The Daily Gamecock 3/22/10

Page 1

dailygamecock.com MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2010

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Monday 60°

42°

Tuesday 67°

43°

Wednesday

Simple habits improve mind This is the 15th annual Brain Awareness Week nationally and its second time at USC. The purpose of BAW is to increase public awareness of the progress and benefi ts of neuroscience research. In order to celebrate BAW, Impulse is sponsoring a week of articles in The Daily Gamecock, trivia night and two days of lectures followed by a movie.

47°

76°

Tennessee sweep The Gamecocks notched an impressive three victories against Tennessee, racking up their 10th straight win.

See page 9

VOL. 103, NO. 111 ● SINCE 1908

Mental capacity improved by healthy lifestyle Eric Robinson

THE DAILY GAMECOCK

One of the beneficial outcomes of neuroscience research for the general public is to give a better

u nderst a nd i ng of t he bra i n i n order to shape one’s l ifest yle. There are numerous measures that one can take in order to improve their mental health or to get more out of studying. A n important lifestyle change that will improve brain functioning is i ncreasi ng hyd rat ion a nd blood flow to the brain. Exercise,

especially cardiovascular exercise, is beneficial to any person’s mental healt h because it sig n if ica nt ly increases blood flow to the brain, allowing it to function properly. It is important to stay hydrated bec au se a la rge percent age of the brain’s mass is water, which is essential for the biochemical processes to take place. Having a healthy sex life also improves brain f unct ioning, as ox y t o c i n i s p r o d u c e d , w h ic h improves one’s ability to think of original solutions. Also, serotonin and dopamine are produced, which help a person’s creative thinking and calm, logical decision-making. Eating appropriate foods has also been shown to be beneficial for cognitive abilities. Some essential nut rients include v itamin A , B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc and amino acids. There are also numerous beneficial dietary supplements such as fish oil, ginkgo biloba and ginseng. Most college students fall prey to late nights, but getting a full n ight’s rest is one of t he most beneficial things one can do for their mental health. A full night of sleep increases attentiveness a nd t he ab i l it y t o le a r n ne w information. Also resist the urge to pull an all-nighter, as a Har vard st udy showed that subjects tested were able to recall information better af ter 24 hours and a f ull night of sleep than those tested after

only 20 minutes or 12 hours since information encoding. Sleep helps to prevent a person from being depressed and stressed, which inhibit a person’s ability to recall or encode new information. Other activities which are shown to be detrimental to one’s mental health include drinking, smoking and illegal drugs. A ll tobacco product s have 4 - m e t h y l n it r o s a m i n o -1- ( 3 p y r id y l ) -1- b ut a no ne ( N N K ) , which causes neuronal death and is even detrimental in the form of second hand smoke. Drinking a lcohol i n e xce s s c a n c au se a g reat deal of cog nit ive defects such as brain damage, Wernicke– Korsakoff syndrome (W KS) and memory loss. In order to stay at your mental best, it is impor ta nt to keep a positive mental attitude and stay away from toxins. It was once thought that a person could not grow new nerve cells, but it has been shown that through activity one can form new neuronal connections and grow new nerve cells. Therefore, it is beneficial for one to learn new skills such a playing a musical instrument, or playing challenging games such as Chess or Risk . Dementia patients have shown t h at play i ng word g a me s a nd pu zz le s c a n e vent u a l ly repa i r cognitive abilities. Also, surfing Brain ● 4

Former activists tell of protests Kemp Ridley The Mix touches base with this student band, coming off its energizing performance at the St. Patty’s Day Festival.

See page 6

The Ugly Truth Feeling like you always need a boyfriend? Pressured into relationships? Time alone will make you Marilynn a stronger, more mature Joyner person. Second-year

See page 5

Mix

political science and dance student

(803) 777-3914 (803) 777-7726 (803) 777-7182 (803) 576-6172

Alumni panel tell of anti-war student activism, leadership following Orangeburg Massacre, positive effects of resisting status-quo Taylor Cheney STAFF WRITER

As part of last weekend’s “Student Activism, Southern Style” conference, USC alumni from the 1960s and 1970s shared their stories of student activism and anti-war protest in the Russell House. Director of South Carolina Progressive Network and University alumnus Brett Bursey was one of three speakers on Friday’s “Why We Became Active” panel. The son of a naval commander, Bursey said that it largely influenced his activist behavior. After graduating from Beaufort High School in 1964, Bursey became a Gamecock around the time the Civil Rights Act passed. Two years later, he attended his first protest at the University of Georgia in Athens. When he returned to Columbia, however, protests became increasingly rampant. “1968 was an insane year,” he said. In response to the Orangeburg Massacre, where three student protesters were killed by police officers, and the segregation of a local bowling alley, Bursey formed and was chairman of the AWARE group at USC. Through Bursey’s efforts, AWARE was able to stop USC from playing “Dixie” and waving Confederate flags at football games. “Brett was always protesting something,” said USC alumnus and fellow panel speaker Luther Battiste III. Later that year, Bursey was arrested on campus for spray painting “Hell no, we won’t go,” on draft boards posted in the Russell House and was later expelled for his acts. Bursey was one of the 600 students arrested that year for anti-war protest. The main reason that so many students were arrested, Bursey said, was due to the draft. “We were the messenger that got shot,” he said. After he was arrested and served two years in prison, he was nearly persuaded by his California native grandfather to transfer to the University of California, Berkeley where his grandfather said he thought he would be able to “blend in.” Bursey, however, refused the offer. “I made a conscious decision to stay at USC,” he said. “USC needed me. Berkeley didn’t.” Looking back now, the self-proclaimed left-wing adventurer said he doesn’t regret anything. “I had something to believe in while I was [at USC]. I kept thinking the revolution was right around the corner and it wasn’t,” Bursey said. Currently, Bursey is promoting the same cause he was 50 years ago in the

Courtesy of USC Museum of Education

USC alumnus Brett Bursey joined the “Why We Became Active” panel to tell of anti-war protesting. He was one of 600 students arrested in 1968. South Carolina Progressive Network which, according to its Web site, is a coalition of activists from across the state working together to promote social and economic justice. By doing so, Bursey said he hopes to try to set an example that people can hold. “There’s a big difference between citizens and civics and that’s a big problem,” Bursey said. “If there’s enough of us, we can do something.” Comments on this story? E-mail sagcknew@mailbox.sc.edu

Have you seen The Daily Gamecock online? The Daily Gamecock encourages its readers to recycle their copies of the newspaper after reading.

Online @

www.DailyGamecock.com

The Daily Gamecock doesn’t only publish in print, but also goes up on www.dailygamecock.com each night so you can get the news right away as it is happening. You can also get updates from us by joining our Facebook fan group and following us on Twitter @thegamecock. To let our readers in on the scoop, The Daily Gamecock is holding a Registration Marathon all week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Greene Street. Come see us and we will set you up to become a registered member of our Web site, giving you access to all sorts of benefits. All you need is your name and e-mail address. Why should you register? -Online around-the-clock access to current and past articles -You can still have the news on those days you aren’t on campus -Only registered users can comment on articles -Online exclusives including videos, slideshows and podcasts -Information about the staff, Student Media, the University, advertising -Access to giveaways -Daily e-mailed newsletter -Breaking news alerts (no spam, no giving out your e-mail address)

So if you haven’t seen us online yet, come see us all week on Greene Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and we’ll get you set up. It’s free. It’s fast. It’s easy.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
The Daily Gamecock 3/22/10 by Garnet Media Group - Issuu