FALL 2014
BROMANCE
I ‘ll never let go, bro. Near, far, wherever you are, this bromance will go on and on
Let’s stop all
BODY IMAGE SHAMING DES MOINES EATERIES
Go beyond your normal fast food joint and discover some of our favorite Des Moines restaurants
SEXTING, snapchat & SCANDAL 1
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a note from the EDITOR
STAFF
I came into my freshman year as an accounting major. Now I’m the editorin-chief of the student magazine on campus. I have clearly changed and learned a lot throughout my Simpson College experience. For starters, I am more independent, outspoken and ambitious than I was at age 18. But I’ve also learned quite a bit over the few months I’ve been working on the ID Magazine. For example, I quickly learned the only way
WRITERS
this issue would be successful was to ask for help from fellow classmates. (Huge shout-out to all the wonderful writers, photographers and designers who helped me on this issue!) I learned what it’s like to go through a professional critique and how to execute the production and publication of a magazine in record time. I also learned a lot about different students and organizations on campus that had I not worked on this project, would have never been on my radar. As you are flipping through this magazine, I hope you learn a few things as well. Take a moment to learn how we need to stop hating on thin men and women (pg. 14), learn how the current diet fads we are into are really not healthy for us (pg. 21) or learn about the skills you acquire when studying abroad (pg. 26). So find something that interests you and keep flipping forward. Enjoy and welcome to ID Magazine!
Meg Lein
Editor-in-Chief
ERICA BARz BROCK BORGESON KATE HAYDEN sTEFFI LEE TESSA LENGELING rachel peterson Kristin Richert Brittany ROBB Ashley smith
COPY EDITOR BRITTANY Robb
DESIGNERS Ashley smith BLake Willadsen ALEXIS YOCUM
PHOTOGRAPHER BRITTANY REMPE
SPECIAL THANKS
JOIN OUR TEAM!
Like what you see?
If you are interested in being part of the Simpson Student Media staff for advertising, design, writing or marketing, contact us at idmagazine@simpson.edu!
MARK SIEBERT DEPARTMENT OF multimedia communication Lauren stillman STephanie turner LIKE US
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ IDMAGSC
FOLLOW US @IDMAGSC Photo Credits Copyright © 2014 Simpson College. ID Magazine is created and produced by students at Simpson College. Opinions stated or implied by the magazine are those of the students involved and are not approved or endorsed by Simpson College. No material may be reproduced without written permission. Send all comments, questions and concerns to idmagazine@simpson.edu.
(Cover photo and far left) photo by Brittany Rempe; (page 2, all) photos by Brittany Rempe; (page 5) photo courtesy of Patrick Hawks, Creative Commons; (page 7, bottom) photo courtesy of Picture Des Moines, Creative Commons; (page 14) photo courtesy of Charlotte Astrid, Creative Commons
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Table of contents Leisure fix Quick & Fun Reads des moines eateries holiday drinks to warm your soul
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food for thought Q&A with Comedian Jen Kober why we need to stop skinny shaming sexting, snapchat & Scandal I am not defined by...
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simpson spotlight Mythbusting diet fads quick guide to protein powders dance club what i learned While studying abroad bromance 4
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Quick and Fun
Drinking Apps
(Get Through Your Next Rager) Pre-game
Feeling a Buzs
Mixology (iOS and
AlcoDroid (Android
Android users): Want to mix up some drinks but don’t have an expert bartender on hand? Tell Mixology what alcohol you have stuffed into the back of your cupboards and it responds with cocktail options. The free app also features a liquor store locator for those lastminute drink emergencies.
users): How drunk are you? Log your drinks and it estimates your blood alcohol level. The app also estimates a timeline of when you will be sober enough to be below the legal limit to drive.
R-U-Buzzed (iPhone users): created by the Colorado Department of Transportation, does essentially the same thing. A disclaimer for both apps, they provide only estimates of BAC, so still exercise caution if wanting to get behind the wheel.
story | Rachel Peterson Design | Alexis Yocum When Things Get Sloppy
The Morning After
Everyone is guilty of this act. Drunk dialing and drunk texting. Your ex does not want to hear how much you miss them at 3 a.m.
Hangover Cures (iOS and Android users): supplies endless remedies to that pounding headache and constant feeling of nausea.
Stupid Phone Call Blocker (Android users):
Is greasy food your cureall for a hangover? The ever-trusty McDonald’s app steers you to the nearest McDonald’s so you can get your grub on with no time lost.
creates a blacklist of people you don’t want to call or text. To unblock a person, you must solve a mathematical equation.
Drunk Dial NO (iOS users): cost $1 to download! The app hides contact information for a certain time period, anywhere from 1 hour to 48 hours. You can even send a message to yourself up to seven hours in the future. Sober you can tell drunk you it’s just not worth it to drunk text that ex.
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Quick and Fun How to tell if you’re
Basic
Are you a basic white girl? Symptoms usually include an insatiable need for Starbucks, rom-coms and Netflix binges. Check out how many of these apply to your life:
story | Ashley Smith Design | Alexis Yocum 1 You have a wedding board on Pinterest, even if you’re not in a relationship. 2
Your
favorite season is fall. Mainly because of the way it looks with your favorite Instagram filter.
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You’re obsessed with Starbucks. But if they spell your name wrong one more time on your venti-non-fat-no-foam-pumpkin spice latte you’re going to throw a BF.
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Your favorite emoji is the “sassy girl emoji.
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You just HAVE TO HAVE anything with an inspirational quote on it.
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You “literally can’t even.” That grueling mid-term paper or the cute boy down the hall, you literally can’t even.
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Your outfit of choice is a sweater, leggings and riding boots. You have probably 10 or more variations of this outfit and even more on your “dream closet” Pinterest board.
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Your perfect night would be curling up in your Snuggie with your MacBook Pro and streaming a complete season of your favorite show on Netflix.
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Your social media is on point. You have a perfect algorithm for getting the most likes/favorites on every tweet, insta and Facebook post, and if you don’t get enough likes, you delete.
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You love rom-coms. You know one day your prince charming will come and sweep you off your feet just like your favorite Katherine Heigl movie.
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DES MOINES
Eateries
Simpson College students are told from day one the great possibilities we are presented in being so close to the Des Moines metro area. Internships, malls and fun events such as hockey games and a visit to Blank Park Zoo are constantly emphasized, but what about the really important stuff? Yes, we’re talking about food. College students love food and the options provided by a short drive to Des Moines are basically endless. While we often crave Pancheros, Scratch and Zombie Burger, what about something different to try? Find out about some lesser-known places for those pizza, sushi and Latin food lovers or try something new with one of these delicious downtown Des Moines eateries!
Story | Brittany Robb photos | Brittany Rempe design | Meg lein 7
Big Tomato Pizza Company
pizza
2613 Ingersoll Avenue 515.288.7227
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Rated “Best Delivered Pizza” 10 years in a row by City View Magazine, this Ingersoll Ave. pizza place has what it takes to please the customer. This is not your mother’s pizza place, though. A sign on the front window says “Lousy Service” and it isn’t just for show. It isn’t unusual for the employees to have an attitude or be heard yelling at one another in the back, but doesn’t that just add to the aesthetic? Really, the pizza is amazing and it’s well worth the occasionally off-putting environment. Keeping true to the Des Moines culture, Big Tomato uses only Graziano Brothers meats and cheeses. The Graziano family has owned their Italian food market in Des Moines since 1912 after the brothers immigrated to America from Italy. With this authentic and Des Moines-based ingredient choice, Big Tomato gives its customers that much more of a reason to enjoy the delicious options. Pizza topping choices range from the classic Graziano pepperoni and sausage to the more unique choices of zucchini, peas, Cajun tuna and even Spam or Doritos. Big Tomato Pizza Company is the ideal place for college students with its interesting atmosphere and outrageously good food. Delivery is free and goes until 3 a.m., though it’s doubtful Indianola falls into their drive-range. So, make the trip and see for yourself how great Big Tomato really is.
Fong’s Pizza 223 4th St 515.323.3333
Alright people, we all know about Fong’s, and if not, you’ve probably been living in some far-off world and missing out on an awesome pizza spot. This isn’t a new find for students, but rather an expansion on an established tasty place. But, can we please move past the Crab Rangoon pizza? It is delicious, yes, with its crab Rangoon base, surimi, green onion, asiago, mozzarella, crispy eggroll strip topping and sweet chili sauce, but there is so much more to this downtown joint. The Italian Stallion salad is jammed full of peppers, olives, artichokes and three Italian meats to satisfy the hungry green-loving diner. The Chipotle BBQ Pork sandwich jazzes up an Iowa favorite with banana peppers and a homemade chipotle barbeque sauce. Be prepared for long lines and usually an intoxicated crowd for $3 slices after 10 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.
215 10th St, Suite 120 515.244.5972 For those sushi lovers out there, any restaurant you go to provides something new and unexpected for its diners. Akebono, located downtown across the street from the Des Moines Social Club, is a Japanese restaurant that is true to its roots. The owners aren’t just office-dwellers; they can be seen every day and night behind the sushi counter, hand-rolling each order that comes through. The menu has everything from the basic California roll to the Overload roll, which features spicy tuna and spicy salmon, topped with seared tuna and salmon and a ponzu sauce, a citrus-flavored soy sauce of sorts. Aside from the sushi, Akebono has a tasty seaweed salad you can’t knock until you’ve tried, edamame served cold or warmed and entrees including bento boxes, tempura vegetables and dynamite mussels baked with crab meat and cream cheese. Akebono is the right dining destination for those looking to try something out of the norm and beyond delicious.
Miyabi 9
SUSHI
Akebono
512 East Grand Ave 515.288.8885 Miyabi 9’s website boasts the title “The Best Sushi in Des Moines” and just might be right. With an authentic, downtown atmosphere, the restaurant features many options for those looking for a tasty, sushi stop in the East Village. Sticking more to the sushi than other Japanese dining options, the rolls, Nigiri and Sashimi are hand-crafted to order and presented in the most mouth-watering ways. Check out #miyabi9 on Instagram or the photos on miyabi9.com to see the proof! Focusing on their Des Moines roots, the menu features one-of-a-kind rolls - the Iowa roll and the Des Moines roll. Iowa includes deep fried pork cutlet, carrots and asparagus, for those looking to get away from the classic raw fish aspect of sushi. Des Moines keeps it classic with salmon, crab stick, avocado and cucumber. Next time you’re checking out Raygun, head a few blocks east for some sushi at Miyabi 9. Just make sure it isn’t Sunday or Monday - they’re sadly closed those days!
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Tacopocalypse 407 East 5th St 515.556.0571
Tacopocalypse is a jazzed-up taste of Latin and Korean right in the East Village. The restaurant boasts a menu full of unique flavors from Wasabi Brisket to Potato Poblano tacos, one for $3 or two for $5. This place is not for those who die over La Casa; this is not your average taco joint. Trying something new can’t hurt us though, especially with their Brunchopocalypse menu! What college student doesn’t love brunch?! The crazy ones, apparently. You can still keep it classic with the nachos and quesadilla, but the I Can’t Believe It’s Not a Breakfast Burrito is never a bad place to start. Spicy potatoes, bacon chorizo, scrambled eggs and cheese are rolled into a tortilla and smothered in gravy with house ground breakfast sausage to make the ultimate breakfast burrito for any time of day.
LATIN
Malo
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900 Mulberry St 515.244.5000
Located within the Des Moines Social Club and right across the street from Akebono, sits the perfect destination for Latin cuisine, Malo. Before even ordering, the ambiance of the restaurant is enough to pull in any diner. Malo worked with Liz Lidgett Fine Art to find the perfect pieces to fill the space, everything from lighting to murals to furnishings enhance the already delicious cuisine found at this Orchestrate Hospitality establishment. The Orchestrate family also created other Des Moines eateries Centro, Django, South Union Bread Café, Zombie Burger + Drink Lab, Raccoon River Brewing Company and Gateway Market. As do many Latin restaurants, Malo serves chips and salsa to all guests. The chips alone are enough to send the diner into bliss. The menu accommodates almost all diners with gluten, meat or dairy free options. Tacos can be mixed and matched with flour, corn or lettuce shells and the entrees go far beyond the average enchilada or tamale. One awesome option for all those obsessed with fall is the Pumpkin Seed Crusted Chicken. The dish includes chicken breasts breaded in pumpkin seeds and cheese with two types of salsa, chopped salad and a side of hominy, a corn-based side dish. Next time you’re up for a Margarita Monday, try something beyond the norm with Malo.
WINTER DRINKS to
Warm your
Soul
Story & DESIGN | MEG LEIN photos | Brittany Rempe Sweater weather is finally here and there is nothing better than curling up with a blanket and a warm drink. Here are six tasty spins on the classic mocha, latte and hot cocoa that will put you in the holiday spirit. Now that’s something to cheers to!
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Gingerbread Latte
A sip of this rich latte will send you back to making gingerbread houses at grandma’s. Swirled with hazelnut, nutmeg and cinnamon spices, this holiday drink is the epitome of sugar, spice and everything nice.
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Nutella Cocoa For non-coffee drinkers, take the classic cocoa and pair it with your favorite dessert. Make it yourself with simple ingredients from the grocery store or stop in to Holy Grounds and they’ll whip it up for you quick!
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Frosted Mint Mocha This mocha contains refreshing mint flavors and is topped off with a drizzle of chocolate. Yum!
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Eggnog Latte
Drink up on this seasonal favorite while you can, stores only stock eggnog through the holiday season. Steam one-half cup eggnog and one-fourth cup milk over a burner on low heat, stirring constantly. Add a dash of caramel, sprinkle with nutmeg and viola!
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Peppermint Bark Mocha
Transitioning from pumpkins to peppermints, this creamy twist on a holiday staple will have you in the Christmas mood! For the perfect balance of minty and sweet, top the drink off with extra whipped cream and a dash of peppermint sprinkles.
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Harvest Pumpkin Pie Latte Continuing the pumpkin craze, this sweeter-thanpumpkin-spice latte mixes caramel and pumpkin pie flavors for a wintery spin on your favorite fall drink!
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Jen Kober is large, in charge and she knows it. Hailing from Lake Charles, La., her hilarious brand of storytelling stand-up comedy has gained national attention. Weaving pieces about her family, size and life experiences has given her enough material for two comedy albums, “Bringing Hefty Back” released in 2009 and “Homegrown” released earlier this year. Kober took Simpson College by storm on Wednesday, Oct. 22 as a guest comedian in CAB’s Hump Day Ha’s series. Before she took the stage, she sat down with ID Magazine to give the inside story behind her bold, brazen talent. *Answers have been modified for length. 14
WITH Comedian Jen kober
Story | Erica Barz photos | Brittany Rempe design | blake willadsen What made you interested in comedy?
Has anything really changed since you’ve come out?
How do you think comedy has changed since you began?
It’s really the only skill I’ve ever had. I’ve always just made things up and been really imaginative and done voices of other things and stuff, so when I was old enough it just made sense.
I play in a lot of redneck kind of rooms, so I was worried about how it was going to go over. I hemmed and hawed about it a little bit, and eventually it just became a matter of they’re either going to like me or they’re not. I’m not screaming it or jamming it down their throats. It’s funny. What I’m saying about [being gay] is funny. I think that once you jump on to that, you know, everybody’s with me.
I think the definition of what stand-up comedy is has changed a lot. There are a lot of alternative comedians on the scene. Guys are doing really weird character bits and prop stuff. There are many musical comedians. I think because of YouTube and Comedy Central, we are exposed to many more acts so the realm of what stand-up comedy is has grown. It’s exciting.
When I was sixteen, someone signed me up for an open mic in New Orleans. I told them I was eighteen to get into the bar. My parents were there. I told jokes about my parents and they laughed, and everyone else laughed, and I was just addicted to that. You get high on making people laugh, and so I just stuck with it. I went to the theater school at DePaul, and, you know, it was an acting conservatory and from there it all kind of blossomed. And I became the comedy flower you see before you.
How do you think identifying as a lesbian has shaped your comedic career? I didn’t really come out on stage until about three or four years ago, only because I never really talked about my relationship as a part of my act. I was always kind of talking about my family, or being fat, or food, or like my siblings, you know? I was never hiding it, but it just didn’t come up. It wasn’t the most interesting thing about me. I think now my family, my girlfriend and our kids are just such a huge part of my life that I have to talk about it now. It takes up all my f***ing time. If I wasn’t talking about that, I’d be talking about, like, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, which nobody wants to hear. So now it’s just a bigger part of what I do than it was before.
is it harder being a woman in the comedy industry? I think, yes, it is harder for girls. As a society we’re used to listening to boys, not girls. I think that in general it’s harder for women to do anything that involves getting people’s attention and keeping it. That’s just the way, the norm, the way we’ve all been raised. You have to be a certain kind of woman to get up there, command attention and keep everyone’s attention for an hour. Men get up [on stage] and talk about, you know, snorting cocaine off a stripper’s a** every five minutes. I mean, you can’t listen to a set in Los Angeles without hearing at least five guys talk about gay people and blah, blah, blah. They do all this material and I’m like, “This is not your truth. This is not who you are. Why are you even talking about this stuff ?” But they think whatever hacky punch line they have for it is funny. So worry not about your gender, and more about if you have a presence on stage that people will listen to.
Comedy is supposed to connect people. You’re in a dark room laughing with strangers, but you all laughed at the same stuff, and you’re all very different people: different ages, different economic classes, all of that stuff. For that to happen, to me, is pretty cool.
What would you say the most memorable moment in your career has been so far? Most memorable? I mean, I made a movie with Robert De Niro last year. That was pretty memorable. Meryl Streep is next on my list. There are many moments in my life where I have to stop and go, “Is this really happening?” I did a movie just before that with Liam Hemsworth which, lesbian or not, that is the dreamiest boy you’re ever gonna lay eyes on. I literally was like, “Can I have a cup of sperm? You are pretty. We would make pretty, funny babies.” And at one point you just sit there and think to yourself, “Yesterday I was at home, stoned in my underwear watching The Hunger Games, and today I’m making a movie with this guy. What is going on?” And you have to kind of check yourself like, “Is this my life? Is this really happening?” And it is, so.
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Skinny Shaming: Not just about that bass Story | Steffi Lee design | Meg lein
“Go ahead and indulge in those cupcakes. Sorry, no, you need to go work out. How could you possibly eat that? Don’t worry…these calories won’t kill you. I can’t believe you put that in your body. How can you eat all of that and still look like a twig?” These voices inside our heads are haunting. Body image conversations never stop. It has even plagued the airwaves. Nicki Minaj’s hit single, “Anaconda,” is only one example of body shaming, specifically through skinny shaming. I love songs that are meant to be empowering to females – we need this support in society more than ever to turn the culture of “Zero is Not a Size” around – but when the songs praising women with full figures start to attack those who don’t, that’s when it becomes a problem. There’s a section in “Anaconda” where Nicki Minaj raps “Where my fat a** big b******* in the club?/F*** those skinny b*******/F*** those skinny b****** in the club/I wanna see all the big fat a** b****** in the motherf***ing club, f*** you if you skinny b*******.” Props to her – we live in a world that marginalizes those who aren’t thin – but spotlighting full figures through “skinny-shaming” isn’t ideal, either. “Skinny-shaming” is the term used to describe the act of insulting thin people. It’s viewed as the opposite of fat-shaming. There’s now a growing conversation about this. While some argue “skinny-shaming” isn’t as bad as fat-shaming, it’s still a problem. It needs to be discussed, because it’s still body-shaming and is just as degrading. People who participate in “skinny-shaming” often do it on the premise of privilege. And I’m not going to lie – sometimes life probably is easier for those who are skinny compared
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to those who aren’t. Clothes are easier to find and people may be kinder (because society unfortunately shapes our attitudes that way). They’ll assume you’re healthy and active. They won’t condemn you for being lazy. But it’s not fair to a woman that’s small or large to be degraded. We try to say that our message is about loving our bodies no matter the size. Some girls are naturally a size zero, and no matter how much they eat or workout, life just built them that way. So what can we do to stop both “skinny-shaming” and fat-shaming? How can we direct society’s conversation to become more focused on healthiness, happiness and understanding everyone is beautiful? Simpson College sophomore Lauren Myers works hard as a body image activist on campus. She’s also experienced body image issues herself. “I’m an eating disorder survivor who still has food issues and problems,” Myers says. “I guess I felt like the only way I could control what was going on around me was myself and what I ate.” As the pressures of life triggered her stress, she continued to over-control what she consumed. “I realized that was really unhealthy, and I was sick and tired of being sick and tired,” she says. It’s not uncommon for young people to struggle with body image. The National Institute on Media and the Family reports a study showing 53 percent of American girls who hit the age of 13 are “unhappy with their bodies.” This increases to 78 percent by the time they hit 17. Myers says her body image activism covers both “skinny-shaming” and fat-shaming. “I definitely have talked a lot about thin privilege, because “skinny-shaming” and fat-shaming
are hard to define,” she says. One of her friends who is naturally thin once faced situations where others thought they ww had a problem. “She has faced a lot of negativity for (being skinny), and she has had a lot of experiences with doctors thinking that she had an eating disorder and she’s just like, ‘I can’t gain weight. I try and I don’t have any body image problems,’” Myers says. It’s just how people are born, and what society needs to do is embrace what everyone is given, she says. Her outreach for body image activism started in high school, where she created a tech seminar project called Project Beautiful. “(It’s) about embracing and encouraging all body shapes and sizes,” she says. Now she’s taking charge at Simpson, trying to spread awareness about what others can do so they don’t end up in a similar place that she was in. Through Simpson College SELF (Strong, Excellent, Loving and Fearless), she and other members of the organization strive to combat societal pressures through events, meetings and panels. Their main message? “Try to focus on all body sizes and shapes,” Myers says. So for the next body image conversation you may have, try to make it positive. Let the definition of beauty be about being happy and healthy, rather than simply just an external image of what society considers thin and fat. Both “skinny-shaming” and fat-shaming do not help anyone and can truly hurt. No matter the size, we are all beautiful and should never have to explain our bodies, our food decisions or our workout regiments to anyone.
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SEXTING. SNAPC
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CHAT.SCAnDAL. J
Story & DEsign | Meg Lein photo | Brittany Rempe
ack met Jill, and it all began very innocently. But soon enough, their texts went from conversational to sending naughty messages in hopes to rev each other’s engines. You get the picture. It’s part curiosity. Sometimes the idea of “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours” can help you get an idea of how you and the recipient will match sexually. A 2014 study conducted by McAfee, a security software firm, found that over half of American adults have sent a steamy message, image or video to either a significant other or a random hookup. And it comes as no surprise that Snapchat, an app that deletes your images from its servers after it is opened, is wildly popular with young adults. In a volunteer poll of Simpson students, 62 percent of respondents replied that they have either sent or received a nude photo or video. Three-fourths of these students have used Snapchat as a channel to send these images. However, even though Snapchats are self destructive, sending a nude photo can be a risky business. Within a few seconds, a self-destructive image can become a permanent photo in another person’s phone when someone captures a screenshot. Your private property now is at the mercy of someone else’s judgment. Of the students who have received a nude photo on Snapchat, 39 percent has taken a screen shot. One respondent said that they later shared the photo with others. The notion of nude photo sharing doesn’t belong only to college students. The multi-billion dollar porn industry is dedicated to sharing obscene images
and videos. Many websites allow users to upload photos of naked men and women they have received. In October, many celebrities’ nude photos were uploaded onto 4chan, an online image bulletin board, and then spread to websites such as Reddit and Tumblr. A-list actors, artists and models such as Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna and Kate Upton, were among 100 celebrities targeted in the 4chan Apple iCloud nude photo leak. The most foolproof way of keeping your photos private is not to send them in the first place. Remind you of your high school sex-ed teacher telling you that the only guaranteed way to not get pregnant or contract an STD is to remain abstinent? Yes, we know that. But consider this – there are no contraceptives once a photo is shared. Even if you delete a photo, it’s still there and there are hackers readily available to find that image. A photo sent now can have long-term consequences. Many professionals have been fired from their jobs after nude images of them have surfaced on the Internet. So go ahead and send that scandalous text or selfie. But keep in mind the warnings. Even if you completely trust your recipient, just remember you can’t be too sure. But if you’re willing to risk it (because we know college students live life on the edge) follow our three rules: 1. Agree with your recipient that neither person will take a screenshot. Scout’s honor. 2. Don’t include your face on the photo. Same rule applies for recognizable features. 3.Location, location, location. Use a wall or plain background as a backdrop.
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... Story & Design | ashley smith photo | brittany rempe
Everyone faces challenges in their life, but true character is shown in how one overcomes the challenges he or she is faced with. These three Simpson College students have dealt with adversity but haven’t allowed it to define them and are stronger for it.
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i am not my weight
Sophomore Kylee Hereid knows she’s overweight. She also knows there’s nothing she can do about it. In high school, Hereid kept gaining weight and she didn’t know why. She was eating healthy and working out, but for some reason, kept gaining instead of losing weight. Finally, she decided to go to the doctor. “And so I ended up finding out I have PCOS, which is polycystic ovarian syndrome, and it’s a common thing among women. It’s genetic and I found out shortly after I got diagnosed that my grandmother went and got diagnosed with the same thing,” Hereid said. PCOS is a problem causing women’s hormones to be out of balance. One of the most common symptoms is weight gain. After the diagnosis, Hereid struggled with fat shaming from her peers. “I remember being in high school and there was a guy one year that I liked and I had the biggest crush on him and he ended up making a public comment about me being fat in front of the rest of my class,” Hereid said. Hereid admits it’s hard every time someone gives her a look or makes a comment regarding her weight. “It’s something that you don’t understand the other person’s perspective until you’re in their shoes. I don’t know what it’s like to be underweight and to have people constantly tell you you’re underweight. But I do know what it’s like going into a restaurant after having done a two-hour work out, and being asked ‘do you really need those carbs?’ by one of my friends,” Hereid said.
When Hereid came to Simpson College, she met Lauren Myers, with whom she co-founded a group called SELF (strong, excellent, loving and fearless) which deals with overcoming self-esteem issues. “She’d had a lot of experiences with self-esteem and eating disorders and body image in the past and I could easily relate to that, from a different standpoint than she could, but kind of with the same end goal in mind,” Hereid said. Hereid said co-founding SELF has helped immensely with overcoming insecurities with her weight, but there’s always room for improvement. “I know sometimes I can be the biggest hypocrite. I tell people, ‘You know, you need to love yourself,’ and I have trouble loving myself. It’s a hard thing,” Hereid said.
i am not my learning disorder
Senior Brooke Preston has always earned good grades, so it worried her when she started getting D’s on tests after transferring to Simpson College last year. “I was really, really confused and I felt really helpless because in class I could answer all the questions and in class I knew what I was talking about and I was getting good grades in lab because that’s more hands-on. And then I would take my tests and I would get D’s or low C’s and it was just really confusing to me because typically I’m a B or an A student,” Preston said. After talking to her professor and the Hawley Academic and Resource
Center, Preston discovered she has a reading-learning disorder. “When I take tests, or anything really, I read through the information really fast and not everything sinks in and then the words get jumbled around in my head,” Preston said. At first, Preston was reluctant to take tests in Hawley. “It made me feel kind of stupid and I didn’t want to. So finally when I did, I did 20 percent better on the next test, so it really makes a difference,” Preston said. Hawley gives Preston more time to take her tests and to process the questions. There’s also a whiteboard that Preston can use to draw diagrams to help understand the questions better. When studying, Preston underlines or boxes important words and phrases in her textbook, and after failing an immunology test last semester she started watching YouTube videos on the content. “I found [videos] on the things that I needed, typically B-cells and T-cells and hypersensitivity and things like that. Like the exact same things I needed I could find in videos and there were pictures with it and that really helped me understand,” Preston said. This semester, Preston is exactly where she wants to be in her classes and is happy she asked for help. “I’m taking 20 credit hours so it’s kind of an overload. At midterms I had two A’s and 3 B+’s and they’re all upper-level biology and upper and lower level exercise science classes,” Preston said. Next year, Preston is excited to attend Northwestern Health Sciences University in the Twin Cities for chiropractic school.
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I AM NOT MY ADDICTION
Since freshman year of high school, smoking marijuana had been an integral part of sophomore Ethan Zierke’s daily life. “I think mainly the reason I started was just because it was a scene I wanted to be involved in. And that was the reason I was involved in it initially, and the reason I continued my use was because I developed friendships within that realm,” Zierke said. Zierke grew up in Iowa City and said there was never a negative stigma attached to marijuana in the city, so he never saw his usage as an addiction. “It’s a university town, pretty liberal, and it was everywhere; you could get it anywhere you wanted,” Zierke said. It wasn’t until Zierke got into trouble with the law that he saw his usage as an issue. “[Using] was like going on a run or reading a book, it was just a daily activity. So to be sitting there in jail reflecting back on what led up to me getting here, it was definitely a moment of realization and I knew that I had to make a change,” Zierke said. Earlier this semester, Zierke stopped using marijuana. “All I could think about is the time of day when I usually would. When I wake up in the morning, when I have some free time in the afternoon or at night before bed. I’m sitting there
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thinking, ‘oh this is when I normally get high,’” Zierke said. To overcome these thoughts of addiction, Zierke has been finding other ways to keep busy. “For me, it’s just finding other activities that can hold my interest, whether that’s getting involved in a sport, going to the gym and working out and blowing off steam in that way. Listening to music, making music, stuff like that. Those are all ways that I try to express myself in other ways,” Zierke said. Zierke recently started treatment at House of Mercy but doesn’t think he’ll ever stop facing temptation. “I wouldn’t say that I’m cured because treatment isn’t really something that, you’re sick, you go to the doctor and you get medicine and you’re cured or whatever. Treatment is something you have to deal with your whole life because when you develop an addiction to something, it controls every other aspect of your life whether you think it does or not,” Zierke said. Since he stopped using, Zierke has a more positive outlook on life. “I can kind of look back and see how I’m doing things differently and how I’m prioritizing things differently and I think, in that aspect, it’s helped me out a lot because I’ve never really had that perspective of myself since I was a freshman in high school,” Zierke said. “I’d never been sober for that long in order to really get an outsider’s look, and now I can.”
NUTRITION:
Myth-busting diet fads Story | Brock borgeson photos | Brittany Rempe design | Meg lein
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aybe a few extra drinks on the weekends or a routine of late-night junk food to get you through studying has packed a couple of pounds onto your frame this school year. Maybe you’re looking to shed some of that going into the holiday break. Or maybe, you just simply want to be healthier. While some of the fad diets out there and so called “diet” foods may seem like a quick fix, it’s important to know what you’re getting into before you plunge into the Paleo diet or juice diet trends.
Gluten-free is not the key to weight loss The gluten-free diet is a popular option people turn to when trying to shed some pounds.This diet excludes the protein gluten, which is found in
nearly any type of starch or carbohydrate. Typically, carbs are viewed as bad, but professor Nicci Whalen warns against this perception. “For those that don’t have celiac disease or another allergy, I don’t recommend a gluten-free diet. Gluten-free food can be really highly processed, and it’s not necessarily healthier,” Whalen said. There are gluten-free pastas, muffins, pizza crusts and even pretzels out there today. The gluten-free tag gives people the impression that it’s healthier. If you’re simply switching from wheat bread to gluten-free bread, you’re not going to gain much health benefit or lose much weight. The real benefits come into play when you’re doing a gluten-free diet that relies more on vegetables and fruits, as opposed to an alternative
form of carbohydrates. An additional warning: this diet will be quick to burn a hole in your wallet. A normal-sized loaf of wheat bread can cost as low as $2. On the other hand, a much smaller gluten-free loaf can run up to $8 and must be frozen to stay fresh. This is an inconvenience for many students without proper storage or the budget to afford this alternative. Our view: Don’t partake in this crazy fad diet unless it is doctor recommended. Those who cannot digest gluten won’t really appreciate you treating their issue as your newest diet trend, either.
Organic vs. Processed The word “organic” has the connotation of being some overly-nutritious, mildly okay-tasting food that, if eaten, has some fantastical remedial properties.
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While it has been linked to weight loss and improving one’s overall health by avoiding some harmful hormones, one cannot be overly gung-ho about this option and must exercise some caution. “There are some more nutritious organic foods,” Whalen says. “Organic foods don’t necessarily have higher nutritional values, and they can be great if you can afford them, but buying in bulk is your best option.” Organic food stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s may have some great tasting food but their prices will destroy a college student’s wallet. Thus, while an organic food diet can be rewarding, on a college campus these options aren’t as available. Our view: If you really want to eat organic, spend wisely. Buy organic produce such as apples, strawberries and carrots. If it has a large peel, such as bananas and watermelon, you are throwing the peel away, so buy non-organic. As for packaged organic foods – it’s processed, so why bother?
Diet Products & Diet Soda Calories have a bad rep. Because diet soda and other diet products have fewer calories, we assume that they’ll keep us healthy and away from gaining weight. Products like Diet Coke or Pepsi and “light” foods are masking some negative side effects. “What we know about artificial sweeteners is that they change your
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taste buds,” Whalen said. “What you once thought to be sweet isn’t anymore. The diet label is the number one no-no; nor do I like ‘fat free’.” The chemical “aspartame” is in many of these non-caloric beverages and consumption of it has actually been linked to cancer.
Drinks such as G2, a Gatorade drink with reduced calories, Powerade Zero, or Mio create the same results, bringing some unhealthy chemicals into their drinks. “The same goes for the lighter versions of Gatorade,” Whalen said. “First off, Gatorade shouldn’t be consumed other than by athletes engaging in more than 60 minutes of strenuous activity. If you’re just occasionally throwing some Mio in a drink, it’s okay. But look, full sugar is
a better option than artificial.” Although you may be consuming a few extra calories on your next drink, it’s likely a healthier decision in the long run. The same applies to fat free foods. These foods like fat free dressings, mayonnaise or other “light” foods contain a lot of chemicals and fillers. These are harmful as well. Fat in food has received some undue flak. Our bodies actually need fat; it’s just about where you’re getting fat from. “Phasing out to eat light foods won’t necessarily cause you to lose weight,” Whalen said. “Nuts and olives and fish that are high in fat are healthier. We really want to focus on unsaturated fats.” The world of quick fixes and labels makes fad diets and diet foods enticing. But to reach your health or weight goals, you may be better off finding a way to work in a multipurpose smoothie. “Smoothies are huge because you fit it in during a day and you can combine fruits and vegetables in it,” Whalen said. “If you’re using yogurt just use plain Greek yogurt and don’t use orange juice. Add some spinach, kale, chia seeds, banana, strawberries and you’ll be set.” But ultimately, statistics never lie, and if you’re looking to do your own myth-busting of food and diets, just read the nutrition facts. “There’s a lot in our food that we don’t know,” Whalen said. “Above all, read the nutrition and ingredients label. Those can’t lie.”
NUTRITION:
prevents muscle protein breakdown, but is less common in the sphere of popular protein powder.
The Creatine Controversy:
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s an athlete, downing a protein shake is part of the normal routine. For students who are interested in getting on board with a more intense health regiment, you might want to consider the same. Is it financially and nutritionally worth it for you? Let’s find out.
To Start, Look at Your Diet: Before jumping into this nutrition plan, address your diet and look into what food you’re putting into your body. If you are getting enough protein from food sources, you may not need protein shakes. Our bodies can only take a certain amount of protein before it becomes too much, so those shakes containing 60 grams of protein may do the same for you as those that contain the average, 20-24 grams of protein. More is not necessarily better. According to the department chair of sport science and health education, Nicci Whalen, the average adult should consume 1.2-1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. The best proteins come from soy, eggs and lean meats. Once this dietary backbone is established, it’s important to understand the time and place for protein shakes and supplements.
When you should use protein powder: For athletes, recovering from hard workouts is important. Anyone doing high resistance training, when muscle fibers experience more tearing, also need extra help to recover. This is when protein shakes can do the most good. “If a person is feeling really ‘JellO-y’ as if they can’t recover, this may be a sign that you need it,” Whalen says.
What Protein Powders to Buy: Assistant athletic trainer and professor, Cal Busby, says, “Any sort of protein supplement should be looked at first nutritionally as they can be very high in calories.” Protein powders are most commonly divided into the whey and casein (kay-sin) categories with slight variations. “Whey is probably the most popular and cost efficient,” Busby says. “Someone who is getting started should go with that.” Whey is high in protein and typically very low in both fat and sugar, two ingredients you’ll want to stay away from if you’re looking to add muscle and cut fat. Another option is casein, which is known as a “slow” protein, which
Creatine is another popular product with sales over $400 million in 2012, but it’s often associated with controversy. In a study by Rice University professor Dr. Mark A. Jenkins, “Creatine Supplementation in Athletes,” Jenkins notes the deaths of three college wrestlers who were initially said to have died due to creatine related causes. It was later announced that creatine was not the cause of the deaths. Despite being ruled out as fatal, the stigma has stuck with most creatine products. “There were reports of a few college wrestlers dying due to creatine use,” Whalen says. “This is a myth. Creatine can’t kill you alone, and it turns out that they were severely dehydrating themselves and working out with large amounts of clothing.” NCAA does allow creatine use as long as teams do not provide athletes with the substance and it is purchased by the athletes individually.
Best protein powders for Muscle mass Gain } Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey } Muscletech Phase 8 } BSN Syntha – 6
Best Protein Powders for Women } Fitmiss Delight Women’s } FemmePharma 100% Whey Protein Powder for Women } NLA for Her-Whey Protein
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DanceLike Nobody story | Kate Hayden Photos | Brittany Rempe Design | Alexis Yocum
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t takes a former dancer to recognize the longing. After years of warming up, slipping into dance costumes and stepping out under the stage lights, a dancer enters college and usually leaves the art behind. Now, time and money are more valuable than ever, and committing to either the competitive dance team or a Des Moines hobby class for adults is impractical for students. It took three former dancers, juniors Annie Collins, Tori Halloran and Maureen Snook, to decide Simpson College students shouldn’t have to leave dancing behind – or miss an opportunity to be introduced to it. “Annie Collins had this light bulb moment where she said, ‘I miss dancing, and I know there’s a lot of other girls and guys who miss dancing’,” Snook said. “Would we want to start this club?” In an email, Collins credited the
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inspiration to a friend at home who also danced. “At her school, she attends dance club. After talking to her I realized that I could bring this idea to Simpson,” Collins said. Snook and Halloran “loved the idea,” Collins said, and in spring 2014 they began working out the details of starting a new campus club, including gathering a list of signatures of people who would be interested and writing a mission statement. By the start of the school year, Dance Club was ready to begin offering their weekly, one-hour sessions, with a warm-up and new dance style taught at every session by a ‘visiting’ student choreographer. “We’re calling them sessions instead of meetings because we don’t want anyone to feel like if they miss one week they can’t come another week,” Halloran said. Dance Club members have learned everything from swing dancing to
line dancing, “Thriller” to “Single Ladies”. They’ve also teamed up with other campus organizations such as Latinos Unidos. “We did a pre-salsa night for people to learn the basics before [Latinos Unidos] had their major salsa event,” Halloran said. Even Greek life took part as visiting choreographers. Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Kappa Gamma had members teach part of their stomp routines following Yell Like Hell to Dance Club attendees. Halloran hopes more campus partnerships will be a part of the club going forward. “We want anyone who has dance background, or who doesn’t have dance background but has a good routine, to come show it to us,” Halloran said. Junior Lauren Kisley, who started ballroom dancing in high school, took on the group’s offer when
she choreographed swing dancing one week. Instead of teaching a traditional full dance routine she offered something very different. “Swing dancing is a social dance, so instead of choreographing five or so eight-counts, I instead teach five or so different moves that can be incorporated in any place and as often as possible while dancing,” Kisley said. While swing dancing is her favorite style, Kisley enjoys attending the club to learn new styles without the pressure of being present every week.
“Having three people work on one club made it incredibly doable for us,” she said. “I could not have brought Dance Club to Simpson without Tori and Maureen.” The group has plenty of plans for Dance Club in the upcoming semester. Keeping the variety of dance styles going is a major goal, Snook and Halloran agree. New programming is on the horizon – like a couples’ swing night near Valentine’s Day – and hopes to partner with outside dance companies that can teach styles students aren’t able to, like a
“I have attended most of the sessions even when I am not choreographing because it is always fun to see what they’re going to teach next,” Kisley said. While there are challenges to starting a club from scratch, it’s been counterbalanced by how well the three founders work together, Snook said. Dividing club responsibilities and working on warm-ups together keep any one member from feeling as though they have too much on their plate along with all their other campus responsibilities. “We’ve all been in leadership positions before, and all three of us are very good friends,” Snook said. “We all came into this with a lot of respect and understanding for each of our positions. There was never a huge challenge we had to overcome…all three of us are equal representatives and equal founders of the club.” Collins agreed.
Bollywood routine. There’s been discussion about fundraising for a charity cause, like the campus Dance Marathon program or the Des Moines Dance Without Limits, which is a Des Moines Ballet Company program working with intellectually disabled students to help them develop motor skills. Whether dancing veterans or trying something new, Collins hopes other students take advantage of the space to relieve stress in their life. “I personally find it therapeutic for myself because dance club guarantees one time a week where I am able to release myself, express my emotions, and take care of the stresses in my life in a healthy way,” she said. “Dance is my release.”
is Watching
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Things I Learned
Studying Abroad
story | Kristin Richert Photos | Steffi Lee Design | Alexis Yocum
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tudying abroad in Poland changed everything; my worldview, my confidence and my outlook on my political science major and more. I found my sense of self and began to recognize the real me. I left Simpson in February 2014 for an educational adventure in Krosno, Poland. I returned with a new view on my home country and a diverse portfolio of new skills. Read on to find out what I gained from a semester abroad. I never thought I would be one of the only English speaking students where I lived. If that didn’t teach me to
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adapt to a new culture quickly, I’m not sure what would have. I grew out of my shell and became the independent woman one becomes in college. I learned to how to handle life without the support system of friends, family and mentors that I have at home. I got lost in the streets of Poland and many other countries. It taught me how to read a map in a country where the infrastructure is not the same as in America. It taught me to go with the flow and explore and I found out more about the culture independently than as a tourist. Besides bolstering my independence,
studying abroad helped open my eyes to how the rest of the world lives. In Poland, I met people who had a rich life, not from money, but from happiness. People may not have had much to their name, but they shared everything they were able. This was inspiring and gave me a new understanding of the world. I found that most countries have very different perceptions of Americans than we would expect. Many Americans are very proud of their homeland, but Europeans don’t always understand the patriotism and view it as a sense of arrogance. We’re not the number one country, as we would like to believe.
ZANBIA
NIGER CHAD
According to the Organization for Cooperation and Development (OECD), Russia is the most educated country in the world with over 50 percent of citizens receiving a college degree. East Asian nations continually outrank America for the best educational systems. In terms of happiness, Switzerland ranks the highest; the United States didn’t even make the top 10. In America, females are taught to lean in. While we are arguing for equal opportunities, women in other countries don’t have much say in the direction of their lives. Men talk down to females, trying to put them in their place. A
woman’s position was to be at home, in the kitchen and caring for children. Women were supposed to want to have a big family and be the main caregiver in that sense. This mentality gave me inspiration and taught me to truly stand up for my beliefs in equality. This environment made me more thankful for the life I do have and the opportunities women do have in America. While all of this personal growth and the adventure of lifetime were great, it would have meant nothing unless I learned to apply it towards my future. The biggest mistake most people make is exploring the world and not
learning how to take these experiences and market themselves for a successful career. Besides having the necessary applicable skills for a job, employers are looking for candidates who can adapt to change, work well with others, be independently minded and be able to bring fresh ideas and perspectives. Studying abroad gave me all of these skills, making me uniquely qualified. Take control of your future. Make new friends, explore and immerse yourself in culture. Walk away with an understanding of why you went and an understanding of how these new skills can benefit you.
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Bromance 4Ever
“I love you, bro. You’re the man, brah. What’s up, broski?” story | Tessa Lengeling Photos | Brittany Rempe Design | Alexis Yocum
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he bromance. A term for two straight males infatuated with each other, in a completely platonic way, of course. Danny and Joey from Full House, Corey and Shawn from Boy Meets World or Schmidt and Jenko from 21 Jump Street are examples of bromances. These bros spend endless amounts of time together, forming an unbreakable bond.
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XOXO
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“It wasn’t a true bromance until this year, but now it’s real. It’s Young Love.”
A bromance (noun) is about unconditional love between two males without sexual attraction involved. The bromances in movies are about sticking together through thick and thin and supporting each other. Sound familiar? Bromances are pretty similar to a romantic relationship, but would probably be a close second to having a woman in your bed. Bromances aren’t just for movies or television. They are real relationships happening all around us. Simpson College juniors Tanner Robinson and Peter Rietgraf have shared a fiery bromance for about a year now. The two met in high school on rival tennis teams, but became bros after sharing a bathroom sophomore year in Picken Hall. “A bromance is love, peace and friendship,” said
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Robinson. “He’s like a brother, just no blood relation.” Their bromance is newly formed, but they have grown into strong buds over the past year. “It wasn’t a true bromance until this year, but now it’s real. It’s young love,” Rietgraf said. Bros don’t always say “I love you” to each other, but are each other’s better half. “I’m naturally introverted, so I won’t talk to you unless I need to, but when I’m with Peter I’m like ‘let’s talk to everyone, let’s have a good time’,” Robinson said. “I get along with pretty much everyone, but with Peter it’s just different.” The Robinson/Rietgraf bromance gets closer every day, but something is in the way. A girl.
Rietgraf is in a relationship with junior Michelle Hartmann, which occasionally takes time away from his bromance. “I spend more time with Michelle, but Tanner is a close second. She probably gets jealous,” Rietgraf said. “I’m jealous of her, so it’s fair,” Robinson said. Rietgraf says the two are getting close to basically being a relationship, but it’s a work in progress. “We can be real with each other, and that doesn’t always happen,” Rietgraf said. Hartmann said she gets jealous of their bromance because she’s not good at sharing. “Peter might dump me and date Tanner,” Hartmann joked. “Not really, I actually think it’s funny to watch them together. They are always doing weird things.” A piece of advice from the bros so infatuated with each
other is, “Find a bromance, it’s always a good thing to have.” Bros, even girls love it when you have that special guy in your life. According to Total Sorority Move’s (TSM) list of “Top 10 Sexiest Things A Guy Can Do,” having a good bromance is number four. “I love bromances. Almost nothing is more adorable in an ‘I’d like to have sex with you’ way. I’m not entirely sure why, but boy besties are just so cute. I love to see them pal around and genuinely care about a person other than themselves. Think Ben Affleck and Matt Damon – hot on their own, hotter together,” Veronica Grandex, author of the TSM article, said. Get out there guys, and find that special someone to bro-out with on the daily.
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