Bartels, Federal Loan Coordinator, “This student is not actually independent but for loan purposes the Office of Student Financial Aid looks at them as an independent student.”
Students claiming to be independent are about to get a lot more money in unsubsidized and subsidized loans. According to “Funding Education Beyond High School: A guide to Federal Student Aid 2009-10” this year freshmen students claiming to be independent can receive $9,500 ($3,500 subsidized and $6,000 in unsubsidized). Sophomore students can receive up to $10,500 ($4,500 in subsidized and $6,000 in unsubsidized) and those of junior status or beyond can receive up to $12,500 ($5,500 subsidized and $7,000 in unsubsidized).
In the last year there has also been another change for UNI students and their parents. In the past Direct Parent PLUS Loans began the repayment period 60 days after they were disbursed to the student. During the 2008-2009 school year parents could have these loans deferred until the student graduated. This helps parents if they are expecting their students to pay for their college tuition because parents can take out these loans and still have their student pay the loan back. This helps to eliminate private loans for some students.
Besides federal loans, many students also have to take out private loans on their own in order to pay for college. These loans are getting harder for students to acquire with the current economy. Most financial institutions are refusing students loans without a co-signer. This in turn causes problems for those with no co-signer.
Also making it harder for students to find loans are new laws in the state of Iowa banning universities from giving students sheets comparing loans, because this looks like the University is favoring one financial institution over another. UNI offers students a sheet that they can compare financial institutions, but unlike years past when it was already filled in, students must fill out all information themselves (http://www.uni.edu/finaid/pdf/University_of_Northern_Iowa_Chart.pdf).
Because the Office of Student Financial Aid can no longer give students a comparative list they also have a link on their website which connects students to the Iowa College Student Aid Commission. On this site students can see a list of alternative lenders and how to contact them (http://www.iowacollegeaid.gov/commissioncentral/lenderlistsearchprivate.asp).
The price of tuition is increasing and the Office of Student Financial Aid along is trying to help students make it through these tough economic times. Along with the amount of federal loans available to students rising, it has also become easier for students to receive independent status.
Even though colleges do not come with coupons, half-price offers, or any hot deals the Office of Student Financial Aid is trying to keep students out of the poor house by offering as much help to students as possible.
Everything costs more these days, from the cost of food to the cost of holding a funeral for loved ones. Due to these hard financial times everyone is cutting back on spending. Many people are going to second-hand stores, like Good Will to find clothes, books, and toys for their family. In addition stores are beginning to close their doors for the last night across the country.
Everyone is planning for the economic crisis that is sweeping the country. While some say that the economic crisis has not hit the Midwest as hard as other parts of the country, families are preparing by spending less and saving more. Prices are rising and no one wants to be caught unaware.
Everyone is planning for the economic crisis that is sweeping the country. While some say that the economic crisis has not hit the Midwest as hard as other parts of the country, families are preparing by spending less and saving more. Prices are rising and no one wants to be caught unaware.
“I’m more price conscious then convenience conscious now,” said Courtney Goforth, a senior at the University of Northern Iowa. It seems everyone is looking for the best deal, and for high school seniors that deal is college tuition.With tuition increasing the Office of Student Financial Aid at the University of Northern Iowa wants to be sure students understand how much they are borrowing and what that may mean for them in the future.
The 2009-2010 school year, will see a tuition increase of 4.2% more than the 2008-2009 school year. Students who are a part of the College of Business will see an added $500 to their yearly tuition on top of the 4.2% increase (http://www.uni.edu/tuition/09-10/undergrad.shtml).
The Office of Student Financial Aid is changing the way they do things this year in an attempt to make students more responsible for the amount they borrow. One way they are doing this is by requiring students to accept, decline, or reduce their loans this year instead of being able to passively accept money.
“We wanted to be sure students were actively involved in accepting their loans and knew what they were accepting,” said Tim Bakula, Assistant Director Student Employment. In the past students have come back after receiving their refund checks without understanding how much they had borrowed in government loans. With this new way of accepting loans the Office of Student Financial Aid is hoping students will be more aware of what has been awarded to them and what they will be receiving for the 2009-2010 school year.
Along with accepting their loans students now have a link in their award notifications from which they can access information about what they are accepting and the stipulations on receiving financial aid from government loans (http://www.uni.edu/finaid/award_letter/index.shtml).
In addition to the change in actively accepting financial aid instead of passively, the Office of Student Financial Aid is requiring students who are first time borrowers of private loans to complete a loan entrance counseling before the funds being received from loans can be disbursed to the student. Students must also read the University Of Northern Iowa Office Of Student Financial Aid Private Alternative Loan Education Packet and fill out a form at the end in order to receive loans (http://www.uni.edu/finaid/pdf/AltLoanEdInfo.pdf).
These loan counseling sessions are a way of keeping students on top of what they will need to pay back after graduation. Only students who are borrowing a private loan need to have a counseling session. In these sessions students are first asked how much they are borrowing. Loan counselors want to be sure students are only borrowing the minimum amount they need to get through the school year. The counselors go through a budget with students to make sure they borrow all federal loans offered before going to private loans. Students will have all private loans denied by the school if they have not accepted all federal loans offered to them.
An informal survey found that more than half of students are aware of how much they will be responsible after graduation and most take an active part in how much they’re borrowing even if they don’t know what the total is at this point. Most students are in charge of paying their own tuition or at least part of it, so for new and current students the tuition increases are of great concern.
To accommodate for these rising prices students can get almost twice as much in unsubsidized and subsidized as they could 3 years ago. For the 2006-2007 school year incoming freshmen could only receive a total of $2,750, but for the last two years incoming freshman could receive $5,500 in aid ($3,500 from subsidized and $2,000 in unsubsidized loans). 
Federal loans have not only increased for incoming freshman though, as juniors and seniors have also seen a large increase in the amount showing up on their award notifications. During the 2006-2007 school year juniors and seniors may have seen $5,500 offered to them in subsidized and unsubsidized loans, but this year students entering their third and fourth years of school can see up to $7,500 on their award notification ($5,500 subsidized and $2,000 in unsubsidized).Adam Swope, a third year student at UNI was able to claim independent this year due to his parents not being able to co-sign any loans for him. This is a problem for many students where parents refuse to co-sign or are unable to co-sign. For those whose parents are refuse to co-sign it is much harder to claim independent, but for students whose parents cannot receive loans the Office of Student Financial Aid is trying to work with students.
“When I was in college you couldn’t live at home for more than a week at a time if you claimed independent,” said Pat Blank, a professor at the University of Northern Iowa, “In fact the University checked up on me by calling my parents to make sure I didn’t stay there over the holidays.”
Today the regulations on being independent are much different. The first way students may qualify as an independent is based on questions they fill out on their FAFSA (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/index.htm). The FAFSA asks questions about the age of a student, marital status, pursued degree type, and many others. These questions many times can qualify students for independent status. Some questions may have extra requirements for the students if they answer yes, such as this question: “Are you or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?” This question would require the student to submit documentation.
Another way students can be changed to independent status is based on their parent’s ability to co-sign their loans. The Office of Student Financial Aid can determine this in two ways; one is to have parents apply for the Direct Parent PLUS loan and another is by having parents do a credit check.
“If parents receive a negative result from one or both of these applications, meaning they are denied, then the students is considered independent in terms of loans,” said Deb Bartels, Federal Loan Coordinator, “This student is not actually independent but for loan purposes the Office of Student Financial Aid looks at them as an independent student.”
Students claiming to be independent are about to get a lot more money in unsubsidized and subsidized loans. According to “Funding Education Beyond High School: A guide to Federal Student Aid 2009-10” this year freshmen students claiming to be independent can receive $9,500 ($3,500 subsidized and $6,000 in unsubsidized). Sophomore students can receive up to $10,500 ($4,500 in subsidized and $6,000 in unsubsidized) and those of junior status or beyond can receive up to $12,500 ($5,500 subsidized and $7,000 in unsubsidized).
In the last year there has also been another change for UNI students and their parents. In the past Direct Parent PLUS Loans began the repayment period 60 days after they were disbursed to the student. During the 2008-2009 school year parents could have these loans deferred until the student graduated. This helps parents if they are expecting their students to pay for their college tuition because parents can take out these loans and still have their student pay the loan back. This helps to eliminate private loans for some students.
Besides federal loans, many students also have to take out private loans on their own in order to pay for college. These loans are getting harder for students to acquire with the current economy. Most financial institutions are refusing students loans without a co-signer. This in turn causes problems for those with no co-signer.
Also making it harder for students to find loans are new laws in the state of Iowa banning universities from giving students sheets comparing loans, because this looks like the University is favoring one financial institution over another. UNI offers students a sheet that they can compare financial institutions, but unlike years past when it was already filled in, students must fill out all information themselves (http://www.uni.edu/finaid/pdf/University_of_Northern_Iowa_Chart.pdf).
Because the Office of Student Financial Aid can no longer give students a comparative list they also have a link on their website which connects students to the Iowa College Student Aid Commission. On this site students can see a list of alternative lenders and how to contact them (http://www.iowacollegeaid.gov/commissioncentral/lenderlistsearchprivate.asp).
The price of tuition is increasing and the Office of Student Financial Aid along is trying to help students make it through these tough economic times. Along with the amount of federal loans available to students rising, it has also become easier for students to receive independent status.
Even though colleges do not come with coupons, half-price offers, or any hot deals the Office of Student Financial Aid is trying to keep students out of the poor house by offering as much help to students as possible.
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