RACING FOR VICTORY Track team travels to the national meet and shatters records, Page 12
ALBUM REVIEW Take a ‘chance’ on WWW and read Xavier’s review Page 6-7 March 14, 2018— Vol. 96, Issue 12
Duhawks ‘walk a mile in their shoes’ For the kids by AMBER MATACZYNSKI | staff writer
During last week’s End the “R” Word Week, celebrated both on campus and nationwide, DuBuddies hosted many activities. There were decorations throughout the hallway of the ACC, including shoes, which were colored during the kickoff party Monday night. The shoes represented the overall theme of the week being, “Du Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” coined by Sammi Brown, a junior who’s part of DuBuddies. Prior to the week-long extravaganza, co-presidents of the organization, juniors Shelby Carter and Alex Schiavoni and seniors Annie Kashmar and Jacob Oglesby, along with the rest of the executive board committee came together to plan what is a fan favorite event for the buddies. Two events, the kickoff party to start the week and the talent show to wrap up everything, were kept the same days as previous years. The rest of the week was slightly changed to allow a focus on education and advocacy. In order to make everything a success, the organization enlisted help from family photo CONTRIBUTED members, professors, staff members of the buddies and other Loras clubs such as Black Duhawks and their DuBuddies dance to “YMCA” at the end of their talent show. Student Union, the Alliance and representation from IPO. They cooperated to add depth to a lack of understanding. First-year Claire Brennan says that seeto the message of eliminating the use of the A common theme when encountering a ing the smiles the event brings to the bud“R” word while bringing to light other words situation where this may occur was not to dies’ faces is one of the best ways to get which have the power to hurt necessarily become defen- the message out. Their smiles effect the an individual. sive, but instead see it as Loras members of the organization who “The event exceeded all an opportunity to educate feel just as much love, if not more, during In DuBuddies, expectations,” said Carter an individual by pointing the events and in particular from the participation is about Wednesday’s “Watch them in the right direc- buddy they’re paired with. Seeing a best stressed due to the tion. This can even be friend again as well as other friends, new Your Mouth” event, a first for the DuBuddies and one done by asking why a per- and old, heightens the level of excitement. buddy’s reliance that expanded the group’s son feels this is the term In DuBuddies, participation is on the student horizons. DuBuddies and he or she wishes to use. stressed due to the buddy’s reliance on to be there as a other Loras-affiliated organiA C a t h o l i c S o c i a l the student to be there as a guaranteed zations came together, proguaranteed person T e a c h i n g a p p r o a c h person to spend time with. However, viding testimonies to bring also implemented End the “R” Word Week is special for to spend time with. was awareness to a wide variety throughout the week, everyone involved in DuBuddies. In seof hurtful terms that are used such as Thursday’s event nior Annie Kashmar’s words, everyone on a regular basis and can where participants walked does so by employing their “different sometimes be misinterpreted as slang due in solidarity with the buddies. abilities.”
Digital therapy for a digital age
Mental-health treatment is available to people without having to leave home by AVA LALOR | executive copy editor
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in four college students have a diagnosable mental illness but 40 percent of them do not seek help. Also, 80 percent reported feeling overwhelmed and 50 percent struggle with anxiety that impacts their academic performance. Many organizations strive to support and represent those who struggle with mental health. One such organization is Modern Therapy. Created by Brandon and Cassandra Christensen, Modern Therapy is an online counseling platform, making counseling available to anyone from their office in New York. “Modern therapy is a mental health practice that makes talk therapy available to anyone, anywhere, through text, email, phone and video conferencing,” explained Christensen. “We make therapy more affordable and accessible through a membership program where members get unlimited access to connect with their therapist when they need it the most.” While digital therapy may be unfamiliar to many students, it is not a new form of therapy. “Digital therapy has actually been around for some time, but is recently becoming a commonly used form of mental healthcare,” said Christensen. “While traditional talk
therapy is typically conducted in an in-per- to be struggling with a severe mental son setting, digital therapy is conducted illness to receive help from a therapist through an electronic medium such as text, and that is just not true,” she said. “Let's email, phone or video conference.” face it — life is just hard sometimes. The In a recent poll by The Lorian, the stu- one thing everyone has in common is dent response to digital therapy was fairly we all go through a wide range of emosplit. Some betions and many times lieved this form these emotions are of therapy was We make therapy more affordable extremely tolling better than nothand difficult to naviand accessible through a ing while others gate. I think it is very thought in-perimportant to conmembership program where son therapy is tinue the conversamembers get unlimited access necessary. tion about the topic to connect with their therapist “I think that openly and increase anytime someefforts to make care when they need it the most. thing new comes Cassandra Christensen m o r e n o r m a l i z e d along, it takes and acceptable.”Acco-creator of Modern Therapy some time to be cording to the recent adopted,” said What Do You Think Christensen. Poll, many Loras “There was a time that people thought that students agreed with Christensen, as online dating was strange, and now it has the majority of students believed there become the new normal, because it makes is a negative stigma surrounding mental the process much more easy and conve- health. While there are many organizanient.” tions like Modern Therapy that combat Christensen, a Licensed Clinical Social this negative stigma and support those Worker, is one of the therapists at Modern who struggle with mental health, there Therapy. As someone in the field, she knows still appears to be a lack of resources for the barriers many people face in regards to the community. traditional therapy, such as travel, wait time “I don't think that there are enough after an appointment, payment and the stig- resources for those struggling with menma surrounding mental health. tal illness,” said Christensen. continued on page 3 “There is this perception that you have
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and for fair trade
by ASHLEY PUDIL | executive editor
Dance Marathon, known for making Loras the number one fundraising school per capita, is making a switch that, while appears small, has a large impact: going Fair Trade. The shirts that will be worn at the big event in April this year will be fair trade from a local Dubuque business, a new change for the organization. “Fair Trade is based on the idea that as much as we all hope to be adequately appreciated and compensated for our hard work, the people who create the products we use should be treated the same way for their work, no matter their location, ethnicity, socio-economic status, or gender,” said Fair Trade intern Krissy Juarez. The collaboration to make these shirts came from an overlap of student leadership in both organizations when Dance Marathon was in the process of ordering shirts and finalizing designs. Dance Marathon worked closely with Spiritual Life to design the shirts with their new vision in mind, and Juarez was excited about the collaboration. “Human dignity is a major focus for the Peace & Justice community, and supplying students with Fair Trade products helps to promote ethical systems that seek to protect the human dignity of vulnerable people,” Juarez added. “So essentially, this is a win-win situation for us.” The win-win situation transferred over to Dance Marathon well, as both organizations want children to enjoy their childhoods and live healthy, happy lives. “We discussed that we should not limit the promotion of healthy children to those treated at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, but it should be a global mission,” said Michaela Dohleman, co-president of Dance Marathon. Dohleman emphasized all money being fundraised for the hospital will continue to go towards the hospital, as Dance Marathon worked with Student Union to receive additional funding for the new shirts. “With the approval (from Student Union), everyone was happy to agree to the decision,” Dohleman said. Through the collaboration, a common ground was discovered between the two groups: campus organizations have a desire to create a positive atmosphere and create positive change on campus and in Dubuque. “I think the ideals are supported through what Loras teaches,” Dohleman said. “We are supposed to be ethical decision-makers and responsible contributors. Buying Fair Trade is just one example of how to put those dispositions into action.” “All the dispositions have been present in the decision to have Fair Trade shirts at Dance Marathon,” Juarez added. “I feel it shows a dedication to creating a community of conscious consumerism that not only encompasses Loras but also extends outside of it.” Dohleman and Juarez both hope this collaboration will continue into the future and that other organizations will think more about Fair Trade options. “The support of the other campus organizations really made this a reality and we hope the collaboration continues in the future, continuing conscious consumerism on campus,” Dohleman commented. For any organization interested in ordering Fair Trade t-shirts, contact Juarez at Kristin.Juarez@loras.edu.