Game of Life

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WEDNESDAY • SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

VOLUME 119, ISSUE 22

The Game of Life Illustration by Tarun Bali

Local school teacher shares tips on effective teaching

By Kevin Brown STAFF REPORTER @krbrownjr

For some area high school students, one particular Wichita State graduate has had more influence on their lives than her title would suggest.

“You teach like you were raised,” said Angelica Tesch.

Tesch, a 2014 secondary education graduate, already knows some of the trials and tribulations when it comes to being a high school honors biology teacher.

“I have found that, when you can admit that you don’t know something, it shows that you are a real person, not just a teacher that comes here from eight to three and then goes home,” Tesch said. “The students like that — they can connect with you.”

After growing up in a home that stressed education and exploration, as a teenager, Tesch decided that she had found a love in music, with a musical career in viola performance being her destined future.

However, after being diagnosed with chronic tendonitis in her lower forearms, she realized that a career in viola performance was not going to work out.

Tesch was not out of luck, however, having grown up with a mother that had a passion for teaching those around her new concepts and ideas.

“It all goes back to my mom,” she said.

A forensic pathologist and phlebotomist in the McPherson area, Tesch’s mother never failed to inspire her in the field of natural sciences.

“I was eight years old, and my mom wanted me to go to the [pathology] lab with her,” Tesch said. So, I went to the [pathology] lab, and I loved it.

Her mother’s love of science did

Photo by Kevin Brown

Angelica Tesch, 2014 WSU secondary education graduate, talks about the class fish, Leo, in her Kapaun Mt. Carmel high school honors biology classroom on Tuesday.

not stop there — she even brought it into Tesch’s fifth grade classroom.

“Then, I got into fifth grade, and my mom was really active in the schools,” Tesch said. “She brought in a bunch of high-tech microscopes, pond water and animal blood slides. We would spend Fridays doing microscopes in my class.”

In those moments, Tesch realized the magic of teaching — all because of the love of teaching her mother demonstrated to her classmates.

“Everyone was like, ‘Ms. Tesch is the coolest. Ms. Tesch is the nicest mom, the coolest science teacher,’” she said of her mother.

Many years later, Angelica found herself at the front of a Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School classroom, displaying the same passion for teaching and science to her own students as her mom once did for her peers.

However, she could not have

become the teacher she is without the help of her mother.

“When I first became a teacher, my mom told me that ‘10 percent of your teaching is content, and 90 percent is figuring out how you are going to entertain them,’” Tesch said.

Tesch explained that while teaching complicated content, it is absolutely necessary to maintain the human element in your lessons. “[My mom] always told me that you always remember what makes you laugh,” Tesch said. “You have to make science entertaining.”

As a result of these lessons, Tesch works to make sure she is there for her students, never failing to make an impact on them.

“They could take away my paycheck, and I would still be here at 6:30 in the morning, grading papers and making lesson plans,” Tesch said. “I think that if the teacher is not passionate about what

they do, the students will notice.”

Tesch has also found that adding a little bit of flair to her lesson plans has benefited her students in more ways than one.

“You have to make [the content] relevant to them,” Tesch said. “For example, in my class, we have these things called Wikibreaks. We go onto Wikipedia, we search out our resources, and then we go find a (dot) gov site to compare against, then we check out the images. [The students] love it.

“It totally makes the students more involved, because they want to catch onto something that I don’t know,” Tesch said.

Tesch also said that the Wikibreaks not only teach them more about the subject they are discussing, they also have another, more subliminal benefit.

See DREAM JOB on page 2

Welcome to the Game of Life The Game of Life is a popular board game that takes its players on a journey through their life. College, marriage, children, careers and eventually retirement are all explored.

Many of us can’t even figure out what we want for dinner tonight, yet we are expected to figure out our futures during our college career. We are constantly bombarded with job searches, internship applications and academic advising appointments being thrown at us while trying to balance work and school; we are living our own games of life.

This special edition of the Sunflower is not a self-help guide to managing life. We aren’t telling you what you should and should not be doing with your time. We are merely giving you pointers and advice from experts around campus and from our own personal experiences as college students.

All of us have a different story and our life goals are unique to us. This is the time to build upon these interests and to start planning for our futures so when we have our college diplomas in hand, we aren’t facing the world with fear and hesitation.

The content in this special edition goes beyond the career guide previously printed around this time. We cover a wide spectrum of topics that go beyond careers, like balancing a career and family, taxes and debunking myths about the “real world.”

I hope you find this guide beneficial. Whether you’re looking for a job or internship around the city or are looking for some help in choosing a possible career — it’s all here.

It’s up to you to decide what to do with the resources provided to you.

Let the games begin.

—Sean Jones, Advertising Manager

2

The Game of Life

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SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Résumés: What Social media a must for careers sets you apart?

By Cheyenne Bullock STAFF REPORTER @xcallmechey

Approximately 5.9 million Americans graduate with college degrees every year, according U.S. Census data.

With so many competitors in the job market, how will you become an employer’s first choice?

The No. 1 way students can capture the attention of potential employers is a solid and visually appealing résumé.

Jill Pletcher, director of Career Services at Wichita State, wants students to focus on what skills or experiences may make them stand out compared to other candidates.

“If an employer posts a position, they may receive hundreds of applications,” Pletcher said. “They won’t go through and thoroughly read all of them. They will do a six to 10 second skim and place them into piles from there.”

According to Pletcher, the first pile or category consists of those applicants whose résumé intrigued the employer immediately.

The second category will consist of those who may not have met all of the qualifications but could still be a good candidate. These will be reviewed if there are not enough applicants in the first pile.

Résumés in the third category are those applicants who were either extremely under-qualified or did not appeal to the employer whatsoever.

“If it is visually pleasing and very clear, they will be drawn to it,” Pletcher said. “Grab their attention.

“Students can’t help if someone has more qualifications than them. They cannot do anything about that. But they can do everything about the format and how they make what they do have look.”

Appearance is everything when it comes to creating an effective and catching résumé, Plectcher said. She emphasized

the difference bulleted items can make.

“Bulleted items set you apart,” Pletcher said. “They provide an accurate view of what you have done in your job and how you have done it better.”

Not every student will have a lot of work history to list on his or her résumé. It is here that extracurricular activities become an important tool.

These activities can ref lect students’ leadership and social abilities, as well as their interests, Pletcher said.

Activities, leadership roles, involvement and volunteer experience show employers that a previous connection or love for what you want to achieve exists.

“Get involved in activities that ref lect your legitimate interests,” Pletcher said. “On a résumé, this provides insight of your skills to potential employers.

“Focus on skills, qualifications, accomplishments and format when writing a resume.”

The Office of Career Services provides a free starter-kit for résumé writing.

The packet includes a variety of resources, such as sample résumés with explanations, samples of cover letters, a sample reference page and a list of action words to enhance a résumé.

One of the important considerations outlined in this packet is the objective of a résumé: “The purpose of the résumé is to obtain an interview,” the packet states. “Keep in mind that it is a document of highlights, not a complete history. Think of a résumé as a marketing tool that sells your experience and qualifications to an employer.”

The résumé starter-kit packet is free to students in the Career Services office.

Students who are looking for help or advice about résumé writing, career goals or interview skills can visit Career Services located in Brennan Hall II, which is located across 17th Street.

DREAM JOB

from page 1

“They have to pay more attention, but when they go out into the real world, they will find that it is OK to not know something, and that it is OK to have to look something up,” Tesch said.

Although teachers provide educational curriculum to students, Tesch stresses that, in her opinion, a teacher’s job does not stop at the book.

“My favorite thing to do with my students is to talk about life with them,” Tesch said. “During the first 10 minutes of class, when we are taking roll and arriving to class, I want them to talk about themselves.”

For Tesch, there is one golden rule in her classroom that helps set her apart.

“You never, ever reduce a student,” Tesch said.

For some students, speaking up in class is hard to do, harder

than it is for others.

“A lot of times, when you ask a question, and they don’t raise their hands, it is because they have been put down so many times during the day that they cannot handle being put down one more time,” she said. “They don’t want to be put down any more than they have to.”

Although Tesch is only a first-year teacher, one other individual has noticed the impact of her teaching at Kapaun.

Jo Mittman, chair of the Kapaun Mt. Carmel Biology Department, saw a few things in Tesch that really stood out to her.

“I sit in on interviews of new teachers,” Mittman said. “Her background was wide, with a background in music and science, which I like. It shows that not all science teachers are one-dimensional, and that we do have other backgrounds and hobbies.”

Mittman said she also noticed something else in the time that Tesch has been at Kapaun.

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Every day we’re told random “facts” about the world.

Some seem COLUMN BY plausible DYLAN EDELEN — like the deepest part of the ocean would still submerge Mount Everest — but some we wish we’d never heard, i.e. eating spiders in our sleep. Gross.

While a good number of these facts may be true, many of the popular ones are full of crap.

We only use 10 percent of our brains: It is true that science has not unlocked all the mysteries of our brains or what every part does.

That being said, if you were

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make up for it by thinking about sex every couple of seconds.

Not likely.

You must wait 30 minutes after eating to swim: The absolute bane of my childhood right here. The thought behind this is that you would get cramps, be unable to swim and drown. Science says that while digesting, your stomach used so much oxygen that it could not produce enough oxygen to power your muscles. Good news for kids around the world — it’s not true.

Dive in.

It can be difficult trying to discern fact from myth, but just take everything you hear with a grain of salt, and do your research.

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to head over to a hospital and get your head scanned, you would not see 90 percent of your brain neurons on vacation.

Think about it — do you believe if you experienced brain damage in your unused 90 percent, that you’d be just fine?

I didn’t think so.

Men think about sex every six seconds: Men, while reading this article, have you thought about sex? Well, maybe now that you’ve read the word twice, but common sense should squash this one.

There are periods of time (during a football game, yelling at tech support, playing guitar hero) that men aren’t thinking about sex, and for this six-second average, men would have to

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Networking at your fingertips, LinkedIn is a great place to meet others in the professional world and get your name out there.

“I have heard from parents,” Mittman said. “Parents have stopped through and have told [Tesch] things like ‘Just wanted stop by and tell you that our student talks about you all the time,’ and that kind of stuff.”

Tesch said she hopes that her teaching makes it across to her students, even if she is not always successful.

“Even if I can’t connect with all of my students, if I can connect with 25 percent of them, I have done my job,” she said.

At the end of the day, when all of the students have gone home and the school is quiet, Tesch said she hopes for one thing.

“I want them to be proactive, effective and collaborative leaders in their school, community and society,” she said. “When they walk out of my classroom, I don’t care if they know a speck about biology.

“But, by god, they will be proactive, they will be effective, and they will be collaborative leaders with those around them.”

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need to access it.

When you’re looking to move up, and the person you must impress has done work with a past coworker, and they can speak to your talents, it can do wonders.

Social media can actually save you, and a business, both time and money. It allows you to market products and services for free, and having open forums to post can get you responses to questions quickly.

Having these social media skills can only help in a professional setting for every career path.

Myths about the world

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shows you in a negative light.

You must learn how to censor yourself when you are online. No matter what your privacy settings are, anything posted online is never truly hidden or gone. If you’re upset, never, I repeat, never take to social media outlets to rant. Instead, let your competitors lose their jobs for their offensive content.

By now, you should have a LinkedIn account. If you don’t, then finish this article and open a web browser. The ability to network in a professional manner is at your fingertips, and you just

While it might have seemed like a good idea at the time, go through and delete all those photos of you in compromising predicaments.

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Having a presence on social media is vitally important in the technology COLUMN BY age. Yes, it DYLAN EDELEN gives businesses an inside look to the person you are before hiring you, but you can use that to your advantage.

The fact that you control what people see on your page can be an incredible asset if you know how to use it. First thing you need to do, is get on Facebook and Twitter and delete any photo or post that

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Corrections Monday’s profile of Conklin/ Baltzell said Brandon Baltzell is president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Baltzell no longer has that title.

The Game of Life

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

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3

Student feeling financial pinch finds other avenues of spending

2

By Kevin Brown STAFF REPORTER @krbrownjr

OPINION

w w w. t h e s u n f l o w e r. c o m

Performing with Wichita State’s South Asian dance troupe breaks down social barriers

formed at a 9/11 unity dance. gathering hosted by Global Forget what religion they Ragini Faith In Action, a local were—they just wanted to Venkatasubban organization that promotes dance. bringing all religions Dance crosses all When my cousin Anjana together. religions, races, cultures and I founded Shocker The hour-long show and boundaries.

Shakthi, Wichita State’s included Jewish prayer, Even though I’m first South Asian dance devotional Christian songs, Indian, I’ve done ballet eam, in the fall of 2008, Islamic expression and since age 3, a dance that our only motivation was a Hindu chanting. originated in France. I’ve desire to bring Indian Our dance team, which taken zumba, hip hop, usion dance to the is made up of many tap, jazz, African dance, Midwest. different cultures, chose belly dance, modern Compared to other three songs that represent dance and so many others. universities on the east and remembrance, struggle and Dance breaks down west coasts, which frehope—the three themes of barriers because it’s only quently host Indian dance the event. achieved by lowering your competitions and shows, After our performance, inhibitions—and when WSU didn’t have much of a many people congratulated that happens, any prepresence. We wanted to us for showing them a conceived notions about change that. snippet of our culture. religion and race autoAs we started performing What really struck us, matically get lowered as around Wichita, however, however, were the Muslim well. another purpose came into gentleman, Catholic Take Shakthi—we’ve play—bringing the world woman and countless had dancers of Indian, ogether through dance. others who asked if we African, PhotoVietnamese,

by Manny De Los Santos Sunday,are Shakthi per-for students could teach themonhow to Coupons a great way to save money necessities forChinese, everydayCambodian, life.

Column by

When it comes to college students, there is one theme that seems to be universally accepted: they have little money.

A combination of lack of experience, long mornings Pakistani and Caucasian in class and the requiredescent. ment of homework, At the “Aloha!” luau internships and experience, hosted by International have left many students Student Union last week, without the opportunity for the featured Polynesian well-compensated dancers were multi-racial. employment.

What brought However, onethem WSU together?has Dance. student not let her lack the luau, theher.

DJ In played of At money hinder bhangra, a type of Indian fact, for sophomore Emma music being so upbeat youiscan’t Jones, thrifty more help but dance. The than a required habitdance — it floor exploded with is a lifestyle. international and domestic As she explained small studentscollection alike whoin came coupon her togetherJones just for wallet, gavedance. a little “There a bit of history onisher money-management insanity skills. in dancing that “Myeverybody mom has been does a great thrifty wholesaid life, and I deal ofmy good,” learned it from her,” Jones American dance critic said.

“She can take my Edwin Denby. whole vacation Andfamily maybeonthat’s what for half people of the cost of brings together in normal prices.” our dance—putting Jones,tohaving never had a brains rest and acting family known for extravafrom the heart. gant spending habits, has continued to be resourceful with her money, much like her mother was when she was a child.

“You have to be conscious of your purchases,” she said.

Oftentimes having a negative connotation, Jones explains that being thrifty and resourceful does not dramatically numerous mean that oneand would miss other willwith have to out onprograms having fun be cut. others.

Thatresource isn’t so bad the One thatonJones face of until youthe rememuses to it, help make most of money Groupon, berher how long itis took an online to deal-hunting Congress come to a service an billion decisionbased to cutona few individual’s dollars from physical the budget. location.

You know, nearly six “Groupon is great,” Jones months of intense partisan said.

“Groupon is party’s one of fighting for each those things that could get priorities. me Why to spend in the did money the Obama

Obama’s jobs speech strong in delivery, but weak in content

DUCK’S FLYING DISCS

every detail was given to of … $449 billion. the press.

Oh, and this would all be Derek His plan is ambitious. paid for without adding to blair Nearly $250 billion in tax the deficit. cuts, more jobs for teachers, How can this be done?

President Barack firemen and cops, massive That is an amazingly good STOPObama

BY AND GET held a joint session of amounts of money spent to question, because it remains Congress on Thursday to rebuild roads and bridges, unanswered by the Obama hare his plan to fix spending in a new super fast administration, who say it America. His plan was very rail system, and investments WITH will STUDENT I.D. “soon.” be answered ecretive until the day of in green energy.

The only plausible answer is he speech, when almost All for the low, low price that taxes will be raised Column by

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Florida and since it was a Because of the unique resort area, I was able to offers and hard-to-find S e p tfind e mtons b eofrdesigner 12, 201 specials, Jones likes clothes for $5 apiece.

Groupon for the opportu“I have no doubt I saved nities that she never would thousands of dollars on have previously considered. that shopping trip.”

“Sometimes, they just Jones has found that have awesome specials,” shopping at alternative retailers for one category of Jones said. “Like, for goods has paid off as well. example, they sometimes “I like Aldi,” she said. “I have 50 percent off of a like it because it is small paintball session or and laid out very well. Like, something. you walk in, and you are in “It can sometimes open Inyou the the said.

“Especially here snacks.

Turn the aisle, up newColumn opportunities by andthe thenMidwest.” you are in baking, would not have trieddecade in the austin since To me, is turn again andcollege it is bread, first place,” Jones said.

Colbert 9/11, a time It is very well orga- for One common thing that we etc. ultimately understanding.

It is a

college students can have agree all nized.” inundated with timehas to found understand Jones that it iswh on isbeen the cost of an average information trip. about the definitely you are as in individua possible to go clothes-shopping

Middleon East. and a on time to reach a shopping a budget Depending the retailer, without sacrificing quality. the cost of an average trip The media constantly deeper understanding “Iour likeever-enclosing the lower prices, can throws reach into $100 like or outtheterms moreSunni, range. Shia and Rama- obviously, world.but I really like that are State less and th Jones herof us brandsWichita dan.has Byfound now, that most [feeling],” said. thrifty habits havethe notdictiononly ‘generic’ understand city of Wichitashe provid has different benefited her with outside ary definitions of these “Aldi a truly uniquebrands opportu thatnity are kind of their storethe activities, her closet termsbut andinpeoples. to learn about brands, and they are all as well.But do we truly world, especially Midd veryEastern good.” culture, witho “Iunderstand shop exclusively whatat it For many students, the o Goodwill,” said. Islam? means she to follow going too far outside costs of finding fun ways “Literally, three-quarters of Have we really reached a your comfort zone. to freeunderstand time are my closet from and spendTo propercomes acceptance extremely high.

Goodwill, with the remainunderstanding of someone of a different Jones, however, has der being clothes I have had Muslim culture? faith and culture, it is found that her thrifty since middle school.”

If your answer is yes, important to put down habits from childhood have Depending on the area, those who adhere to the her books, turn off the helped find enjoyment thrift stores make their Islam might adisagree. television and interact for less.

name by offering way to “I their claimgood-condito be Arabwith such “When I waspeople. a kid, we trade off American more than It is only way to didn’t havethe cable at our tion clothing in a manner Muslim-American, just really connect with house so, pretty much, I th that others will benefit. because of discriminaandand reach a justculture read books played Not only that, but quite tion reasons,” deeper withunderstanding. my friends,” frequently, clothing said in Dimaoutside Hammouri, a junior in Jones said.

“Just“Ihaving think Iconvers had a thrift stores has a much political science at tions with pretty awesomepeople who more straight-forward Wichita State.

“I in don’t childhood.” are different than you pricing structure than want people to store. judge me “Ipeople from still read a lot,other and the average clothing based my religion cultures, other religion public libraries are “I like that on everything is a or [most] even and my the nationality.” free.” a lot,” Hammou set price, prices are stillhelps message that Jones relativeHammouri to the amount wasofborn One said.

“When you make for other students fabric that is in the and raised in the U.S., has that personal conneca reprieve clothes,” Jones said. “For but her family is origi- looking tion for with people,from you daily costsaofrelationship modern example, are nallytank-tops from Palestine, a the establish is simple. cheapest, regionand of long-sleeve the Middle life and relationships with “Basically, thereyou is ato shirts are more expensive.”

East centered primarily people help cheaper method with Jones has found that around the countries of become more everything you do. thrift shopping in other Israel and Jordan. comfortable.”

SheThere said there a way to areas has paid off.

Shedefinitely is a practicing are is more than cut dollars and cents off of “IMuslim, love goingmeaning on vacation she 1,000 international the students activities you do, theand and fasts visiting andGoodwills prays as in at WSU, food you eat. other places,” she said. required by Islam. many as 20 cultural or “There is always a way to “I went three different Andtodespite the international student save money.”

Goodwills this summer in

Understanding Islam requires personal connections, not just study

progress made since 9/11, Hammouri stills finds herself ridiculed for her faith.

“We get a lot of right-wing people, right-wing Christians who don’t really accept the Muslim faith,” she

organizations. Cultura events are held consta ly around town, the 2424 N. Maize Road majority of which are Wichita, KS 67205 open to the 316.729.6900 public.

So using Wichita’s 353 S. Rock Road isolation from the rest Wichita, KS 67207 the world 316.685-6000 is a really ba Please see Obama on excuse for not becomi www.logansroadhousejobs.com page 4 cultured.

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The Game of Life

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Why your degree doesn’t matter For the last few decades, a college degree has been the coveted prize of higher COLUMN BY education.

NICOLE RAU Parents and teachers have constantly bombarded students with warnings about how they will never get a good job without earning a degree.

So, like good students, we packed our bags and studied hard to claim our prizes and, with our degrees in hand, we set off to contribute to the

workforce.

Yet, suddenly, reality reared its ugly head and, plot twist: our degrees don’t mean squat.

Congratulations. You have spent the last four (or more) years writing essays, reading textbooks and spending obscene amounts of money to earn a degree that does not guarantee you a job. Is it true? Have our parents and teachers been spoon-feeding us a lie since day one?

No, not exactly. The problem is that they have been over-stressing the importance of a degree.

Twenty or 30 years ago when our

parents were our age, college degrees weren’t that common. So, having one on their résumé was pretty much guaranteed employment.

Yet nowadays, college graduates are everywhere, therefore a degree no longer makes you special. You don’t stand out to a potential employer. You are just another résumé to look over.

So what do future employers really want? They want experience.

They want the person that has been designing websites for small businesses for the last three years, not the person who has a bachelor’s

in computer science but no real work experience.

They don’t care if you can rattle off facts and figures from memory if you can’t execute their presentation in an attractive way to a potential client. They don’t want to waste their time and resources training you.

Sure, a lot of employers do require some sort of degree in today’s world.

But that degree no longer jumps out and says, “Hey! Look at me!” “I’m an intelligent member of society!”

Instead, it says, “Hey, look at me; I’m competent!”

But do not fret, for there are ways

to prove to a future employer that you’ll have a positive impact on their company.

Whether your degree is in art, computer science or English, you can always freelance, take contract gigs or even volunteer your knowledge and expertise. These experiences will give you the opportunity to grow and improve while at the same time making your résumé stand out.

Your degree will prove that you’re competent enough to complete something. But your experience will prove your value.

Career vs. family: Can you have it all?

By Brittany Ponds STAFF REPORTER @brittany_forev

How can we as students, employees and parents find harmony in our everyday lives?

How can we achieve success at home and in the workplace?

Will it be pancakes over presentations or deadlines over date night? It should be as simple as a mathematical formula, right?

Jill Pletcher, director of Career Services at Wichita State, decided early on that her family was always going to be more important than her career. Pletcher has a daughter and said that when she was younger, she juggled these kinds of things.

“If it was ever a choice of you can do this or you can focus on her, it was always going to be her,” she said.

Pletcher said she believes that there are people who will say, ‘I will never put career before family,’ and there are people who will say, ‘Career is my absolute first,’ and then others that say, ‘I really want to have both — how do I juggle those?’

In balancing career and family, Pletcher said it involves a lot of communication and making decisions in advance.

“There comes a point at which I say, ‘This is going to be most important,’ because there are those days, those times, those decisions that say, ‘At this moment, I have to

choose,’” she said.

Pletcher said she loved and still loves her job, but said it was always terrible to have to make a choice between her daughter and her calling.

“So much is based on the values of the individual,” Pletcher said.

Chelsea Walker, a graduate student who has her bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders said, “You can have both.”

Walker said you should be given the opportunity to do both, especially if you have a degree.

“I think it’s a waste when women spend all this time, money and effort to get a bachelor’s/master’s or what have you, to just stay home,” she said.

Walker said she doesn’t necessarily think people plan to do that, but she sees it turn out that way too often, and she doesn’t think students should have to choose one or the other.

Walker is in her first year of graduate school for speech language pathology. She is married and also works at an elementary school.

She said balancing techniques are her secret to having both, along with patience and communication.

The word “balance” has been thrown out a couple times — is that the key to achieve a successful home and work life? But, what else can help students triumph over family and career conflicts?

Career counselor Vivian

Rohleder, from WSU’s Career Services, said unfortunately, yes, students do have to choose.

Rohleder said — speaking as a career counselor and a mother — she had to do this herself.

She said some careers are now more than 40 hours a week, and employees have to be invested in extra projects, so it’s a tough choice.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean your priorities change,” Rohleder said. “I feel like your work has to make up for not spending time with your child. It has to be worth it.”

But Rohleder pointed out that nowadays there are more partnerships with husbands, so it’s not a choice women are making by themselves. More husbands are staying home, so now they can focus not only on family, but career, too.

Rohleder also said that working in a university

setting has been beneficial to her.

She said she is able to work from home when she is sick, and her child attends the university daycare.

“It takes a lot of organization and planning ahead,” Rohleder said.

When it comes to certain meetings and projects that take

place after hours, Rohleder said she and her husband communicate and coordinate.

Not only does finding balance in life play a part of “having it all,” but perhaps looking into career fields with flexibility can help students achieve their full potential at home and at the office.

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The Game of Life

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM

5

Succeeding in college: It is up to you Success at the college level is often left up to the ambition and initiative of COLUMN BY the individual CHEYENNE BULLOCK student.

Everyone has probably had class with or knows one of those students who never shows up to class, never studies and yet always complains that they can’t be successful in that course.

Most people have also encountered the “over-achievers” — those students who relentlessly pursue excellence in a course.

They may be the ones sitting in the front, always giving feedback in class and usually are the ones who perform the highest on exams.

In reality, a slacker could

easily become an over-achiever and vice-versa. It’s all about the effort the student puts forth.

As a sophomore in college, I definitely do not consider myself an expert on college success.

I have, however, been exceptionally successful in my college coursework thus far.

I attribute this success to the three fundamental rules of success I created for myself in high school.

1. Don’t be afraid of change.

I cannot think of a more unstable period of my life than college.

Since being in college, I have changed my major twice, my job twice and my hair three times.

Instead of resisting the changes that come my way, I have learned to embrace and use my experiences as tools to

shape me into a well-rounded individual.

The plan for life that a student enters college with may not always be the same when they graduate four years later.

If they find themselves unhappy with their current major, they shouldn’t be afraid to try something new.

2. Reach out to peers and advisers.

One mistake from my freshman year was completely isolating myself from everyone.

I utilized the advice of my advisers when choosing classes or changing majors, but I was missing a crucial element: peer advice.

There is nothing more invaluable than the advice of other students who have faced the same struggles you are facing.

Peers can also provide you

with the unconventional advice advisers shy away from.

Building a web of connections at the university will make students feel more connected to their school and less likely to drop out or give up.

3. Don’t just go to class — be present.

Being physically present in class is a habit every student should form.

If there’s not a pressing issue preventing a student’s attendance they should be there.

This is especially important for students in smaller classes.

The instructor will begin to remember student faces.

Having a professor remember you for being on time, contributing to class discussion and showing an actual interest in the course can be beneficial down the road.

I have learned that they will

be more willing to work with you on assignments that you don’t perform particularly well on, they will be more lenient should you miss an important class assignment, and they take more of an interest in your success in their course.

Professors are much less willing to help students who show absolutely no interest in the course.

These bits of advice may not work for every college student, but every student can create their own rules that work for their life and academic endeavors.

What is truly important is that students take a proactive approach to their college education.

The proactive approach can significantly enhance students’ academic, social and overall successes.

Omega Training assists Peer pressure affecting students with nutrition, exercise

By Paulo Lazo STAFF REPORTER @Paulo_JLazo

A year ago, Ryan Floyd’s lifelong dream materialized.

With the help of a handful of colleagues, he managed to raise funds for his own fitness business, Omega Training.

After graduating from Wichita State — where he majored in exercise science — and working full-time for two years, Floyd finally decided it was time to begin something of his own.

“I wanted to try to reach out to as many people as possible and get them a better understanding of their health,” he said. “I thought this was the best way to do that with the schooling that I had.”

Among the main reasons he became independent and started his own enterprise, Floyd lists his unique take on fitness, as well as his eagerness to share his knowledge about

exercising.

“I like to focus a lot on the nutrition side of things,” he said.

“Helping my clients make the right choices when they’re going out to eat for dinner, what’s the healthier option at certain restaurants, what to eat for snacks, and really getting a better understanding of the importance of meal timing and tell them what is the most harmful for them, like binging and things like that that will keep them from reaching their fitness goals.”

Floyd has worked on a new online program for seven months that will include personalized nutrition and workouts for all prospective clients, which he considers reasonably priced in comparison to the one-on-one sessions he offers.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to reach hundreds of thousands of people instead of just hundreds of people,” he said.

“This facility has a cap. I can only fit so many people in here during the day. It’ll be a way to get to everybody, and it’s affordable at twenty bucks a month.”

Even though he has consistently exercised throughout his life, the WSU alumnus admits that he also neglected his eating habits once, so he was often plagued by exhaustion.

Therefore, he helps out clients by educating them on the causes and consequences of a poor diet.

“There’s always a bottom line or a reason why somebody is holding themselves back or they feel they are held back by something,” Floyd said. “What I do is I try to figure out what that reason is that’s holding them back and we find ways to work around that.”

Omega Training is located in Park City, though Floyd plans to open two further locations on the west and east side of Wichita.

Before you roll your eyes and claim peer pressure does not affect you, let COLUMN BY me ask you a DYLAN EDELEN question.

How many tests have you failed and bragged about, because it would be uncool to show you care about your grades?

When you make the move to college, your inf luences change from parents and involved teachers to peers and busy professors.

With that change comes a new desire to fit in and experience college “to the fullest.”

According to Josephine M. Palmeri, with the New York University Psychology Department, social identity theory may explain the inf luence of peer pressure.

“The social identity theory suggests that a significant portion of an individual’s self-concept is formed through their peer groups,” Palmeri said in her research.

Introduce alcohol to this unstable situation, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the leading cause of death in adolescents (ages 17-20) is alcohol-related car crashes. These deaths are preventable.

In addition, it estimates about “400,000 students ages 18-24 have unprotected sex due to drinking.”

These poor decisions stem from peer pressure and not only affect students’ academic lives, but their general health as well.

The time has come for students to change what is ‘cool’ or ‘in.’

Why isn’t an A something to celebrate?

Why do we perpetuate the need for a beer in someone’s hand for him or her to be accepted?

Students need to surround themselves with positive inf luences and strive to be that inf luence for others — that is the new cool.

Taxes: Tips to consider before filing

By Cheyenne Bullock STAFF REPORTER @xcallmechey

1. File Early- Students need to file early and do so thoroughly, according to information provided on the IRS webpage.

Filing early alleviates the sense of being rushed and can allow the filer to focus on preparing their tax information correctly.

It is also important for students to file their taxes early so they will be able to fill out their Free Application for

Federal Student Aid — the FAFSA — early, as well. Financial aid is distributed on a first come, first serve basis, and applying early can ensure that students receive the maximum amount of aid available to them.

Leilah Ramzah, a certified peer financial coach for the Office of Student Money Management, is a senior at Wichita State majoring in finance.

“It is important for students to file their taxes as soon as they become available in order to reduce stress and maximize the amount of financial aid dis-

bursed,” Ramzah said.

2. Know The Tax credits you are eligible for- There are tax credits specifically available to college students, but not every student that is eligible realizes this.

Tax credits reduce the amount of income taxes you are required to pay.

“There is an American Opportunity tax credit which can cover qualified school-related expenses like tuition, fees and materials for the first four years of post-secondary education,” Ramzah said.

Under this credit, students can claim up $2,500 per year of tuition, required enrollment fees and course materials that the student needs for their course of study.

Materials do not have to be purchased at the educational institution to qualify, according to IRS standards.

Ramzah said there are other opportunities available as well, such as the Lifetime Learning Credit. This credit is for tuition and related fees.

Students pursuing undergraduate, graduate and professional

degrees can earn up to $2,000 of tax credits.

The Office of Student Money Management offers a multitude of sources for WSU students, Ramzah said.

“Our office provides free financial education for students, by students,” she said. “We can help you create an individualized spending plan, complete the FAFSA, establish good credit and provide ways to avoid identity theft.”

For more information about filing taxes as a college student, contact OSMM at 978-3254.

SGA is HirinG Applications are now available for:

For More Information or to apply, visit wichita.edu/SGAopenpositions or in the RSc, room 219. Applications are Due Friday, September 19th at 5PM. Find us on Facebook: Student Government Association of Wichita State

wichita.edu/SGA

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