Note: This column was originally published in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, October 3, 2013.
This column begins where all the best stories begin: in Walmart.
Recently I was strolling down the aisle with a cart full of groceries when I saw a treasure sticking out of the $5 DVD bin: Inception.
I am not a movie person at all (the last movie I watched was Iron Man 3), but when I find a movie that I really like, I want to re-watch it. Inception is one of those movies that fascinates me every time.
One of my favorite quotes from the movie is, "What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient...highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed - fully understood - that sticks, right in there somewhere."
That's such a cool concept to me, because it's so true. I have ideas bouncing around in my head almost constantly. Some of them are fleeting, but others won't leave me alone until I set them to paper.
That's how things happen: someone has an idea, and then they decide to do something about it. Every invention, every work of art, every piece of architecture, even the structure of our government, happened because someone had an idea. But our ideas are absolutely useless unless we make the decision to act on them.
I have a sign hanging on my living room wall that says, "Ideas are funny things. They don't work unless you do." This reminds me each day that I can spend all day thinking about and discussing with my friends, "I wish..."or "We should..." or "It would make so much more sense if...", but the status quo will never change unless I stop talking and start acting.
What ideas are you holding in your head and ignoring? The next great American novel or a Billboard Top 40 hit? Advancements in medicine or technology? Ideas are great, as long as you back them up by your actions.
Another concept that Inception introduces is the idea of the totem, an object that helps the characters in the movie to know if they are in a dream or in reality.
Although the dreams in that case are literal subconscious dreams that people have while sleeping, I think that the idea of a totem could be applicable to dreams like goals that we have. After we form our ideas and decide to run with them, it's important that we stay grounded. Not everything will work out exactly the way we want it to. We don't need to be afraid to shoot for the stars, but we need to have something that helps us stay grounded.
As Arthur explains in the movie, "See, only I know the balance and weight of this particular loaded die. That way, when you look at your totem, you know beyond a doubt that you are not in someone else's dream."
So what are your ideas and dreams? What's your totem that helps you keep a grip on reality? And what are you waiting for? Why not listen to that resilient idea today that's been in your mind for weeks, months, maybe years? Take your ideas and make a difference.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Column: Dinner still the best way to bring a 'family' together
Note: This column was originally published in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, October 17, 2013.
On any given day, the extent of the conversations I have with my three roommates is something like, "Oh, you still live here? Cool, me too...Well, I've got to go. See you later!"
Aside from my work at The Chanticleer, I have another part-time job that keeps me in Anniston 25 hours each week, a full load of classes, the BCM Creative Ministries team, and responsibilities with the SGA Student Activities Council. That's not including homework, miscellaneous errands, and spending time with friends. Bottom line, I basically use my apartment as a place to store my belongings, take a shower, and sleep (a little).
Even though I share a roof with three other girls, two of whom are Communication students like me, the four of us lives separate lives. We learn things about one another in little snippets of conversations, and we have never once all sat down and eaten dinner together.
Then last Sunday happened.
There were some things that needed to be discussed: reorganization of a chore system, paying power overages, the amount of people we could have over at night while others in the house are trying to sleep or study, etc. Sunday night seemed to be the best time that we could all get together and talk.
So for the first time in the two months that we had been living together, the four of us sat in the living room at the same time. One of my roommates has two best friends who spend more time at the apartment than I do, so they were part of our conversation as well.
The six of us ended up spending close to two hours just sitting and talking. Everyone expressed their concerns, pet peeves, and suggestions for how to distribute responsibility around the house. We learned a lot about each other in the process, and even shared stories about classes, internships, and which teachers to take (or not to take) for various subjects.
We decided to schedule a "family" dinner too, where we each invite a couple of our closest friends and we all cook a big meal together.
People tend to get stuck in routines, I guess. Even though there's really no such thing as a "routine" day for me, I usually talk to the same people at school or make lunch plans with the same friends. But since last Sunday night, I've decided that I want to be more than an acquaintance to the people that I'm around. I want to be a true friend. I want to be the person that people know will sit and listen to them when they need to share their heart, who will give them a ride to the doctor's office when they're sick or to pick up their car when they get new tires or breaks put on it.
Over the past week, I have had the opportunity to spend time with two individuals and two groups that are not in my usual circle of friends. (This includes being shut in a room with three Student Senators, three Associate Justices, and no cell phones for three hours on Thursday night.)
When you actually take the time to get to know a person, it's cool to see how much you have in common. And sometimes the quiet ones are the funniest ones to have a conversation with!
So my goal from here on out is to smile a little bit more, speak up in class, and be a better listener.
That, and maybe schedule a few more "family" dinners with my roommates.
On any given day, the extent of the conversations I have with my three roommates is something like, "Oh, you still live here? Cool, me too...Well, I've got to go. See you later!"
Aside from my work at The Chanticleer, I have another part-time job that keeps me in Anniston 25 hours each week, a full load of classes, the BCM Creative Ministries team, and responsibilities with the SGA Student Activities Council. That's not including homework, miscellaneous errands, and spending time with friends. Bottom line, I basically use my apartment as a place to store my belongings, take a shower, and sleep (a little).
Even though I share a roof with three other girls, two of whom are Communication students like me, the four of us lives separate lives. We learn things about one another in little snippets of conversations, and we have never once all sat down and eaten dinner together.
Then last Sunday happened.
There were some things that needed to be discussed: reorganization of a chore system, paying power overages, the amount of people we could have over at night while others in the house are trying to sleep or study, etc. Sunday night seemed to be the best time that we could all get together and talk.
So for the first time in the two months that we had been living together, the four of us sat in the living room at the same time. One of my roommates has two best friends who spend more time at the apartment than I do, so they were part of our conversation as well.
The six of us ended up spending close to two hours just sitting and talking. Everyone expressed their concerns, pet peeves, and suggestions for how to distribute responsibility around the house. We learned a lot about each other in the process, and even shared stories about classes, internships, and which teachers to take (or not to take) for various subjects.
We decided to schedule a "family" dinner too, where we each invite a couple of our closest friends and we all cook a big meal together.
People tend to get stuck in routines, I guess. Even though there's really no such thing as a "routine" day for me, I usually talk to the same people at school or make lunch plans with the same friends. But since last Sunday night, I've decided that I want to be more than an acquaintance to the people that I'm around. I want to be a true friend. I want to be the person that people know will sit and listen to them when they need to share their heart, who will give them a ride to the doctor's office when they're sick or to pick up their car when they get new tires or breaks put on it.
Over the past week, I have had the opportunity to spend time with two individuals and two groups that are not in my usual circle of friends. (This includes being shut in a room with three Student Senators, three Associate Justices, and no cell phones for three hours on Thursday night.)
When you actually take the time to get to know a person, it's cool to see how much you have in common. And sometimes the quiet ones are the funniest ones to have a conversation with!
So my goal from here on out is to smile a little bit more, speak up in class, and be a better listener.
That, and maybe schedule a few more "family" dinners with my roommates.
Talks beginning for changes to traffic appeals system
Note: This article was originally published in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, October 17, 2013.
Talks have begun between the University Police Department and other entities on campus to try to expand and update JSU's traffic court and appeals process.
Like other departments on campus, UPD has to be re-accredited. This past spring, the Virginia Community Policing Institute (VCPI) held sessions where students and faculty at JSU met to address concerns or problems that they had with the way UPD operates.
The end result was a report of a few hundred suggestions and recommendations for change that would help UPD reach its goals for accreditation.
"One of the points that came through the report was that our traffic court appeals system is outdated," explains Vice President of Student Senate Brett Johnson. "It doesn't really serve the student body as well as it could."
Currently, campus traffic court is held on the first Monday of each month. Students who have tickets and wish to appeal them may present their case before eight associate justices and the chief justice. The court then decides whether the student is guilty or not guilty.
"We have a lot of non-traditional students here," Johnson says. "An example that one of the officers gave was that we have some single parents who live in, let's say, Fort Payne, or a couple of hours away. They take two night classes a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they drive back and forth, and they have a babysitter during that time. If they get a parking ticket and they want to appeal it, they have to wait til the next month, on the first Monday at 4. Generally, most of them have full-time jobs, or they're watching their children. So it's just really not feasible for them to come."
The solution? VCPI suggested that the university have an online format for appeals. UPD has met with university officials, the Faculty Senate, and the Student Government Association to get everyone's input on the idea.
"The original, up-in-the-air idea was to replace traffic court with an online-only system," Johnson says. "That idea was immediately met with 'we don't want that' from just about everybody."
So this past Friday, SGA met with UPD to discuss alternatives and how to work toward a better solution that would be best for everyone involved.
"What we talked through is adding an online option to our current court," Johnson explains. "This would allow any students who can't make court but want to appeal to go the online route. Then the justices, before the monthly meeting, would review those cases, perhaps through email, and submit their votes accordingly. The goal is basically to serve more students by lessening the inconveniences on those who wish to appeal their traffic violations."
University police Chief Shawn Giddy said that the online system would be anonymous. That way, no bias would be shown in favor of or against students, and the verdict would be based on the appeals themselves.
"Let's say you had three students who got tickets for parking in the wrong zone," he says. "Two were found not guilty and one was, but they all committed the same violation. So the one student would say, 'Why were they not guilty, when they did the exact same thing I did?' That wouldn't happen with online appeals, because it wouldn't matter how well you did or didn't present yourself in front of the court."
One consideration is to have a review board of students who would review all online submissions.
This panel would decide if an appeal online is warranted, or granted worthy of a hearing. If so, then the person who filed the appeal could continue the process online, or could go before the justices and plead their case in person at traffic court.
Under the system currently in place, if a student appeals to the court and is found guilty of a parking violation, they must pay five dollars in addition to the cost of their ticket.
They would face a similar situation if they chose to appeal online; any case that is lost or considered unwarranted would result in an additional five dollar fine for the student who appealed.
Johnson said that he is going to start working on a legislative proposal and then ask if any Senators want to back that.
"Right now, there is no formal proposal," he says. "So it's just something that we're taking slowly. But before anything is official, it will have to have gone through the Student Senate."
As of right now, no definite deadline or time frame has been set for when the legislation would be proposed or become effective, if passed.
Talks have begun between the University Police Department and other entities on campus to try to expand and update JSU's traffic court and appeals process.
Like other departments on campus, UPD has to be re-accredited. This past spring, the Virginia Community Policing Institute (VCPI) held sessions where students and faculty at JSU met to address concerns or problems that they had with the way UPD operates.
The end result was a report of a few hundred suggestions and recommendations for change that would help UPD reach its goals for accreditation.
"One of the points that came through the report was that our traffic court appeals system is outdated," explains Vice President of Student Senate Brett Johnson. "It doesn't really serve the student body as well as it could."
Currently, campus traffic court is held on the first Monday of each month. Students who have tickets and wish to appeal them may present their case before eight associate justices and the chief justice. The court then decides whether the student is guilty or not guilty.
"We have a lot of non-traditional students here," Johnson says. "An example that one of the officers gave was that we have some single parents who live in, let's say, Fort Payne, or a couple of hours away. They take two night classes a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they drive back and forth, and they have a babysitter during that time. If they get a parking ticket and they want to appeal it, they have to wait til the next month, on the first Monday at 4. Generally, most of them have full-time jobs, or they're watching their children. So it's just really not feasible for them to come."
The solution? VCPI suggested that the university have an online format for appeals. UPD has met with university officials, the Faculty Senate, and the Student Government Association to get everyone's input on the idea.
"The original, up-in-the-air idea was to replace traffic court with an online-only system," Johnson says. "That idea was immediately met with 'we don't want that' from just about everybody."
So this past Friday, SGA met with UPD to discuss alternatives and how to work toward a better solution that would be best for everyone involved.
"What we talked through is adding an online option to our current court," Johnson explains. "This would allow any students who can't make court but want to appeal to go the online route. Then the justices, before the monthly meeting, would review those cases, perhaps through email, and submit their votes accordingly. The goal is basically to serve more students by lessening the inconveniences on those who wish to appeal their traffic violations."
University police Chief Shawn Giddy said that the online system would be anonymous. That way, no bias would be shown in favor of or against students, and the verdict would be based on the appeals themselves.
"Let's say you had three students who got tickets for parking in the wrong zone," he says. "Two were found not guilty and one was, but they all committed the same violation. So the one student would say, 'Why were they not guilty, when they did the exact same thing I did?' That wouldn't happen with online appeals, because it wouldn't matter how well you did or didn't present yourself in front of the court."
One consideration is to have a review board of students who would review all online submissions.
This panel would decide if an appeal online is warranted, or granted worthy of a hearing. If so, then the person who filed the appeal could continue the process online, or could go before the justices and plead their case in person at traffic court.
Under the system currently in place, if a student appeals to the court and is found guilty of a parking violation, they must pay five dollars in addition to the cost of their ticket.
They would face a similar situation if they chose to appeal online; any case that is lost or considered unwarranted would result in an additional five dollar fine for the student who appealed.
Johnson said that he is going to start working on a legislative proposal and then ask if any Senators want to back that.
"Right now, there is no formal proposal," he says. "So it's just something that we're taking slowly. But before anything is official, it will have to have gone through the Student Senate."
As of right now, no definite deadline or time frame has been set for when the legislation would be proposed or become effective, if passed.
Column: We can't stop
Note: This column was originally published in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, October 31, 2013.
It's been two months since Miley Cyrus twerked her way out of the realm of forgotten, has-been teen stars and in to everyone's conversations. As was to be expected, for a handful of days that followed the VMAs, people were giving their opinions of the performance. Everything from, "I can't believe she did that!" to "She's just being Miley, okay? Leave her alone!" was on my Facebook news feed and the lips of my friends, peers and coworkers.
Again I say, it's been two months. We were all there. We've seen (and seen and seen and seen) the video and still shots of both Miley's performance and Will Smith's family's reaction. It has had plenty of exposure on television news stations, YouTube, and, as of last week, on the projector in one of my classes. At the Homecoming pep rally, JSU's cheerleader's danced to a mash-up remix of "We Can't Stop" and "Blurred Lines", and Miley Cyrus/Robin Thicke couple's Halloween costumes are selling for nearly 200 dollars on eBay.
Miley hosted Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago, and on the following Monday, my coworkers were talking all about her performance of "We Did Stop," a parody song about the government shutdown.
Why won't this die? Did I miss something? Two months after the fact, why is everyone still talking about Miley Cyrus, whether negative or positive?
Because that's exactly what she wants us to do. She's famous, and famous people want to stay relative for as long as they can. When they're desperate for more hits on Google or YouTube, they'll do something completely insane. Then, when someone else does something even crazier to upstage them, the media and the general public move on to the next on-the-verge-of-needing-rehab pop star. Such is the law of the land in the realm of pop culture.
Remember the 2009 VMAs, when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for Best Female Video ("Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, and Imma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!")? Neither did I, until I Googled "VMAs" while I was writing this column, and saw the memes. That triggered my memory. That incident, like every other "shocking" thing that a celebrity does to get more attention, was a flash in the pan. So rather than slam my head on my desk the next time the words "twerk" or "Miley" come up in conversation, I will remind myself that this too shall pass.
Several years ago, Brad Paisley released a song called "Celebrity." The lyrics read, "I'll make the supermarket tabloids; they'll write some awful stuff. But the more they run my name down, the more my price goes up." No kidding! People go from famous to obscure when they are no longer in the spotlight. As long as they are getting attention, there is no such thing as career suicide.
However, I'm almost to the point of being ready for some other pop star to do something crazy and Tweet-worthy just so, excuse the bad pun, we can stop talking about this.
It's been two months since Miley Cyrus twerked her way out of the realm of forgotten, has-been teen stars and in to everyone's conversations. As was to be expected, for a handful of days that followed the VMAs, people were giving their opinions of the performance. Everything from, "I can't believe she did that!" to "She's just being Miley, okay? Leave her alone!" was on my Facebook news feed and the lips of my friends, peers and coworkers.
Again I say, it's been two months. We were all there. We've seen (and seen and seen and seen) the video and still shots of both Miley's performance and Will Smith's family's reaction. It has had plenty of exposure on television news stations, YouTube, and, as of last week, on the projector in one of my classes. At the Homecoming pep rally, JSU's cheerleader's danced to a mash-up remix of "We Can't Stop" and "Blurred Lines", and Miley Cyrus/Robin Thicke couple's Halloween costumes are selling for nearly 200 dollars on eBay.
Miley hosted Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago, and on the following Monday, my coworkers were talking all about her performance of "We Did Stop," a parody song about the government shutdown.
Why won't this die? Did I miss something? Two months after the fact, why is everyone still talking about Miley Cyrus, whether negative or positive?
Because that's exactly what she wants us to do. She's famous, and famous people want to stay relative for as long as they can. When they're desperate for more hits on Google or YouTube, they'll do something completely insane. Then, when someone else does something even crazier to upstage them, the media and the general public move on to the next on-the-verge-of-needing-rehab pop star. Such is the law of the land in the realm of pop culture.
Remember the 2009 VMAs, when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for Best Female Video ("Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, and Imma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!")? Neither did I, until I Googled "VMAs" while I was writing this column, and saw the memes. That triggered my memory. That incident, like every other "shocking" thing that a celebrity does to get more attention, was a flash in the pan. So rather than slam my head on my desk the next time the words "twerk" or "Miley" come up in conversation, I will remind myself that this too shall pass.
Several years ago, Brad Paisley released a song called "Celebrity." The lyrics read, "I'll make the supermarket tabloids; they'll write some awful stuff. But the more they run my name down, the more my price goes up." No kidding! People go from famous to obscure when they are no longer in the spotlight. As long as they are getting attention, there is no such thing as career suicide.
However, I'm almost to the point of being ready for some other pop star to do something crazy and Tweet-worthy just so, excuse the bad pun, we can stop talking about this.
Column: Black Friday a test of endurance
Note: This column was originally published in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, November 14, 2014.
One morning two Novembers ago, I awoke to find myself in someone else's car on the bottom level of a parking deck.
One of my star-shaped earrings was jabbing me in the cheek, and I was buried under a pile of bags from Hollister and Abercrombie.
Although this may sound like a kidnapping, I had actually fallen victim to one of the best and worst of holiday traditions: Black Friday.
Every year, thousands of people camp out in front of shopping malls across the country and spend the wee hours of the morning racking up on Christmas presents at the lowest prices of the season.
My name is Kara Coleman, and I am one of those people.
For the past few years, I have ended my Thanksgiving Day with a power nap around 10 p.m., then set out on a Starbucks-fueled shopping expedition with my aunt and an assortment of girl cousins.
I cross every gift off my Christmas shopping list that day, but that's not really why I go.
I shop on Black Friday because that's the only time I can get a slice of Sbarro's pizza at 4:30 in the morning, even if that means eating it while sitting Indian-style on the food court floor with total strangers because all the tables and chairs are occupied.
I do it because despite the horror stories that we've all heard, the people I encounter on Black Friday are really friendly. You have a lot of time to chat with someone if you're standing behind them in line for an hour.
People will share with me who the recipients of their purchases are, their relationship to them, and an abridged version of their life stories by the time we make it to the cash registers.
And of course, I do it as a test of endurance, to see who the last one to crawl into my aunt's SUV to sleep and become a reluctant casualty of the trip will be.
Once, my cousin fell asleep on a bed in the Belk Home Store while she was waiting for me to buy a Keurig.
I thought she was just lying there and resting her eyes, until I actually had to wake her up so we could leave the store.
My aunt swears that I fell asleep on the couch in the Macy's bathroom last year, but I think I was just closing my eyes for five minutes. Or 25. I don't really know.
Shopping on Black Friday is like seeing your favorite band in concert or going to the midnight premier of the summer's most anticipated movie.
There's excitement in the air, adrenaline and espresso are flowing through the veins of everyone there, and I experience the thrill of finding just the perfect gift for someone.
But perhaps the best part of Black Friday is the feeling that I get crashing into my own bed at 3 or 4 that afternoon, ready for some deep post-shopping rest. That is, if I don't end up snoozing in the passenger seat on the way home.
One morning two Novembers ago, I awoke to find myself in someone else's car on the bottom level of a parking deck.
One of my star-shaped earrings was jabbing me in the cheek, and I was buried under a pile of bags from Hollister and Abercrombie.
Although this may sound like a kidnapping, I had actually fallen victim to one of the best and worst of holiday traditions: Black Friday.
Every year, thousands of people camp out in front of shopping malls across the country and spend the wee hours of the morning racking up on Christmas presents at the lowest prices of the season.
My name is Kara Coleman, and I am one of those people.
For the past few years, I have ended my Thanksgiving Day with a power nap around 10 p.m., then set out on a Starbucks-fueled shopping expedition with my aunt and an assortment of girl cousins.
I cross every gift off my Christmas shopping list that day, but that's not really why I go.
I shop on Black Friday because that's the only time I can get a slice of Sbarro's pizza at 4:30 in the morning, even if that means eating it while sitting Indian-style on the food court floor with total strangers because all the tables and chairs are occupied.
I do it because despite the horror stories that we've all heard, the people I encounter on Black Friday are really friendly. You have a lot of time to chat with someone if you're standing behind them in line for an hour.
People will share with me who the recipients of their purchases are, their relationship to them, and an abridged version of their life stories by the time we make it to the cash registers.
And of course, I do it as a test of endurance, to see who the last one to crawl into my aunt's SUV to sleep and become a reluctant casualty of the trip will be.
Once, my cousin fell asleep on a bed in the Belk Home Store while she was waiting for me to buy a Keurig.
I thought she was just lying there and resting her eyes, until I actually had to wake her up so we could leave the store.
My aunt swears that I fell asleep on the couch in the Macy's bathroom last year, but I think I was just closing my eyes for five minutes. Or 25. I don't really know.
Shopping on Black Friday is like seeing your favorite band in concert or going to the midnight premier of the summer's most anticipated movie.
There's excitement in the air, adrenaline and espresso are flowing through the veins of everyone there, and I experience the thrill of finding just the perfect gift for someone.
But perhaps the best part of Black Friday is the feeling that I get crashing into my own bed at 3 or 4 that afternoon, ready for some deep post-shopping rest. That is, if I don't end up snoozing in the passenger seat on the way home.
Holding on to prejudice, 50 years after the Civil Rights Movement
Note: This article was originally published in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, November 21, 2013.
It's been about 50 years since the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, but have racism and hate speech been eradicated? If not, is that an issue that needs to be addressed on campus?
SGA President Jade Wagner thinks racism needs to be discussed among students.
"There's racism all around us in the smallest of ways, and people have just learned to ignore it and look over it," she says.
Wagner, who has a black father and a white mother, recalls one time when she was in fourth grade. A white girl touched her hair and remarked, "Ew, your hair is so greasy! That's such a black girl thing!" So Wagner went home and cried to her parents, who helped her pick a new product to use in her hair.
"I changed my hairstyle because of one girl's comment," she says. "People don't realize what their words do to people, especially children."
Other students say that they have never had any experience in dealing with racism or discrimination.
"Really, I just think some people are overdramatic," says JSU student Patrick Paul. "A lot of people get who get in trouble try to blame other races or say the police are messing with them because they're a different race. But it has nothing to do with race."
SGA Senator Kadeem Hubbard points out that students are able to tell campus leaders if they ever are having a problem with racism or bullying.
"Every Monday at the senate meetings, we have a portion of time set out where if a student has a problem, they can come voice what they have to say," Hubbard says. "And all semester, we have had no one come say anything."
University President Dr. Bill Meehan thinks that a bigger issue underlying racism is prejudice in general.
"It will never be totally eradicated as prejudice because somebody is always going to be prejudiced about something," Meehan says.
He did talk about the changes he saw in his high school after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, and noted that the country as a whole has come a long way since then in dealing with acceptance of all races.
A popular opinion as to why racism still exists is that it is culturally acceptable.
"I think it has a lot to do with what we see on TV, what we hear in music, what we're exposed to," says Wagner, who cringes every time she hears the "n-word" coming from the lips of an acquaintance or the lyrics of a song. "Just because we're exposed to it doesn't make it okay."
SGA Associate Justice Lauren McClendon agrees that culture and environment play a roll in determining prejudices.
"I think a lot of people just go by what they've known their whole lives," she says. "They've listened to what their mother says and what their grandmother says and what their great-grandmother says, and it's an issue that's going to have to take its time to go away."
She adds, however, that no demographic is taken into consideration by the SGA traffic court in any of the decisions they make.
While there will always be prejudiced people in the world, prejudice and racism can be combated. Meehan says that most prejudices are caused by fear, and that the antidote for fear is education.
"When you sit down with a person from another race, a person from another culture, from diversity that you have not been used to, you realize that they have the same values, that they have the same family and love," he says. "They may have a different faith, but if you can understand their faith, then that is a way to reduce that prejudice."
McClendon agrees that education is the best tool in fighting racism.
"The more education you have, the more open-minded you are," she says. "As long as we continue to push education and open-mindedness, that's what will determine how long this stays an issue."
Wagner spoke last night at an open forum hosted by the African American Association on campus. The forum educated students on racism and diversity.
"I don't think it's fair that racism is still so rampant, and not just white on black racism," she says. "There's a lot of black on white racism, there's a lot of Latino racism, there's a lot of Asian racism."
While Paul acknowledges that he's aware that some people harbor racist feelings, he isn't concerned with racism.
"If they believe that, that's what they believe," he says. "They're not affecting me. I'm graduating December 13th."
It's been about 50 years since the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, but have racism and hate speech been eradicated? If not, is that an issue that needs to be addressed on campus?
SGA President Jade Wagner thinks racism needs to be discussed among students.
"There's racism all around us in the smallest of ways, and people have just learned to ignore it and look over it," she says.
Wagner, who has a black father and a white mother, recalls one time when she was in fourth grade. A white girl touched her hair and remarked, "Ew, your hair is so greasy! That's such a black girl thing!" So Wagner went home and cried to her parents, who helped her pick a new product to use in her hair.
"I changed my hairstyle because of one girl's comment," she says. "People don't realize what their words do to people, especially children."
Other students say that they have never had any experience in dealing with racism or discrimination.
"Really, I just think some people are overdramatic," says JSU student Patrick Paul. "A lot of people get who get in trouble try to blame other races or say the police are messing with them because they're a different race. But it has nothing to do with race."
SGA Senator Kadeem Hubbard points out that students are able to tell campus leaders if they ever are having a problem with racism or bullying.
"Every Monday at the senate meetings, we have a portion of time set out where if a student has a problem, they can come voice what they have to say," Hubbard says. "And all semester, we have had no one come say anything."
University President Dr. Bill Meehan thinks that a bigger issue underlying racism is prejudice in general.
"It will never be totally eradicated as prejudice because somebody is always going to be prejudiced about something," Meehan says.
He did talk about the changes he saw in his high school after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, and noted that the country as a whole has come a long way since then in dealing with acceptance of all races.
A popular opinion as to why racism still exists is that it is culturally acceptable.
"I think it has a lot to do with what we see on TV, what we hear in music, what we're exposed to," says Wagner, who cringes every time she hears the "n-word" coming from the lips of an acquaintance or the lyrics of a song. "Just because we're exposed to it doesn't make it okay."
SGA Associate Justice Lauren McClendon agrees that culture and environment play a roll in determining prejudices.
"I think a lot of people just go by what they've known their whole lives," she says. "They've listened to what their mother says and what their grandmother says and what their great-grandmother says, and it's an issue that's going to have to take its time to go away."
She adds, however, that no demographic is taken into consideration by the SGA traffic court in any of the decisions they make.
While there will always be prejudiced people in the world, prejudice and racism can be combated. Meehan says that most prejudices are caused by fear, and that the antidote for fear is education.
"When you sit down with a person from another race, a person from another culture, from diversity that you have not been used to, you realize that they have the same values, that they have the same family and love," he says. "They may have a different faith, but if you can understand their faith, then that is a way to reduce that prejudice."
McClendon agrees that education is the best tool in fighting racism.
"The more education you have, the more open-minded you are," she says. "As long as we continue to push education and open-mindedness, that's what will determine how long this stays an issue."
Wagner spoke last night at an open forum hosted by the African American Association on campus. The forum educated students on racism and diversity.
"I don't think it's fair that racism is still so rampant, and not just white on black racism," she says. "There's a lot of black on white racism, there's a lot of Latino racism, there's a lot of Asian racism."
While Paul acknowledges that he's aware that some people harbor racist feelings, he isn't concerned with racism.
"If they believe that, that's what they believe," he says. "They're not affecting me. I'm graduating December 13th."
Column: Giving in to wanderlust
Note: This column originally appeared in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, January 16, 2014.
Last March, I packed a suitcase and hopped in my car with 30 dollars in my wallet, a bag of Cheetos, and one of those enormous 24-ounce cans of Mountain Dew. I started driving toward the state line with no real plan other than visiting my brother at college in Rome, Ga., and crashing on my friend Kali's futon.
As I passed the familiar sign that read, "Welcome, We're Glad Georgia's on Your Mind," the sky was spitting snow flurries. That was definitely going to put a limit on how much time I could spend outside. But I still wanted to go exploring and get out of Jacksonville for a few days.
"So how long will you be here?" my brother's roommate asked me as he and my brother sat in their dorm room and looked at me.
"I don't know," I said. "A couple of days. Or three or four. Just until I decide to go home, I guess."
I had always wanted to say those words. Every once in a while, I like to leave town for the day and just spend it exploring somewhere else.
Sometimes I'll go for a long walk in the woods, then find a good spot to sit and journal. Sometimes I'll spend the day "shopping" in Birmingham, which translates into mostly window shopping. Sometimes I just get in my car, pick a direction, and start driving.
And I always take pictures of things that interest me, whether it's an old building, a sunset or a street sign. A change of scene is refreshing every now and then. But this was the first time I had planned to not really have a plan for for three or four days.
The next morning, I parked my car in downtown Rome and started walking around with my camera. I bought a Coca-Cola frappe from the local non-Starbucks coffee shop, watched a painter at work in her art gallery, took pictures of the skate shop, and spent an hour wandering around a three-story outdoor store. I ended up watching lacrosse practice at my brother's school by the time my friend texted me and wanted to meet up for dinner. That was just day one of my visit.
It's enriching to get out of my daily routine and go places I don't normally go, just to get new ideas and observe the world around me without checking the time because I have to be at work or in class or I have housework waiting on me. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but if I had to make one this year, it would be to give in to wanderlust a little more. I'm on track to graduate with honors this year, and of course I'm only going wandering on days when I'm already scheduled to be off work, so I'm not neglecting my responsibilities.
But I won't be using my free time in 2014 sitting on my couch with Netflix and a carton of ice cream. There are a whole lot of roads to be traveled out there.
Last March, I packed a suitcase and hopped in my car with 30 dollars in my wallet, a bag of Cheetos, and one of those enormous 24-ounce cans of Mountain Dew. I started driving toward the state line with no real plan other than visiting my brother at college in Rome, Ga., and crashing on my friend Kali's futon.
As I passed the familiar sign that read, "Welcome, We're Glad Georgia's on Your Mind," the sky was spitting snow flurries. That was definitely going to put a limit on how much time I could spend outside. But I still wanted to go exploring and get out of Jacksonville for a few days.
"So how long will you be here?" my brother's roommate asked me as he and my brother sat in their dorm room and looked at me.
"I don't know," I said. "A couple of days. Or three or four. Just until I decide to go home, I guess."
I had always wanted to say those words. Every once in a while, I like to leave town for the day and just spend it exploring somewhere else.
Sometimes I'll go for a long walk in the woods, then find a good spot to sit and journal. Sometimes I'll spend the day "shopping" in Birmingham, which translates into mostly window shopping. Sometimes I just get in my car, pick a direction, and start driving.
And I always take pictures of things that interest me, whether it's an old building, a sunset or a street sign. A change of scene is refreshing every now and then. But this was the first time I had planned to not really have a plan for for three or four days.
The next morning, I parked my car in downtown Rome and started walking around with my camera. I bought a Coca-Cola frappe from the local non-Starbucks coffee shop, watched a painter at work in her art gallery, took pictures of the skate shop, and spent an hour wandering around a three-story outdoor store. I ended up watching lacrosse practice at my brother's school by the time my friend texted me and wanted to meet up for dinner. That was just day one of my visit.
It's enriching to get out of my daily routine and go places I don't normally go, just to get new ideas and observe the world around me without checking the time because I have to be at work or in class or I have housework waiting on me. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but if I had to make one this year, it would be to give in to wanderlust a little more. I'm on track to graduate with honors this year, and of course I'm only going wandering on days when I'm already scheduled to be off work, so I'm not neglecting my responsibilities.
But I won't be using my free time in 2014 sitting on my couch with Netflix and a carton of ice cream. There are a whole lot of roads to be traveled out there.
Column: Take nothing and no one for granted in 2014
Note: This column originally appeared in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, January 30, 2014.
On New Year's Eve, my friends and I were discussing our plans and expectations for 2014. This is going to be a year when big things happen. It's the year of the end of college and (fingers crossed) the beginning of careers.
If the month of January was any indication, 2014 is going to be a life-changing year for me and for a lot of people in my life.
My grandmother had been battling both Alzheimer's and cancer in 2013. During the second week of classes this semester, I received a phone call from my mother saying that my grandmother likely had less than a week to live. I told my professors and was excused from class the next day so that I could be with my family.
We spent the entire day in the nursing home. Even though hospice said she probably wouldn't make it past noon, she did. Throughout the day, my parents and aunts and uncles and I would sit in silence and hold my grandmother's hand, or even talk to her even though she couldn't talk back to us. As we watched her slip away from us, we shared memories we had of her and knew we would always be able to hold on to those.
At one point in the day, I had stepped out into the hallway of the nursing home when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. It was a text from my friend Jennifer, saying that she and her husband just found out they are expecting a baby girl.
My grandmother's life was ending; a new life was beginning.
As I stumbled numbly into my apartment Friday night, my roommate Carly was ecstatic.
"I got an interview for my first big-girl job!" she screamed at me. "It's a producing job with a TV station in Huntsville!" Carly had graduated in December and spent the following weeks busily applying for jobs.
My grandmother died at 12:20 that Saturday morning.
The next day, Sunday, I attended a bridal shower for one of my best childhood friends, Kali. I sat with my other childhood best friend, Anna, and we reminisced about our goofy teenage selves.
"You know what?" Anna said. "Last summer was the first time the three of us didn't spend a weekend together, or even have a shopping day together."
"I guess we were all too busy this past summer," I replied.
On Monday night, Kali and her family came to my grandmother's funeral, and Carly went to dinner with one of the executive producers at the TV station as part of the interview process.
Carly signed her contract with the station last week. My other roommates and I helped her load all of her belongings from our apartment into her car last Saturday. It was the end of Carly's time with us at JSU and the beginning of her time as a morning show producer, and I couldn't be more proud of her.
This Saturday, my roommate Brittany and I plan to go to Huntsville and look at apartments with Carly. And for the rest of this year, I plan to never take anyone or anything for granted, to never be too busy for the people I care about.
After all, 2014 will be an eventful year.
On New Year's Eve, my friends and I were discussing our plans and expectations for 2014. This is going to be a year when big things happen. It's the year of the end of college and (fingers crossed) the beginning of careers.
If the month of January was any indication, 2014 is going to be a life-changing year for me and for a lot of people in my life.
My grandmother had been battling both Alzheimer's and cancer in 2013. During the second week of classes this semester, I received a phone call from my mother saying that my grandmother likely had less than a week to live. I told my professors and was excused from class the next day so that I could be with my family.
We spent the entire day in the nursing home. Even though hospice said she probably wouldn't make it past noon, she did. Throughout the day, my parents and aunts and uncles and I would sit in silence and hold my grandmother's hand, or even talk to her even though she couldn't talk back to us. As we watched her slip away from us, we shared memories we had of her and knew we would always be able to hold on to those.
At one point in the day, I had stepped out into the hallway of the nursing home when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. It was a text from my friend Jennifer, saying that she and her husband just found out they are expecting a baby girl.
My grandmother's life was ending; a new life was beginning.
As I stumbled numbly into my apartment Friday night, my roommate Carly was ecstatic.
"I got an interview for my first big-girl job!" she screamed at me. "It's a producing job with a TV station in Huntsville!" Carly had graduated in December and spent the following weeks busily applying for jobs.
My grandmother died at 12:20 that Saturday morning.
The next day, Sunday, I attended a bridal shower for one of my best childhood friends, Kali. I sat with my other childhood best friend, Anna, and we reminisced about our goofy teenage selves.
"You know what?" Anna said. "Last summer was the first time the three of us didn't spend a weekend together, or even have a shopping day together."
"I guess we were all too busy this past summer," I replied.
On Monday night, Kali and her family came to my grandmother's funeral, and Carly went to dinner with one of the executive producers at the TV station as part of the interview process.
Carly signed her contract with the station last week. My other roommates and I helped her load all of her belongings from our apartment into her car last Saturday. It was the end of Carly's time with us at JSU and the beginning of her time as a morning show producer, and I couldn't be more proud of her.
This Saturday, my roommate Brittany and I plan to go to Huntsville and look at apartments with Carly. And for the rest of this year, I plan to never take anyone or anything for granted, to never be too busy for the people I care about.
After all, 2014 will be an eventful year.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
JSU student working on set of 'Divergent'
Note: This article was originally published in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, January 30, 2014.
Hollywood recently called one JSU student, and he answered.
Zach Annesty, a Drama major with a Technical concentration and Music minor, is currently in Los Angeles, at work on the movie Divergent.
"When I got the email for this job, I sat there on the futon and paused everything I had going at the time: my computer, my TV and my radio, so that I was in absolute silence," Annesty said. "The first thought I had after I sat there for a while was, 'What do I have going on that week?' I instantly started thinking of what I had to do to make this trip possible."
Annesty, 25, went on a film tour study class to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, through JSU last summer. It was there, while he and the other students were helping on the set of a movie, that Annesty made an impression on 1st Assistant Director (A.D.) Artist Robinson. Robinson is also one of many A.D.s at work on Divergent.
On the set of Divergent, Annesty is a Production Assistant (P.A.).
"The P.A.s are basically the management staff for a movie production," Annesty explains. "Sometimes the P.A. group has multiple jobs to do in order to make the set run as smoothly as possible."
Annesty is responsible for the distribution of paperwork such as time cards and time sheets every day and says that he is also in charge of the producer's table.
"This means the first thing I have to do when I come in to work is set up the producer's table in the exact spot they want it, with the exact type of chair to go with it," he says. "If this isn't done right, I have been told that the producers have the right to fire any person they want to just because they aren't happy with the progress of the movie."
Divergent is based on a book of the same name by Veronica Roth. It follows a dystopian society that is divided into five sections, each of which cultivates different values in its residents. When residents are 16 years old, they choose the faction in which they must live for the rest of their lives, even if that means saying goodbye to their family and friends. The story focuses on one girl, Beatrice 'Tris' Prior, who has a secret that may destroy her or could help save the people she loves from an unraveling society.
Annesty admits that even though he is working on the movie, he has never read the Divergent book series.
"I have actually never read any of these books that have been turning into movies," he says. "What I do have is my fiance buy the books and have her tell me about them in detail. I hate to read."
Annesty says that he is a fan of Divergent based on the summaries that he's heard and read.
Annesty plans to complete his degree program and graduate from JSU in 2014. His career goals are to become well-known in the filmmaking industry and doing whatever he can in the craft.
He will fly back to Jacksonville on February 2nd to continue his studies.
Divergent stars Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller, Kate Winslet, and Theo James. It opens in theaters and IMAX March 21, 2014.
Hollywood recently called one JSU student, and he answered.
Zach Annesty, a Drama major with a Technical concentration and Music minor, is currently in Los Angeles, at work on the movie Divergent.
"When I got the email for this job, I sat there on the futon and paused everything I had going at the time: my computer, my TV and my radio, so that I was in absolute silence," Annesty said. "The first thought I had after I sat there for a while was, 'What do I have going on that week?' I instantly started thinking of what I had to do to make this trip possible."
Annesty, 25, went on a film tour study class to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, through JSU last summer. It was there, while he and the other students were helping on the set of a movie, that Annesty made an impression on 1st Assistant Director (A.D.) Artist Robinson. Robinson is also one of many A.D.s at work on Divergent.
On the set of Divergent, Annesty is a Production Assistant (P.A.).
"The P.A.s are basically the management staff for a movie production," Annesty explains. "Sometimes the P.A. group has multiple jobs to do in order to make the set run as smoothly as possible."
Annesty is responsible for the distribution of paperwork such as time cards and time sheets every day and says that he is also in charge of the producer's table.
"This means the first thing I have to do when I come in to work is set up the producer's table in the exact spot they want it, with the exact type of chair to go with it," he says. "If this isn't done right, I have been told that the producers have the right to fire any person they want to just because they aren't happy with the progress of the movie."
Divergent is based on a book of the same name by Veronica Roth. It follows a dystopian society that is divided into five sections, each of which cultivates different values in its residents. When residents are 16 years old, they choose the faction in which they must live for the rest of their lives, even if that means saying goodbye to their family and friends. The story focuses on one girl, Beatrice 'Tris' Prior, who has a secret that may destroy her or could help save the people she loves from an unraveling society.
Annesty admits that even though he is working on the movie, he has never read the Divergent book series.
"I have actually never read any of these books that have been turning into movies," he says. "What I do have is my fiance buy the books and have her tell me about them in detail. I hate to read."
Annesty says that he is a fan of Divergent based on the summaries that he's heard and read.
Annesty plans to complete his degree program and graduate from JSU in 2014. His career goals are to become well-known in the filmmaking industry and doing whatever he can in the craft.
He will fly back to Jacksonville on February 2nd to continue his studies.
Divergent stars Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller, Kate Winslet, and Theo James. It opens in theaters and IMAX March 21, 2014.
Student Senate votes to continue Homecoming pageant tradition
Note: This article was originally published in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, February 20, 2014.
JSU's Student Senate on Monday night voted not to eliminate the Homecoming pageant from the usual lineup of Homecoming events for the 2014-2015 school year.
Senators Kalyn Cabral and Courtney Curtis had authorized a bill, SB-79, which would amend the way voting is conducted for Homecoming elections as well as eliminating the pageant process.
Cabral says that one reason she wanted to eliminate the pageant was to give more control to the students and not let a panel of judges determine contenders for the crown.
"I didn't like how the judges were participating," she says. "I feel like it's our Homecoming queen, it's our students, so I don't think they should be the ones to eliminate people that could possibly have won or have been good leaders."
Curtis cited the cost of putting on the pageant and lack of student participation as the other factors to be taken into consideration.
Both Curtis and Cabral stated that they believe it's time to start new traditions and end old ones.
"Out with the old, in with the new," Curtis said. "I think it's kind of old-fashioned. Not a lot of universities do a Homecoming pageant."
Debate on SB-79 lasted for about 30 minutes, with senators asking questions to the bill's authors as well as addressing the chamber with their own opinions on the bill.
"Whether we want to admit it or not, Homecoming is a popularity contest," says Senator Tyler Stone. "I don't think that having someone spend four or 500 dollars on an evening gown to get up and prance around on stage for a few minutes is either negatively or positively affect their chances of winning. The people who are known best will be the people who are going to win. The Homecoming pageant is nostalgic, but maybe it's time for something new."
The majority of senators disagreed, however. The bill was overturned 12-20, according to Vice President of the Student Senate Brett Johnson.
In other business, the Senate:
* Voted to appoint Kaleigh Williams as Student Senator for the 2013-2014 term.
* Voted to appoint Mark Hunter as Associate Justice for the 2013-2014 term.
* Was visited by Gordon Stone of the Higher Education Partnership. Stone encouraged students to attend Higher Ed Day at the state capitol in Montgomery on Thursday, February 27. Students who wish to ride the bus to Higher Ed Day may sign up in the Office of Student Life.
JSU's Student Senate on Monday night voted not to eliminate the Homecoming pageant from the usual lineup of Homecoming events for the 2014-2015 school year.
Senators Kalyn Cabral and Courtney Curtis had authorized a bill, SB-79, which would amend the way voting is conducted for Homecoming elections as well as eliminating the pageant process.
Cabral says that one reason she wanted to eliminate the pageant was to give more control to the students and not let a panel of judges determine contenders for the crown.
"I didn't like how the judges were participating," she says. "I feel like it's our Homecoming queen, it's our students, so I don't think they should be the ones to eliminate people that could possibly have won or have been good leaders."
Curtis cited the cost of putting on the pageant and lack of student participation as the other factors to be taken into consideration.
Both Curtis and Cabral stated that they believe it's time to start new traditions and end old ones.
"Out with the old, in with the new," Curtis said. "I think it's kind of old-fashioned. Not a lot of universities do a Homecoming pageant."
Debate on SB-79 lasted for about 30 minutes, with senators asking questions to the bill's authors as well as addressing the chamber with their own opinions on the bill.
"Whether we want to admit it or not, Homecoming is a popularity contest," says Senator Tyler Stone. "I don't think that having someone spend four or 500 dollars on an evening gown to get up and prance around on stage for a few minutes is either negatively or positively affect their chances of winning. The people who are known best will be the people who are going to win. The Homecoming pageant is nostalgic, but maybe it's time for something new."
The majority of senators disagreed, however. The bill was overturned 12-20, according to Vice President of the Student Senate Brett Johnson.
In other business, the Senate:
* Voted to appoint Kaleigh Williams as Student Senator for the 2013-2014 term.
* Voted to appoint Mark Hunter as Associate Justice for the 2013-2014 term.
* Was visited by Gordon Stone of the Higher Education Partnership. Stone encouraged students to attend Higher Ed Day at the state capitol in Montgomery on Thursday, February 27. Students who wish to ride the bus to Higher Ed Day may sign up in the Office of Student Life.
Column: Please don't super-size me
Note: This column originally appeared in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, March 13, 2014.
One night last week, my friend Patrick and I visited a fast food place for dinner. As usual, I ordered a small combo meal and couldn't even finish the whole thing.
"Why is everything so much bigger now than it used to be?" I wondered out loud. "Why is a small drink like, 22 ounces?"
"Because this is America," Patrick said as he grabbed a handful of fries. "Bigger is better. More is better."
I thought about that as I drove home that night. At what point does something become excessive? How much of a good thing is too much?
When I was a freshman at the school I transferred from, my health class watched the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, in which Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but McDonald's for an entire month and answered in the affirmative every time he was asked if he wanted his meal super-sized.
I do usually eat the college student's diet right now, which consists primarily of pizza, Ramen noodles, and anything from Taco Bell. But let's talk about real life for a minute. Fast food exists so that when we as Americans are on the road, we can grab a quick bite to eat in place of the food that we don't have time to cook. It's supposed to hold us over until we can have an actual meal.
But these days, thanks to triple bacon burgers that come with a pound of fries and a gallon of soda, people are building their diets around fast food.
You know this. It's a major factor in the obesity epidemic. It's the reason Michael Bloomberg wanted to set a size limit on soft drinks sold in New York City last year.
Think about it: the size of soft drinks is an issue that government officials have been dealing with as recently as six months ago.
This is what happens when we as individuals lack self-control. Fast food is the obvious example, but really excess is everywhere: we have to drive bigger SUVs, live in bigger houses, have more memory on our phones and tablets so that we can hold more music and more movies and more photos. We are never content. If a bigger product is out there, why not opt for it?
In July of 2012 I flew to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to volunteer at a home for orphans. Each night before we went to bed, the other Americans and I would sit outside on the roof and talk. Immersing ourselves in a third-world country with real problems and real daily struggles helped us all to evaluate our lifestyles.
That's the one thing that's really stuck with me since then. As much as I love the fast-paced American lifestyle, I can't justify going overboard. Excess leads to waste, and there's no need for that. There are people not just in Honduras but right here in Calhoun County who have trouble putting food on the table each night and can't afford to be wasteful. Be thankful for what you have, and don't ever think that what you have is not enough.
Just something to think about next time you hit the drive thru...
One night last week, my friend Patrick and I visited a fast food place for dinner. As usual, I ordered a small combo meal and couldn't even finish the whole thing.
"Why is everything so much bigger now than it used to be?" I wondered out loud. "Why is a small drink like, 22 ounces?"
"Because this is America," Patrick said as he grabbed a handful of fries. "Bigger is better. More is better."
I thought about that as I drove home that night. At what point does something become excessive? How much of a good thing is too much?
When I was a freshman at the school I transferred from, my health class watched the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, in which Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but McDonald's for an entire month and answered in the affirmative every time he was asked if he wanted his meal super-sized.
I do usually eat the college student's diet right now, which consists primarily of pizza, Ramen noodles, and anything from Taco Bell. But let's talk about real life for a minute. Fast food exists so that when we as Americans are on the road, we can grab a quick bite to eat in place of the food that we don't have time to cook. It's supposed to hold us over until we can have an actual meal.
But these days, thanks to triple bacon burgers that come with a pound of fries and a gallon of soda, people are building their diets around fast food.
You know this. It's a major factor in the obesity epidemic. It's the reason Michael Bloomberg wanted to set a size limit on soft drinks sold in New York City last year.
Think about it: the size of soft drinks is an issue that government officials have been dealing with as recently as six months ago.
This is what happens when we as individuals lack self-control. Fast food is the obvious example, but really excess is everywhere: we have to drive bigger SUVs, live in bigger houses, have more memory on our phones and tablets so that we can hold more music and more movies and more photos. We are never content. If a bigger product is out there, why not opt for it?
In July of 2012 I flew to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to volunteer at a home for orphans. Each night before we went to bed, the other Americans and I would sit outside on the roof and talk. Immersing ourselves in a third-world country with real problems and real daily struggles helped us all to evaluate our lifestyles.
That's the one thing that's really stuck with me since then. As much as I love the fast-paced American lifestyle, I can't justify going overboard. Excess leads to waste, and there's no need for that. There are people not just in Honduras but right here in Calhoun County who have trouble putting food on the table each night and can't afford to be wasteful. Be thankful for what you have, and don't ever think that what you have is not enough.
Just something to think about next time you hit the drive thru...
Column: Crunch time has arrived
Note: This column originally appeared in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, April 10, 2014.
When I was growing up, Halloween was sometimes an all-day affair. More than once, my brothers and I would literally decide hours before festivities or trick-or-treating began what we would wear that night. And more than once, my mother would question why we waited until the last minute as she painted makeup onto our faces or sewed patches onto our jeans. But it was almost an adrenaline rush that came from waking up on October 31 and digging through every theater prop and article of clothing in the house to piece together a costume. We were creative and resourceful, we learned how to make something comprehensive out of the chaos in our closets, and we created lasting memories.
Now that spring break has passed and finals are less than two weeks away, we students are feeling the adrenaline rush that comes with crunch time. Freshmen will be frantically trying to cram for comprehensive exams. Seniors don't remember what comprehensive exams are, because they're too busy applying for jobs and scheduling exit interviews to care about much else. And everyone is spending just a little too much time on Buzzfeed than they need to.
In the midst of this rush - this working on three major projects for school, hunting for an apartment 10 hours away, managing a school newspaper and preparing for graduation - my computer crashed last week. Thus applies Murphy's Law of college: If it can happen to make crunch time more difficult, it will happen to make crunch time more difficult. This is the time of the semester when laptops crash, wifi routers stop working and you inevitably get a stomach virus.
Before I succumbed to the idea that my work was gone forever, I called my IT guy. He calmly assured me that while he can't fix the hard drive, he can extract the data I need from it.
Buying a new laptop is future Kara's problem, but for now, I'm able to pick up where I left off on these school projects and am not having to start from scratch. (Thank goodness!)
So before you have a meltdown while making flashcards, camping in the library, or writing a 12-page research paper the night before it's due only to find that your printer is out of ink, take heart. Remember that it's not the end of the world; it's just intermission. At the end of this stressful road lies a glorious summer. Your reward may be parading across the football field on the night of graduation, or perhaps relaxing by the pool while you work on the tan you lost from sitting in a classroom all year.
In other words, if you are a follower of the traditional college-kid method of procrastination, the last week of class is your Halloween. You wake up one morning and realize that time has snuck up on you and you've got stuff to prepare for.
But it's alright. Just open another pack of Skittles, down another latte, and keep working. You've got this.
Column: Legendary memories
Note: This column originally appeared in The Chanticleer, the student newspaper of Jacksonville State University, on Thursday, April 17, 2014.
A couple of weeks ago, CBS’ comedy How I Met Your Mother aired its series finale after nine seasons. My Facebook news feed was filled with people voicing their opinions on how the show ended. They loved it, they hated it, they were indifferent about it; but regardless of how viewers felt about the finale, the show was over.
I imagine that the show’s writers must have written and rewritten the finale many times until they had a product they were ready for the world to see. After nine years of slap bets, Canadian pop stars, and reoccurring appearances of the cockamouse, they must have felt a lot of pressure to make the final episode one to remember.
On a much smaller scale, I kind of feel the same way. I have written and rewritten this column in my head so many times over the course of the past week that when I sat down at my desk tonight to actually write it, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say.
My roommates and I used to say that life is like a sitcom; each semester is a new season, and each day is a new episode. If that’s the case, then this issue of The Chanticleer is my series finale.
To say that I’ve enjoyed my time at JSU would be a huge understatement. But it’s been the little moments with the friends I’ve made here that made the past three years better than any TV show I’ve ever seen. Whether it was belting “We Are Never Getting Back Together” with my roommates, hitting Brett in the face with a pie at J-Day, making a midnight McDonald’s run or just hanging out with my friends at the radio station, the everyday, seemingly mundane moments have been the greatest for me and will be what I remember when I look back on my college career.
I do want to say a big thank you to all of the faculty and staff in the Communication Department here at JSU. Thank you to all of the teachers who decided to take a chance on me two years ago when I applied for the Editor-in-Chief position even though I wasn’t really qualified. This has been such a cool experience, and I have really learned so much. Thank you to Tammy Mize for jumping through hoops
whenever I’ve asked her to help me with anything involving registration, transcripts, making copies and printing essays, or even reminding me to sign my payroll sheet. Thank you to everyone with maintenance and with TV services who speak to me every morning and always make me laugh. If I named names, I wouldn’t have room for anything else on this page, but you know who you are.
I’ve just signed a lease for an apartment in Arlington, Virginia, and will head there to start the next phase of my life after I graduate in a couple of weeks, spending my summer working in Washington, D.C.
I’m excited to see what the future holds and where I’ll go after that, but I will always cherish the memories that I’ve made here in Jacksonville. And you should, too; while you’re in college, it may seem like you will never get out. But when you fill out that application for your degree and purchase your cap and gown, it starts to feel real. That’s when you should slow down, look around you, and soak it all in. Then you should go out into the world and be the very best you can be at whatever it is you do. Life is always changing, but one thing is certain: even the small, ordinary moments in life can be legen-wait for it-dary.
Legendary.
A couple of weeks ago, CBS’ comedy How I Met Your Mother aired its series finale after nine seasons. My Facebook news feed was filled with people voicing their opinions on how the show ended. They loved it, they hated it, they were indifferent about it; but regardless of how viewers felt about the finale, the show was over.
I imagine that the show’s writers must have written and rewritten the finale many times until they had a product they were ready for the world to see. After nine years of slap bets, Canadian pop stars, and reoccurring appearances of the cockamouse, they must have felt a lot of pressure to make the final episode one to remember.
On a much smaller scale, I kind of feel the same way. I have written and rewritten this column in my head so many times over the course of the past week that when I sat down at my desk tonight to actually write it, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say.
My roommates and I used to say that life is like a sitcom; each semester is a new season, and each day is a new episode. If that’s the case, then this issue of The Chanticleer is my series finale.
To say that I’ve enjoyed my time at JSU would be a huge understatement. But it’s been the little moments with the friends I’ve made here that made the past three years better than any TV show I’ve ever seen. Whether it was belting “We Are Never Getting Back Together” with my roommates, hitting Brett in the face with a pie at J-Day, making a midnight McDonald’s run or just hanging out with my friends at the radio station, the everyday, seemingly mundane moments have been the greatest for me and will be what I remember when I look back on my college career.
I do want to say a big thank you to all of the faculty and staff in the Communication Department here at JSU. Thank you to all of the teachers who decided to take a chance on me two years ago when I applied for the Editor-in-Chief position even though I wasn’t really qualified. This has been such a cool experience, and I have really learned so much. Thank you to Tammy Mize for jumping through hoops
whenever I’ve asked her to help me with anything involving registration, transcripts, making copies and printing essays, or even reminding me to sign my payroll sheet. Thank you to everyone with maintenance and with TV services who speak to me every morning and always make me laugh. If I named names, I wouldn’t have room for anything else on this page, but you know who you are.
I’ve just signed a lease for an apartment in Arlington, Virginia, and will head there to start the next phase of my life after I graduate in a couple of weeks, spending my summer working in Washington, D.C.
I’m excited to see what the future holds and where I’ll go after that, but I will always cherish the memories that I’ve made here in Jacksonville. And you should, too; while you’re in college, it may seem like you will never get out. But when you fill out that application for your degree and purchase your cap and gown, it starts to feel real. That’s when you should slow down, look around you, and soak it all in. Then you should go out into the world and be the very best you can be at whatever it is you do. Life is always changing, but one thing is certain: even the small, ordinary moments in life can be legen-wait for it-dary.
Legendary.
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