Author: Lauren Buckley

Justin Marinelli

Senior Writer

Recently, I stumbled across The Happiness Project (www.happiness-project.com). While I do believe that happiness in life is a good thing, I can’t help but feel that this sort of thing puts the cart before the horse.

The Happiness Project seeks to actively shape a life in which you can be happy. It seeks to accomplish this objective by guiding you through the process of building a life that will make you happy. You think about what will make you happy and find ways to do it and shape your life.

While I approve of any effort that seeks to get people to actually think about how they want their lives to be, I find the entire effort to be based on a naïve view of happiness. It treats happiness as an end to be accomplished, instead of what it actually is, a symptom of a good life. Treating happiness as an end to be desired in itself is not a good strategy if you seek to achieve permanent happiness. Permanent happiness comes from a few important factors: acting in accordance with virtuous beliefs, having a strong friend group and achieving great things.

The first is a notion put forth by Aristotle. He felt that happiness was achieved by living a virtuous life. If you were virtuous, you would be happy. Practically, we can think of it like this: if you do things incongruent with your beliefs, you’ll be unhappy, so act according to your beliefs.

Everyone understands how having strong friendships makes one happy. We humans are social creatures and we need contact with other humans to achieve full happiness. Whether your inclination is toward extroversion or introversion, having a core group of friends that you can rely on no matter what is an essential factor in creating happiness.

Still, the most important facet of happiness is achieving great things. I admit that as an achievement-oriented individual, I am biased toward this facet, but as I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t feel happiness and pride when he or she achieves something he or she considers important, I refuse to back down on this one. If you really want to be happy, do something awesome.

I suppose at the end of the day, The Happiness Project and I believe in similar methods, but our perspectives differ. The project is based on the idea that happiness is an end to be achieved, while I’m more inclined to believe that happiness is a product of achieving ends and living well. If you follow the guidelines of The Happiness Project, you will always be chasing happiness every time you lose it, while if you choose instead to live well and forget abut happiness, you will never lose it. This is a paradox that you must understand if you truly wish to be happy.

Caroline Schaeffer

Staff Writer

Ever heard of the winter blues? If you haven’t, you probably live in Jamaica or California, but for anyone who’s ever experienced sleet, rain, snow or, my personal favorite, wind chill, it should come as no surprise that bad weather has been known to create bad moods. There’s even a name for it: Seasonal Affective Disorder (rightfully abbreviated as SAD) describes a drop in people’s general morale if the weather isn’t to their liking. Living in Lewisburg, we all probably know the side effects of bad weather pretty well, but is there any way to cure us of our SADness?

For me, exercise always helps. I know that trekking down to the gym may not seem ideal in 32 F weather, but if you get a satisfying workout in, not only do you feel good about yourself afterwards, but you’re perfectly licensed to hit up the sauna as a reward! What’s a better way to combat the winter chill than sweating it all off in the school sauna? Just close your eyes and think of paradise.

If exercise isn’t really your thing, or if the pathways haven’t been iced yet and you legitimately run the risk of injuring yourself if you step outside, fighting the winter blues can be done right from your warm, comfy bed. Make some hot chocolate and watch a movie with your friends in the middle of the day to give yourself a well-deserved break. I can guarantee the sub-zero temperatures will be far from your mind.

Most importantly just embrace the season. Winter is winter and until global warming really kicks into high gear we’re pretty much stuck with it, so embrace it! It’s only for a few months each year and spring is right around the corner. Dress warmly, try not to horrifically slip on that patch of ice in front of the library and cuddle up to old Jack Frost for just a little longer and soon your SADness will melt away.

Gillian Feehan

Contributing Writer

In 2010, the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case became a landmark decision by the Supreme Court that outraged many Americans. Essentially, this decision opened the door for corporations to funnel unlimited amounts of money into groups that support a candidate in federal elections, mainly through issue-focused advertisements. The Citizens United decision declared that governmental restriction on corporate spending in political campaigns violates the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

Last month, Mass. Representative Jim McGovern proposed two Constitutional amendments that would overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling. The first amendment would allow Congress and states to regulate campaign spending through finance reform legislation, while the second amendment would overturn Citizens United by no longer allowing corporations to claim First Amendment rights. But is a Constitutional amendment necessary, and would it even be possible to pass one?

Citizens United hasn’t had the horrible effect that many people assumed it would, and it may not even be worth passing an amendment to overturn it. No party has received major benefits from the Citizens United decision. While candidates are now able to access more funding for their campaigns, super PACs are funding both Republican and Democrat campaigns.

The enormous amount of money donated by corporations is used to run campaign ads. These ads are not discussed with the candidate before being run, so the candidate may not even agree with the ad. The increase in campaign ads does not do very much to win votes for a candidate. After all, how many of you really pay attention to campaign ads, and how much do these ads affect your vote? Probably not much.

Even if there were enough benefits to warrant a Constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision, chances are, an amendment would never be ratified. Two-thirds of the House and Senate would need to approve the amendment, followed by three-fourths of states. With the rising costs of running a campaign for a seat in the House or the Senate, it is unlikely that members of Congress and Senators would willingly allow their financial resources for campaigns to diminish.

The Citizens United decision illustrates the increasing importance of money in elections, but the fundamentals haven’t changed. Elections are still about a candidate’s beliefs and plans for the future. People are going to vote for whichever candidate’s views are closest to their own, and I don’t believe that any amount of campaign money can change that.

Mary Morris

Contributing Writer

According to a report by Bill Chappell on National Public Radio’s website, Dartmouth College has decided that “beginning with the class of 2018, AP [Advanced Placement] exams will be used to place students in the proper classes, not to replace college credit.”

The change comes after debates over whether an AP course should really be considered on the same level as a college course. Now with Dartmouth taking a stance in opposition to the value of the AP curriculum, other institutions of higher education may be considering similar courses of action.

I ask Dartmouth and those that criticize AP programs this: shouldn’t college students be able to put themselves in the best position possible to succeed? College is expensive. In order to make the most out of their time in places of higher education, students should be able to get the most bang for their buck, which means they should be allowed to take courses that interest them.

Many times, colleges require certain courses to ensure that their students are well-rounded individuals. If a student is willing to put in the extra work required by an AP course, then why hold him or her back? By knocking out some of these credits through AP exams, students achieve the institution’s goal of a well-rounded education and are able to spend their money and time continuing that process as double majors or by exploring more academic opportunities.

AP testing is also to the advantage of these institutions. Each student taking an AP exam is subject to the same test and held to the same standard. Comparing students based on AP grading should be more valuable than comparing them by the standards of their high school honors classes, where the curricula and grading scales vary between teachers and classrooms.

Students taking these AP courses are typically more prepared to succeed in places of higher education. While brain dumping is a problem, it happens both in and outside of college, so why make someone pay thousands of dollars for a semester-long review of what he or she has already learned? Instead, use the AP exams in conjunction with SATs and transcripts to achieve a more detailed picture of the students being admitted, and continue to reward the students who have worked hard to get a head start on pursuing their college degrees.

Riley Schwengel

Writer

I recently came across an article on The Huffington Post that shared some interesting facts about the up and coming Millennial Generation, the name for the generation currently in college and high school. According to a study from the American Psychology Association, “Half of all millennials are so stressed out that they can’t sleep at night, and 39 percent of millennials have stress levels that have increased in the past year.” As I finished reading these alarming numbers, I sat back in my chair and thought, “That actually makes a lot of sense.”

The world we grew up in is remarkably different than the one our parents and grandparents did. Ours is a fast-paced world filled with technology, communication and higher expectations for its residents. Colleges are becoming harder to get into and businesses are expressing higher and higher standards for applicants, and this increasingly competitive environment has begun to stress out young adults. We have more responsibilities at younger ages and must leap higher to accomplish what is expected.

Starting in the first year of high school, we are told we must start building up our resume and keep our grades up so we can get into a good college. I can’t remember how many times I was signed up for some new activity or project and was told that it would “look great to prospective colleges.” Everything we did had a consequence to it. The stakes were raised and every exam felt like it would determine our future.

The amount of stress that we are subjugated to on a regular basis today is unhealthy and is beginning to have negative consequences, as evident in the aforementioned study. I think the problem lies with the many institutions that set the requirements and expectations for the average person, like schools and businesses. As our scientific knowledge grows and technology becomes more advanced, these institutions believe that humans should be getting smarter and more productive along with them, but that is unfair to assume.

We are no different than our parents, yet it seems that for their generation it was much easier to get into good schools and acquire a profession; all it took was hard work. Nowadays, one is expected to have perfect grades and do community service equal to that of Mother Teresa in order to even be considered for medical or graduate school.

I think it’s about time that the many organizations that control our future realize that their expectations need to be more reasonable. Humans are not computers nor machines who can be judged and ranked by their ability to recite numbers and memorize facts and figures. We are imperfect and always will be.

Instead, we should be judged by our dedication, attitude, creativity and persistence. If more human standards and requirements are placed before us as we grow, then a less stressed and healthy generation will be created and only then will we get the better doctors, lawyers, businessmen and scientists that we are looking for.

For more information on this topic, go to the article on Huffingtonpost.com titled, “Teens And Stress: Millennials, Experts Talk ‘Most Stressed Generation’ On HuffPost Live.”

El McCabe

Staff Writer

If I were to take a poll of the University’s student body, I would be willing to bet that at least 90 percent of students have played on a sports team at some point in their lives. Yet, only a small percentage of these individuals are actually able to compete on the Division I level, leaving many strong and experienced athletes missing competing and being a part of a team. As someone who played sports my whole life and competed on two varsity teams in high school, I was worried I would never get to experience organized sports again. Once I found out that the University had a club volleyball team, I was ecstatic.

At first everything on the volleyball team was going great. We would practice two times a week at reasonable hours and it was the perfect way to meet new people who shared a love for the game. After just a month of practicing, suddenly all the available gym times were booked for intramural sports games. We started attempting to practice at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, but many of our team members were either asleep or studying at that point. Without the majority of the team present, it was hard to go over rotations, field two teams to scrimmage and learn how to play cohesively and consistently with one another. After numerous phone calls, meetings and complaints, our two co-captains fought tooth and nail with the sports administration for more reasonable gym times. To their dismay and our disappointment, no headway was made and as a result the women’s club volleyball team has not practiced since late November.

The fact that intramurals take precedence over club sports is absolutely ridiculous. Having been a part of two intramural teams this year (volleyball and basketball), I have witnessed firsthand how many teams simply fail to show up to games just because the members “don’t feel like it.” Just because intramurals affect a larger part of the student population, the teams that actually compete against other colleges should not fall by the wayside. Frankly, without practice time, it is nearly impossible for the club sports teams to stand a chance at tournaments and games. This past weekend, our club volleyball team competed at a tournament in Bloomsburg and came in last in our bracket simply because we hadn’t played in months.

The lack of available gym time is the sole reason why the University has so few club sports teams. People assume the lack of club teams is due to laziness and lack of interest, but this is hardly the case. Club sports attract students who have a passion for sports and want to compete on the collegiate level, but members get frustrated with the lack of help and support from the administration. Every once in a while new club sports teams will pop up with big hopes and aspirations, but sadly there is very little chance they will be able to compete competitively with no practice times. Please help break the cycle of the rising and falling of club sports teams and let the administration know that its policy is misguided. Hopefully then more club sports can be formed to bring sports back to the lives of many talented students.

Justin Marinelli

Senior Writer

Recently, the International Olympic Committee decided that it has no respect for competition, tradition and sport. I am referring to the recent decision to drop wrestling from the roster of core sports for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Wrestling was one of the original events in the Olympics, added after the foot race. There’s a reason for this decision. Greco-Roman wrestling is pure competition, a contest in which you have only your strength and skill to rely on. There are no excuses. You either win or lose. This was one of the reasons that wrestling was such an important fixture of the ancient Olympics.

To pull wrestling from the Olympics shows a certain amount of disrespect for two ideals: direct competition and historical tradition. These two ideals are supposed to be fixtures of the modern Olympics. To make decisions incompatible with these values shows that the Olympics are becoming a hollow shell of what they once were.

For the ancient Greeks, the Olympics were a sacred ritual that they would stop wars for.  If you’re having trouble comprehending how monumental that is, imagine US soldiers and Al-Qaeda taking a week off from killing each other to have foot races and wrestle. None of the hatred, animosity or desire to kill one other goes away, but they still come together for the glory of competition and athleticism. That’s the kind of emotion the Olympics is meant to instill.

What prompted this decision to drop wrestling? Money, ratings and politics. Wrestling isn’t as big of a money-maker as many other sports, nor does it necessitate the building of big, fancy stadiums. Not as many people watch wrestling as other sports, so you can’t charge corporations as much to show their advertisements during wrestling. Combine all this with the lack of people effectively lobbying the International Olympic Committee to keep wrestling aboard (let’s just ignore the fact that even having to lobby the IOC is disgraceful) and you have a perfect storm of mediocre reasons to abandon the entire history of Olympic tradition, as well as the principles upon which it was founded.

What we are left with is a naked admission that everything the Olympics once stood for means nothing nowadays. By admitting that the only real thing driving the modern Olympics is money and advertising, we disgrace the drive and effort of athletes all around the world, as well the noble history of the Olympic Games. If that’s going to be the case, I’d rather we just abolish the Olympics outright. No Olympics would be far better than a meaningless Olympics.

When you think about it, this isn’t such a far-fetched idea. For many sports, the Olympics isn’t really the most important competition, but rather just a nice break from the usual cycle of tournaments and contests. The Olympics are a huge security risk (last summer was the most militarized London has been since World War II), and as we’ve established, it’s no longer about competition, sport and the pursuit of glory. The decision to abolish the Olympics would be highly controversial, but without doubt it’s a discussion worth having.

Caroline Schaeffer

Writer

Best friends have a habit of telling each other everything, but is there ever a time that it’s not necessarily wise to tell a friend absolutely everything? Sometimes people do stupid things. Sometimes these people are your friends. And sometimes, they may not quite remember doing these stupid things and may rely on you to enlighten them a bit. What’s up to you is whether or not you do enlighten them and, personally, I think a lot of that depends on how much “damage control” is needed after the event(s) in question have taken place.

If you or one of your friends has ever had one of those nights where you made a few minor indiscretions along the way, you know that the aftermath can sometimes be a little messy. In these situations, it’s probably wisest to let your friends and anyone else know about whatever your indiscretions were, especially if they have the potential of affecting your daily life or well being.

That being said, not every indiscretion is necessarily the end of the world. Sometimes it makes for an interesting story! But you should also be aware that if telling a friend about an indiscretion will embarrass him or her or hurt his or her feelings, it might be better to just let the issue rest. If telling your friend will do more harm than good, dropping it altogether is probably the best option.

Everybody has done things they’re not proud of before, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it should hang over their heads for the rest of the year. Tell your friends about indiscretions or mistakes only if it serves a higher purpose–not just for the sake of poking fun at their less-than-wise decisions. They are your friends after all, and someday, you might be grateful if they afford you the same sort of leniency.

Colette Brottman
Contributing Writer

I spent my entire summer watching every episode of “Sex and the City,” plus both movies, which turns out to be about 53 hours of one show. Embarrassing. But during those two and a half total days, I watched Carrie Bradshaw fall in and out of love, Miranda have a baby, Charlotte continuously believe in soul mates, and Samantha be Samantha. It was an escape for me, a way to avoid any stress or anxiety.

As I finished the final few episodes (I’m sorry, but the final episodes of the season were horrible–thank goodness for the movie!), I was disappointed and also a little lost on what was next for me. Fortunately, the CW picked up “The Carrie Diaries” which is based off the books, the prequel to Carrie’s take-over of New York City.

“The Carrie Diaries” has already deterred from the books (yes, I read them), but I am sucked in. I look forward to my break on Tuesdays when I can watch the episode from the night before.

Carrie has three best friends: Mouse, Maggie and Walt. Maggie and Walt are dating, Mouse has a long distance boyfriend and Carrie is falling in love with the new boy, Sebastian Kydd. From the first episode, Carrie has faced drama. Her mother recently passed away, so she must deal with her struggling sister Dorrit and overprotective (and confused) father. She has a new dream internship in New York City and meets Larissa, an editor from her dream magazine. Her father bans Carrie’s involvement with Sebastian, Walt is struggling with his sexuality and Maggie hides her secret affair.

“The Carrie Diaries” is incomparable to “Sex and the City.” First off, Carrie doesn’t have a sister or an existent father in “Sex and the City.” Second, many high school life experiences that Carrie mentions in the HBO series don’t happen in the new series.

It is a CW show, the home of “Gossip Girl” and “90210,” so we expect constant drama and crazy fashion, but “The Carrie Diaries” is one of the first shows I have seen where the high school girls look like they are actually in high school and the storyline is more realistic. The fashion is crazy and the music is a total throwback. Maybe I have found my new escape. How could I not love the subtle references to “Sex and the City,” like “maybe one day you’ll end up on the side of a bus” or the classic Carrie mannerisms. I will always root for Aidan, but for the time being, I guess I’ll settle for Sebastian.

El McCabe
Staff Writer

Valentine’s Day is one of the most controversial holidays. It divides students into two distinct camps: those who love the day dedicated to love itself and those who have taken to calling it “Single Awareness Day” and resent its commercialized nature. While I have issues with the commercialized aspects of Valentine’s Day, I do support the love and warm, fuzzy feeling the holiday brings to those of all ages.

In one particular sense I can identify with the Valentine’s Day critics’ perspective. Valentine’s Day is a holiday signified by chocolate, gifts, flowers and other material items that “show” someone how much you care about him/her. But this knowledge makes us wonder, why do these gifts matter so much to us? Just because your significant other buys you the most expensive necklace or some really fancy chocolate, does that mean he or she loves you more than a poor guy who can barely afford to put food on the table for his significant other? In fact, sometimes boyfriends and girlfriends who buy each other the most lavish gifts may just as well be seeing someone on the side and trying to make up for the guilt by spending a ton of money on this day. Not that this is always the case, but nevertheless it highlights how trivial it is to equate material items with large monetary value to how much someone loves and cares about you.

The individuals who often criticize the “Hallmark” holiday often fail to see the potential joy the holiday has for those both in and not in committed relationships. Ever since I was little, my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles have always encouraged me to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I would look forward to writing out the personalized valentines and receiving chocolate and little gifts from my family because it was such a great feeling seeing all the different kinds of love around me. I was taught that Valentine’s Day is not just a day to remind people that they are single, but instead a day when love could be shared openly and freely without judgment. It is important to remember that love comes in all forms and amounts, and the love a parent has for his or her children should be celebrated just as much as the love a man has for a woman. If society can change the way it perceives love and the holiday itself, I am confident that Valentine’s Day will cease to remain as a reminder of someone’s “single” status on Facebook.

Yet, it is safe to say that this shift in perspective cannot happen overnight. There is far too much cynicism and contempt regarding the holiday to be completely done away with, but I can assure those who resent Valentine’s Day that changing their perspective will benefit them in the long run. Yes, in a perfect world people should be able to express their love any day of the year, but truthfully it is not always the easiest thing to express how you are feeling out of the blue. Even though Valentine’s Day is over for this year, it’s never too early to start getting excited about spreading the love next year!