Author: Sara Blair Matthews

El McCabe

Contributing Writer

“Work hard, party hard” is the perfect motto for the campus community. It’s important to remember that the University was not only rated the 29th best National Liberal Arts College, but also the 7th best party school this past year. On weeknights, students buckle down and tackle hours of homework, but every Friday, Saturday and oddly enough, Wednesday, students dance and drink their worries away, often haphazardly. In an environment such as Lewisburg with not much to do, drinking becomes the go-to way to ensure a “good time,” or in the very least, ensure that something “interesting” happens in the minds of many students.

Personally, I find it almost impossible to escape the heavy drinking culture on campus. There is always some kind of drama associated with party-goers, whether it is that one friend who had too much to drink and needs to be taken care of or being woken up by the influx of drunken party-goers returning from their respective nights out.

Here, drinking is never just a chill night with your friends, and the extent to which students party is dangerous and definitely overwhelming. The heavy drinking culture creates a domino effect on social life and your party habits essentially decide who your friends are.

Now, while it is expected that others will drink in college, I believe the University’s party culture takes “the college experience” a step too far. It is not uncommon for Public Safety to have to be called on weekends here or to hook up with a total stranger and forget it ever happened. Some students would argue that these occurrences are all part of having a good time and as long as no one gets seriously injured, there is nothing to worry about.

But I ask you, where is the line? When do you realize your limits and take into account the long-term effects of your actions on your academic/social standing? Only time will reveal the answers to these questions, and as our four years at this University go on, each answer will be different for everyone.

My best is advice is to avoid doing things you are not comfortable with and take care of yourself. Trust me, you can have fun and go out without a trip to the emergency room, and staying safe will ensure many more fun nights to come.

Justin Marinelli

Writer

The Great Flood of 2011 may be nearing its first anniversary, but the effects of it are still around, creating a psychological divide between the upperclassmen students, this year’s first-years and all incoming classes from now on.

For those innocent first-years reading this, allow me to explain. Last year, when Hurricane Irene rolled by, it rained hard enough that the soil ended up saturated with rain water. This wouldn’t have been a problem, except a few days later, Tropical Storm Lee arrived. Because the rain had nowhere to go, it stuck around. As the rain poured, the water continued to rise. Eventually, local businesses had to close, professors found themselves unable to drive to the University and students living downhill had to evacuate to dorms on higher ground.

For most of us, it wasn’t too horrible. Classes got cancelled, we made new friends (I met one of my best friends here because he needed a place to camp and chose my hall’s common room) and we even got some cool shirts out of it. However, others were not so lucky. Zelda’s Cafe was shut down for months and many other local businesses suffered because of the catastrophe.

We now have a first-year class that has never seen 7th Street become a river, had to sleep in the field house or had the experience of getting drunk on a raft in the Smith parking lot and declaring it a pirate ship, as a few enterprising individuals did. They don’t carry the psychological scars that we do. They will never look up at an overcast sky and feel that same mix of fear, hope and nostalgia that deep down we all experience when we gaze at rain clouds. For them, the idea of a day off from classes is a quaint idea, not a harrowing experience.

This is not something we tend to think about too much, but it is still important to acknowledge. It is impossible to deny that there is now a lasting divide between the first-years and everyone else (and especially the current sophomores). Last year was my first year, and I can’t help but realize that when I’m a senior, my class will be the only ones to remember the Great Flood of 2011. That stuns me.

For the class of 2015, the flood was both an incredible bonding experience and a metaphor for how our lives are going to be: unpredictable and dramatic. It is events like these that  shape us into extraordinary people. We are defined by it, more than any other class, because it happened so early in our college experience, before we had even really settled in. We will always be children of the flood.

Spencer Ivey

Writer

The “freshman 15.” You’ve undoubtedly heard this phrase uttered in your presence at least a few times during your preparation for college, to which you probably responded with grim thoughts of your favorite clothes splitting at the seams. To be clear, the “freshman 15” is defined as the extra poundage–usually about 15 pounds–you gain during your first year of college. The main culprits of this phenomenon tend to be food, alcohol and lack of time or determination to exercise. Before you give in to the temptations of college life, take a minute to read my advice: control your cafeteria cravings, indulge a few nights a week and make an exercise schedule.

You are what you eat. The most important part of avoiding the “freshman 15” is to eat well whenever possible. Unlimited swipes to the cafeteria are certainly a dangerous situation. Portion control coupled with a sharp eye for a nutritionally balanced meal will be your key to success. One plateful of food plus a side of salad or fruit should be your goal.

As for the content of that plateful, aim to stay away from pastas and pizza and gravitate towards stations like Mongo Bongo and the egg bar. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, avoid sugary drinks and sodas. Drinking plenty of water will not only help with maintaining your weight but also keep you feeling well.

The key to having this will power to eat in moderation is to allow yourself one day a week when you are allowed to eat whatever your heart desires. The logic behind this practice is that you will get whatever junk cravings you have out of your system and be ready to resume your ambitions of living a healthy lifestyle the next day.

The consumption of alcohol is another indulgence that, if you choose to participate in it, should be moderated. Two nights of responsible drinking a week should be your absolute limit. Again, make sure you are drinking enough water, especially the night after an alcoholic adventure.

Finally, get your body moving. The contemporary belief regarding exercise seems to be that the more you get, the better. Unfortunately, we waste their time with extra gym sessions that provide us with little to no benefit. My suggestion is to get rigorous exercise three to four times per week.

Don’t just go to the gym to coast on the bike or ride the elliptical–push yourself! A few intense workouts a week are better than a week-full of mediocre sessions. Determine your exercise plan for the week before it starts and make sure you will be able to follow through. The hardest part is getting out of your room.

Implementing a solution is never as easy as reading and understanding one. You will struggle and you will want to submit to your lazy inclinations. However, once you get into the habit of a health-conscious lifestyle, you will find it easier to uphold your newfound routine.

Justin Marinelli
Writer

Now that we’ve had some time to adapt to our new roles, brothers and sisters, perhaps we should be asking ourselves whether rush actually works. While many of my compatriots are delighted with how all the proceedings have turned out, some have discovered they don’t feel quite so fuzzy about their new brothers and sisters and are already considering a quiet withdrawal. Because the overwhelming majority of people are immensely happy with where they ended up, I would argue that the process works.

For men looking to join a fraternity, the process is rather simple. You visit all the fraternities, and after a ton of free food and all the “bro-flirting” you can handle, you pick your top three you’d like to eat meals with. The fraternities also pick who they’d like back. The requests are matched up, and you eat lunch and dinner at the fraternities that you got meal bids from for the next three days. After that, you pick your top two fraternities, they vote on whom they would like to give bids to, and as long as everything matches up, you say hello to your new brothers!

I’ll admit, most of what I know about sorority rush stems from the article Siobhan Murray ’15 wrote last week on how the suspension of Pi Beta Phi sorority affected recruitment. That said, I will do my best to give a brief summary. It seems mostly the same as fraternity rush, except instead of doing it on your own, you do it in groups (for reasons never explained to me) led by a “neutral recruitment counselor,” and you apparently do a lot of singing.

After this, a mutual selection process whittles down the number of girls visiting each sorority until the girls pick their top two sororities, and the sororities pick to whom they’d like to offer bids. An interesting quirk of this is that while the guys get their official bids on Thursday, the girls have to wait until Friday to find out where they ended up.

Additional differences are present as well. Sorority rush apparently has taboo topics, set times when you can go to the bathroom and is generally considered to be far more stressful. Fraternity rush has far fewer guidelines and actually involves going to houses. The food, despite being free, is excellent. I had dishes like steak, lobster and ribs (although sadly not all at the same time).

Now, the big question is, does the process work? I would say it does. While I know some people that aren’t too happy about where they ended up, those are in the minority. For men, 226 were placed in fraternities (as of this writing, the official numbers for sororities have not been released). The overwhelming majority of people are immensely happy with where they ended up. That tells me the process works. It may not be perfect, but I highly doubt any process would be. Roughly half the campus is Greek, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who isn’t happy after having rushed. Rush works.

Elaine Lac
Writer

When you’re on campus buried in schoolwork and activities, it may seem impossible to find happiness. You may question your abilities, lust after clothes you can’t afford or despair over your appearance. We want happiness and sit still until it comes knocking on our doors. But, we can only become happy by actively searching for it.

First, be happy where you are. You can spend every second of your life wishing you were vacationing in Bora Bora or that you were a billionaire, but instead, you should make the most of what you have. You may be hundreds of miles away from home, but you can still be content with your surroundings and find happiness where it’s hidden. Watching a good movie, eating a nice meal or hanging out with interesting people can all make you happy. Even having peaceful solitude can make you happy. The key is a positive mentality.

Learning to love yourself can also make you happy. I’ve spent my formative years comparing myself to others largely because of my parents. They constantly nagged me about my weight, laziness and mediocre grades. It used to make me doubt myself, and I would always assume other people were better than me.

If you place unreasonable expectations on yourself, you will end up insecure and miserable. Everyone has a different skill set and some people are better in other areas than you, but you are also better at other things, too. You can’t take everything too seriously and must instead learn to appreciate your own talents.

Own up to your mistakes and take responsibility. You may be anxious over a bad grade, an argument with a friend or a mistake you made at work. Instead of moping about it, learn from it, apologize and move on. Dwelling on things only makes you more miserable. Dealing with your problems immediately and not blaming yourself clears your conscience.

Take some risks. Much like Jim Carey’s movie “Yes Man,” you have to say yes to the opportunities given to you. It can be small like a cup of coffee with a friend you don’t know so well or something bigger like trying out for a theater production.

By sampling different things, you can find your interest. The University offers a multitude of activities like zip-lining or food sampling. There’s something out there for you. Opportunities, like people, will not always appear automatically. You have to seek them out.

Lastly, maintain balance. We are allowed to determine how we spend our time: with friends, school, sleeping or having fun. Do no overload on one thing. Like William Ernest Henley said in “Invictus,” “I am the master of my fate.”

We are the ones in control of our lives, and you can’t blame externalities for your problems. Everyone is allowed to be happy, but only if we allow ourselves.

Sara Blair Matthews
Opinions Editor

I frequently hear that our generation has the shortest attention span. Although I would love to deny this, I’m starting to believe there is some truth to this claim. From cheating, to the ups and downs of the entertainment business, to all the new forms of Facebook, it seems like our generation is plagued by a perpetually short capacity to concentrate.

Let’s start off with relationships. It is hard to ignore all the headlines involving some form of cheating that seem to be consuming the media today. The Kristen Stewart/Rob Pattinson fiasco is likely the one that comes to mind as of late. Yes, it’s horrible she cheated on the vampire dreamboat with a married father of two who is nearly double her age, but I’m more interested in why.

Why is it that she and so many other men and women alike lose interest in their relationships and feel the need to cheat? In my opinion, it all goes back to society’s short attention span. It seems we have a constant need to move on to the next bigger and better thing. Our lives are becoming more and more like races, where finishing second, third or even fourth place is seen as unacceptable.

Also, do you ever get annoyed with Facebook’s constant change of format? I do. It seems like they are changing up the layout, privacy settings or notification process every week. Every time I get used to the new format, it changes. I’ve learned to never get to attached to any particular setting because I know it will change whether I’m ready for it or not.

I’m aware that I just spent five sentences lamenting about Facebook’s frivolity, but if I’m willing to give up trying to appreciate Facebook’s functionality, what will I give up on next? Will I give up reading actual books because I know they will die out eventually? Will I give up watching a TV series because it requires my attention for one hour each week? Will I stop following the proposed tenants of our country’s health care plan because they change too often? Not likely, but it seems like society is slowly ceasing to foster an environment where people can grow to care about its components because they are always changing.

Maybe all the changes on Facebook or the rise of cheating in relationships is not just the creator the partaker’s fault, but rather we are to blame for accepting their outcomes as if we were drones. Our stand does not need to occur overnight, but I think it can be strengthened in small victories.

Sit still for an hour every now and then to read a book or watch a movie. Go a whole class or meeting without checking your phone or Facebook and see what happens. Perhaps you’ll retain the material better, and be more well-rounded in all the facets of your life.

Sarah Morris
Writer

The time after that first hook up is like skating on very thin ice. The wrong text message at the wrong time, a wave across the quad or the uncomfortable moment when you’re next to your hook up in line at the mail room can shatter the ice and leave you drowning in freezing cold awkwardness.

Everything is fantastic when you’re with your hook up at night. The lights are flashing, the music is awesome even though you hate top-40 songs, but just like Cinderella had to leave the ball at midnight, your fun will come to an end. Probably not until 12 p.m. the next day when you stumble out of your bed, but it will end, and what comes next can determine a lot about what will come of your new found affections.

Texting is a huge part of post-hook up courtship and it needs to be dealt with gracefully depending on what you want out of your significant other. To be graceful, you really need to pay attention to your timing. A “Wanna hang out?” text at 7:30 p.m. probably actually means: “Do you want to come hang out with me?”

However, that same text at 1:30 a.m. probably means: “Do you want to come hook up with me?” Obviously, the 1:30 a.m. text isn’t a problem per se, but it might limit you to only receiving texts from that person in the future at late hours of the night. It’ll probably get you a good time, but your 1:30 a.m. texts will not get you a relationship that involves wearing clothes.

It is also important when you have a late night hook up to remember that people might have mixed feelings regarding your wonderful night together. You never want to get caught up in that situation where you end up making out with a long-time friend, who then decides to tell you that he or she has been in love with you ever since you met.

It might hurt, but it is crucial to be upfront with hook ups if you don’t see it going anywhere and they clearly do. Likewise, if you think your hook up is your potential life-partner, it is probably a good idea to ease into any serious romantic gestures with them. God forbid you’re the creepy one.

You always have to remember that every interaction you have will plant the seeds to relationships based on more than just the memory of the night in “fratland” you and your hook up shared. Just because they had a super time, doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want to them with out looking like a stalker or a complete headcase. Just take a deep breath, relax and tell yourself that you’re fantastic; and then don’t be creepy, just be nice.

Josh Haywood
Writer

Texting after a party is the most popular form of communication for students seeking to spend time with a person post party. You know the situation: a guy and a girl meet in a sweaty dark basement that should have been condemned years ago, and with the help of a little liquid courage, they hit it off. This is where it gets confusing because neither person knows what to do next. We are all guilty of this practice from time to time because sometimes men and women just don’t see eye to eye. There are a couple of things that should be said as to alleviate some of the confusion.

One thing is certain and that is acknowledgement is the best policy; don’t pull a Bill Clinton and be like, “who the hell is Monica?” Own up to what happened. At least own up to yourself depending on what the person’s “StalkerNet” photo looks like.

Most importantly, do not go around telling a story to your friends that you made up on your way to detox in the sauna. Genuine stories are the best stories and it is bad karma in general to lie about something that never happened. Lying is often a double-edged sword because, while it might make you sound good for the moment, you always run the risk of it backfiring when the other person hears what you said. If you do happen to see each other, at least acknowledge the fact that you know what happened. Time and time again you will encounter someone that has a case of “weekday amnesia.”

There are certain rules you must follow if you are going to text someone you met at a party. Timing is key in this situation because once someone gives you their number, you don’t want to give off creep vibes by texting them for breakfast the next morning. Wait a minimum of 24 hours after the number exchange to hit them up.

Only text on a date where there is the possibility that you two can meet up later that night. If the person says they are just “hanging out,” “chilling” or anything that is not inviting a response, it means they do not want to see you that night, let alone even ever again. Also pay attention to the frequency of texts. No guy wants to get eight texts before noon from a chick that they spent the night on a couch with. Men and women have different ideas about what a text means, but if you follow these simple rules, you will be fine.

Hopefully this alleviates some of the confusion that happens when it comes to communicating after you meet someone on the weekend and you do not know what to do next. Just be yourself and don’t take it personally if someone does not want to talk to you because you can always go out and find someone else. If anything, use it as a lesson and try to improve yourself so that next time you will not have the same results.

Caroline Schaeffer
Contributing Writer

When the idea of going to college stops being just a dream in the distance and suddenly becomes a reality, you’ll hear the same thing from a lot of different people. You’ll hear about how much fun you’re going to have, all the people you’re going to meet and, most importantly, how much better it is than high school. Sure, some of the differences are obvious; in college you have more freedom, less class time and, unfortunately, more homework, but there are many more changes than those.

Though I am still new to the whole college experience, I have already noticed some drastically different qualities of my life away at college than my life at home. For me, the biggest adjustment to college is definitely the fact that this is the first time in my life that I am left utterly alone. No friends or family to lean on for support.

Every time I made a big life change prior to heading off to college, I always had a support system standing right behind me. When I first left my parents for a week to go to sleepaway camp, I had friends on either side of me to keep me company and I knew that I would see my parents seven days later. When I left middle school and started my first year of high school, almost all of my friends came with me, and my mom and dad were home every night to help me through any difficulties I might be having. Through everything I had experienced up until August of this year, I had a huge support network at my fingertips at all times, and to suddenly lose that is a bit of a rude awakening.

Though college is by no means a sinister place full of people looking to drag you down, when you first realize your parents aren’t picking you up anytime soon, it can be a hard concept to grasp. Sure, they are only a phone call away, but they can no longer help you out as much as they used to. Have a problem with a teacher you just can’t solve? A note from mom won’t help you out. It’s not until you go away from home that you realize how much your parents did for you, and how comforting it was knowing they were never far away.

Leaving friends can be just as difficult as leaving family, but for different reasons. Friends are like a security blanket: always there for you whenever you might need them. It was a luxury to be so close to people who have known me my entire life and whom I could hang around effortlessly. It’s exciting to come to college, meet new people and make amazing friends, but that is a process that takes time. You’re never going to be automatically comfortable around someone you’ve just met, and realizing this was one of the hardest things I’ve had to come to terms with so far.

Everything about college is so different from high school, from the classes you take to the time you go to bed; it’s all up to you. Although it takes a while to adjust to many different aspects of the college experience, the hardest for me so far has definitely been adapting to being left on my own for the first time in my life, and learning that even though my family and friends back home are still around, they’re not here to help me every step of the way.

Meghan Byrd
Contributing Writer

In the face of Lance Armstrong’s doping accusation, one might wonder what the professional sports community has come to represent. It seems that every few months, a new charge is brought forward against an athlete for using illegal performance-enhancing substances. Doping negatively affects athletes, professional athletics and the larger sports community. It is a form of cheating, and users should face hefty consequences in order to deter athletes from utilizing banned substances and hopefully reduce the number of those who choose to do so.

Over the past few years, doping has garnered much controversy in the athletic community. For example, San Francisco Giant and All-Star Most Valuable Player Melky Cabrera was recently suspended for 50 games following a positive test for testosterone and admission to using banned substances. Doping charges seem to occur frequently in baseball, as many well-known players such as Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez have also been accused of using performance enhancing substances.

However, it is the Armstrong doping case that has been dominating headlines recently. Armstrong is arguably one of the most renowned cyclists in the world, yet his reputation is now cast in a dark light. Although one cannot assume he is guilty of doping, the fact that he is choosing not to defend himself is reason to seriously doubt his claim that he is clean.

In order to enforce fair standards, it is important that national and international organizations send a clear message to athletes: using any performance-enhancing drug is not acceptable and will be met with heavy consequences. In some cases, testing positive for doping can even end some athletes’ careers by banning them from the sport, and such could be the case for Armstrong.

The best course of action for administering consequences to athletes who test positive for banned substance use is to have a two-strike system. The first time an athlete is caught doping, he or she should be issued a warning and suspended for a certain amount of time or number of games that would be left up to the sport association’s discretion. The second time they are found using, they are banned from the sport for life. This method would prove to athletes that doping is a serious offense, and will not be tolerated by their teams, sports, fan base or community.

Many of these athletes are role models for children aspiring to compete at a high level of athletics. If organizations such as the United States Anti-Doping Agency are tough on athletes they believe might be using banned substances, it sets an example for future generations and current professional athletes alike that under no circumstances is doping ever acceptable.