Collegian T he Cameron University
www.aggiecentral.com
Monday, April 28, 2014
Volume 90 Issue 11
The final chapter for class of 2014 Stress testing before finals
Preparing for Graduation 2014 Kaley Patterson Staff Writer
Krista Pylant
News Writing Student “Don’t stress; it’s just a test” is the message that Study Strategies and College Success instructor Maureen DuRant wants to communicate to the students of Cameron University. On April 22, DuRant presented CU Succeed’s Reducing Test Anxiety workshop in the Shepler Centennial Room in preparation for the upcoming finals week. During the workshop, students learned that test anxiety is a physiological condition that occurs when individuals experience extreme stress, anxiety and discomfort during or before a test. While these responses can often hinder a student’s ability to perform well on exams and negatively affect their feelings about themselves and school, DuRant said anxiety can sometimes be beneficial and that awareness is the key to overcoming its debilitating effects. “Test taking anxiety is something that challenges us all on some level,” DuRant said. “I think some is okay, and some anxiety can actually motivate us. I don’t think we ever really come to the place where we say ‘I’ll take all of the anxiety out of my life,’ but maybe we can control it, so it is not going to impede our performance to the degree that we are not able to be successful.” One way that text anxiety can be controlled is through preparation. DuRant suggests students should begin creating a study plan as soon as an upcoming test is announced. The idea is that a student who is better prepared will feel more confident toward an exam. Likewise, students should make sure that they arrive early on the day of the test. Arriving early will allow students to take inventory of their materials and settle in the classroom. The main anxiety alleviating technique that DuRant focused on in her presentation involved meditation. DuRant said when most students hear the word meditation they think of a yogi sitting cross-legged on the floor making humming
At 7:30 p.m. on May 9, members of the 2014 graduating class will fill the Cameron Stadium to celebrate the end of their story at Cameron University. The final hours are approaching seniors and the ones who have been preparing for this year’s graduation ceremony since the conclusion of the 2013 Commencement. For four yearsAcademic Services Coordinator Lani Malcolm, the chair of the Public Exercises Task Force, oversees all of the public exercises at Cameron – Convocation, Commencement and Masters Hooding Ceremony. “It is a yearlong planning event,” Malcolm said. “We always hold an extensive After Actions Review after the event. That virtually begins our planning for the next year. It’s a process, and each month, we have a calendar of things to do.” Even though Malcolm and the task force are efficiently organized, she said planning does not stop until the precession starts. Along with preparing for the normal ceremony at the stadium with all the pomp and circumstance, the task force and Malcolm have to come up with back up plans for severe weather and other possible factors. CU Public Affairs
sounds. While this is a form of meditation, she encourages students to keep an open mind and to explore the different forms that meditation has to offer. “You really have to commit to it because the first few times that you do it, it can be really strange,” Durant said. “We know that meditation changes your brain chemistry. People who have anxiety in their life, if they learn to meditate, [meditation] absolutely can be monumentally changing for them.” During the presentation, students listened
to an audio track of a guided visualization meditation technique. The track guided students through the process of meditation, giving them step-by-step instructions to focus on their breathing and to imagine themselves walking into the day of the test confident and prepared. DuRant encourages students to try the meditation techniques and seek out its benefits. “Learning to meditate significantly improves concentration and focus, so if you’re a person that struggles a bit with that because maybe
See GRADUATION page 2 your attention is divided or if you struggle with ADD or ADHD, then meditation can help. It’s just being able to quiet your mind to learn to focus.” For students who do not find the idea of meditation right for them, there are still activities they can participate in to help alleviate test anxiety including taking a yoga class in the Aggie Rec Center. Above all, DuRant wants students to know that test anxiety can’t always be eliminated, but it can be controlled.
Endowed scholarship created for future generations CU Public Affairs The Cameron University Alumni Association (CUAA) has donated $10,000 to the Cameron University Foundation to establish an
endowed scholarship that will benefit Cameron students for generations. In addition, the CUAA Board of Directors has pledged to continue raising funds for the endowment.
“On behalf of the membership of the Cameron University Alumni Association, the CUAA Board of Directors is pleased to provide an endowed scholarship for
Kaitlyn Stockton
raising her voice in eagerness, Thomlinson caught everyone’s Copy Editor attention and made us all “She’s better than your hot want to learn the eight cup of coffee in the morning.” parts of speech. The woman These were the first words exhibited a passion for I ever heard to describe Dr. literature and teaching that Vivian Thomlinson. An few others could compete upperclassman told me this in with. She knew how to an attempt to calm my nerves make even freshmen love the and worries. I was about to English language. descend into the world of 8 The Professor of English a.m. Advanced Grammar and began her academic career at Usage, a class feared by many North Central Texas College English majors and often in Gainsville, Texas, where taught by Thomlinson. she received an Associate’s However, I was amazed degree in Journalism. to find a small woman come She soon began working at in and fill the classroom with a newspaper and quickly rose warmth and enthusiasm. to the roles of copy editor and When Thomlinson began features writer. Thomlinson the first class, she put her said her boss gave her the whole body into her lecture. opportunity to move up to Whether flapping her arms a higher editorial position, about from excitement or but she passed for her love of
“Those are really my two options: increase what it costs to go to Cameron or reduce the services we provide.” President McArthur
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The meaning of “Aggie”
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available. We understand that financial assistance plays a vital role in each student’s ability to focus on their academic pursuits. The Cameron University
Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship will be awarded to juniors or seniors who are enrolled full-time and who have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
Opinion: On saying goodbye
Looking forward to fall with President McArthur
Inside this issue:
deserving Cameron students,” says Becky Holland, President, CUAA Board of Directors. “It is our plan to add to the endowment in order to make more scholarship dollars
One night and four guitars
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grammar. “I wanted to become a journalist,” she said. “I had the opportunity to take a higher position, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay a copy editor.” However, Thomlinson soon took another route with her writing. “I had a teacher who told me I had to make a decision,” Thomlinson said. “She told me, ‘You need to decide if you want to be a writer for English or Journalism. It is hard for you to just state the facts. Your style is too long and effusive. When you go to [Commerce], you are going to have a crisis on your hands.’”
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Aggies sweep softball
Friendship and my little pony
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