RECURSION vol. 2

RECURSION VOL. 2

Essays from College Writing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst

FALL 2014

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the authors, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

The Writing Program University of Massachusetts-Amherst 130 Hicks Way, Rm 305A Amherst, MA 01003 www.umass.edu/writingprogram/

RECURSION VOL. 2

FALL 2014

recursion, n.

“The action or an act of returning.”

– Oxford English Dictionary

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

The goal of College Writing is to help students become more skilled and confident in their academic writing skills. The four units we’ve covered this semester – Interacting with Texts, Adding to the Conversation, Inquiring into Self, and Experimental Writing – have each approached academic writing from a different angle, bringing new sets of choices for student writers. Writing appears in many different ways and is performed differently by everyone, but maybe a common thread throughout all good writing is that it attempts to present and work through complicated ideas. Writing is a tool to map out difficult thoughts.

And good writing rarely happens overnight. More often, it’s the product of hard work, careful reflection, and constant revision. If the essays presented in this issue are strong, it’s in no small part due to the fact that each underwent an extensive process of drafting and peer-review. One word we used this semester to think about this drafting process was recursion – the act of returning. Writing, like any other skill, is largely the product of careful and determined practice.

Recursion is a procedure that can repeat itself indefinitely. Thus, no piece of writing is ever completely finished. Many writers spend their whole lives revising one book, one story, one paragraph, one line.

Writing is a recursive process, one that demands us always to take a second look, to examine ourselves critically, and to strive for better work.

I’m very pleased to present an outstanding collection of student essays in this issue. I look forward to seeing more work from these writers in the future. Thank you all for a great semester!

Delia Pless Teaching Associate, College Writing

TABLE OF CONTENTS “UMass Minutemen Vs Siena Saints” Brian Armold “More than a Game” Justin Berglund “The Right of Passage” Anonymous “Another Identity To Face” Nicolas Duenas “What type of fan are you?”

Brian Friscia “College Drinking: Social Problem or American Pastime” Timothy Jablonsky “A Wedding Banquet to Remember” Victoria Kyone “Be Proud of Having Pride” George Liu

“Cheering for a Win” Kate McDonald “Does Homeless Mean Helpless?”

Carly Nangle “Be Like David And Beyoncé” Allison Pelletier “Rude Attitude” Anonymous “A Night at the Mullin Center” Matthew Silva “Broken Internet or Society? ” Emily Stein “The Most Plunderful Time of the Year” Megan Vanderpoel

UMass Minutemen Vs Siena Saints Brian Armold

After getting my ticket checked, I walked through the double doors into the stadium of the Mullins Center. This was my first college basketball game as a Minuteman, and being such, I hoped to see a promising turnout for the season opener against Siena College. Last year, Massachusetts was seeded sixth out of sixty-eight teams in the NCAA March Madness tournament, even though this was their first appearance in the tournament since 1998. This year, Minutemen fans are expecting a return to the tournament but not a repeat of last year’s first round defeat to eleventh-seeded Tennessee. The results of this game will prove to be promising.

Tip Off The game started after a very beautifully sung Nation Anthem by one of the UMass seniors majoring in fine arts. It was game time. The tip-off was won by our very own UMass Minutemen, and taken down the court. After a missed shot, the Saints out rebounded UMass, and returned the ball for a 2-0 lead thirty seconds in. Obviously, unfazed UMass fans continued to cheer on their team. The game was very back and forth for the first few minutes, neither team really getting an upper hand. Several subs later, Massachusetts pulled ahead. At the start of the game, I was rather underwhelmed with the amount of support shown by UMass fans. The stands were relatively empty for what was advertised as a nearly sold out game. My eyes were so glued to the court that I didn’t even realize how packed the stadium had become. Ten minutes into the game, the stands were filled on the UMass side up to the top row. Now it felt like an accurate representation of UMass’s fan support.

Concessions/Halftime With only 2:00 minutes left on the game clock for the first half, I decided to get a head start scoping out the concession stands before the halftime rush. Mediocre food at outrageous prices, exactly what any fan expects at a sporting event of any kind. With lines already as long as ones you’d see at an amusement park, I waited in line to get my chicken fingers and fries. After parting with more money from my wallet than I would have liked to, I returned to my seat. There was your typical halftime events including; a kiss cam, relay race, and a shoot off. All accompanied by halftime music.

The fifteen minute halftime was almost up and the players took the court to warm up.

Second Half After a very high fouling first half, I hoped to see an even more aggressive and physical second half. I got my wish! Eight minutes into the second half, Siena had already committed over ten fouls and had seven committed against them. This showed that both teams wanted this win, and neither side was going to let up. Still a neck and neck game, one team would pull ahead for a moment, then the next they were down. The UMass vs Siena game was turning out to be a nail biter; one of those games where the fans are on the edge of their seats the entire time. Number 22 on the Siena team fouled out of the game, committing five personal fouls against UMass. That’s something any UMass fan likes to hear. Fouls directly correlate to intensity and the intensity of the game definitely effects the reactions/emotions of the fans in a positive way. When the game is intense, it gets the fans active and engaged, making the all-around experience better for both parties.

The Two minute Mark Any basketball fan or player knows that once the clock reaches 2:00 minutes left in a close game, that all hell breaks loose. Those two game time minutes left on the clock can take an upwards of fifteen minutes to run down. As both teams get more and more desperate, fouls are called one after another. Then as the coaches get agitated with their players’ sloppiness due to nerves, timeouts are called. The entire game can be summed up in the last two minutes of a basketball game. The pace of the game seems to exponentially increase as the players feel a sense of urgency. It seems to slow time, like in a car crash how everything moves in slow motion, spectators are able to pick up on every fault the players make in the last two minutes. Passes are more telegraphed, shots are less accurate, but that is when the game truly gets interesting.

The Crowd Due to the fact that the game was so close, it definitely contributed to the actions of the fans. It truly is hard to cheer for a losing team, and it takes a true fan to stay the whole game during a blowout game. Yes, it’s easy to cheer on a winning team, but those neck and neck games are what makes a crowd into diehard fans. Getting into the game and literally getting emotional when something happens, is why an action packed sport like basketball gets such a large fan base. In a close game, a fan can

easily feel like they matter. This idea is evident in other sport as well, take the NFL for instance. The Green Bay Packers have one of the largest fan followings in sports. Being one of the original eight NFL teams they have a near perfect record on home turf. This is largely due to the contribution of their fans coming out to support them. Even now the waitlist for a season pass for Packers home games is in the millions. The team also needs to preform, they don’t necessarily have to win, but having a close game versus a blowout contributes to the morale of fans and player. While right after the fact, losing a close game hurts, it’s easier to pick yourself up from a close loss as opposed to a crushing defeat. Fans are much more enthusiastic about a team that can put up a good fight. They are more willing to come out and support their teams in a home game if the game was close last time. The relationship between fan and athlete is two sided; you can’t have one without the other. The actions of the fan base correlates to the long-term performance of a sports team. A team with loyal fans has an added reason to fight for a win versus a team only playing for themselves. UMass displayed this very well in their game against the Siena Saints, and due to that they are now 3-0 in the standings.

Final Buzzer The UMass minutemen left the court on that Friday night with a 94-85 victory over the Siena Saints.

The game as a whole was fantastic. The intensity was a relief to see, considering how much work UMass has put into this program. I have high hopes for them this coming year, and even more for March Madness. Go Minutemen!

More than a Game Justin Berglund

It is 6:00 on a Friday night at UMass, there is much to come as the night goes on. I walk through the halls and hear students laughing and talking as music plays in the background. I get to my friends room and when I walk in I find all my friends in there doing the same. We all have tickets to the hockey game at 7 and are getting ready. As more people come in as we near game time those who have been “pregaming� for a while are getting comfortable in the room wanted to stay in. My friend, Ran, who is from Israel had a visitor, Dingo, here from his home country who had never seen a hockey game before, and wanted to go to the game. So instead of staying in and not doing much for a while Ran, Dingo, and I left to go to the game.

We make it to the Mullins center and as soon as Dingo see the rink he is amazed, he has never seen anything like it before. We had shown up late since we had expected everyone to come with us, but after a lot of waiting, they all backed out. So we showed up in the middle of the game which might have been better for Dingo since he got right in the excitement. We were there no longer than 3 min before we saw our first goal. The crowd erupted with cheers, the student section doing the goal chant in which they tell the opposing team that they suck. Throughout the game I could tell that Dingo was enjoying it because of its fast pace, the contact, and the constant cheering, but at the same time he had no idea what was happening.

The end of the period came and we had decided that we should leave this had nothing to do with the score but simply because Dingo was here. Although he had enjoyed the game while we were there he did not understand he game at all. He struggled with his English so as I tried explaining the rues to him Ran helped translate, but Ran has only seen a few hockey games himself so he to didn’t know the rules. Since he would not be able to follow what was going on the excitement would just lessen throughout the game for him. Ran had called his friend Michael to come pick us up.

We left the game and were waiting for our ride and to show Dingo much more fun throughout the night. Michael shows up and he takes us to his off campus house there we meet up with more of our friends. We start having a good time there before we move down the hall to another apartment which is bigger and has more people. Michael brings out his hookah and we start passing it around. I am very excited about the hookah because back home me and my friends would go to a hookah lounge every

week. Two kids from my floor on campus end up showing up at this party even though they didn’t even know the kids there they were just with some girls who were invited.

We are all having a great time but it is getting late and people are starting to leave. I head back to the dorms but decide to stop by the dorm in which I stated the night in t see how their night ended up. As I get to their room they are all quietly sitting there. I walk in and am still energized from my party and ask them how their night was. They said they went out but their night was just okay. Which is unfortunate because I had one of the best nights at college that night, but that’s what happens when you back out on the chance to go to the game.

My original plan was to attend the full game and talk about the crowd reactions to the result of the game. I was going to show how fast the UMass fans can sway their opinion of our teams from “we love them” and “they are the best” to “they suck, why’d we even come.” I didn’t make it to the start of the game and I left, but I realized it didn’t really matter. Yes, I do feel bad for the hockey team that I and many other fans leave the games early, but you cannot miss out on other opportunities. If I had not left that game when we did I probably would not have gone to that party would not have met the people I did that night and would not have had one of the best nights of my college career that night.

I didn’t want to stay in all night like my friends did, we have done plenty of dorm parties throughout the year already, then they went to a party which we have been to multiple times before. Doing the same thing over and over again gets boring. Instead I took the opportunities that came to me and went with it. I hope I can get through college without regretting things I didn’t do. Everyone tells me that college is the best four years of your life and it goes by quick. So far, one semester in, I believe them.

The Right of Passage Anonymous

There are so many memories that took place on one single old bleacher in my hometown. There are multiple occasions on which I sat there with the people who I once thought I couldn’t live without and we watched the game unfold in front of us. Although typically this game was technically soccer or football, there was always something much more interesting happening right before our eyes. It was on that bench that we gossiped and watched as relationships began and friendships waivered. Below the cold steel surface is where slowly people began to escape to and fall into the pressures of high school. Eventually, there reached the day where any open container was suspicion and relationship pointless for in just a few months we would be gone. That bench witnessed my introduction to my teenage years and my farewell to my childhood. It saw my first heartbreak, ending friendship and suspicious beverage. As I sat on it and relished over all it had meant to me this past weekend I realized how blind I truly was to the game in front of me all those years. We ignored what was right in front of us because the gossip and social aspect seemed far more superior. We neglected the fact that we knew which players that sulked only feet away were going through hell in reality. As the halftime bell rang we walked to concessions, ignoring the terrified friends of ours who walked into their locker room wincing.

Hazing is defined as “The imposition of strenuous, often humiliating, tasks as part of a program of rigorous physical training and initiation.”(dictionary.com). Now having walked away from that field in my hometown I have experienced first hand the reality of this term. Then, it was irrelevant to us. I’m not sure if it was our ignorance over the real harm teenage boys are capable of or the safety net I grew up in that blinded us from this harsh reality. Hazing has a new meaning to me. In fact, these past few weeks a distant friend passed away from the issue first hand. It is something that is overlooked and shunned, even in a small safe town in New England. Hazing is a serious problem in many groups and organizations whether it be men or women of any age. It often leads to even larger problems within the age groups it most commonly resides in such as depression or suicide. Hazing can and should be held at a similar weight as these pressing issues.

Sitting on that metal bench brought a lot more emotions back to me than I had ever expected. Our society today dismisses and ignores these kind of things that are serious problems. Hazing will never be justifiable,

nor will it ever be only persistent in one group or organization. It is everywhere we might look whether we know it or not. It is right in front of our eyes, playing football or soccer. It is in the house next door to ours, or the marching band we hear outside. It’s even seen in hundreds of eyes as justifiable to this day.

Hazing has prevailed in many places, clubs and organizations since the 1400s. We have seen it in fraternities and sororities, the military, honorary clubs and many athletic sports. Throughout America’s history there has been a clear correlation between respect and violence. We are taught to stand up to bullies and gain respect. Hazing has been incorporated into our society through the struggles of balancing respect and violence. I have experienced hazing first hand now having come to Umass Amherst. I have also discovered that it isn’t something that pertains to specific college, age group or organization. Finding out that it existed in the safe haven I grew up in made this issue even more serious to me. Although hazing is illegal in forty-four states it is still a consistent and serious problem within our society. Many people who strive to be a part of these clubs and organizations see hazing as a right of passage or something they need to go through to get respect of the older participants.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has stated“many student-athletes believe the myths that hazing will accomplish team building and bonding, instill needed humility in new team members, establish a hierarchy for leadership and decision-making within the team, allow individuals free choice regarding their participation and be fun and harmless.”(“What”) This status quo isn’t okay and needs to be transformed immediately. Hazing has no better purpose in our society and that idea needs to be transcended across our nation. Robert Champiom, a drum major on the Florida A&M University’s marching band, passed away due to an incident of Hazing (“Marching”). He had stepped onto “Bus C”, a bus known for its hazing ritual “crossing over”, where he was then beaten to death with fists, drumsticks, instruments and mallets (“Marching”). Hazing is illegal, yet we see it consistently in our society in places many people would never expect.

A distant friend of mine, Nolan Burch, passed away last week at West Virginia University. He suffered a “catastrophic medical emergency” and was found unresponsive on the floor of his off campus fraternity house (“Was”). Did hazing lead to Nolan’s death? Its unsure, but the fact that it is the first thought that crosses thousands of people’s minds when hearing the story is not okay. The chapter he was pledging, Kappa Sigma (which we have on our Umass Campus today) was suspended and lost its charter (“Was”). The campus temporarily suspended Greek life activities and mourned the loss, yet I know nothing will change

and it will soon resume again. My friends’ death might have been one of the many lives lost in our society due to hazing, but the insidious act will continue to live on.

Hazing persists in many places we wouldn’t expect it. It doesn’t just account for deaths in the Greek system, but all across the nation. Being a part of the Greek system it’s hard to stand strong with my beliefs when I am so involved. I would never allow myself to be hazed nor not speak up when someone I know is. We, the Greek system, get all of the rash of hazing when it is so consistent in so many places. It hurts me to understand that I may be a part of something that killed a friend of mine, but it hurts even more to see the little to no legal changes made in our nation despite the amount of atrocious incidents like this. Although It has only been a few months, being a part of my sorority has been rewarding and an amazing experience. I’m more involved with my campus than I could have ever imagined myself being and haven’t faced anything resembling hazing, although I know many in other places that haven’t been as lucky. I am a part of the notorious Greek system, yet I can I pledge that I stand behind my beliefs that hazing is never acceptable. It has always been right in front of my eyes, ever since I was a kid. I find myself watching many games these days, but this time I’m fighting for what’s happening behind the scenes.

Works Cited "Commentary: Hazing and American Culture." - Higher Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

"Marching Band's Fatal Hazing Ritual Recounted in Runup to Florida Tria."

N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

"Was Nolan Burch Hazed Before Freshman's Death At WVU Frat?"

International Business Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

"What Is Hazing in Our Society? - Theholmeseducationpost.com."

Theholmeseducationpost.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

Another Identity To Face Nicolas Duenas

I only got accepted to four colleges out of the eleven that I applied to: University of New Hampshire, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth, and University of Massachusetts – Amherst. I eventually chose UMass Amherst, despite the reputation. I also visited my fair share of colleges but Assumption is by far one of the smallest campuses. When I mention Assumption College to most people, they are clueless as to where it could be located. It’s a different reaction when I say I go to ZooMass Amherst – I mean, UMass Amherst.

When I made the decision to go to UMass Amherst, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I suddenly had entered a life of questioning and furthered judgment. This college decision-making process is already packed with so much pressure – I don’t need people criticizing my choice. It is hard enough going through the whole college process to end up being looked down upon because of the college you attend. My excitement to go there was shot down immediately and I even began considering the possibility that they may have a point. However, whether I’d take a left or right, the choice I made would impact my identity regardless. An idea or mental picture is associated with any college that I would have gone with. Adults and students alike ask me where I am going to college and their immediate response is around the lines of “Isn’t that the party school? Are you going there for the parties?”

Everywhere I go, people respond the same way. It is not fair that I need to live with defending the university I study at because of some reputation that it held in the 1970s – years when the legal drinking age was 18. Is labeling still the trend?

Very few students in my high school went to Ivy League schools, as most of us expected. Some went to some small private schools and many to public schools around the state. Each and every one of us made a decision and that instantly changed how we looked at each other. Some of those colleges are known for the excessive student life and others known for the academics.

I visited Assumption College a couple times and their campus is not as dry as you may think, although they are a Catholic college. Assumption is about the size of my high school but it certainly is undergoing the same problems that other universities across the country face with their undergraduate

student body. Friday nights in Assumption consist of highly intoxicated young women barely walking straight and hardly able to keep themselves from face planting onto the floor. The night is usually topped off with them pulling down their skirts and urinating in the middle of their room. Saturday nights consist of binge drinking way above women’s tolerance, filling up a fourth of a garbage barrel.

This is the type of partying that usually occurs on campuses – party until you can’t no more.

This mentality is what drives students to continue taking that extra unnecessary beer or shot.

In our generation, it is socially acceptable to behave in such a manner. Some of us want to prove to our friends that we can handle drinking a couple beers and a couple of shots. Some just want to forget about the stresses by drinking it all away. Many more are peer pressured to drink along with friends at parties. At some universities, binge drinking is more likely to happen at house and fraternity parties. At others, binge drinking is more in small apartments or in the dorms themselves. The atmosphere of binge drinking in each college/university is different because people are there for different reasons, different motives to be in a higher educational institute besides getting a higher education.

Some wanted to get as far away from home as they can and others have to support a family that are struggling in society.

Many may still believe that college is the place where the sons and daughters go wild, party hard, and do less of the studying part of the college experience. People automatically put a label on me for the college I go to. There are students in every school that choose to make poor decisions, whether it is at an immense university or a meager college. Underage drinking is something that has become common in undergraduate students. It is a bit of a problem that we face in our society and that students face as well. The idea of “partying” and binge drinking in college has become so common to students, although the legal drinking age is actually twenty one. Even though some schools have a worse reputation than others, binge drinking still occurs in colleges throughout the whole nation.

Labeling should be a thing of the past. We should be done with this ignorant trend. It is a judgmental perception on people who have done nothing to receive such negative acknowledgment.

The negative connotations to the college is something that happens to other colleges around the country and it just isn’t fair for students. Some of us actually want to do well in our classes and are not

so much a part of the bad reputation that the media has given us – or word of mouth. I want to be able to tell people I go to UMass Amherst and not be questioned about how crazy the parties get over there. I will just say “They’re ok. They are not much different than other colleges.” We all have identities that we represent and your college decision is another identity that everyone needs to face and deal with the results of that. Labeling other people or associating them to a specific stereotype is what is going on now in the grand jury’s final decision of Michael Brown’s case. Not all black people are criminals. Not all white people are racists. Not all cops are corrupt. And not all students at UMass Amherst are party animals.

What type of fan are you?

Brian Friscia

UMass basketball has become the pride of our illustrious university. I witnessed this during the school’s opening game of the season on Friday, November 14. Coming off of one of the school’s most successful seasons in basketball, there were huge expectations for this basketball season. This was presented at the game last Friday right before my eyes. Seats were filled with students, local fans, alumni, as well as a few opposing team fans making the trip from Siena, New York. The crowd, for the most part, was focused on the game from start to finish showing dedication to either team. As I watched the game, I also noticed the spectators at the game. What I saw was that while we were generalized as “fans”, there are multiple subgroups that differentiate each person into how each fan’s game experience differs. Fan types can vary such as fans that are rowdy, fans that are trying to enjoy a good basketball game, or even oblivious fans.

The oblivious fans are my favorite as long as they don’t bother me. These fans will attend sporting events at their school simply to socialize. This was a lot more common at high school sporting events but I observed it at the game I attended. While the game goes on they will be staring at their phone having no clue what is going on in front of them. Most fans like these try to find out what is going on by asking people around them. I laughed as I viewed a girl sitting near me cheering for the opposing team. She watched a team make a shot and started clapping for them. While that’s awfully nice of her, she should probably realize that UMass doesn’t wear green and Siena just scored.

It’s comical to see someone so oblivious to a certain sport that they don’t understand which team to root for.

Rowdy fans are usually the students but can also be some dedicated adult fans around the stadium. These fans are devoted to their team as if they were a part of it. At professional sporting events you can occasionally see these fans arguing and even fighting with opposing team fans. This doesn’t occur as much in college but their devotion is just as great. During the UMass game it was easy to spot (and hear) the enthusiastic fans in the stadium. I was always able to see them on the lower level of the student section trying to get the rest of the students and fans as into the game as they were. Obviously it didn’t work but not due to their lack of trying. They were always the one’s

insisting everyone should stand up while the game was going on and it worked. It was interesting to watch how a few outgoing scholars could influence the entire student section. Not only did they convince fans to stand up and cheer during the game but they were the ones starting the stadium wide chants. Including “who’s your Cady?” as well as “let’s go UMass”. Hearing the screams and cheers of those chants echo throughout the building is one of the most memorable part of the game for me.

While I may not be a “rowdy” fan, I believe every sporting event needs fans like them to create a game atmosphere that everyone enjoys.

The next group of fans are the ones’ who attend the game to enjoy the game and are fans of the sport in general. I don’t notice them too often in a crowd but I know of them because I am one. I don’t go to sporting events to get crazy and wild like the rowdy fans. I go for the love of the game and to show passion for my team in ways that aren’t broadcasted to large groups of people. I saw a few of these fans at the game and they are usually in groups. I noticed that if one person in their group wanted to sit and enjoy the game then they all did. No one person in a group wants to make a scene and bring unwanted attention to their group. Hence why they often travel in packs to separate themselves from those who are too intense with the game or are uninterested in the game. These fans prefer to watch the game than be bothered by those who don’t share the same interest. Adults frequently fall under this category while students are rarely qualified as such. Students are thought to be the more energetic fans as the adults cheer on their local university, child who is playing in the game or the school they used to attend. Being a quite fan allows me to enjoy the game while I block out the background distractions of other obnoxious fans sitting nearby.

The last type of fan at the game, that we have all experienced are the drunk fans. Making a fool of themselves and then not caring because they probably won’t remember? We have all seen these fans in college or in high school. Drunk fans can be rowdy or oblivious, sometimes both. At the UMass game I noticed both. There were some I observed from a far as they seek the attention from other fans as they try get the rest of the crowd into the game but in a loud obnoxious way that no one respects. Also they could solely be focused on socializing with their other intoxicated friends. The amount of drunk fans at sporting events is shockingly high and only going to increase. It is a shame to see that people can only enjoy sporting events being under the influence. These events practically encourage students and fans to drink and sadly there is nothing the school or security can do about it.

Fans are what make the game. UMass fans especially bring such enthusiasm to each game that not many other fans can witness. These fans come together and help unite the school as well as the UMass community. The passion from most individuals at the game helps create a group of people striving for one things which is the success for UMass. The atmosphere for our basketball, hockey and football games is always passionate with fans who support our school. It is great to watch our fans come together at our basketball game whether they are rowdy, quite, oblivious or piss drunk. Next time you go to a UMass sporting event, look around for these types of fans and see which one you relate to the most.

College Drinking: Social Problem or American Pastime Timothy Jablonsky

In 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was enacted stating that no person under the age of 21 is permitted to consume alcohol under any circumstance (APIS). This may be the most frequently broken law on a college campus. The newfound freedom and ability to make your own decisions turns many students to a life of weekend binge drinking and other poor decisions. This begs the question, are all the stereotypes of college students accurate? Do we all drink too much, not study enough and eat enough to gain fifteen pounds as soon as we get the chance? Well, it would be incorrect to claim that all students experience these setbacks, however, certain groups certainly fall into these routines. Underage drinking at college parties has become very evident since I arrived on the UMass campus roughly three months ago. In that time I have not only experienced many of these stereotypes first hand, but I have encountered much more scrutiny following my decision to join a fraternity. Fraternities take the college stereotypes to a whole other level.

The freedom of college is supposed to be a tool used to help us learn how to succeed later in life. How to be independent and how to live on our own are just a few of the things that college is supposed to teach us. With intentions so true, why is it that seemingly the only appreciation students have for the freedom is that it prevents them from being caught drunk, high or whatever else they would not dare do at home where their parents might catch them? The biggest issue that a University faces with its students is an abuse of freedom. Granted there are students out there who have the freedom to do as they please and instead elect to stay in and study, the overwhelming majority struggle to say no to the everyday distractions we face. In a more structured setting there may be a parent or a teacher hovering over to make sure all work gets done. Here, it is all on you to get your work done. Being a student myself, I understand the temptations of skipping out on some work to have a good time. I also know the danger and how slippery a slope it is once you give in once. Work needs to be the priority. If that is the case there will be plenty of time to experience “college life� afterwards.

After attending a party that I chose as my event, I discovered exactly what I had anticipated.

Almost everyone there was underage. There was no alcohol provided at the party but people were

free to bring in what they wanted and were never questioned of their age. There were girls wearing outfits that were in no way conducive to the outside conditions and guys were certainly taking notice. There was nothing about this party that was upstanding, for a lack of a better term, the party was a complete shitshow. No more than an hour in, empties lined the walls, broken glass laid scattered across the floor and a suffocating heat radiated from the sweaty bodies dancing on the floor. If this is how these students chose to spend their free time, I will not be the one to judge them. All I know is that what I witnessed is nothing something I will choose to participate in anytime soon.

The only redeeming factor that I noticed contradicts the biggest stereotype that I have repeatedly heard since I professed my desire for joining a fraternity. People constantly accuse members of a fraternity of drinking dangerous amounts, being disrespectful to females and the golden ticket, hazing. I can personally attest to the fact that none of these stereotypes are accurate and actually are exact opposite of what I have come to know. From a non biased perspective, I noticed that it was the brothers of the fraternity that were maintaining order and being the most respectful that night. They understand the fact that where everyone else comes to party, is where they live. They need to make sure that the party remains contained and the easiest way to do that is to be sober. So, while everyone else is dependent on alcohol for a good time of lack of self-control and poor decisions, it is the members of the fraternity who are in the most control and are effectively responsible for the mass chaos occurring in their house. It is a shame that fraternities deal with such a negative connotation. There are so many false precepts of what fraternities stand for and what their true intentions are. Personally, I only joined my fraternity because I agreed with everything they stood for, ‘to promote brotherhood, stimulate scholarship and to develop character’.

These values were something I could support and I’m sure others would too if they took the time to research what fraternities were really about.

Following my investigation into a typical fraternity party, I feel as though I have a better understanding of how the college social life works. What I saw was that most students at fraternity parties are under the legal age limit to consume alcohol. I witnessed that few people know how to safely consume alcohol. And I also saw that of all in attendance, the members of the fraternity tended to be the most responsible people. There is no stopping the fact that there will be underage drinking on nearly every campus of major universities. There are too many students to stop and honestly, there are bigger fish to fry. Since there is no stopping the drinking, you can only focus on the safety regarding the consumption of

of alcohol. Too many people, just at one party, proved they couldn’t control themselves to only consume a safe amount of alcohol. This is the time where reinforcements are needed. When the authorities see someone stumbling home after a long night, that cannot go unnoticed. More importantly though, what I would love to see a fight for, is to reverse the concept people have of fraternities. It is a mindset that could be so simply changed. People fail to recognize all the good fraternities do by means of philanthropy and community involvement. Also, despite being less available to be observed, their responsibility in a social setting far outweighs that of a typical student. In conclusion, there are certainly issues regarding alcohol and underage drinkers on our campus. Some stereotypes have been proven true, others miserable put to shame. I know that having observed what I did, I am educated enough to stand firmly on my own opinions of college stereotypes.

Works Cited "APIS - The 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act." APIS - The 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act. NIAAA, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014.

A Wedding Banquet to Remember Victoria Kyone

7:26 PM After getting out of the car, I saw the restaurant’s name in a glowing red written in Cambodian. A man wearing a jet black suit stood in front of the restaurant and opened the door to let me, my friend, and his two sisters into the restaurant while one of the sister’s boyfriend went to park the car. We were greeted by jazz-like Cambodian music playing in the background. What especially caught my attention was the blood red walls on both sides of the stairs that led up to the restaurant. Short chandeliers donned the ceiling, sending fractions of light all over the red walls.

When we reached the top of the stairs, my friends left a message for the bride and groom in a thick, white book sitting on a table dressed in white. We walked into the main room to find our spots. A line of relatives of the bride and groom were dressed in beautiful traditional Cambodian clothing. They greeted us with their homeland greeting—placing the palms of the hands together, as if praying, and bowing slightly. For me, being a Taiwanese-American, I felt unfamiliar but also responded to them by mimicking their actions. They handed each of us a fake flower named Dok Champa (Plumeria), which I had first assumed was Cambodia’s national flower. However, upon later research, I found out that it was actually the national flower of Lao PDR.

Our spots had been taken. Even though my friend had reserved a table for us, because his groom was his best friend, another group of people had occupied it. What?! I thought, astounded. Then I noticed that none of the tables had small name tags to indicate whose spot belonged to who. That was drastically different from all the weddings I had attended in the past. Unfortunately, we had to move to the other room of the restaurant which was only divided by an arch and was next to the open bar. We took our seats at one of the many long tables. A small plate of salt and sugar peanuts and cans of beer were soon placed on the table, which surprised me. I had never been to a wedding where alcohol was served so openly. A waiter soon arrived again with two beer cups filled with rum. My friend raised an eyebrow at me when he saw the cups. It was time to drink.

9:34 PM The first main dish finally arrived, after four shots of the bitter tasting rum and what seemed like hours—which was actually true. The plate of assorted cold cut meats featured cilantro, cut green chili peppers, and the assorted meats. The light pink slice of meat was from a pig, according to my friend. The taste reminded me a lot of pepperoni. The other beige colored meat tasted pretty plain and I still have no idea what type of meat it is. I was starving by this time since I had not eaten since lunch time, so I really didn’t care what it was.

Some of the guests wore really formal clothing, and others wore semi-formal like me. I decided to wear a short mint dress that night, matched with a pair of five inch heels. Many of the women at the wedding wore long flowing dresses, as if it were a prom event. I had even originally planned on wearing

my prom dress. None of the guests seemed as approachable as I had hoped, so I fixed my attention mainly on the food and when there were events going on. In fact, many of the guests were too busy taking pictures against the wallpapers of Cambodia plastered on the walls.

9:48 PM Another three shots of rum later, the second dish was served. I especially took a liking to this dish, as it reminded me a bit of a Korean dish. It was chilled, thinly sliced steak, seasoned with a type of chili sauce. The steak’s texture was both chewy and also melted a bit in my mouth. It tasted a bit like kimchi, which was a type of Korean dish where cabbage was fermented in a jar filled with special chili sauce.

Upon research, I found out that this dish was one of the traditional dishes of Cambodia. It was called Lap Khmer: lime-marinated Khmer beef salad. Although called a “salad,” this refreshing dish has more beef. According to Lina Goldberg, author of “Move to Cambodia: A guide to living and working in the Kingdom of Wonder,” this dish is usually popular with Cambodian men, who prefer their beef to be nearly raw, however, it is generally served grilled at restaurants. Dressed with lemongrass, shallots, garlic, fish sauce, Asian basil, mint, green beans, and green pepper, this salty and sweet dish “also packs a punch in the heul (spicy) department with copious amounts of red chilies” (Goldberg). As an Asian, I found the spicy level to be just right.

As we ate, the DJ of the wedding began blasting Cambodian music. Seeing that most of the guests were older, I guess the songs were a bit dated. They were upbeat songs, but not quite upbeat enough for someone my age to try to dance to.

9:57 PM My friend’s sister and I ended up pretty drunk so we left for the restroom. By the time we went back to our table, roasted quail, or “baby chicken,� was already placed on the table. As we were eating, I saw some extra tables being pulled out from the back and set up in the middle of the room. Apparently more guests had arrived than was recorded on the list. The banquet overall felt really disorganized and loud. I was unable to see any obvious color theme to the banquet.

A traditional Cambodian wedding consisted of many ceremonies and celebrations which lasted three days and three nights. However, due to the demands of modern day life, all the wedding ceremonies are usually completed in one day. What usually took place in a traditional Cambodian wedding were six main ceremonies: presentation of dowry, tea ceremony, hair cutting ceremony, the Seven Rotations, tying the wrists or pairing ceremony, and the cleansing ceremony. I, unfortunately, was not able to witness any of these (if they even took place), because the wedding ceremony had occurred the previous day. I only attended the banquet which happened the day after it.

9:58 PM After begging my friend profusely, he finally brought back my favorite drink from the bar: Mai Tai. Even though it was most likely an open bar, I didn’t want to take any risks.

While waiting for the next dish to arrive, I took notice of how young the newlyweds looked. They seemed to be in their early to mid-twenties. According to Aimee Groth from Business Insider, men and women are actually getting married later, “pushing 30 by the time they walk down the aisle” (Groth).

Researchers are saying that because of culture, young adults are increasingly seeing marriage more as a “capstone” than a “cornerstone.” Men are now getting married at 29 and women at 27 on average. Therefore, seeing that the couple was in their early to mid-twenties really was unusual and opposite of the statistics.

10:12 PM Thankfully, another dish arrived. Although many dishes had already arrived, I did not eat a lot of each. I considered it rude to eat a lot of one dish, especially when sitting in a table filled with mainly unfamiliar people. This time it was fish. I assumed it was first sautéed then fried; it had a great combination of soft and crunchy texture and left a slight sweet taste in my mouth afterwards.

This dish was very similar to a traditional Cambodian dish called “Fried fish on the fire lake” where the fish is deep-friend and “finished on a hotplate at the table in a coconut curry made from yellow kroeung and chilies” (Goldberg). In “Fried fish on the fire lake,” fresh coconut milk was used—this wasn’t

used in everyday Khmer cooking because it was saved for special occasions, like weddings.

10:15 PM Some event soon took place and my friend, his two sisters, and I stood up to go to the other room to see what was happening. Even though I was at the height of five feet and eight inches, I still couldn’t really see what was happening. Or maybe I was just too drunk to realize what was going on. The only thing I recall happening was that the DJ finally decided to play some American rap music during the event. The event was most likely the bride and groom cutting the wedding cake, because I soon saw a lot of cake on people’s tables. My friend soon asked his sisters and I if we wanted cake. Of course we said yes, so he went and brought back red velvet cake. I thought it was pretty cute that they put rose petals on top of it.

The cake soon brought to mind a depressing thought: divorce. According to the Daily Infographic, since 2013, 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce in America. However, if the couple is over the age of 25, they are less likely to get divorced. Furthermore, I assumed that this was my friend’s best friend’s first marriage, so they are even less likely to get divorced. Unfortunately, the fact that divorce rates in America is so high can show how unsatisfied people are and how easy it is for people to change their minds. Although the current divorce rate is said to be a bit lower, it may dishearten many people to reject getting married.

But of course, it didn’t stop this couple.

10:31 PM By the time this roasted pork dish was served, my friend wanted to leave. This dish really reminded me of a Chinese dish where the pork was roasted for hours so that it was so soft that it could melt in your mouth.

After a few bites we soon decided it was time to leave. I was feeling too drunk and we were all just tired of waiting for the food to be served. And that was that, the end of my first Cambodian wedding. To my surprise, it wasn’t too different from the other weddings I have attended. Maybe it was just this particular wedding, but it was pretty disorganized and wasn’t managed too well by the bride and groom. I was unable to feel their presence at the wedding at all. But of course, I send my best to the bride and groom and hope that they have a wonderful honeymoon and amazing life as they set out on a new journey together!

Works Cited

Jasmin. "Divorce in America [infographic]." Daily Infographic RSS. N.p., 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://dailyinfographic.com/divorce-in-america-infographic>.

Goldberg, Lina. "10 Meals Every Visitor to Cambodia Should Try." CNN Travel. CNN. 18 Sept.

2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. <http://travel.cnn.com/cambodia-best-dishes-cambodia-food-401118>.

Groth, Aimee. "People Are Getting Married Later, And That's Great For Women." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://www.businessinsider.com/brookings-marriage-report-2013-3>.

"Minh & Sarom - Wedding Website by Mywedding.com." Minh & Sarom - Wedding Website by Mywedding.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://www.mywedding.com/minhandsarom/custom.html>.

Be Proud of Having Pride George Liu

What is pride? By definition from a dictionary, pride is “a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.” When the word pride is mentioned, what does one often think of? For me at this moment in my life, the things that pop into my mind without saying at the thought of pride are my accomplishments, my friends, who I am today, my university, and the groups in which I belong. Being proud is something that I believe is essential to one’s self esteem and character.

And it baffles me to no end when I notice that people don’t recognize the importance of feeling the emotion of pride.

The subject of pride became something that I’ve dwelled upon ever since I went to the UMass vs.

Siena game. Basketball is without a question my favorite sport. So, as a freshman, I simply could not miss out on the season opener of my alma mater basketball team. Almost all of my friends were going, and it was also to support my school’s basketball team, so there were no reasons not to go. But at the end of the game I realized the game wasn’t solely about the hour long playing time of game itself. The event started well before the buzzer that started off the tip off. Fans began scouting for maroon clothing and eye black as they anxiously waited for game time so they could shout at the top of their lungs for their beloved school. Friends went to each other’s rooms to pre-game, chatted about the game, and got ready to make the hike over to Mullins center to get ideal seats. After the game started, the fans cheered for the home team as usual, and at the same time tried putting the other team down which is quite common. The atmosphere tensed up and one could feel the atmosphere of frustration as our team started trailing. But that just made our fans cheer louder than ever, in hope of providing a spur for our team to come back from being at a disadvantage. The fans just kept on cheering until the very end. UMass ended up winning the game after being down for quite a while. But I knew that even had we lost, we still would’ve been proud of the team and individuals who represented the student body and the team who had given their all in hopes of making their school proud. The entire process is what people look forward to when it comes to a sporting event. The cheering, the friends, the pride of being a part of the community in which

you belong, and everything about it makes it impossible to make one not look forward to a game or match. The anticipation and desire for the home team to win is always there and on people’s minds.

But more than anything, regardless of whether your team wins or loses, there’s always going to be that sense of pride in your team. There’s always going to be a next game, and knowing that everyone that you’re with and that you’re all cheering for the same team who is brave enough to represent a whole community just generates an irreplaceable sense of pride.

The pride in sports and communities are often something that’s overlooked and neglected.

Given that it is something that’s intangible, one could always tell whether a person has a feeling of pride in a subject of matter. School pride is something that’s often times discussed also. The feeling of pride of coming from a certain school is one thing that bonds all the students from that school together. It’s a root that all students can come back to and it’s what connects one to another. Being able to think back to your school and feel proud that a certain school is your alma mater is something that’s invaluable. When it comes to school pride, sports are generally a subject of discussion since it’s such a “pride generator.”

Sports have become not only a source of entertainment but it also bonds people together. Two people could come from different parts of the world, have incompatible personalities and interests, but could bond because of one sport that they both enjoy. And one thing to reflect upon is how people often fail to recognize that sports aren’t strictly just about the players in the competition. One of the biggest reasons why sports even exist is so that it could be a form of entertainment for its audience. The crowds and fans are the backbone for the team, and they provide the energy, as well as the support that a team needs. Whether it’s to score that last basket, sprinting for the ball, or making that save or catch, the fans are right beside the players to cheer them on. I’m sure anyone who watches or plays sports understands the advantages of playing at home field or court. The way the crowd cheers as the players represent the fans. The fans almost as if serve as fuel for players and serve as incentives for the players to do well in order to make their fans proud. Universities and colleges are one of the biggest examples of when it comes to the players being charged up by the spectators. It goes without saying that the competitiveness of sports gradually gets more intense as the years go on, from elementary school all the way to college. And by the time we all get to college, being on a sports team takes a

a lot of dedication, talent, as well as effort. It takes a lot of courage and determination for the players to be expected to represent their school.

In the topic of sports, the fans, the community, and the players may all feel a sense of pride, but it could be for different reasons and in a dissimilar fashion. Of course, no one feels and interprets pride identically, it means differently to everyone even though there may be just a little variation. Pride can have differing effects depending on who youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at. For example, for the athletes, being on a team has a way of bonding teammates together, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s through practice or same ideals and goals or just going through the similar experiences, people who are on a team start to share a bond that only that specific team shares. And also knowing that they are representing a group much larger than just themselves produce that feeling of pride and responsibility that makes them want to do anything to not be a disappointment. Or an athlete could be proud because out of numerous candidates they had the skills and capability to represent a larger group. One thing that not many people realize is how much influence pride has on sports, and how sports revolve around the emotion of pride.

Pride may mean something differently depending on the subject of discussion and it could even be sprouted for many different reasons. Sometimes, having too much pride can even be considered a bad thing. But regardless of what one feels when it comes to pride, that feeling is always genuine. Once again so, what exactly is pride? Pride is the emotion that could serves as motivation and drive to bring out our top performance and the best of us. But, more importantly, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the vital emotion that paradoxically makes us distinct from one another and reveals our individuality, but at the same time also bonds us together.

Cheering for a Win Kate McDonald

Basketball, a sport that involves exceptionally tall people, who run up and down a court for two separate halves and try to get a ball into a hoop. This event has a way of bringing together a community, pulling in alumni, children, families, and of course thousands of students. This brings on a sense of unity as we all come together in a huge center and root our team on. The experience of going to a sports game isn’t just watching the game, but the entire process of getting ready, being with friends, and all the cheering. It’s about coming together as a community in order to support a team we all love.

This past Friday, Siena College’s men’s basketball team came to play Umass for the opening season game. The game had been advertised all week, hyping up the student body for a great game.

The event sold out, and people were going around like crazy bargaining with others for tickets. Before the big game as I walked down the dorm hallway seeing everyone’s door open, and observing them all get ready, all dressed in maroon and white, and the usual minutemen attire. I could hear loud music playing as friends pre-gamed together. You could feel the excitement in the atmosphere for this game.

Walking over to the stadium, on a freezing cold night, as crowds of people herded down the street towards the Mullins Center.

The feeling the encompasses you as you walk into a stand filled gym, as the floor vibrates from loud cheers and the smell of overpriced french fries and chicken fingers entices you. The happiness and hype is all around, as students and fans chant Umass cheers, whistle and clap to encourage the players.

The game begins and for the duration of it, the game is neck and neck, once one team would pull a little ahead the other would catch right back up. It was never a dull moment in this intense game, it kept us fans chanting hard, and supporting our team until the last second. In the last half, with only a few seconds left, Siena had the ball, and also the opportunity to pull ahead, and take the win. But, thankfully Umass wouldn’t have it, and we ended up pulling through and taking the win ninety-five to eighty-seven.

Although the game was great, nothing really beats the aftermath of it. As people squeeze through the doors exiting the Mullins center, hyped up on adrenaline and excitement from a big win,

seeing nothing but smiling faces with anticipation for what the night has to bring for everyone.

Students break off in opposite directions to go back to the dorms and prepare for a night out to celebrate.

This game is a prime example of the fact that sporting events have a way of bringing a community together. It unifies people as they root for a common team. Not only is this, but a sense of healthy rivalry and competition encouraged. People from all over a surrounding area, or have something that ties them to Umass athletics, and this brings them out to come and support the team. If our team began to fall behind, the crowd would continue to cheer and encourage the team to fight back. The crowd not only encourages our own team but can even discourage the other team. By hearing a crowd chant and scream pumps up our player and once they start doing well, the opposing team gets frustrated, causing a change in tides.

Ever think that the crowd has no effect on a team and its performance? As a former athlete I disagree, I feel as if the crowd can make all of the difference. When a team is stuck in a rut, and is being overcome with a poor state of mind, that could quite possibly lose them the game, they need encouragement. So, taking a second to hear the crowd going crazy, chanting for your team, and having that support gives you an overwhelming feeling of confidence. It encourages the team to push through and get back into the game. Although, in contrast, if there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any reinforcement by fans, a team is likely to spiral out of control and lose with no one to pick them back up but themselves. A lot of the time someone of the biggest schools in the country have great sports teams, and sure that is not all due to the fans cheering, but it does give them a large support system.

The Umass vs Siena game exemplified many things about the Umass community. One of them being that Umass takes great pride in their sports teams, not only the faculty and staff that try to encourage support in the community, but the students play a huge factor in this. Often, many groups of students will encourage others to go to games and this causes a chain reaction and increases popularity. The team will get talked up, and entice people to come to the games and help defend their reputation. Not only this, but a big crowd attending these games brings our community together. It gives everyone the opportunity to congregate for one reason and bond

over it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a way to form new relationships and expand everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friend base. This makes a big institution like Umass seem so much smaller by bringing people with familiar interests together.

Basketball is a sport that has brought so many people together in order to support our team. But it also brings up controversial topics, such as paying college athletes, bringing together a community and what kind of effect a crowd has on a team. The game against Siena is the first of many big wins anticipated this year, and it will be exciting to see how the crowd impacts the team.

Does Homeless Mean Helpless?

Carly Nangle

As I was walking into Starbucks in downtown Amherst I noticed a homeless man sitting outside.

I didn't know what the sign he was holding said because I feared that if I looked his way I might meet eyes with him, which would somehow make us closer and I would feel obligated to give him money. He is always there, and I did feel the need to give him money. Remembering that I am a poor college student, and thinking “he will probably just spend the money on drugs,” I resisted the urge to check my wallet for change. After using my gift card to purchase a drink, I sat down and started doing homework.

About three hours passed when a man with a guitar nosily sat down across from me. I heard him ask two girls next to him if either of them know what time the place closes, and both girls with their headphones in and apparently on full volume gave him no reply. I looked at him and gave a half smile to try and compensate for the awkward encounter. He chuckled and asked if I knew, "I think around ten o'clock, its open pretty late" I replied. I wondered why he didn't just check the hours on his phone until i saw his outdated sliding keyboard cell phone. I looked up the hours on my laptop to see if I was correct in what I told him. He sat there looking pretty bored, and a few moments later said "those are some shiny laptops you've got there,” gesturing to me and my boyfriends MacBooks.

"Oh, yeah,” I chuckled bending the screen to observe the glowing apple."The place closes at eleven by the way, I looked it up," I told him out of failure to come up with a response to his comment.

"Oh, okay, do either of you have any spare change by any chance?" he replied.

“What?"

I responded, taken off guard. He repeated himself, and I responded sympathetically, “Oh...no, I'm sorry I really don’t.”

It was not until later that my boyfriend informed me that this man was the homeless man sitting outside. This got me thinking; why was I so quick to judge a homeless man as someone who would spend the money I gave him on drugs, yet I could have a full conversation with him later when he came inside.

Homelessness is a real problem in the United Sates and worldwide. The Community Service Society of New York, New York stated that there are 36,000 homeless men and women in New York City

alone. Homeless individuals may initially become homeless in the event of eviction, poor conditions in prior housing, failure to properly care for discharged mental patients, loss of family support, or loss of income. People will then remain homeless in the case of unemployment, insufficient decent low-cost housing, or mass deinstitutionalization of mental patients (Gelberg and Leake).

About an hour after the homeless man was sitting there a man with a black jacket came in. He walked over and greeted the homeless man in a way that it was obvious the men knew each other but they weren't the best of friends. The man in the black jacket was aggressive and asserted dominance over the homeless man. Despite the immediate hello there was little further exchange between the two men. The man in the black jacket took a phone call.

“Okay, I will meet you at the Chinese restaurant at ten o'clock." A pause. "Is he okay with the price?...Okay, goodbye."

Given his threatening appearance, hard tone, and relationship to the homeless man, the obvious connect-the-dots picture showed me a drug dealer, but I wanted to assume the best in him. Do people sell used cars around this hour? It didn't seem as likely. I wanted to change my mindset because I found myself labeling a man as a drug dealer because of his association with a homeless man.

Drugs are a huge reason why many people do not give money to homeless people. It is commonly heard that giving money to a homeless person will only give them the ability to buy drugs, which will inevitably make them worse off than before. Others say they just go into the nearest food shop and get the person food, that way they can be helpful and know that the homeless person can not buy drugs with what they give them.

In a state report regarding the homeless youth of Worcester, Massachusetts, sixty-two percent did report some current or past drug use, however, of the homeless youth, forty-eight percent were enrolled in school, and 19.5% were employed (Arista et. al). As one can imagine, it takes a lot more dedication to regularly attend school or a job being homeless, which shows us these people have ambition and want to succeed.

After the homeless man left Starbucks, two more came in. One was wearing two hats, and had bags of his belongings. The other had a long beard, a walking stick, and a sleeping bag. The man in two hats told the other man that he came from a wealthy family. He claimed his parents are rich, and his friends are rich, but when he walks into a nice house, he is disgusted. He can’t stand to be around

such fancy things that he believes we do not need. He explained that he loves living off the fresh air and will only try to find shelter if it drops below fifteen degrees outside. I curiously watched him stir a white powder into his water. More drugs? I thought for a second. I looked into the opaque bag the powder came from to see an orange box labeled “baking soda.” It turns out, there are many health benefits to drinking baking soda dissolved in water. This man knew what he was doing and was actually trying to improve his health. The two men seemed almost happy with being homeless, like wild animals living off the land. It occurred to me that there was more to the homeless person than drugs, alcohol, and begging for change.

We assume so many stereotypes about homeless people. They are drug dealers, delinquents, gangsters, or never worked hard for anything. But why are they really in the position they are? I went back to Starbucks the next day to find the homeless man back inside. He was talking to a girl, and sharing some facts about his life. He said he graduated from UTI about ten years ago, then lost his house in a fire and has been on the streets ever since. How much of this is true I can not say, but this type of story is not one you normally think of when you see a homeless person on the street.

The 2103 Annual Homeless Assessment Report showed there were 610,042 people experiencing homelessness in the United States on a single night in January 2013. Of those, 109,132 people were chronically homeless; eighty-five percent were chronically homeless as individuals and about fifteen percent were chronically homeless in families. According to this report, chronic homelessness refers to either a homeless individual with a disability or a homeless family where the head of the household has a disability. Fifty-eight percent of these chronically homeless individuals and families were unsheltered (Henry, Cortes, and Morris 1-2). These are people with disabilities that should be receiving medical care, yet they are sitting out on the streets. The same report shared that one third of the homeless in the United States were in emergency shelters or safe havens in 2013. A safe haven provides “private or semi-private long-term housing for people with severe mental illness and are limited to serving no more than 25 people within a facility” (Henry, Cortes, and Morris 1-2). In addition, Health Services Research showed that in a survey with 363 homeless individuals thirty-seven percent had functional vision impairment, thirty-six percent had skin, leg, or foot problems, and thirty-one percent tested positive to TB skin tests (Gelberg and Leake). Homeless individuals may be going

through a lot more than we know, and having such problems can make finding a job a lot harder than simply needing to clean up their appearance. Many are physically or mentally unable to work in a typical setting.

Humans empathize with other humans, it is hard to see someone out on the streets, especially when you are heading into a place to have a luxury coffee drink or a delicious slice of pizza. One of the best things to do when encountering a homeless individual is to talk to them. Talking to a person is valuable and rich in inspiration. Letting a homeless person know we see them as a human being and not a dirty drug dealer could give them the hope they need to get back on their feet. One of the largest problems homeless people face is a term Michael Rowe, author ofCrossing the Border : Encounters Between Homeless People and Outreach Workers, calls “perceived incompetence.” This term refers to the idea that a homeless person that is affected by a mental illness will identify under the label of a mental patient and then act in order to fit the label regardless of the fact that they could be performing at at a normative level. Rowe explains that this process of perceived incompetence “negates their chances of being or becoming anything other than what their stigmatized category proclaims then to be” (Rowe 40-41). This series of thoughts and behaviors leads to a downward spiral where in the end the individual considers his or herself completely separate from society as they see it (Rowe 40-41). Society separates itself from the homeless individual in ways we do not even realize. One of the first steps to filling out a job application is writing your address. By asking this we are completely ignoring the fact that a person looking for a job may be homeless. Each and every detail that separates the homeless individual from the rest of society aids to the homeless individuals lack of confidence and puts us one step farther from integrating them with society. Simply letting the person know they are an individual with value and a purpose could make a world of a difference in their lives.

Giving money may not be the answer, giving food may not be the answer, and talking to them may not be the answer. In truth, we do not know the answer, but we have a place to start. We can confidently say that the revolution to help homeless individuals does not start by walking by them. Isolde Daiski, who wrote in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, believes it is going to take major changes to fix this problem including safer and more affordable housing, better continuity in services provided to the homeless, and reintegration into the community of the mentally ill or disturbed through counseling, and

and treatment for addictions and employment opportunities (Daiski). All of this will help, but it is a long time coming to big changes such as these, and there is an easier way to start. The first thing that needs to change is the negative societal outlook on homeless individuals (Daiski). If the homeless are going to better their situations they need the rest of society behind them and believing in them. They need people to believe they have a purpose on this earth despite current misfortunes, and if we can go from there, we are in a good place.

Works Cited Arista, Celeste, et al. “Youth and Young Adult Homelessness in Worcester, Massachusetts: An analysis of 2011 Point in Time Data and Service Provider Referral.”

B G Link, E Susser, A Stueve, J Phelan, R E Moore, and E Struening. Lifetime and five-year prevalence of homelessness in the United States. American Journal of Public Health December 1994: Vol. 84, No. 12, pp. 1907-1912.

Baxter, Ellen, and Kim Hopper. "Private Lives/Public Spaces: Homeless Adults on the Streets of New York City." ERIC. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.

Daiski, I. (2007), Perspectives of homeless people on their health and health needs priorities.

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 58: 273–281.

Gelberg, L., and B. D. Leake. "The Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations: Application to Medical Care Use and Outcomes for Homeless People." in Health Services Research. By R. M. Andersen. Los Angeles: UCLA Dept. of Family Medicine, 2000. Print.

Henry, Meghan, Alvaro Cortes, Dr., and Sean Morris. The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. Rep. Vol. 1. N.p.: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2012. 1-2. Print.

Rowe, Michael. "Homeless People." Crossing the Border : Encounters Between Homeless People and Outreach Workers. Berkeley: U of California, 1999. 40-41. Print.

Be Like David And Beyoncé Allison Pelletier

I’m not sure how many sixteen year olds can say, without lying, that they’ve experienced an epiphany that changed their entire outlook on life; but I know I can.

Imagine wearing a suit for the first time. You have the whole get-up; black polyester pleated pants, a matching black blazer, white polo shirt, and some shiny black heels that give you a nice new blister with every step. Not only is this suit slightly uncomfortable, but-oh!- now you have to go down three flights of stairs to go outside in 90 degree weather to wait for a bus. The bus arrives and it takes you an embarrassingly long time to get on because those black polyester pants hug you a little too tightly; or maybe it was from the sweating because you somehow just remembered the sun and black clothing do not particularly mesh well. Anyway, you’re all settled on the bus now, finally, and it’s, finally, moving. You’re not quite sure what to expect, but you are in Nashville so you figure it’s going to be big.

What you see is something you definitely did not expect. Suddenly the equivalent of the Queen of England’s castle appears into view. The bus pulls into a roundabout, stops in the middle and, there you go, you’ve arrived at your stop. Suddenly it’s like your pants loosened up because you’re rushing off the bus to really see where it just brought you. But you, of course, forgot how hot it was outside so you head right inside. The first thing that catches your eye is the polished marble flooring, with a huge ornate red rug in the middle of a seating area with red velvet chairs. The next thing that catches your eye is lying just through the window right between the red velvet chairs; you see a waterfall.

Unfortunately you can’t explore because you’re rushed to check in- after all you are there for a conference. But it turns out you’re not actually checking in, you’re more arriving to the start of one big party. There are 4 sets of double doors you can go through, you choose the one all the way on the right.

You grab the coat of your friend just ahead of you to make sure you stay with your group because what you see next is truly incredible.

Now stop imaging it was you, because it was actually I, and this is where the epiphany really begins.

Every light in the room is off, except for the neon colored strobe lights turning the conference

room into a nightclub. This was a nightclub in the Queen of England’s castle with five thousand well dressed, glow in the dark necklace wearing, light up wand waving, jumping, crazy teenagers from all over the country. My group and I are directed to section of seats for Massachusetts- silently, of course, because no one can hear one another over the top ten playlist blasting throughout the room (what’s a nightclub without music).

Finally the music dies down and we are introduced to the President- the leader of this conference.

Before I go on, what would you imagine the leader of a conference of five thousand teenagers from all over the country look like? To be honest, I imagined him looking like Chancellor Subbawammy; a bit older, but a man who’s wise and knows what he’s talking about… But man, was I wrong.

The President introduced himself as David.

Hello, David.

He begins telling us about himself. He grew up in Georgia, he is seventeen years old, and he aspires to be an emergency room physician.

At that exact moment my mind went blank. The only thought I could process was that this man- no, this teenager- someone only a year old than myself, was leading a conference of five thousand teenagers from all over country.

There I was complaining about my polyester suit and shiny black heels, being so obsessed with comparing this conference room to a nightclub at the Queen of England’s home I completely forgot why I was even there.

Every teenager in the room was aspiring to become a healthcare professional, and up until that point I believed I did too. But what did I have to show for it? I’ll tell you: many missed homework assignments, shameful test grades, and a pile of Dunkin Donuts coffee cups that would make any college student look like a coffee drinking rookie- my now-self included. But yet here was David, standing in front of five thousand teenagers aspiring to be just like him; the difference between him and us was that he made the time he was given worth it.

I remember a couple months earlier a friend and I were talking during one of my Biology teacher’s

teacher’s lectures (another reason why David was the President and not me). He showed me a picture that I found more funny than inspirational but have since changed my mind. It was simple, but nonetheless effect. It said, “You have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyoncé”.

I have the same amount of hours in the day as the Queen of R&B and Pop. David has the same amount of hours in the day as the Queen of R&B and Pop. Beyoncé used the hours in her day to become the most relevant artists in modern music, just like David used the hours in his day to become President of a nationally recognized club and to host his own conference to lead us into the future. I was being led by one of my peers.

I missed most of the ceremony by my rambling thoughts, but I was lucky enough to catch David afterwards. He shared with me some advice that helped shape my new outlook on life: “Don’t let obstacles be your excuse for not taking action. There’s no better time than now to lead.”

David was right. The next year, taking a small step in David’s shoes, I became my school’s President of the Health Occupation Students of America club. I participated in competitions put together by the club, volunteered at the middle schools in my town to teach them to double dutch and about the truths and rumors surrounding high school, and became more focused on my grades. I ended my final year with an overall 3.8 GPA, got accepted to college, and began majoring in Biochemistry.

To say that the trip to Nashville and the talk with David changed my attitude is an understatement. To say it changed my life- well, it’s still an understatement but it’s getting closer.

David and Beyoncé are symbols for today’s youth. They symbolize resilience, prosperity, and self-motivation. They’re symbols for ultimate success; that if you just take the time to do well, and work your hardest towards a goal, every day, then there’s no way you won’t succeed.

Even today I apply what I learned at that conference to the obstacles that I meet today. Currently, I missed a month of my first semester at college. Before the conference, I would have withdrawn from college. Now, I’m facing the obstacle head-on. Every hour counts, and that what was going through my head while I was lying in bed struggling and laboring over homework. That was exactly what I was thinking when I had to teach myself Chemistry, Biology, and concepts of Calculus. I made every hour count because one day I want to be like Beyoncé. One day I want to be like

David. One day I want two teenagers in their Biology class to find inspiration in a quote that says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have the same amount of hours in the day as Allison.â&#x20AC;?

Rude Attitude Anonymous

My Chemistry class starts everyday by the professor coming into class exactly on time at 1:25. She then immediately tells everyone to put away their devices as she pulls out her iPad. She begins her powerpoint by reviewing the previous lecture because she assumes we all forgot it all in two days. Then she clears her throat about a million or so times. As she goes through the lecture she yells at around three or four people for talking, rather than ignore then and not miss valuable class time. Oh, and I can't leave out the part where she asks if anyone has any questions and two seconds later continues onto the next slide, ignoring the twenty hands that shot up. When this professor actually chooses to answer a question, she usually tells the student that she is getting to it and then never does. It’s very hard to get a straight answer from her. Although attending lecture is not mandatory, it does make passing the class easier.

To prove that I am not the only student in the class who feels this way I asked some fellow students a few questions and they seemed to feel the same way I do.

Me: Do you think that the professor’s attitude takes away from your learning?

Trevor: Yes. Whenever she makes a rude remark it can be very distracting because then students around me start whispering and I can’t help but listen in. She makes it difficult to want to actually go to class. I lose my motivation and end up watching the lecture the next day because I’d be more comfortable.

Sarah: I always try to walk into class in a good mood but her attitude always forces me to leave in a bad mood. She just makes students feel stupid for not understanding something right away and it stops me from asking questions which hinders my learning.

Jack: I typically try to ignore her rudeness but honestly it’s kinda hard sometimes when she tells the class to shut up. Not only is that disrespectful to her students but it’s very unprofessional.

Me: Absolutely! When she makes a snarky comment to a student for asking a question the wrong way, all I can think about is what she said. I’m not focused on the powerpoint anymore.

My professor uses power points which are good for visual and audio learners, but bad for hands-on learners. She also posts videos of her lectures online which can be great for extra studying or if you happen to miss a class, but is bad for students who skip class and only watch the videos. It’s very easy to get behind and end up watching three videos right before the exam. Yikes. The only things contributing

to our grades are our laboratory grade and four exams. So basically if you bomb an exam, then you are doomed unless you do very well on all the other exams. I question myself when I do attend class because I always leave in a worse mood than I came in with.

Me: How would you describe your learning style compared to her teaching style?

Trevor: I am more of a hands on learner, so having to take a lot of notes is very difficult for me. I like to be given hands out and projects but all we do is listen to her teach.

Izzy: I actually do prefer taking notes and just listening but I get confused easily because she goes through everything too fast. She flips through the slides before anyone has the chance to take notes.

Jack: I am a very structured/visual learner. I love that she has lecture slides and posts them online. I like being able to read out of the book and see the same examples explained the same way. I just hate that she doesn’t allow us to have the slides up on our computers. She only lets us print out the slides which can get very expensive for her fifty-plus slide lectures.

Me: I think that I am a very visual learner. Being able to take down a lot of notes in and out of class helps me remember the topics easier. I would definitely say my learning style matches that aspect of her teaching.

As I talked to several other students in the class, the general opinion seemed to be the same. Most kids thought that her snarky attitude affected their learning and ruined their love of Chemistry if any at all.

For a majority of kids, this class is a prerequisite for many of their other major requirements. In order to continue, you must pass the class, otherwise you’re back to square one. It is unfortunate that some teachers don’t understand how their students learn. The goal of a teacher is to have their students understand the material and do well on exams. It seems like this professor is more interested in getting each class over with.

She has cancelled several classes this past semester. Most of our fifty minute classes are ended early as well.

She also tends to cancel her office hours. For a lot of students, her office hours are the only time they can talk to her one on one.

Me: Do you think that having a smaller class of about thirty rather than the large class of around five hundred would help your learning?

Sean: I think that would help. It’s very hard to approach her after class because there are too many other students with questions and I have to get to my next class. I would go to her office hours but they are right when I have class. Any time I try to plan a separate meeting, she can’t attend or she cancels.

Valerie: Having a smaller class would really help me understand the subjects better. Anytime I raise my hand

my hand in class, she usually just ignores me. If there were less kids I think she would be more likely to answer kids’ questions.

Me: This would definitely help me out because I would feel more comfortable asking her questions in class.

This is not the only large lecture class I am currently taking. I have two other classes on my schedule that range from two hundred to four hundred students. In those classes, the teacher is more respectful to his students and never gives attitude. They are professional at all times. I would also like to point out that I am doing significantly better in both of those classes, despite having more interest in Chemistry. The Professor’s class is absolutely not typical at UMass Amherst. I have not heard such an uproar about any other teacher.

At UMass there is a popular app called Yik Yak. Students can anonymously post short two hundred character thoughts. It is similar to Twitter but it is completely anonymous and you can only see other ‘yaks’ from your area. Every time I go on Yik Yak there is some post about this teacher whether its about a rude comment she made or something that went on in the class. Other students often talk about her teaching methods and how they can’t wait for the semester to be over. There is a common opinion on this professor and it is certainly not good.

It just goes to show that a teacher can truly make or break a student’s grade. Although a student’s grade is mostly decided by how much effort the student puts in, the teacher also has a great impact. Her attitude makes it hard to want to be there and that is a really bad aspect for a teacher to have. One thing that bothers me most is that Chemistry is typically one of my favorite classes and the fact that the teacher has turned me against it is very disheartening. This certain professor does not know how to properly teach her class in a way that makes the subject interesting.

A Night at the Mullin Center Matthew Silva

Walking into the Mullin Center on a cold friday night, I did not know what to expect.

From the outside of the stadium it sounded like a thunderstorm was going on inside. After patiently waiting in the freezing night, my friends and I made it to our seats. The stadium was doused in maroon and fans were going crazy! Chants against the opposing team echoed all throughout the stadium. This game was so different compared any high school game I ever attended. Just when I thought the loudness would never stop, the other team got fouled and something magical happened. Without a pause to think, the entire crowd became silent and put their hands up, wiggling their fingers. This is our way of jinxing the shooter. Being a freshmen, you learn all the typical behaviors and traditions that the rowdy crowd performs.

It was crazy to think that I was cheering for my own school. It felt like i was at a Celtics game. In high school we would never have a crowd anywhere close to this. That is what made it so special. There were the drunk fans who were completely out of hand, but at the same time they gave so much life to the crowd. They were non stop screaming and jumping, half the time not making any sense, but their energy rubbed off on the rowdy crowd. In the sea of crazy college kids you could find the die hard fans. The kids that knew the entire schedule and every players name on the court. These kids were not there for the social event, or to drink before.

They wanted one thing and that was to see Umass win. They were easy to spot, because every time something bad happened to Umass, you could see them quietly cringe. The competition and passion at these games was something I did not understand until I participated in this event.

The games are so different compared to high school games, which symbolizes how different college is to high school. During my senior year of high school I was 18, a legal adult.

Although this was true, I was treated like a child. If we swore we received detentions and if we watched an R rated movie in class, we had to get our parents consent. At the high school games a student can not act like they do at Umass. There are teachers in the crowd observing your every move and making sure everyone is showing good sportsmanship and remaining calm. It was ridiculous, and being treated like a child was the reason everyone was so immature and reckless.

In high school it was completely normal to goof around in class and be crazy with your friends, but college is the complete opposite.

Everyone at Umass is here because they want a higher education. We are treated like adults and with that treatment comes responsibility. You can basically do what you want, but there are rules and it is your own job to follow them or risk hurting your learning career.

Everyone pays attention in class now. There is no existence of a class clown anymore. It is just immature and annoying to be that kid who looks for everyones attention. Students here are more interested in the school material and getting good grades. The independence that college creates makes the transition to the real world so real.

Although college gives responsibility and independence, Umass specifically generates this trait. It is such a big school and students are one of many. This makes it hard to regulate each student with authority. It is hard to monitor a student out of class and in class. The enormous size is due to a few factors, a main one being the rising D1 sports. The basketball games attribute to the rise in Umass. The success of the team builds a name for our school. I know that when i was between a few colleges last year, I highly considered the sports programs. It also creates a joining community. Students gather together on friday nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s making the school more united.

The crowd is so active and into the game like they are a part of the teams success. They simultaneously work together without even thinking. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jinxing the opposing teams free throw or boo-ing the opposing teams walk out. The Umass crowd works together to help produce a victory. The publicity and revenue generated from this specific sport powers the university and pushes it to higher standards. Umass is on the rise, with each year to come the school is evolving to more greatness. Education and sports wise. The rising Umass programs are to thank for that, specifically basketball. Making it to March Madness last year legitimized this team and makes it the main event. Before I even came to Umass the basketball games were all I heard about. A giant school needs a competitive sport team to create school spirit and grow the school as a whole.

Broken Internet or Society?

Emily Stein

Important News on November 12th, 2014 The U.S and China reached an agreement on climate change. The agreement entails that the US reduce pollution, while China begins to use more renewable fuels. This is a large step forward for the environment, because the United States and China are the largest polluters across the world. ESA prepares to land a spacecraft on a comet. Dan Sullivan (republican) wins Senate race in Alaska. Michael Brown’s parents demand answers from the U.N. Still a lot of controversy and mess in Ferguson, Mo. Twenty thousand registered nurses in California began a two day strike because they were not receiving proper equipment to protect themselves from Ebola. This strike will affect eighty eight hospitals in California.

Civil Rights advocate, John Doar, died at the age of ninety two. Winter storm took four lives in Minnesota.

There were crashes on icy roads on Monday and Tuesday because of up to two feet of snow. More than 1,100 crashes and road spin outs were reported just on Monday. Morocco won’t host the 2015 Africa Cup because of fear of Ebola. The confederation of African Football did not let Morocco postpone that soccer tournament, so Morocco withdrew as a host for the tournament and will now not be able to participate in the championship. In more relevant news, Kim Kardashian attempted to Break the Internet, but it seems to still be up and running.

Business Woman or Booty?

Kim Kardashian has been surrounded by wealth for her entire life. But, she has wanted to be a reality TV star since she was twelve years old. It came to her very easily when, almost magically, cameras showed up at her house and started filming in attempt to capture her family (just because it might be entertaining). One week after the filming started, Kim was asked to pose in Playboy (just the right way to start your journey to fame). The next career booster, was the leak of her sex tape with her (now ex) boyfriend Ray J. The tape got publicity. But, still was able to be avoided if you were just that naïve and did not peruse the internet very often. Ray J now credits himself with boosting her to stardom. Kim got married to someone else (not worth mentioning because it only lasted for 72 days), but is currently married to

someone else (not worth mentioning because it only lasted for 72 days), but is currently married to Kanye West. Kanye, famous in his own way, has what is best defined as questionable morals. But, the two seem to be somewhat of a power couple for publicity purposes. Now, Kim released her new photos, to draw in even more attention, and unlike the sex tape, these photos were found on every social media. All of these events seem to follow a recurring theme of Kim not doing much of anything to get the public to remember her name.

A Male Mystery I first saw Kim Kardashians shameless attempt to break the internet while scrolling through my twitter feed. I looked to see who had reblogged the pictures, and it was none other than my boyfriend. I immediately shot him a text wondering, “Hey what do you think of the Kim Kardashian pictures?” I got a response almost immediately, “They’re stupid,” he said “not even that cute.” That’s weird. “So you don’t like them,” I wondered, “why did you reblog them then?” I don’t leave much up to imagination when expressing myself. “I don’t know,” he replied blankly. I believe him. I know he does not think women should be exposed like that in the media. So, my question for the reader is, why did he reblog those pictures?

Everyone else was doing it. Everyone else was reblogging those pictures. I know this because as I continued to scroll down, it was evident that my boyfriend was not the only one who took interest in the pictures. Females, mothers, fathers, barbers, daughters, etc. almost everyone took interest in these photos. As a result, so did I, but for a different purpose. I wanted to know why everyone seemed to be giving in and giving Kim Kardashian the attention she so desperately craves. Whether people were bashing the photos, saying they were inappropriate, or saying that they enjoyed the view, they still ended up all over the internet. Even I (as I am writing this paper, and you are reading it) am giving in to the trap that society baits for us all.

Oiled Up and Ready If you are ever wondering the true difference between the sexual portrayal of women and men in the media, you might find it interesting to watch the video “Guys Recreate Kim Kardashians Butt Photo,” created by Buzzfeed. The idea of the video is simple: regular males get nearly naked and pose just like

Kim Kardashian did for her photos for Paper Magazine. As soon as the guys got all oiled up, they were asked to let their black capes drape below their butts and one of the best comments was “Hell yeah I feel exposed and degraded,” with a smile, and another guy bluntly exclaimed “I feel really exposed.” Well, they were exposed. The problem is: why is it normal for a female to expose herself in front of a camera, and when a male does it, it is funny? As the video continues, one of the guys openly states “guys aren’t sexualized the same way girls are,” and when one of the directors asks him “why not?” he pauses for a moment and looks up at the ceiling as if the answer was written there. But, he never answers the question, so apparently, the ceiling wasn’t much help.

Asset Management Born in (what researchers think is) 1781, in Eastern Cape. Sartijie Baartman was raised on a colonial farm with slave parents. Her mother died when Sara was two years old and her father followed when she was in her early teens. Sara married a drummer and had a child. But, at sixteen years old, Sara’s husband was killed by Dutch colonialists. Sara was then sold into slavery in Cape Town. In 1810, (even though Sara was illiterate), she signed a contract to travel with Handrik Cezar and Dunlop to England and Ireland to be a slave, and also to be displayed for entertainment purposes. She was put on a street in London called Piccadilly Street, where “odd” people were displayed in cages. Sara was considered odd because of her coloring, and her large buttocks. Shortly after, her “employers” were brought to trial, because of campaigns against slavery, but were found not guilty because of the contract she had signed. In 1814 England, Sara was shown in a cage next to animals and given very similar treatment. She was studied by anatomists, zoologists, and physiologists and it was determined that she was a link between animals and humans. She died at age twenty six and her body was dissected, and her private parts were pickled and brought to a museum. Eventually, her remains were sent back to South Africa to be put to rest, but that was not until 2002. Photographer, Jean-Paul Goode, took a very special interest in Sara. He loved dark-skinned females with large butts. He decided to make them the subject of most of his photos and write a book entitled “Jungle Fever.” He created a photo of a naked, black female standing in front of a blue wall popping a champagne bottle with a glass resting on her butt. Does this image sound familiar?

Jean-Paul Goode happens to be the master mind behind the breaking of the internet.

Humorous Interpretations of Change Probably more popular then Kim Kardashians bare butt, were the parodies of Kim K’s butt pictures.

These parodies ranged from vines depicting a bunch of snow coming out of Kim K’s butt with the sound of a snow blower in the background, to Kim’s butt being used as the buns for a hot dog. Some of these parodies are meant to criticize Kim’s pictures, and make them seem funny or ridiculous. But is that really the effect they are having? While Kim’s body is being turned into different objects, is the public making a stance on how they feel about the pictures, or are they just dancing around their ideas and making them humorous instead?

Moms’ all over have been some of the most affected by this photos. Some take a stance that says “hey, if you look that good after a baby, why not show it off?” While others say, because she is a mother, she should not be sexualized in the media, she should be respected. One of the most controversial parodies I have seen, was a picture of Kim having breast milk coming out of (well, you know the body part). If images like these are supposed to be making a statement for or against Kim’s nudity on the cover of a magazine, the public cannot really make a good assumption on which side the photo is supporting (if any).

Love Your Body… If it’s perfect Everyone has heard of the beauty campaigns that have started recently. A famous one, sponsored by Dove, tells girls to love their body because everyone comes in different shapes and sizes. Then there is the Aerie campaign, which tells girls their models are not “touched up” by Photoshop. But then there are companies such as Victoria’s Secret that host fashion shows, with “Angels” showing little girls that angels look like extremely skinny girls with no fat on their bodies. Then, we have these pictures of Kim Kardashian that are photoshopped, showing girls that they have to have big butts to become as famous as Kim Kardashian (because she doesn’t really have much talent to offer otherwise). Not only do they have to have big butts, they also have to be flawless and have no fat on their bodies with skinny waists.

The question is, is Kim Kardashian really flawless? It was admitted by the photographer that these pictures are, in fact, touched up, but he claims not very much. Interesting thing to state when there are

when there are clear pictures of Kim Kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s butt that do not look anywhere near the butt that can be found on the Paper Magazine cover. The fact is: whether we are looking at an extremely skinny girl with a gorgeous face, or a picture of a naked girl with a round and huge butt, everything we see in the media is altered, even if it is just with a little touch of makeup. With these pictures pasted all over screens, how can we teach children (and people in general) to love themselves?