Textbook prices
Some students and programs at NKU are finding ways to undercut the increasing cost page 7
NKU alum creates device for deaf people page 6
Edition 65, Issue 03 Wednesday, February 5, 2020
thenortherner.com @northernermedia
See more on pages 4 and 5 Men’s and women’s basketball team members from this season.
PHOTOS BY COLIN JOHNSON / ILLUSTRATION BY BILLY KEENEY
02 Happenings
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
NORTHERNER STAFF
WWW.THENORTHERNER.COM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Natalie Hamren [hamrenn1@mymail.nku.edu]
WHAT TO DO Check out the hottest campus happenings and can’t-miss events in Greater Cincinnati.
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An old fire escape on Washington St. in Covington.
thru - 8 MAR
7
FEB
8
FEB
11-23 FEB
PHOTO BY NATALIE HAMREN
AMERICUS | CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK | $30+ Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents americUS—a multicultural performance blending hip-hop, blues, jazz, poetry, theatre and dance. This performance aims to present a picture of contemporary America in a unique, compelling way. Don’t miss out on this moving piece of art. DANCING WITH THE STARS LIVE | TAFT THEATRE | $46.50 | 7:30 P.M. Calling all Dancing with the Stars fans! The 2020 live tour is stopping in Cincinnati on Friday night to wow viewers with a night full of dance from your favorite reality TV show. The live tour features special choreography, celebrities from the 2019 season—including Bachelorette star Hannah Brown and pop star Ally Brooke among others—and a glamorous show catered for a live audience. HOMECOMING BASKETBALL GAME | BB&T ARENA | 7 P.M. Saturday is NKU’s men’s homecoming basketball game. Support the Norse as they take on Detroit Mercy, enjoy tailgating in parking lot D before the game and find out Senior Royalty at halftime! It’s a great week to be a Norse. LES MISÉRABLES | ARONOFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS | $31+ | 6:30 P.M. A timeless Broadway masterpiece, Les Misérables has come to Cincinnati for the month of February to entertain any musical theatre fan. Detailing the lives of diverse characters during the French revolution, this play based on Victor Hugo’s literary work aims to show the grittiness of revolution within the bounds of music. Les Mis is sure to exceed expectations and inspire viewers.
What you missed at SGA Feb. 3 Elizabeth Cates REPORTER
On Monday, 11 new senate candidates were presented for appointment. Each candidate was given the floor to introduce themselves. After sharing their name, major, year and reasons for wanting to join SGA, the candidates were also given the opportunity to share any ideas that they want to implement upon their acceptance. Ideas included a focus on helping international students feel welcomed at NKU, which could be put into action by creating a buddy system that helps international students adjust to college life at NKU. Candidates also shared a desire to implement eco-friendly practices, reward involvement on campus, increase collaboration between service-oriented organizations, fix the SOTA stage in the Corbett Theatre, promote participation in the democratic process by closing school on election days and promote NKU to high school students. Diversity of Senator Candidates “How do you all plan to make sure that the diversity in our student body is represented?” senator Hannah Miller said.
The candidates answered that they wanted to seek out viewpoints and communicate with others. Upon deliberation in the executive session, Justice Lauren Goodwin described hearing the calls for more diversity as “kind of like a slap in the face to me, almost as if I didn’t do my job when we spent a lot of time combing through these.” “This was a really hard thing for all of us sitting in there to do and we were very proud of the eleven people that we put before you all,” Goodwin said. Goodwin said that the candidates represent commuter and residential students, some SOTA students, arts and science students, STEM majors, business students, persons of color, non-Greek students—of which there are only three in SGA—first-generation students and model UN students. All candidates were approved and sworn in.
Student Government Assocation meets at 3:30 p.m. on Monday in SU 104.
Ed 65, Issue 03
Arts & Life 03
What’s coming to streaming in February
Kane Mitten
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
It’s February, and love is in the air. Whether you’re cuffed and happy or single and bored, there’s plenty of new, exciting movies and TV shows to enjoy regardless of your relationship status. Snuggle up with a blanket (or two or three) and get ready to relax. Netflix To All The Boys 2: P.S. I Still Love You Jenny Han’s ‘To All the Boys’ series of romantic novels continues on screen with this second entry, released just in time for Valentine’s Day. Lara Jean (Lara Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) are a happy couple after the end of the first movie. Unfortunately for Lara, another recipient of her famous letters has popped back up to throw a wrench in things. Look, you know what you’re getting with this one. As far as sappy teen romance flicks go, this is as good as it gets. Available on 2/12. Locke & Key Ever watched “Stranger Things” and wished it was a lot darker? “Locke & Key” is a famous graphic novel series written by Joe Hill (the son of legendary horror author Stephen King) about the three Locke children who move into their father’s ancestral home after his brutal murder. Inside the house, they discover keys with magical powers—but a mysterious demon awakens that intends to steal the keys from the children. Available on 2/7.
From left to right: Say Anything, Punch Drunk Love, Blade Runner, The Farewell, To All The Boys 2: P.S. I Still Love You.
romantic trope without this legendary romance film from Cameron Crowe, who went on to make the just-as-iconic “Jerry Maguire” and “Almost Famous.” Several film critics consider “Say Anything” to be the greatest American romance film ever, so it’s a perfect watch for the most romantic month of the year.
8 film when a government train derails and releases a dangerous extraterrestrial presence into the town. Before J.J. Abrams moved on to making bad Star Wars movies, he often made interesting creature features like this one. Available on 2/18.
Blade Runner, Ridley Scott
28 Days Later, Danny Boyle
Honey Boy, Alma Har’el
Full disclosure: I’m very biased here, as Blade Runner is my favorite film. “Blade Runner” is set in a dystopian future Los Angeles, and stars Harrison Ford as an aging cop who hunts down synthetic humans who rebel against their human masters. It’s still incredibly influential today (Tesla’s Cybertruck is basically stolen from the movie) and, in my opinion, is still one of the best science fiction stories ever. It was released in 1982, but the 2007 updated version being added to Netflix is the best way to watch it.
“28 Days Later,” also known as ‘one of the best zombie movies to release back when they weren’t tired and overdone,’ takes a realistic look at how the world would actually react to the outbreak of a zombie virus. “Peaky Blinders” star Cillian Murphy plays Jim, an average British man who links with three others as they try to survive the impossible. “28 Days” is simultaneously a political allegory and an action thriller, with plenty of spectacle to keep everyone engaged.
This strange drama—written by Shia LaBeouf about his own life as a child actor, and starring himself as his own father— was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2019. Lucas Hedges stars as adult Shia (named ‘Otis’ in this film) and Noah Jupe plays the younger Shia in flashbacks. “Russian Doll” star Natasha Lyonne and pop icon FKA Twigs also star. Available 2/7.
Hulu Say Anything, Cameron Crowe You’ve probably heard of people make jokes about standing outside their crush’s window with a boombox, playing their crush’s favorite song in hopes they’ll be acknowledged. That wouldn’t even be a corny
Super 8, J.J. Abrams This is the second item on this list that has a strong resemblance to “Stranger Things”—in fact when “Stranger Things” actually released, Internet comments referred to it as “Super 8: The TV Show.” In 1979 Ohio, a group of teenagers (played by Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning) are shooting their own home movie on Super
Amazon Prime Video
The Farewell, Lulu Wang If you’ve been on Twitter at all recently, you’ve probably seen the recent outrage that no women were nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Director, despite the fact that several of the year’s best-reviewed films are directed by women. One of those films is “The Farewell,” which was shut out of the Oscars completely—despite its star Awkwafina winning Best Actress at the Golden Globes. The film is based on writer-director Lulu Wang’s life, a Chi-
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BILLY KEENEY
nese-American writer who finds out her much-beloved grandmother has terminal lung cancer and only a few months to live. Watch for yourself and decide if the Academy got this one wrong. Available on 2/12. HBO Punch-Drunk Love, Paul Thomas Anderson If you watched this holiday’s critical hit, “Uncut Gems,” and were blown away that Adam Sandler can act in a serious role, then you owe it to yourself to watch the sad-yet-hilarious “Punch-Drunk Love.” Adam Sandler plays Barry, an entrepreneur with extreme social anxiety, who gets set up on a date with his sister’s co-worker. Casino Royale, Martin Campbell Daniel Craig’s final Bond movie, “No Time to Die,” premieres on April 10. With that in mind, why not take a look back at where it all began? This 2006 reboot of the iconic character featured Daniel Craig’s first mission as a double-0 agent, and stars Eva Green as love interest Vesper Lynd and Mads Mikkelsen as an evil banker who serves the world’s terrorists. (Also, the original 1967 version of Casino Royale is available on the same day!)
04 Sports
NKU basketball second
Both teams head into second ro Sierra Newton SPORTS EDITOR
NKU basketball is on a roll right now. For the first time in the program’s Division I NCAA history, the women’s team is tied for second in the Horizon League, coming off a win streak of four. The men’s team now has their whole roster playing together at full health, are tied for second and are on a two-game winning streak. Good luck coming up with a better way to start off homecoming week!
M E N’S
BASKETBALL
Thursday v. Oakland FOX Sports Ohio 7 p.m. Saturday v. Detroit Mercy ESPN+ 7 p.m. The men’s team faces the Oakland Grizzlies who currently sit 7th with a conference record 5-6. In their last matchup, NKU won 75-64. Xavier Hills-Mais kept the Grizzlies in the game, leading them with 17 points and shooting 8-of-16 from the field. HillMais leads the Horizon League in field goal percentage, averaging 51.8 percent. He also sits fourth in the Horizon League in rebounding with an average of 7.7 a game.
Their Jan. 3 matchup was the first away Horizon League game for the Norse, and a tough one at that. NKU led the Detroit Mercy Titans by one going into the half, but struggled during the second half to keep the lead. NKU lost the match 66-58, shooting 33.3 percent for the game while the Titans maintained 49 percent shooting.
For Oakland, scoring is not their strong suit. They rank 9th in the league averaging 65.3 points a game, while the Norse are among the top three, averaging 73.3 points per game. Defensively, NKU is number one in the league, holding opponents to 65.1 points on average. Oakland is right under the Norse, holding opponents to 68.6 points.
The Titans have the number one shooter in the league, Antione Davis, averaging 23.4 points. In their last meeting, the Norse kept Davis under his average with 17 points, shooting 3-of-17 from the 3-point line. Offensive rebounding will be a key point for the Norse, as NKU isn’t the strongest when it comes to being consistent on the glass. NKU averages 10.4 offensive rebounds, and giving the Titans second shot chances could hurt the Norse easily.
In the Jan. 5 game, five Norse were in double digits, with sophomore guard Bryson Langdon leading the pack with 21 points. Along with Hill-Mais’ 17 points, two more Grizzlies players were in double digits.
With senior forward Dantez Walton back, more guys can rotate on the bench. Langdon is a strong sixth man and has shown that in the past two games with scoring 10 and 22 points respectively.
If the Norse continue their win streaks, each team will set themselves up for a top seed going into Horizon League tournament play. After this weekend, there’s only five more chances for the Norse to take the top spot.
Top left: Bryson Langdon. Bottom left: Tyler Sharpe. Middle: Silas Adheke. Right: Ivy Turner.
Sports 05
in the Horizon League
ound of conference play on top PHOTOS BY COLIN JOHNSON / ILLUSTRATION BY IAN LAPE-GERWE
W O M E N’S BASKETBALL
Thursday at Cleveland ESPN+ Saturday at Youngstown St. ESPN+
7 p.m.
1 p.m.
The women’s team faces 5th ranked Cleveland State. Last time out, the Norse fell to Cleveland 73-68 at home. The conference record of this matchup stands at 3-7, but the Norse are coming off a hot streak and may change that record for the better.
The Youngstown State Penguins currently sit 8th in the conference with a 4-7 record. The last meeting on Jan. 2 was a 75-56 win for the Norse. The first quarter of the game, the Norse held the Penguins under double digits with a 19-9 lead. NKU remained ahead, and ended the fourth quarter by doubling the points Youngstown had with 24.
Mariah Miller of Cleveland State was able to put up 21 points against the Norse, shooting 7-of-17 from the field. Miller is the top scorer in the Horizon League averaging 18.2 points per game. Offensively limiting Miller will be key for an NKU win over Cleveland. Redshirt senior Molly Glick is the highest ranked Norse in the Horizon League at 7th with an average of 12.3 points per game. The game on Jan. 4 came down to the last minute. Despite the game being in the losing column, sophomore forward Emmy Souder and sophomore point guard Taylor Clos each had 18 points a piece in the battle, followed by sophomore guard Ally Niece with 11. Cleveland also had three players in double digits. When it comes to scoring as a team, CSU averages around 69 points a game while NKU averages 63.8. However, the Norse defensively keep the average around 60.9 points and the Vikings sit at around 59.3. This game will boil down to defensive efforts for both teams.
Youngstown sits above NKU when it comes to field goal percentage as a team with 39.3 percent, and defensively the team holds their opponents to 40.2 percent. NKU isn’t far behind for defensive field goals with 40.4 percent. Offensively, the Norse are 9th in the conference with their field goal average at 28 percent. In the last four games, the Norse average 40.4 percent from the field. The leading scorers for Youngstown were Chelsea Olson with 13 and McKenah Peters and Quinece Hatcher with 10 each. Olson sits in the top five in free throw percentage in the league with an 83.3 average. When it comes to 3-point baskets, Maddie Shires is 2nd in the conference with an average of 2.3 made 3-pointers a game. Glick follows in 4th with 46 threes on the season and an average of 2.1 a game.
Follow @northernersport on Twitter for the latest Norse basketball coverage.
06 News
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Safewave: ‘My goal is to at least save some lives’ Sierra Newton SPORTS EDITOR
Trevon Bruch, a Northern Kentucky native and INKUbator participant, was awoken one night to a fire alarm. It dawned on him that not everyone has the privilege of hearing alarms, intruders or defending themselves if a situation were to occur. Bruch is hearing. But around 35 million people have self-reported that they are hard of hearing or deaf in the United States alone, according to Gallaudet Research Institute. Out of those 35 million people, nine to 22 people out of 1,000 have severe hearing impairment or are deaf. Bruch said he wanted to create a device that would effectively alert deaf and hard of hearing people in emergency situations. Creation of Safewave From there, the idea of Safewave was born. Bruch looked into safety alarms for deaf and hard of hearing communities and found that there wasn’t much variety in the systems. A lot of systems use flashing lights that pertain to people’s sense of sight. However, Bruch kept asking the question, ‘What if the person is sleeping?’ “I found that all of the safety features for individuals who are hard of hearing or deaf are in the sense of lights flashing,” Bruch said. “The only thing that I could think of that could kind of wake somebody up in a situation like that would be a vibration.” Bruch realized through research that the type of vibration needed wouldn’t be the typical egg shaker that you find in your Apple Watch or Fitbit. “We decided to come up with a wearable device that vibrates, that connects to fire alarms and connects to window indoor units,” Bruch said. “If somebody does break in your home, you will be alerted right away. It’s waterproof as well.” Bruch wants the watch to be used as a security system, notifying the individual outside of their home. The home will be the hub and remain connected to everything inside the home. “It’s literally a home security system that just links to everything [including] doorbells,” Bruch said. “It’s just an all-around home security system—safety system for individuals that are hard of hearing or deaf.” Bruch now has a team and is working to patent the technology used in the prototype. The prototype has been tested for sometime now. How Safewave works Bruch has a team of four that have been working on this product for almost a year, including Chief Managing Officer Dalton Webster, Chief Operations Officer Jared
A Safewave prototype.
Gabbard and engineer Brad Herald. Class of 2016 NKU alum Herald specifically designed the wristbands to have vibrating motors. The wristbands are elevated to create local pressure points to intensify the vibration on the bottom side of the individual’s wrist. “The peaks of the waves are the only thing that would be touching your wrist and not the valleys of the band,” Herald said. Safewave Technology, LLC wanted to test the prototype on someone who is hard of hearing or deaf and made a connection with class of 2017 NKU graduate Tyler Stoeckel through a mutual acquaintance. With Stoeckel’s help, the group was able to test the prototype out several times. They monitored Stoeckel’s sleep while using the prototype. “We concluded the testing with him being in the deepest stage of sleep,” Herald said. “He wasn’t on monitors or anything like that but based on the average sleep trends, he was in the deepest stages of sleep and the product actually woke him up instantly.”
PHOTO BY BILLY KEENEY
Safewave is currently going through their pad process phase, which protects its coding from others. The group’s main goal at the moment is the design of the product. Goals for the product The team plans to hire people to work with the app who are hard of hearing or deaf. They aim to connect the watch to an app and, within the app, use texting features for security instead of a phone call like typical security systems. “My goal is to at least save some lives, and make sure that individuals have more peace of mind,” Bruch said. Stoeckel feels that this is a great opportunity to improve the quality of life for everyone. Stoeckel uses hearing aids for assistance, but this technology gives him the sense of security to sleep without them. The first night the team tested out the band, he said he felt the vibration within seconds. Stoeckel uses one system already which shakes his bed in case of an emergency and feels that’s pretty effective. However,
that only emits an alert when someone is in bed. Although Stoeckel currently lives with his parents while finishing his Master’s, he eventually plans to move out. He and his parents feel confident with the product he’s testing. “I think they felt better knowing that ‘Hey, this could be something that could work,’’ Stoeckel said. “If I’m living on my own, they won’t have to worry about all, ‘You can’t hear somebody that’s at the door, can’t hear the smoke alarm going off.’” SafewaveTechnology, LLC still has plans for the future, including a baby monitoring system for parents and a way to gift the product to someone in need. “One of our big things we’re doing, even when we launch our campaign to raise our money, we’re letting people donate to other people,” Bruch said. “Kickstarter is what we plan on using at first. We’re going to give people the chance to if they aren’t buying it for themselves to actually buy it and donate to a family of need.”
Ed 65, Issue 03
News 07
Students bypass rising textbook prices Rachel Smith ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Tuition average cost Textbook average prices
Percent of increase
“It’s ridiculous that I’m spending $30 on a book I’m going to use in a class for one semester,” freshman computer science major Seth Mac said. The cost of course materials is a common complaint on college campuses, but some students and programs at NKU are finding ways to undercut the increasing cost. Textbook prices per semester are not as clearly defined as tuition. It fluctuates with every student’s class schedule, the question of “how many and how much?” only being answered after the first day when students read the required materials clause in the syllabi. Whatever the exact price for each student’s course load is, it may exceed a thousand dollars. College Board suggests students should set aside at least $1,240 per year for course materials such as textbooks. History professor Dr. Jonathan Reynolds said he isn’t surprised by College Board’s recommendation because of the current trends in textbook publication. Reynolds has written several textbooks; his most well-known, “Africa in World History,” is one of the best-selling textbooks on African history in the world. When the book first came out in 2004, the price was $34. Now, a new copy is available to buy for $85 on Amazon. According to Reynolds, the increasing price of textbooks is due in massive part to the explosion of the used book market in the mid-2000s. “Every university used to be in charge of used books,” Reynolds said. “Students only got their books from the university bookstore, and then the university would buy them back.” Now, with the use of the internet and fast shipping, students are able to buy and trade used books without textbook publishers operating as the ‘middle man.’ According to Reynolds, the value of a textbook decreases rapidly after its first year of publication because students are more likely to buy or rent materials from other avenues rather than the original publishers. “Publishers can’t guarantee making money past the first year of the first edition,” Reynolds said. To cope with the loss of income, the publishing companies have increased the initial prices of new textbooks. According to a study by the United States’ Bureau of Labor Statistics, textbook prices have increased by 88% between 2006 and 2016. Despite the rise in price, college students are spending less on course materials, according to a 2019 study by the National Association of College Stores.
Data sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In the study, researchers contribute the decrease to better student awareness of cost-efficiency programs and easier access to alternative retailers. Many college bookstores, including NKU’s, have implemented ways to alleviate the financial burden. Rental programs and used copies are available at a markdown price. Digital formats have also been a popular alternative for students, according to NKU bookstore manager Elaine Perkins in an email. Ultimately, the extent of the discount is determined on availability. According to freshman nursing major Tori Hubbard, the NKU bookstore did not have many used textbooks available for her course load. She said she only purchased one textbook from the campus bookstore this semester; she bought the rest from online retailers such as Amazon and Chegg. “I only got them [at the NKU bookstore] if I had to,” Hubbard said. According to Hubbard, alternative retailers are cheaper than the standard bookstore. One textbook she needed was $124 to purchase at NKU’s bookstore. On Amazon, it was $78. According to Perkins in an email exchange, the bookstore “applies an industry standard margin to the cost, which covers such expenses as freight, labor (to receive, shelve, and return excess inventory) as well as the costs to maintain both a physical and online bookstore.” Amazon doesn’t have as many expenses, save for storage and licensing costs. Because of that, online retailers are able to sell textbooks at a lower cost while still making a considerable profit.
According to the NKU bookstore’s website, NKU offers multiple programs to mitigate costs, such as textbook buyback and price match. The buyback program allows students to sell back textbooks to the bookstore for up to 50% of regular cost while the price match program is designed to match the cost of the same books by online retailers. Another option on NKU campus is the Lending Library, located in room 120 of the University Center. The program, organized by University Connect and Persist (UCAP), allows students to borrow from their catalog of over 800 textbooks with no charge. The only condition of the program is for the student to meet oneon-one with a UCAP personnel for 15 minutes to talk about their financial and academic success. According to UCAP Coordinator Britany Ranz, research on textbook affordability has shown that a textbook’s significant cost is a significant financial concern. “Sometimes students have to pick if they’re going to buy that book or buy groceries,” Ranz said. While it is important to supplement the financial need of a student, UCAP director Peg Adams said the primary mission behind the Lending Library is to facilitate a foundational outreach for general student needs. “When we meet with the students, we find out about what’s going on with their financial aid or other challenges they may be facing,” Adams said. The Lending Library typically only allows students to borrow one textbook per semester. UCAP associate director
GRAPH BY NOËL WALTZ
Lanighta Reid said there are exceptions for veterans and students in extreme financial circumstances. Students are encouraged to make an appointment with UCAP, though walkins are accepted upon availability. According to Perkins, the NKU bookstore also provides resources for students to understand textbook affordability. Perkins said in an email, “We’re always available to help students explore their best options and walk them through the different ways they can save on course materials.” According to English department chair Dr. John Alberti, professors are also trying to curb the financial demand of students in their coursework. “More and more faculty members also take the cost of textbooks into consideration in class planning, opting either to forego textbooks in favor of individual readings or other sources or, in some cases, making some essential textbook chapters available via Canvas,” Alberti said in an email. Reynolds also recommends students to look for open-source textbooks, which have risen in popularity over the last few years; these textbooks are placed online for free under an open copyright license. According to Mac, it’s important for students to look at all of their options for purchasing course materials. “It’s easy to get ripped off,” Mac said. “But if you shop around, it’s not so bad.” The Lending Library is launching a donation drive this week to help better fund the program. For more information, visit Room 120 UC.
08 Arts & Life
Wednesday, February 05, 2020
Associate professor of philosophy Dr. Rudy Garns, director of integrative studies, from the video to this story on thenortherner.com.
PHOTO/VIDEO BY ABBY BEHRENS
Program encourages students to pursue their passion
Alyssa Weber ASSISTANT ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
It’s the fourth largest major within the College of Arts and Sciences with approximately 260 students, yet no one seems to know about it. Integrative studies has transitioned from a major aimed at helping undecided students graduate on time to a major focused on encouraging students to explore what truly interests them, according to the program’s director, associate professor of philosophy Dr. Rudy Garns. “It’s a way of finding yourself in college rather than having to wait to try to catch up,” Garns said. Established about 15 years ago, integrative studies offers three degree programs, including an Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Master of Arts Degree (A.A., B.A. and M.A.). Both the associate and bachelor degree can be obtained online. The integrative studies B.A. program consists of three required integrative studies classes—one introductory course taken during their first semester as an integrative studies major and two classes taken in conjunction with the senior capstone project. In addition to mandatory courses, students also choose three focus areas. Each must consist of four upper-level courses. During their final semester, students are expected to create a capstone project that ex-
plains how all of their focuses are connected. Rhonda Davis, an integrative studies instructor who teaches all three of the undergraduate integrative studies courses, said that the skills learned within the mandatory classes are interdisciplinary and can be applied to all occupations. “It’s not like we’re just teaching content, we’re providing skills, frameworks that we can apply to whatever problems you might face in the world, in your communities, in your jobs,” Davis said. Before students can graduate and apply what they learn, they begin by meeting every semester with Amanda Laskowski, an advisor for A.A. and B.A. integrative studies to design their own customized degree plans. “Because every student has an individualized degree plan combining three unique minors and focus areas, advising is a really critical part of that process,” Laskowski said. Despite the stereotype that integrative studies is a program for those that are unsure of what they want to do when they graduate, Rachel Zlatkin, an integrative studies instructor in the master’s program, said that she has observed just the opposite. “These are students who know exactly what they want, and what they want is
a range that allows for adaptability and flexibility,” Zlatkin said. For senior Megan Bradford, adaptability and flexibility is what she needed. Bradford, an integrative studies major through the adult learner’s program, focuses on English, psychology and human services. According to Bradford, it was her Introduction to Integrative Studies class that helped her make the transition from a student that had no idea what career to choose to a student with a developed plan. Bradford said she plans to get into public administration to help people with disabilities, mental health issues and physical disabilities by creating laws and programs. Because the degree plans are unique to every student, some have had enough flexibility in their plans to have additional credit hours to take classes of interest to them that may be outside of their focuses. Senior integrative studies major Grace Beck, who has focuses in communication, psychology and English, said that the program has allowed her to dabble in performing arts and a few additional business classes. According to Beck, integrative studies has enabled her to take ownership and initiative in her own education, which was really important to her. “There’s so many things I wish I could
be investing in and integrative studies let me make those choices and maximize my inputs of time and energy for the maximum outputs in my education,” Beck said. In addition to the flexibility the program provides, Garns believes that diversity of experience makes a person better at handling real-world challenges. “When you talk to employers out there, they’re saying they want people with a skill set with competencies, soft skills. They don’t want a person that can solve problems, they want a person that can think through problems and know where to find solutions and see a bigger picture,” Garns said. Garns believes students should choose a career that reflects who they are and what they care about, and whatever they choose to do, they should enjoy doing. Garns said he wants the concept of pursuing what you are passionate about to be the heart of integrative studies. When he was first starting out with the program, he asked students to help create a tagline that represented the major’s values. ““Pursue your passion” was the agreed-upon tagline … because that’s really what I want. I want them to not just think about the job ahead. Figure out who you are and design a college program for you,” Garns said.