First Year Student Reflections 2019 A Deadly Wandering by Avila Publications

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2019 STUDENT REFLECTIONS A Deadly Wandering First Year Experience Truman Lecture Series

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201 9 STUDENT REFLECTIONS A Deadly Wandering First Year Experience Truman Lecture Series

Introduction “Texting while driving makes you 23 times more likely to get into an accident.” – National Highway Transportation Safety Administration

ach year, Avila selects a common reading for our first year students. Students have the summer to read the selected book and respond with an essay prior to the start of fall class. Additionally, the University dedicates the Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture to the selected book. To compliment these experiences, all first year students enroll in a fall semester class, First Year Seminar, which provides an opportunity to expand on the global topics within the book. The subject of this year’s common read was of particular interest to our first year students, University community, and surrounding community. Many of our students have been impacted directly or indirectly with distracted driving and nearly all of our students reported driving while distracted or being in a car with a distracted driver at some point in their lives. As stated in our mission, Avila prepares learners who will contribute to the global community and our Values state the importance of a right relationship with self and others. Distracted driving has been described as a global epidemic and it is important to practice safe and harmonious relationships with ourselves and others. This publication serves as the culmination of multiple experiences shared among our first year students (Appendix A) to begin to understand the issues around distracted driving. Within this publication are the Culminating Projects of many of Avila’s first year students. It is our hope that through the curriculum in first year seminar, students have developed individualized and educated thoughts and opinions on the subject and will become change agents for the world. Below outlines some of the experiences that led to these culminating projects. The book selected for 2019 was A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, A Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age by Matt Richtel. In this book, we learned of the story of Reggie Shaw. In 2006, as a 19 year-old Utah college student, Shaw was driving on a highway he had taken hundreds of times before. While texting, Shaw drifted across the center line and fatally struck two rocket scientists, James Furfaro and Keith O’Dell. The book follows Shaw, the families of Furfaro and O’Dell, as well as many of those who were involved in the police investigation and trial. Richtel not only shares the details of these tragic events, but also delves into brain research outlining our inability to multi-task, regain situational awareness, and the inability to resist our phones. Avila welcomed Reggie Shaw to campus on October 14, 2019 as our Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecturer (Appendix B). Shaw relived the worst day of his life when he spoke at Avila University. He has great remorse for his actions and struggles daily knowing he ended the lives of two other human beings. Somberly, Shaw shared his story and the intimate

Avila Community Values

stories of others whose lives have ended or been impacted by distracted driving. Shaw was convicted of negligent homicide and the attorneys agreed to Shaw’s sentence of 18 days in jail along with a requirement to educate others about texting and driving. At the sentencing, the judge told Shaw, “You are not a hero, you are a criminal.” Shaw turns off his phone and places it in the glove compartment every time he drives. His mission is to get others to do the same. Although Shaw has met the details of his sentencing, he continues to dedicate his life to educating others about texting and driving. He shared with our audience, “Don’t be like me.” A few other highlights from the semester included a visit from the International Save A Life Tour. We heard the heart-wrenching stores of Xavier who was torn from his sister’s hand when a distracted driver hit them on their way home from school and is paralyzed from below the diaphragm. We learned about Chandler who killed three children when he ran into a horse-drawn carriage carrying an Amish family. The tour also brought two simulators to campus so students could experience texting and driving and/or driving under the influence of alcohol. Students also heard from three Avila faculty who shared perspectives on the topic from the disciplines of technology and social media (Dr. Joe Snorgrass), psychological brain research (Dr. Marcia Pasqualini), and victimology / criminology (Dr. Ashley Fansher). Students in First Year Seminar are encouraged to be creative with The Culminating Project. Students can write a traditional essay or create a unique personal project such as the creation of a poem, song, piece of artwork, etc. The project helps students explore the complex issues surrounding our topic of distracted driving and to explore their role and responsibility in resolving the issues through a peaceful and nonviolent means. These projects are a direct reflection of the multiple experiences in First Year Seminar including the classroom curriculum, the common reading, and the Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture. This publication is a compilation of several projects submitted and an opportunity for first year students to share lessons learned from these experiences, but also how this topic has impacted them and ones they love. I hope it can move us closer to the Avila mission and values by contributing to the global community and building a right relationship with ourselves and others. Paige Illum, Ph.D., CSJA Director of Student Engagement and Success Adjunct Faculty Avila University

e Excellence in teaching and learning e The worth, dignity, and potential of each human being e Diversity and its expression e The development of the whole person e Right relationships, with God, self, others, and creation e Service with the dear neighbor

Acknowledgments This publication is dedicated to James Furfaro and Keith O’Dell whose lives were taken abruptly. The first year experience takes commitment and collaboration from both Avila and our outside community. This is an opportunity to thank all of these dedicated people. A special acknowledgment and many thanks to Matt Richtel, author of A Deadly Wandering, and Reggie Shaw, the 2019 Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecturer. Reggie, thank you for sharing your journey and your story. Thank you for being a kind and humble educator. A heart-felt thanks to Bill and Jean ’76 Buchanan and the Buchanan Initiative for Peace and Nonviolence. Your generous spirit and support helped the issues of texting and driving and the impacts of technology on the brain permeate through the curriculum of first year seminar. Avila students were interested and engaged in this topic and will lead a different life because of this experience. Avila is forever grateful to you! Through your generosity, the International Save A Life Tour came to Avila’s campus. This tour consisted of an educational speaker and driving experiences simulating texting and driving and driving under the influence of a controlled substance. One-hundred percent of Avila students indicated the Save A Life Tour increased their awareness of what it takes to be a safe driver, and over 90% of students indicated the information was valuable and that they would discuss this experience with family and friends. Terrific outcomes! The Truman Lecture would not be possible without the support of our presenting sponsors Joe and Sue Fahey, Kevin and Connie Fahey and the J.M. Fahey Construction Company. We appreciate and value your support of this event. Thank you for allowing our students the unique opportunity to hear first-hand from Reggie Shaw. Thank you to the Avila University Common Reading Program Committee led by Dr. Paige Illum. Members were Dr. Sue Ellen McCalley, Dr. Abigail Lambke, Dr. Natalie Cobb and our awesome student representative, Rachel Day. We appreciate your time and dedication! The Truman Lecture Series Committee affects students, faculty, staff and community members by bringing talented speakers to our campus. Through the extreme hard work of Aaron Bennett, Dr. Charlene Gould, Dr. Paige Illum, Darren Roubinek and the insightful leadership of Dr. Sue Ellen McCalley, our students experienced a unique and thought provoking opportunity. Thank you!

Many thanks to Angela Heer, former Vice President of Advancement & External Relations, Darren Roubinek, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications, and Aaron Bennett, Events Coordinator, for their countless hours of dedicated work to make The Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture a success. Also to Maureen Reardon who designed this reflection book with wonderfully creative and on-target project management skills. The members of the Office of Marketing and Communication, the Advancement Office, the Theatre Department, Information Technology Services and Campus Services helped implement a flawless series of events and festivities surrounding the Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture. Thank you for your excellent attention to detail and expertise in your respective areas. Through the tireless efforts of our First Year Seminar Instructors our students were able to gain important worldview lessons through the First Year Seminar curriculum. All of you led students through multiple experiences and made the First Year Experience come alive through projects and discussions. You were cooperative and dedicated. All of you DID make a difference! Thank you to Dave Armstrong, Regan Baker, Jason Baldwin, Brian Ciolek, Julie Cowley, Sara Eckinger, Darby Gough, Ashlyn Hull, Paige Illum, Anissa Martinez, Arica Maurer, Anna McDonald, Maggie Mohrfeld, Alicia Murillo, Deanna Nelson, and Paula Tarwater. We also thank those who helped educate our first year students in unique and meaningful ways though the First Year Seminar curriculum. A sincere thank you to the faculty panel who spoke to the first-year students regarding their areas of expertise including technology and social media, psychological brain research, and victimology / criminology. Panelists included Dr. Joe Snorgrass, Professor of Communications and Director of the Center for Digital Advocacy; Dr. Marcia Pasqualini, Professor and Chair of the School of Psychology; and Dr. Ashley Fansher, Assistant Professor of Criminology. A sincere thanks to Arica Maurer, Coordinator of the Buchanan Initiative for Peace and Nonviolence, who helped students understand that technology related problems can be solved to create a more peaceful world with one of the most effective ways to make a positive change being a nonviolent, well-informed, logic based approach to problem solving. Lastly, thank you to all of the Avila University first year students. Thank you for your commitment to understanding the many issues and challenges related to texting and driving. We challenge you to live the mission and values of Avila University as you learn more about how you can contribute to our global community. Thank you to our presenting sponsor

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4 Introduction 5 Acknowledgments 7 Student Reflections & Projects 25 Photos from The Truman Lecture Series & First Year Seminar 31 Student Reflections & Projects 44 Appendix A: Avila First Year Students 45 Appendix B: Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture Program 46 Appendix C: Anticipation Guide Perspectives

Student Reflections & Projects e Ryan M. Schroeder

efining Distracted Driving, My Personal Definition Distracted driving is any activity that takes the driver’s attention away from the primary task of operating a motor vehicle safely, which increases the likelihood of an accident (CDC, 2019). These distractions come in four basic areas, which are visual, auditory, manual, and cognitive (Feldman, 2019). A visual distraction would be a driver looking at something other than the road, like the radio, navigation display, a passenger riding along, etc. An auditory distraction would be a sound that takes the driver’s attention away from the road, like the radio playing or a sound outside the vehicle. A manual distraction would be operating something within the vehicle that takes the driver’s eyes off the road. Finally, a cognitive distraction would be the driver focusing his or her thoughts on something other than driving. Statistically, the most dangerous form of distracted driving is texting, which was the focus of our discussions and readings this semester in class (Currin, 2019). The reason texting is so deadly is because it encompasses three areas of distracted driving. It requires the driver to be visually, manually, and cognitively engaged making a trio of distractions that take the driver’s attention off the road and his or her surroundings. Statistics indicate that almost 30% of distracted driving accidents can be attributed to cell phone use, with 10% of fatal accidents being attributed to distracted driving in some form (CDC, 2019). Although distracted driving incidents are underreported, there were nearly 4,000 people killed and another 400,000 injured in these type of vehicle accidents in 2015 (Feldman, 2019). Most shocking is that teen drivers are nearly three times more likely to be involved in a distracted driving accident, so it is a real issue that should be taken seriously by all drivers (CDC, 2019). The Impact of First Year Seminar The impact of first year seminar has been significant. There is a lot of information circulating about the potential ramifications of driving while texting, but even with all the research available it really does not hit home until it becomes more personal. That piece came into sharper focus with Reggie Shaw’s visit to our seminar class this semester. What Shaw did was to put a face on what many teens would look at as just information or numbers on a page. There is in some way an invincibility in the teen mind that says those things happen, but they do not happen to a person like me. I am a better driver than most. I can multi-task better than most. I am really careful when I use my phone at stoplights, in lighter traffic, etc. The reality is—and the point that Shaw brought home—is there is no safe time to be using your phone or texting when you are operating a motor vehicle. There are just too many people out there not paying attention and this means you have to drive for yourself and everyone else as well. There is simply too much going on when you are driving a car, sometimes at higher speeds, that weighs 2000+ pounds, for a person to be focused on anything other than the road in front of them. Shaw, in a way, represents me, meaning what happened to him could happen to anyone. He did not do anything malicious, did not intend to hurt anyone, but is living each day knowing the poor choice he made took the lives of two people. That has impacted him, but more significantly the families of those that were killed. Shaw goes to sleep each night with that weight on his shoulders, while the families he impacted will never see their loved ones again. Another significant lesson learned this semester is that distracted driving does not just mean no cell phone use while driving a car. Operating a motor vehicle comes with a lot of responsibility and that means it requires 100% focus to do it well. All of the conveniences in the modern car, some designed to keep us safer, actually serve as a distraction that is almost as bad as driving impaired. All of us have reached down to the floor to retrieve a dropped item, gotten something out of the glovebox, adjusted the volume on our favorite tunes, or messed with the climate control while driving. These are every bit as dangerous as texting and driving, and these potentially come with the same consequences that Shaw experienced (Currin, 2019). A brief second of eyes off the road has the potential to alter a number of lives irreversibly, and always in a negative way. Personally, I could not live with the thought that I hurt someone else, especially when it was completely preventable. My thought is the climate control, radio, that dropped item on the floor have a lot less importance to me now than they did at the outset of first year seminar. It reminds me that the choices we make always have consequences, positive or negative, and those should be weighed heavily in all things we do, especially when getting into a vehicle. Eliminating Distracted Driving All of the readings, research, and discussions in class have created a focus on potential solutions to reduce the possibility of an accident. First, there is a definite need for continuing education for young drivers. As much as this issue has impacted society, there is really no structure in place—aside from basic information associated with driver’s education courses—that create greater awareness on this issue.

It could certainly be taught as part of the regular high school health curriculum as it pertains to personal and community safety. Second, cell phones should clearly be utilized for emergencies only, and teens not able to take this responsibility seriously should likely not have a cell phone in their vehicle. An emergency means one that has the driver safely pulled off the road, emergency flashers on, and calling to get help. A driver could silence his/her phone and put it in the glovebox for safe keeping as a way to prevent possible distraction. Third, drivers can definitely limit the number of passengers in the car. Everyone likes traveling with friends to do things together, but statistics show the greater the number of passengers, the more likely there is to be an accident. It is simply not possible to pay attention to the road as well as all the distractions that happen during the course of conversations. If passengers are in the car, there should definitely be an understanding that the most important thing at hand is keeping everyone in the vehicle safe. Finally, we all have busy lives, but multi-tasking in the vehicle is something that should be avoided. This means no adjusting controls, using touch screens, eating, etc. All of these things serve as catalysts that divide a person’s focus and can lead to an accident. When peoples’ lives are in the balance, those things that seem to be so important should be taking a back seat to personal and community safety. Summary Distracted driving is anything that takes the attention of the driver away from the road, thus increasing the likelihood of an accident that can lead to serious injuries or death. There are four types of distracted driving that include visual, auditory, manual, and cognitive impairments. These include added passengers, climate controls, loud music, and cell phone use to name just a few. Many times, the very features built into modern cars, to keep us safer, are distractions as well. This has been one of the most important “take-aways” from first year seminar. It was not necessarily a realization that a distracted driving problem exists, but that it can impact me directly unless I make changes to my own driving habits. The critical swing point in my mind was having Shaw speak to the class. He put a face to the issue and made it more personal. As with myself, Shaw is a typical person that cares for his family, has dreams and aspirations like the rest of us. He is not a hardened criminal, or malicious, just simply a person that made a really serious mistake that could happen to any one of us unless we take driving seriously. Shaw helped me realize the types of things that I do each day in the car, aside from limiting cell phone use, also have to potential to harm myself or others. It can be reaching for that item on the floor or adjusting the radio that is all it takes to shatter a life. In response, people should be committed to cell phone use in emergencies only after they have safely left the road, reduce multi-tasking when driving, as well as the number of passengers within the vehicle. All of these things reduce the possibility of a distracted driving incident. On a larger scale, there needs to be a greater commitment to educating youth on the potential impact they can have on others, like the one Shaw made. In my mind, making it more personal is the key, rather than just providing a quick lesson or literature on the topic. It needs to be part of every high school’s mandatory curriculum whether a student takes driver’s education or not. Works Cited CDC. “Distracted Driving.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Sept. 2019, www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/index.html. Currin, Andrew. “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” NHTSA, NHTSA, 8 May 2019, www. nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving. Feldman, Joe. “Learn the Facts About Distracted Driving.” EndDD, End Distracted Driving, 2019, www.enddd.org/the-facts-about-distracted-driving/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_6PznfPK5QIVwp6zCh3C8goYEAAYASAAEgLsUPD_ BwE.

Major: Computer Science Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

e Camille Begnaud

have chosen to create a unique personal piece of artwork, Lives in the Palms of My Hands, to symbolize what I have taken away from First Year Seminar. What you will see on my paper in the background is the road and in the middle are two hands with butterflies in them. The hands are mine. The butterflies represent all of the people traveling around me while I am driving. This is my way of symbolizing that when I am driving on the road, it is not just my life that I have control over, but also the lives of dozens of people driving around me. After many meetings and speakers we have had over the last few months, I have realized that in full.

fathers away from two different families, I do not want to risk the chances of me being in that situation. I have always loved the analogy “The Butterfly Effect,” “The scientific theory that a single occurrence, no matter how small, can change the course of the universe forever.” I like to think that even the smallest thing like putting my phone on silent while driving will change the lives of travelers around me.

One thing stuck with me the most from the presentation from Save A Life was that you make a choice every single time you sit in the driver’s seat of a car, you make the choice. If you are intoxicated you decide whether or not you should drive. When you are headed to school in the morning and you hear the ding of your phone, you make the decision of not only answering a text, but you make the decision of if you are going to put the other people around you and your own life in danger. I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to realize that a huge danger in this world is seriously in the palms of our hands. I have worked my best to not be as distracted as I used to be while driving. My phone is now completely on silent every time I get in the car. After hearing Mr. Shaw’s story and how he still thinks about how he took two

Major: Nursing Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

e Luca McIntyre Distracted Driving Dawn hits early on this particular Sunday morning, Into her jacket she reaches to find the keys Sitting close, young Jude ties a double knot The leather seats seem to glisten as they heated up Reaching down mother took her eyes off the road Ads popping up seem too hard to resist Crash! It was all over so suddenly The windows crackled as we gained consciousness Every single muscle in our body seems frozen Distracted…

s a young man, distracted driving has always been an idea which I overlooked and underappreciated. The main argument for the idea always seem to be texting. However, once my mother was involved in a car crash a few years back my perspective was changed. My mother had dropped her phone while cruising the neighborhood with my younger siblings and our dog in the car. By the time her head came up, the front end of the car had already crashed into a giant electricity pole. The small Toyota stood no chance against the huge object. Luckily, no one was injured, but the idea that for just one second of distracted driving could possibly lead to something extremely traumatic, really stuck with me. By revisiting this delicate memory and event, it caused me to remember the emotions and vivid details that had occurred. I can still picture my father running down our driveway after the car to see if anyone was hurt. I chose to write an acrostic poem, because I thought it would be unique and also cool to write a poem which had a deeper meaning shown through the first letters of each sentence. I also mention my younger brother, Jude, in the poem, which signifies the huge importance of the passenger. Distracted driving is something most people have never had consequences for, but should follow guidelines regardless. As I have researched this topic and developed a new understanding for the importance of this subject, I found some interesting facts based on the distracted driving laws in the state of Missouri. Missouri law says drivers of 21 years of age or younger are prohibited in sending, reading, or writing electronic messages while driving. Consequences include a $200 fine and two points taken against your license. Missouri is the 23rd state to ban texting, but just the ninth state to single out a certain age group. If staying in one place for a significant amount of time, one should truly know the distracted driving laws in that state. Distracted driving will always be something that I carry with me in the future, it will also be something that I must encourage others to do better at and follow.

Major: International Business Hometown: Lakewood, Co.

e Adelynn Link

istracted driving is the action of driving while also being submerged in a different task. Driving distracted normally takes your attention away from driving which leads to dangerous wrecks or even sudden deaths. In other words, distracted driving is a careless task that not only puts the driver at risk but also everyone else on the road. This task can include using a device, eating, having other people in the car, using alcohol or drugs, and many other types of distractions that create danger to the driver and others on the road. Since driving has been around, driving while being distracted has killed more than three thousand people every single year. This number has been gradually increasing and is predicted to only keep rising. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Each day in the United States approximately 9 people are killed and more than 1,000 are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver” (2019). This is insane to even think about and is devastating to picture all of the deaths and injuries that could have easily been prevented. Although I have not been primarily affected by distracted driving, it has affected my family and friends very heavily. In 2015, my brother and sister were driving to a friend’s house in hopes of helping them out after they had a very personal death occur. As they were turning into the driveway, a woman who had dropped her phone and started to pick it up off the floor board did not see that my siblings had stopped. As they waited for a car to pass so they could turn, the woman slammed her van into the back of a new car my parents had just bought. The brand new car was “totaled” and my siblings were injured and have severe neck and back problems to this day. After the accident, the woman said that she could not wait to get her phone off the ground as her sister was calling her. This is upsetting to me because she could have easily killed both of my siblings just for one phone call. It was not worth it. I am so thankful that I still have my siblings here with me today. This is only one experience, but I have many different stories coming from others that are very devastating to hear. This issue is an extreme national epidemic, because every single person knows about the dangers of distracted driving, yet every driver or even non-driver has been associated with it at some point in their life. This is upsetting, because people like Shaw can preach about the devastations of distracted driving, yet people still make the choice of driving distracted. This epidemic will continue to keep happening, because people are addicted to their devices and tend to get bored without them even for a short drive down the road. This is why accidents are more likely to happen in a more familiar setting within a five mile radius to the driver’s home. I think this is due to the fact that people tend to think that because they have driven the same route for so long they will be fine using their phone. This is the major reason why there are so many deaths associated with distracted driving every year. According to Montway Auto Transport, “other reasons why we drive distracted include trying to make the most of the drive time, catching up on calls, doing makeup, eating, and more. When you think you are doing two things at once; however, your brain is actually switching back and forth between tasks” (2019). Based on this article, I think that most people use driving as an escape, so they will always drive distracted.

I am so thankful and glad that distracted driving was our topic for FS 101, because it has made me realize that one little action can affect not only you, but also so many others. Before talking about this problem, I was always driving distracted and now I always put my phone away in the console of my car so I am not tempted to use it while driving. Shaw’s story has affected me in such a strong way, because it has made me realize that I should be grateful for everything I have in life before it is too late. Some details from Shaw’s lecture have been resonating with me. I noticed that he just seemed very depressed and sad all the time, because of his one mistake. This is very upsetting to me, because he says he forgives himself, yet it is very hard to tell if he has actually forgiven himself or not. Another detail that resonates with me is that he said that he wishes that he could have just gotten away with a ticket before it was too late. This is very impactful because it makes me realize that one mistake can change your whole life. My definition of distracted driving has changed dramatically, because I never really thought a lot about it till now. I used to define distracted driving as doing a small task while also driving, but I have now realized that it is so much more than that. Since the issues of distracted driving continue to get worse, we should all work to counter the issues and be change agents against distracted driving. We can all do this by giving ourselves reminders while we are in a vehicle, raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, create harsher laws or punishments for distracted driving, improve education on it at an earlier age, and so much more. By taking these actions, the deaths and severe injuries caused by distracted driving will hopefully decrease in the future. This is a serious problem around the world and we must make a change before it gets worse or primarily affects us as individuals. Works Cited: “Distracted Driving.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Sept. 2019, https://www.cdc. gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/index.html. “Top 5 Reasons to Stop Driving Distracted: Montway Auto Transport.” Blog, 12 July 2019, https://www.montway.com/blog/top-5-reasons-tostop-driving-distracted/.

Major: Radiologic Science Hometown: Pleasant Hill, Mo.

e Miranda Mitchell Reggie Shaw September 22, 2006 6:30 am I was on my way to work; The roads were bad But I’m a pro And… I do this all the time I sent text messages back and forth Like I was big and bad And then… BOOM! That’s an ECHO 10-85 I’m sorry! I took two lives I really didn’t mean to hurt anyone

I have traveled all over To teach teens about the dangers of distracted driving Begging them not to text and drive And Making them Understand that They Don’t Want to be another me Reggie Shaw

The officer said that he couldn’t find a vehicle registered with them Another round of injustice? She ran that stop sign because she was texting and I had to deal with the consequences of her actions Maybe it’s not a race thing And I’m completely crazy But what a coincidence Two people doing the same thing one with a small penalty And the other with none

Part 2

I can’t wear heels anymore

*you’re broken down and tired of living life on a merry go round and you can’t find the fighter, but I see it in you so we gon’ walk it out*

She didn’t take my breath away from me

God knows I loved my heels Like Reggie did to those two men However she did take life out of me

Nobody ever told me that my inability to focus would land me jail

Through my Eyes

I’m sorry!

If you could see it through

James Furfaro, Keith O’dell

my eyes

They were fathers

Reggie Shaw is just another white guy

To rocking my memory foam tennis shoes and some pants

Keith O’dell, James Furfaro

Who got little to no time for committing a 10-85

So yeah

They were husbands

But Trayvon Martin didn’t even get that

I get the message

I took away someone’s whole world with my very own hands

They laid him in his casket, just because he had an Arizona in his hand and a skittle packet

Don’t Text and drive

I’m sorry!

Oops!

I wish I would’ve known that

Did I just do that?

Known that

Turned Reggie Shaw’s case into a

Distracted driving equals drunk driving

“Race thing”

And

Black people sure do make everything about them

Drunk driving equals distracted driving They call it inattention blindness

July 30,2018

And

I was on my way to a funeral

Even though I don’t wear glasses

And then…

Even though I passed the vision test

BOOM!

Even though I had my driver’s license

I T-boned the car and

Everything I knew just flew right out the window

The airbag exploded

*oooh child things are gonna get easier*

I burned my arm, but that’s not what made me start crying

*Oooh child things’ll get brighter* In Utah a fatality is a ten thousand dollar fine and up to ten years in prison

The driver in the other vehicle

Maybe it was God or maybe destiny

Came up to the car

All I know is that for some reason the judge spared me

“Are you okay?”

One month in jail and some community service Talking to teens Looking back, I realize that it was both God saved me from prison But the accident allowed me to fulfill my destiny

She murdered my self confidence And my style I went from dresses to heels

But we all have to be of one accord And with that I say this Unity is justice for all So let’s take a stand to stay off our phones No texts and No calls Now I’ll ask you this… Do you see it through my eyes?

A white woman in her thirties

My five month old niece in the back! I didn’t care about me After she heard the sirens She got in her car and drove off We had a picture of her license plates

Major: English Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

e Emily Akright

or my First-Year Culminating Project, I chose to create a digital drawing. I wanted my project to be a digital advertisement that could be used for a poster, billboard, or really anything similar. Mostly, I wanted it to catch the audience’s eye. I hope this can be either be an informative advertisement for those who somehow may not realize how bad distracted driving can be or an eye opener for those who do know how dangerous driving distracted is, but still choose to do it or accept it. I think the main focus of my project will probably be the text in the foreground because it is the closest to the audience and it has the actual message written out. The main point of my poster is the message of speaking up when you see distracted driving. Several times throughout the semester we have heard statistics about how most drivers said they would put down the phone and pay attention, if their friend asked them to. An online source I found reported that 57% of people were more likely to stop driving distracted, if a friend or passenger pressured them to (AT&T, 2018). This message should remind people of this and hopefully encourage them to speak up.

Overall, the goal of my project is to make people think twice about what they do behind the wheel. Drivers should put their distractions away and we should all remind each other just how dangerous distracted driving can be. My poster may not have the biggest effect, but if it makes just one person speak up when they see distracted driving, that could be one more crash that was easily prevented. Works Cited: AT&T. “Sporting Events, Assemblies and Pay Announcements. “ItCanWait, AT&T, 2018.

Despite this, I do not want the other parts of my project to fade out the audience’s mind. Although the crashed car and the body outline are in the background and could be easy to miss, I think they still need some attention. These represent the very real consequences that can come from distracted driving. I chose the body outline because I did not want to make my project very graphic, but I still wanted it to send a clear message.

Major: Elementary Education Hometown: Independence, Mo.

e Jada Tucker

istracted driving goes way beyond what would be some individual’s initial thought, texting. Distracted driving is defined as anything that would divert your attention from the road while you are driving. This has become very common, especially among young adults. I do not think there is enough substantial awareness about distracted driving. It is quite evident that distracted driving can be really dangerous and should be avoided at all costs, but when hearing that, it is easy for it to go in one ear and out the other. Having Reggie Shaw come and tell his story gave an enlightening perspective on the whole topic of distracted driving. Reading Shaw’s story in the book, A Deadly Wandering, really affected my view of not only texting and driving, but distracted driving in general. The essay that we wrote also helped me come to the realization that I was participating in this epidemic and did not quite know the magnitude of the consequences that could come with those decisions. Hearing Shaw’s story first hand really shows that a fatal tragedy can happen to anyone, anywhere, and anytime. And, these decisions not only affect you, but affect every other person on the road. Hearing Shaw talk about the families he had affected in the accident really hit home for me. He had explained that the night before the accident Keith O’Dell was planning his daughter’s wedding with her, and because of Shaw’s decision to text and drive, O’Dell never even got the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. This really affected me, because it had me putting myself in her shoes and how crushed I would be if I lost my father or any of my family members. Having the experiences that I have had in First Year Seminar have really opened my eyes in regards to distracted driving. It became a habit for me and almost second nature to answer a text or phone call while I was driving. But now I know that there is no text worth taking my life or the life of someone else. Having the opportunity to hear from the panel, the Save a Life Tour, the driving simulators, and hearing from Shaw himself was way more than I could have ever imagined. Being able to gain all the knowledge from the different perspectives on the panel was very beneficial and it was nice to have an open discussion with questions. Everyone has different knowledge to offer based on their education and prior experiences. Also when reading a book, it is helpful to come together and have a discussion about it. Most of the time someone will catch something that maybe you did not notice when you read it. And, I appreciate them taking the time to answer and elaborate on some of our pressing questions.

The videos shown at the Save a Life tour were very touching and made me quite emotional at some points. Sometimes to fully understand the consequences of these actions, you have to see how it has affected someone’s life. Once you have seen that it can affect an ordinary person, it then becomes very real, and we start to realize that we could potentially be that person. Using the texting and drunk driving simulator was a fun handson way for us to directly see just how much distracted driving can affect you. Teens especially have a tendency to think we are invisible, when in reality we are not. Sometimes we may think that we have everything under control, but when you are driving, the only thing you have control over is yourself. There is no way of preparing yourself for how anyone else on the road is going to drive. Lastly being able to hear Shaw tell his story in person had to have been the best opportunity of them all. Shaw was very genuine and empathic regarding the families he affected. I think that though he experienced an awful tragedy, he is doing his best to turn it into a learning experience and something that could potentially change other people’s lives. It is hard to be empathetic towards him knowing what he had done, but it is also important to put yourself in his shoes and try to imagine the guilt that he will have to live with for the rest of his life. Even after 13 years, he was still emotional on stage while he was talking. There is no way of knowing if he will ever be able to forgive himself. One thing that really stood out to me was how he described the close relationships he now has with the families of O’Dell and Furfaro. The final lesson I took from Shaw’s discussion was the importance of forgiveness. If the families that were affected by Shaw’s decision can forgive him, then there are very minor things that everyone should be able to forgive. Life is too short to hold grudges, especially in Shaw’s situation. The families that were affected came to the realization that holding a grudge against Shaw is not going to bring Furfaro and O’Dell back. To avoid this all together everyone should pledge to not driving distracted.

Major: Psychology Hometown: Belton, Mo.

e Tyler Lindquist To Have, To Take To Take Life. Heartbreak, Depression, Sorrow, As if stabbing with a knife. Someone will not see tomorrow. Without Sight. Technology, People, Thoughts, And without your eyes there is no light. Wishing you would have rethought. To Choose. Life or Death, Yet most have chosen wrong. To Take Life and To Have Death are one. With No Care. Reckless, Rash, Refuse, So there will be no heart to spare. Who else is there to accuse?

wrote a poem, because I feel that for such a horrific topic a poem can condense the morbid part of the idea and shine light on what is important. First, I rhymed ever stanza except the middle one and there are five stanzas. The reason I did this was to express that during your life everything can be going smoothly and simply, like a rhyme, but then all of a sudden out of nowhere, it can take a turn for the worst and something terrible can happen which is represented by the non-rhyming stanza. Second, I capitalize Life and Death through the whole thing because I believe they are both living entities, because from this specific topic, Life and Death can be controlled and can be reasoned with. In the first stanza I talk about what it means to be distracted and drive and what the consequences or outcomes can happen because of it. The second stanza speaks to how it can happen and what can cause distracted driving by taking your eyes off the road, to give something else attention when you should not. The third stanza is talking about how to drive distracted is our choice as people. We can choose whether or not to drive distracted and whether or not we are going to choose to have death and take a life or not. The fourth stanza talks about why we drive distracted, which is because we do not care, and we are rash, and we refuse to accept that we are at fault when we cause destruction because of her our distracted driving. Finally the fifth stanza is the culmination of this project topic. This poem it is saying that a moment is quick when you are driving; it only takes the quickest moment for everything to go to hell. Before we do drive distracted, we should think about who, what, when, where, and why for what we are doing and to choose to be distracted. The last line speaks to the first line and then really connects “To Take Life” and “To Have Death” are the same thing. They mean the same thing; however, when we choose to be distracted while driving, we are choosing to have death; therefore, we are going to take life. I also mention this in the third stanza, to state and signify, that they are one. Since we choose to have death by distracted driving, this leads us to taking lives that should be spared.

A Moment Is Quick. Who, What, When, Where, Why for a Breath, For all these people might be homesick. To Have Death.

Major: Theater Hometown: Emporia, Ks.

e Isabella Brauner

decided to focus on how Reggie Shaw’s story affected me and boil it down to one little piece of art. I drew and painted a picture of a person sleeping in a bed on one side, and on the other, the person lying in a coffin. I wanted to show the choice we can make by being distracted at the wheel or choosing to push those distractions away. The person does not have to symbolize the viewer, but can symbolize a potential person their actions might affect. Over 3,328 dots compose only part of my mixed medium project. There are three meanings to the 3,328 dots that make up the picture. First, they represent the average number of people who die each year due to distracted driving. Second, dots are not as reliable or constant as a line, dots can change size, shape, and constancy which is a little bit like life, very uncontrollable and very changeable. The dots we form make up our life, and if we choose to drive distracted, we start to solidify the right portion of the photo, either for us or someone else. Third, the dots symbolize our memories which make our life special. Some are small, small big, some run together, and some stand independently by themselves. The picture is painted loosely with watercolors to show that we all paint our own pictures through life, choosing what colors and designs we want. However, by texting and driving we threaten the harmony of our picture. If we are in that rough 3,328, we will no longer be able to use that brush and make the decision of what colors to fill our lives.

Major: Special Education Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

e Richard Bertoldie Lyrics Saturday morning I’m walking down the street into the city I just need a break from all of the noise and chaos and the work I do I message my friend To see if he can hang for a little while I tell him meet me at the park at lunch break He responds with only one quick word “Yeah” (car crash sound) Oh no No that can’t be that’s not him, that’s not him, it can’t be it is that’s my friend there, dead now I should’ve known he was driving And now I’m to blame What I didn’t say then now has become an eternal goodbye

y project is a music track with added vocals which details a normal busy morning for an ‘average Joe’ type of person, much akin to Reggie Shaw, who has a sense of urgency to himself and mentions messaging his friend to see if he is free. This part of the song, the entire first half, is over a peppy guitar riff and a drum beat resembling the ‘amen break’ style. This then is paired with a melancholic synth or organ style harmony, which acts as a reminder of the quick paced-ness and the overall ‘too busy to handle anything’ feeling. This is all interrupted suddenly (with the different parts fading out until just the drums remain) by the sound of a car crash, preceded by the lyrics conveying the main character’s friend who he was messaging, simply responding “Hey.” This already leads to the assumption that is confirmed as a loud and consistent bass boom is played, simulating the intensity of the scene, and the mental numbness and distantness in relation to what the main character sees, telling us that an accident has occurred. As the lyrics fade back in (in a less musical sense and more genuine conversation, or rather, mental dialogue) blatantly saying that this is his friend. He is now responsible for distracting the driver and causing the death of his friend. There is a heartbroken synth line that plays during this that is backed briefly by a repurposed jazz vocal selection, as the overall tone is that of disbelief, hurt, guilt, and overall sadness. The vocals then fade out as the final lines are given over just the synth, saying how our main character is now forced to say what he was messaging his friend forever, because of his actions: “goodbye.” I feel that this song, with my mostly improvisational lyrics, could apply to anyone. It shows my responsibility in the issue of distracted driving as someone aware of his mistake. Someone is trying to show a completely new perspective to others on how they, too, can prevent these kinds of accidents by being a preventative bystander. It helped me explore the issue through putting myself in the situation in someone else’s shoes. Track Link: https://www.audiotool.com/track/b158b8uo

Major: Theater Hometown: Marshfield, Mo.

e Tiera Jackson

efore the day of registration for freshman year, I did not think too much of texting while driving. In the instance of drivers education, yes, and maybe even when seeing an accident on the news, too. Yes, it is bad, and yes, we should not do it, but yes… we still continue to do it every day. Reading this book and doing all of the projects along with it has opened my eyes to a lot of problems in this world with the minds of people and just how apt we are to distraction. I would define distracted driving as anything that pulls a driver’s focus away from the road or their surroundings while they are still doing the action of driving. After reading A Deadly Wandering, I feel as if my definition has stayed the same. I know most wrecks are not caused by someone eating a taco while driving, but I still think that people tend to only see distracted driving as something that can be done in the presence of technology and not by other factors, too. I think that even just having other people in the car or being too involved with the radio could be just as much of a problem, and the guest speaker from National Save a Life Tour touched on that as well. I do not have any specific situations of a distracted driver affecting me or someone I know, but my mother has an old friend whose daughter was hit and killed by a person who was driving under the influence on a busy, not well-lit road in rural Kansas. Although they were not texting, as Shaw was, the two forms of driving are very similar in that they chose to do something that could only affect themselves and others in a negative way. My mother barely knew the person; however, just hearing that it could happen to someone on a street in our city to a person that we might know, is a scary thought within itself. I can only imagine how hard it is to go on after a death of a loved one knowing the death was completely dependent on the choices of another person. It seems so hard to put the value of someone’s entire life in someone else’s split second decision. I tend to see epidemics as a spread of something that cannot necessarily be predicted or controlled as a result. I find it hard to define texting while driving as an epidemic, because it is such an easy problem to be fixed. People can simply choose not to do it for the small distance of their drive. However, an epidemic is something that spreads quickly and affects a large population, and texting while driving does do so, so it could be seen as a national epidemic.

involved. People will say with confidence that they can never see themselves stabbing someone, that they would “never dare” think to shoot a person, but people, including myself at times, never tend to think that seriously about texting, even after hearing the statistics and seeing the widows. We see all this push for reform with hard topics like gun control or immigration, but there is no such thing as a background check for being able to text. We choose to separate ourselves from certain things at all times like stealing, cheating, or lying. But we also choose to interact with our technology at all hours of the day, willingly distracting ourselves from work or chores or anything else at hand. So why would these habits suddenly stop while driving? I think that is why it is so hard for people to stop texting once they start, because it is so common and almost even purposeful. People act as if they cannot change, as if it was even accidental or a one- time thing, but not being able to separate the two is a problem within itself. I think that first year seminar, the panel of professionals, and Avila in general have made a great reputation for themselves by focusing on this book and this growing issue. I enjoyed that we had so many outside guests to add to the subject, all with very different perspectives. I will walk away from this class, and from Avila, thinking differently about the social issue of texting while driving, as well as the science and history behind it. I think I have the same opinions about texting while driving as I did before, except now I have even more of an emotional connection to it, as well as statistics to share with people in the future to help them, too. To end, I would like to thank both of my instructors for your guidance throughout the duration of this class. I think it is important that freshmen students have first year seminar, it has left a lasting impact on me. Works Cited: Richtel, Matt. (2015). A deadly wandering: A mystery, a landmark investigation, and the astonishing science of attention in the digital age. NY: Harper Collins.

Reading A Deadly Wandering was not a hard read for me. It was very interesting to hear about the tragedy from so many different perspectives, both scientific and just from real everyday people who had an experience. It was somewhat hard to not be biased while reading, but after keeping in mind the technology of the time, hearing about the true research that proved itself accurate, and seeing Shaw in person for his presentation, I found the book’s perspective to be all that much better. At first, I thought of Shaw as the villain in the book, as someone who was bad. After seeing him, I thought of him as being a good person who had done a bad thing. It was hard for me to watch him present. What resonated with me the most was his emotion with the subject, even after so many years later. His split second decision remains in the back of his mind every single day and will for the rest of his life. Even just seeing the look in his eyes as he continued, made me think about the importance of every decision we make and just how significant timing can be. Seeing this “epidemic” as a personified experience really changed my perspective. I think one of the scariest things for me about distracted driving is just how realistic it can be. Society tends to see cold-hearted killers as people with guns who had a plan to cause chaos, but the technology we have can be just as much of a weapon with just as bad of an ending for all people

Major: Nursing Hometown: Olathe, Ks.

e Catharine Gilmore

pon learning of our culminating project on the book, A Deadly Wandering, my mind fluttered about with ideas. When I learned that I had the opportunity to create an artwork, I instantly knew what I wanted to create. I envisioned a colorful bird, wings spread, soaring in endless sky. My idea originated from the ‘Butterfly Effect’. The Butterfly Effect is the outcome of our choices and how one path leads to another. Rather than painting a butterfly, I chose a bird. At first glance, the idea may not seem like it has much to do with the book, but I wanted to portray the different paths Mr. Shaw took as a result of his decisions, and the consequences of crashing into another car and killing the two scientists. Shaw had the choice of not texting and driving, he even had the choice of having one of his parents driving him to work, but he took the paths that lead him to that fateful day. This is the basis of my artwork.

They are the paths that could have been taken, but never were. They are the paths that will never be able to be taken again. Every color and brush stoke within my painting holds meaning. Many paths have been taken or abandoned by Shaw. The paths that were chosen are what ultimately killed two innocent men.

I painted the body of the bird grey with hints of color, signifying that we make the choices that change our lives. The wings of the bird, however, are brightly colored. Each feather holds a story and a path to be taken. Much like the veins in a butterfly’s wing, the feathers carry the same meaning. One feather leads to another, like how one path leads to another in the Butterfly Effect. The brighter colored feathers lead to happier paths; the darker feathers lead to sadness, even the falling feathers have significance.

Major: Radiologic Science Hometown: Raymore, Mo.

e Vincent Brazzo

ave you ever felt distracted while driving? Well if you have, you are not alone. It is a very common mistake people make while they are behind the wheel of a vehicle. The reason why it is so common is because there are tons of distractions humans deal with daily. A few major distractions a driver might come across are giving attention to a child in need, texting or communicating on their phone, eating, and even roadside attractions. There are many reasons why a person might drive distracted, but the main reason we give in to these distractions is because we feel that they deserve immediate attention. Most, if not all, distractions are preventable. Being able to master the art of self-control is a practice not too many individuals can accomplish. Since there are many distractions people face while driving, it is essential that people practice self-control. All distractions are preventable, and if you do not give in to your desires, you can potentially save a life. Mistakes are inevitable, but if you are able to prevent something horrible from happening, then it is a no-brainer. Some things you can do to prevent distractions are once you order food from a drive through eat it in the parking lot, put your phone in the glove box or out of sight, pullover to the side of the road if there is an apparent emergency in the vehicle, and lastly, make sure to have enough sleep so you can pay full attention to the road. While there are many other ways to prevent yourself from distractions, I feel these are the most important ones. Having listed many ways you can prevent distracted driving, it is necessary to note that there has been extensive research on distracted driving. Brain research reveals the science behind the mystery of distracted driving. According to TeenSafe.com (2019), nearly ¨25% of motor vehicle crash fatalities are due to drivers being distracted.” The majority of distractions reported are due to phones. This is important because phones are very addictive. The reason why they are so addictive is because phones give us instant gratification. Scientists believe that every time we receive a text message and the notification sound rings, a dose of dopamine is released into our system making us feel good. In many forms of addiction, dopamine plays a large role because it is one of the main ways the body feels pleasure.

Dopamine is related to distracted driving in an extensive variety. The human brain hates being bored, so every chance it gets to be active, the brain seizes it. Research has shown our short attention spans can never consistently be focused (Leprince-Ringuet, 2018). For example, the researchers found “that in between those bursts of attention, we are actually distracted. During those periods of distraction, the brain pauses and scans the environment to see if there is something outside the primary focus of attention that might be more important. If there is not, it re-focuses back to what you were doing.” (Leprince-Ringue, 2018). This means that our brains are constantly losing focus because we are always aware of our surroundings. All in all, distracted driving is a very common mistake drivers fall victim to daily. Although there are many reasons to give in to our distractions, the main reason is because humans crave instant gratification. Instant gratification releases dopamine which is an essential component for pleasure throughout the human body. Furthermore, being able to master the art of self- control can help save lives. Practicing different ways to prevent accidents is very important. Anything and everything you can do to help save a life is important and should be taken seriously. Works Cited: Leprince-Ringuet, Daphne. “Here’s Scientific Proof Your Brain Was Designed to Be Distracted.” WIRED, WIRED UK, 22 Aug. 2018, www.wired.co.uk/article/brain-distraction-procrastination-science. “100 Distracted Driving Facts & Statistics for 2018.” TeenSafe, teensafe. com/100-distracted-driving-facts-statistics-for-2018/.

Major: Business Administration Hometown: Leavenworth, Ks.

e Morgan Senevey I did everything I was supposed to Mom… I drive every day. You constantly remind me to stay off my phone. I don’t know why you get so worried about me. I do everything I’m supposed to. I don’t get on my phone when I drive. I feel proud of myself, the way you said I would, that I don’t text and drive even though my friends do. I make good choices, and your advice to me was right. School was over and the kids drove out of sight. I got in my car, confident that I’d get home in one piece, I was doing everything I was supposed to mom. I never knew what was coming. Now I’m lying on the pavement, and I hear the policeman say that the person who caused the accident had been texting. I felt my life slipping away from me as blood surrounded my body. The guy decided to text and drive and now I’m going to die.

or my Culminating Project I decided to write a poem. I debated on what approach I should take when writing the poem. Many people I know text and drive. Nothing has happened, so why would they want to stop? I have had a couple of accidents that were caused by distracted driving. Each time they scared me, but I somehow still fell back into doing the same habits. During my most recent accident, I had my sister in the car with me. That time scared me the most. I did not quite realize that the consequences of my actions could have ruined another person’s life. I stopped allowing myself to drive distracted. I have made the road a safer place, but the risk of another accident happening is very likely, because it takes one person on the road to cause an accident, even if others on the road are doing everything they are supposed to. The poem I wrote shows that it takes more than one person to make the road safe. Every single driver needs to make a commitment to him/herself to not drive distracted. After my first-year seminar class, I remember all the talks we have about distracted driving every time I get in my car. Shaw’s story reminds me that it only takes one time. He drove distracted all the time without anything happening. During his speech, he said that texting and driving is not about if something bad will happen, it will happen if you do not stop the habit.

I did everything right, mom. So why is this happening? Someone should have taught him that it was wrong to text and drive. Maybe if someone had, I’d still be alive.

Major: Radiologic Science Hometown: Linn, Mo.

e Bailey Calvin

ith my project, I wanted to demonstrate the brain’s reaction to a decision that is black and white. The division between the two sides symbolizes cracked glass. Texting and driving is a split decision to either risk the life around you, or be able to see another day. With many of these decisions, the consequence is not clear. In a fatal car accident, the brain takes about six minutes to die. This is represented by the watercolors on the right side of the brain quickly draining into static. Every moment and every memory is gone because of one wrong decision, and that is all it takes.

Major: Elementary Major:Education International Business Hometown: Kansas Hometown: City, Kansas Mo. City, 21 Mo.

e Esperanza Ortiz

y culminating project I has four parts to it. The first part is about my personal experience with distracted driving and how it impacted me. I explained that it was the driver’s fault, because she was high and completely in a daze. I could not read any of the signs that would indicate that she was high at all. If I had known she was high, I would not have gotten in the car with her. I know better than to risk my life like that. The car accident was an eye opener to me. It taught me to be aware and focus on the road and that being distracted is a very serious risk when you are driving. The second part is about how the brain functions and when we start to become distracted. There are multiple brain functions that are being activated at once when driving. These functions are located in the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, and the cerebellum. These functions come with key roles that are being used when driving. The third part of the project is a question and response portion that is based on my thoughts and opinions. For my reflection, this class along with all the research that has been conducted, I have become more knowledgeable about the issue and how I can change it. I understand how important it is to not use my phone while driving or indulging in any other distractions. My role is to inform my peers on the dangers of distracted driving and how multitasking causes more disruption. This is an issue that can overtime be changed, if we put the effort into doing so.

Major: Nursing Hometown: Aurora, Il.

e Seth Kilbourn

he main reason drivers get distracted while driving is that humans cannot multitask. Humans are not able to concentrate on two things at once. While driving, anything could go on behind the wheel that sometimes we cannot control such as the weather and road conditions. Reggie Shaw’s accident was a prime example, because when he got in the accident, it was snowing. The roads that he was driving on were curving, and in Missouri, we have a lot of curvy roads. Your music can be another distraction. Mostly everyone listens to music in the car. If they want to change their song, they must look down at their phones. Phones can be connected to the aux or Bluetooth. While phones are connected to the cars, they still give a notification, which makes drivers look at their phone. Even though our phones can be distracting, other people in your car can be distracting. While having conversations with people in the vehicle, the driver could be looking at the person. Therefore, they are distracted and could get in an accident. Drivers being distracted is an issue to many of the people that care about their safety. My family has been affected by texting and driving when my mother got in an accident heading to work. She was headed to work on a rainy day, and traffic was heavy. She was at a complete stop, when a driver came behind her and hit the back of her car. Her car flipped over, and the vehicle was severely damaged. Thankfully, my mother had only minor injuries. This example shows that texting and driving are dangerous. My mother could have been severely injured, but she was not. While attending Shaw’s lecture, the one thing that has resonated with me was that you could be going down the same road every day, and you do not know if an accident could happen. For me, I commute every day, and I drive the same routes every day, not worrying about if I could get in a crash. Listening to Shaw’s story has made me pay more attention and stay off my phone. Shaw was asked the question of what does he do with his phone while he drives. His answer was that he turns off his phone and puts it far away from him. A big take away from his lecture was the question: what is the most important message that you need to answer right away? I started to think of what my answer would be, and I could not think of anything. That is because there is not any more important message than your life.

The speaker from National Save A Life added to my understanding of the consequences of distracted driving so much that now I always say “I love you” to my mother if she or I are leaving the house. While watching their video, it made me think that these are only just a few of the stories from distracted driving. The story that touched me the most was about the brother and sister crossing the road while a car did not stop at a stop sign. Her brother was hit by the car while she held his hand. Now, her brother cannot play outside like he always had. They have to watch over him 24/7 and change his oxygen tank. I would never want that to happen to any of my siblings. After listening to the speaker, I went to the distracted driving simulator. Listening to speakers and doing the simulator has changed the way I drive. The way I could counter the issue of texting and driving is by telling friends and family to put their phones away while they are driving. This is especially important when my nephew is in the car, because if he sees someone texting and driving, later on, he will think it is okay. My father is a prime example of someone that texts and drives. He will always be getting a message while he drives. I could counter that by telling him about how unsafe it is to be on your phone while driving. Another way I can combat the texting and driving is to lead by example and do not have my phone out while I drive. There are many ways everyone can help counter texting and driving, and it can just start by telling a friend or family member to not text while driving. The experience from FS 101 has impacted my life, and other first-year students, by making us aware of the importance of driving safely. The teachers, mentors, as well as reading the book A Deadly Wandering, and all of the speakers have given me one of the best life lessons. The class also benefits me and others that have to commute to school every day.

The reason that distracted driving could be considered a national epidemic is amount and frequency of accidents that happen during a day. Distracted driving has gone under the radar because many other crises are going on in our world. The real problem is how many people are dying from these accidents. There have been thousands of people that die each year by texting and driving. The law over texting and driving has got to change. In Missouri, you cannot text and drive till you are age 21 or over. Texting and driving should be illegal, no matter what age you are.

Major: Major: Accounting Software Engineering Hometown: Lee’s Summit, Hometown: Mo. Sedalia, 23 Mo.

e Faith Lockard

or my project, I chose to do a drawing. I drew a red light and a car driving over the line, because the driver was talking on the phone while driving and did not see the red light. I also drew a picture of the brain. Over one-half of the brain is focused on the phone, and the other little part of the brain is focused on driving. Distracted driving takes most, if not all, of our attention away from the road. While listening to Shaw’s lecture, it made me realize how dangerous distracted driving really is, and the impact it can have on people’s lives. Distracted driving has affected my family. I remember riding to school with my cousin who was eating and looked down to get his food and wrecked the car. No one was injured, but this was caused by a form of distracted driving. I think that everyone has done something distracting while driving, whether that is texting, talking on the phone, eating, or even just getting distracted from talking to a passenger in the car. After hearing about Shaw’s experience and so many others, I will think before I do something while driving. I could not imagine being the reason that a family loses a loved one, because of my poor choices while driving. I do not think that I would ever forgive myself. Distracted driving is something that we all need to take more seriously. We all think “that it won’t happen to me,” until it does. Our brains cannot physically or mentally focus on two things at once. Do not drive while distracted; it is not worth the risk of your life or other people’s lives.

Major: Radiologic Science Hometown: Independence, Mo.

Avila student, Ashlyn Blatt, introduces herself at a dinner with Reggie Shaw the evening before the lecture.

Reggie Shaw shared dinner with many from the Avila family following the lecture. Pictured l to r: Ron Slepitza, Ph.D., CSJA, President, Avila University; Bill Buchanan, Buchanan Initiative for Peace and Nonviolence; Jeanne Buchanan ’76, Buchanan Initiative for Peace and Nonviolence; Sue Ellen McCalley, Ph.D., professor and Chair of the Truman Lecture Series; Reggie Shaw, Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecturer; Sue Fahey, Harry S. Truman Lecture Sponsor, J.M. Fahey Construction Company; Joe Fahey, Harry S. Truman Lecture Sponsor, J.M. Fahey Construction Company; Sue Willcox, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Jim Willcox, former Board of Trustees and past president of Avila University.

The evening before the Lecture, Reggie Shaw shared dinner with Avila individuals. Pictured l to r: Paige Illum, Ph.D, Director of Student Engagement; Hannah Rogers, First Year Mentor; Ryan Schroeder, Avila student; Jacob Kruckenberg, Avila student; Heylee Warren, Avila student; Luca McIntyre, Avila student; Ashlyn Blatt, Avila student; Reggie Shaw, Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecturer; Ju-Young Morimoto, Avila student; Rachel Howard, Avila student; Tyler Lindquist, Avila student; and Richard Bertoldie, Avila student.

Reggie Shaw signs books for students, faculty, staff, and community members after the Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture.

Ron Slepitza, Ph.D., CSJA, President, Avila University and Reggie Shaw chat before the lecture as guests arrive.

Students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered in the Pavilion to hear from the 2019 Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecturer, Reggie Shaw.

To an audience of 400, Reggie Shaw relived the worst day of his life in order to educate others about the dangers of texting and driving.

Reggie Shaw, Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecturer pictured with Ron Slepitza, Ph.D., CSJA, President, Avila University and Sue Ellen McCalley, Ph.D., professor and Chair of the Truman Lecture Series.

First year students Tyler Lindquist, Richard Bertoldie and Rachel Howard present a gift of thanks to Reggie Shaw for his visit to Avila University.

Helen Cadena shares her artwork from the Culminating Project during the First Year Seminar Open Mic.

First year student Savannah Taylor presents her First Year Seminar Culminating Project during the Open Mic. Taylor shares a photo from a crash when she was hit by a driver who was texting.

First Year Seminar instructors Maggie Mohrfeld and Regan Baker create a narrative from the photo of a victim involved in a distracted driving crash during a workshop led by Reggie Shaw prior to the Truman Lecture.

During a First Year Seminar class, students heard from Avila faculty who shared perspectives on the topic from the disciplines of technology and social media (Dr. Joe Snorgrass, Professor of Communications and Director of the Center for Digital Advocacy), victimology and criminology (Dr. Ashley Fansher, Assistant Professor of Criminology) and psychological brain research (Dr. Marcia Pasqualini, Professor and Chair of the School of Psychology).

First Year Seminar instructor Deanna Nelson and Avila student Rachel Howard listen to opening remarks from the Avila faculty panel held during First Year Seminar class.

Joe and Sue Fahey, Harry S. Truman Lecture Sponsors, J.M. Fahey Construction Company share conversation with Ann O’Hare, Avila University Board of Counselors.

Ian Liechti, fist year student, wears goggles at the simulator used to demonstrate driving under the influence of alcohol.

First year student, Savannah Taylor, sits at the texting and driving simulator brought to campus by the International Save A Life Tour through the generosity of the Buchanan Initiative for Peace and Nonviolence.

Student Reflections & Projects e Jacob Kruckenberg “The Dead cannot talk” The Dead cannot talk, But the living can. The reason why - they live or die Can only be told by those on land. The man just fired – From his nine-to-five profession, On his way home to his wife To make the confession. As he walks across the street – He could afford a taxi. He is hit by driver – Whose eyes were in the backseat. He never made it to his wife – She would not get to say goodbye. He laid on the asphalt –

he main theme of first year seminar tackles the idea of distracted driving. Distracted driving is typically defined as when something or someone takes your eyes, hands, or mind off of the road. This can be something as simple as a child screaming in the back seat or a radio station that just went to commercial, all the way to texting or calling when driving. Distracted driving is dangerous and can seriously harm people. My poem is about a man who has been fired from his job. On his way home, he is struck by a distracted driver and he dies. This is a very serious topic in the United States. Technology continues to grow, expand, and redefine how we, workers and consumers, act when using these devices. Sure, it is simple to turn your phone off, but how many people truly do. Humans have an innate nature to be liked and fit in. So, when you see your best friend texting and driving and he does not get in trouble, your brain makes a decision that it is less dangerous. As time continues, humans get more and more used to the notion that texting and driving is all right, as long as you can do it well. Texting and driving is not a skill that can be mastered. A human brain cannot perform two tasks at once. Studies have shown that when a person is faced with multitasking, the individual’s brain simultaneously switches back-and-forth between tasks. So with science saying that it is impossible to perform multiple tasks at the same time and history showing all of the victims of these tragic stories, why do people still feel the need to push the limits of safety. In conclusion, texting and driving is not a safe choice. The choices that you make affect your loved ones, friends, and others. Make the decision to be a safe and defensive driver. Driving is a privilege, not a right. Texting and driving is one of the most dangerous acts that can be done on the road.

And that’s where he died. The driver was at fault – Because she had her eyes off the road. She was sentenced to jail – For disobeying the code. Her family left without a mother – A wife and a lover. At least they would see her again – Unlike the Dead.

Major: Communication Hometown: Capron, Il.

e Ju-Young Morimoto

uring this class, many opportunities were given to learn and receive. Many aspects related to the book (such as distracted driving and technology) including the brain research, the issues that come with it, and the role of the individual and responsibility that should occur were addressed in this class. What wrapped all these experiences together was meeting Shaw, subject of the book himself. I was lucky to have been able to attend all the events with Shaw (which is shown in the video) and speak with him while he was at Avila University. Being given a great experience, I wanted to give something back. My video focuses on Shaw, an individual, and the impact people can make from advocating for something that is important to them. In my conversation with him, my opinion of Shaw was reassured. He is human, like any other person. With his great mistakes, he made it his life’s mission to fight against a habit he once partook in. There is a clip in my video of the same speech Shaw made in 2013 at AT&T. A quote resonated with me after he had explained his mistake, he said “Look at me, just look at me… You don’t want to be me” (Shaw 7:30-7:46).

https://youtu.be/U1c0NQyIrsk Works Cited: Richtel, Matt. (2015). A Deadly Wandering: a Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age. NY: HarperCollins. Shaw, Reggie. Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture featuring: Reggie Shaw Subject of A Deadly Wandering by Matt Richtel, Whitfield Conference Room, 14 Oct. 2019, Avila University Kansas City, MO. Lecture. “Texting While Driving Story -- Reggie Shaw: AT&T.” YouTube, AT&T, 26 July 2013, https://youtu.be/FzwYe7cq_OQ.

I follow up with a couple of consequences of distracted driving that Shaw had to face: 1. He took the lives of two rocket scientists (Richtel 25) and 2. Was sentenced to 30 days in jail (Richtel 311-313). I also included the following facts on brain research relating to distracted driving, particularly texting/calling while driving: 1. It takes the brain 15 seconds to fully get a driver’s mind from reading/sending a text to back on the road (Richtel 275) and 2. A person on a call while driving has the equivalent accuracy as someone with a 0.08 prohibited alcohol concentration level (PAC) and 0.16 PAC if texting while driving (Shaw, 2013). This was to demonstrate that if this is a habit someone has, a similar story can take place for them. I was touched by Shaw’s words, and felt called to do something about it. I wrote a letter to him in my used copy of the book. Following the clip of Shaw speaking at AT&T is a recording of when I gave the book to him. I was told afterwards that he was touched by my token of gratitude. This speaks something. Anyone has the ability to touch others in ways we may not realize. Shaw, subject of A Deadly Wandering and Matt Richtel, author of the book, collected brain research and used the issues that come with distracted driving and technology and did something about it. In turn, they moved other people. This video was a depiction of my experience with Shaw and a sign of thanks for all of those individuals that work toward safe use of driving and technology.

Major: Music Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

e Heylee Warren

or my project I gathered objects that are categorized as driving distractions. These items are examples of the objects that have distracted the people close to me while driving. In the last month, I asked my friends and family to track the things that distracted them as they drove. Gathering these objects allowed me to show that texting and driving as well as drinking and driving are not the only major driving distractions. Each object is the real item or example of the real items. I decided to use the evidence folder as symbolism of all the people who have been injured or killed due to distracted driving. The mascara and lipstick came from my oldest sister who was trying to apply make-up while on her way to work. The makeup brush is to symbolize the time my best friend applied her foundation on her way to work. According to make up specialist Debra Robso, 46% of women admit to applying makeup on their way to work. (Savron, 2016) Doing your makeup is a huge distraction, because all your focus is on yourself in the mirror. If a car pulled out in front of you, you would not see it. You could hurt them by causing a wreck, and you could also get hurt by impact or because you poked your eye with your mascara wand. The McDonald’s French Fries fry package came from my grandmother who ate while she drove. The Milky Way bar came from my mother, and the fire sauce from Taco Bell was from my boyfriend. A study done by ExxonMobil reported that out of 1000 people, 70% of the drivers admit to eating while behind the wheel and that 83% admitted to drinking beverages while they drove. NHTSA concluded that those who eat and drive increase the odds of an accident by 80% and that 65% of near miss accidents are caused by people being distracted by foods or drinks. (Rogers, 2015) This is dangerous because both of the driver’s hands are not on the wheel. In the case of an accident, it would be more difficult to react. The phone and the alcohol come from my second sister. NHTSA (Rogers, 2015) reports that 14% of fatal crashes involved a cell phone and 4,637 people died in car crashes in 2018 due to cell phone use. Drinking and driving causes about 10,000 fatal traffic accidents. This is dangerous because your mind is not fully aware of what is going on, you cannot properly function while intoxicated. With all distractions, your reaction times to situations is affected, making it easier to wreck.

Lastly are the colored pencils. Having other people in the car with you while driving, especially children, can be a huge distraction. Driving with a child in the backseat has proven to be extremely dangerous. (Weller, 2016) In the study, researchers installed cameras into the cars of families and watched them over a three-week period. The families were more distracted by the children than anything else. During a 16-minute car ride, parents were not looking at the road for a total of 3 minutes. (Weller, 2016) My niece and nephew are huge distractions for my sister as they are young and full of energy. This colored pencil signifies a time my nephew threw it at my sister and cried and screamed until she gave it back to him while at a red light. Wrecks happen this way because you are focused on looking at the children or trying to calm them down while they are upset. This project helped me explore the complex issues of distracted driving, because it reminds me how dangerous other distractions are. All of us were taught about texting and drinking while driving, but never eating or applying make-up. I wanted to do this project to give blatant proof of these distractions in hopes that people will realize they or someone they know are being dangerous drivers. My responsibility is to not do these things and encourage others not to do them. A recent study done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) suggests that at least 80% of driving accidents are caused by distracted driving. I encourage everyone the next time they get McDonalds to wait before eating. And if you are needing to do your makeup, wake up earlier, or go without, because nothing is worth risking your life or the life someone else. Works Cited “The Most Common Causes of Car Accidents: Driver Knowledge.” Driver Knowledge, 10 July 2018, www.driverknowledge.com/causes-of-car-accidents/ Rogers, Mike. “Eating While Driving & The Top 10 Most Dangerous Foods.” Drive, 10 Oct. 2015, www.drive-safely.net/eating-while-driving/ Savron, Jacqueline. “What Putting on Makeup While Driving Will Cost You.” AvvoStories, 15 Jan. 2016, stories.avvo.com/crime/traffic-law/what-puttingon-makeup-while-driving-will-cost-you.html “Texting and Driving Statistics 2019: The Zebra.” Compare Car Insurance Rates and Get Free Quotes| The Zebra, 2 Jan. 2019, www.thezebra.com/texting-and-drivingstatistics/ Weller, Chris. “Kids In Cars 12 Times More Distracting For Drivers Than Talking On Cell Phones.” Medical Daily, 3 Mar. 2016, www.medicaldaily.com/kids-cars-12-times-moredistracting-drivers-talking-cell-phone-263995

Major: Elementary Education Hometown: Independence, Mo.

e Nina Sirna

efore reading A Deadly Wandering, by Matt Richtel, I understood that distracted driving is one of the main causes of fatalities occurring from car accidents, and technology is one of the most dangerous distractions for drivers of all ages. Being a teen, I understand that many young adults my age are constantly using their phones when they are on the road. In the book Richtel tells a story about a boy named Reggie Shaw. Shaw was around the same age as I am today and he caused an accident, because he was on his phone, killing two men that were a father, husband, brother and son. This accident not only affected Shaw’s life, but it also affected others around him. From reading A Deadly Wandering, listening to the distracted driving panel, participating in the Save a Life tour and simulator, and the lecture by Shaw, I learned that no message is worth risking other human lives or my own. I define distracted driving as doing something else while driving and not paying attention to the road ahead. That may consist of texting, talking on the phone, eating, doing makeup, messing with the radio, smoking, drug use, or alcohol use. Technology is one of the main causes of fatalities; however, all of those other actions are also just as distracting while driving. While being distracted by technology, food or the radio, it takes away your focus on the road. Scientists have proven that humans cannot multitask. While doing two things at a time, the human brain only has all of its attention on one of those things. (Richtel, 2015) For example, while people are on their phone while driving, their full attention and focus is on their phone; therefore, causing them to not pay attention to their surroundings and crashing, hurting themselves or others around them. Teenagers are not the only people that can be distracted while driving; any human of any age can be. While technology may be one of the main causes of distracted driving, people can put a stop to that by the touch of a finger. Turn the phone off and put it away while they drive. Distracted driving has made a big impact on my life, because of all the stories I hear about it all the time. I am lucky enough that I have yet to come in contact with a distracted driver, but I know that anything can happen at any time and I will be aware of it. However, being a firefighter’s daughter, I know that my father not only runs to fires, but he runs to car accidents. He comes home with many stories to tell about distracted driving. For example, two adults were driving home drunk one night with a baby in the back seat not buckled in. Not being at all focused on the road because they were intoxicated, they crashed killing their baby who was in the back seat. The baby flew out of the car getting smashed between the two cars. Being told many stores of distracted driving like this, it scares me and makes me want to warn people of distracted driving as Shaw does. Hearing Shaw’s and my father’s stores have made an impact on my life. As Shaw said in the Truman lecture, “No message is worth risking another person’s life.” As I get in my car and drive, my phone stays in my bag set on “do not disturb”. I do not want to take my own life or others’, because I was not focused on the road.

Shaw made a decision that would change his life forever. He described in the lecture, that if he knew what was going to happen, he would have never picked up his phone. He would rather have paid a thousand dollar ticket than take the lives of two loved fathers, brothers, sons and husbands. He not only took their lives, but he took their loved ones away from these people. One of the men’s daughter walked up to Shaw and telling him about her wedding day coming up, that she will no longer have her father there to walk her down the aisle, because Shaw took that away from her. As time went on Shaw became friends with the families and they forgave him. The two families of the men who died knew that they have forgiven Shaw, and that it was time for the families to do the same. Although times may be hard and Shaw still gets choked up talking about the accident, he is a better man today. He goes around the world talking to teens and organizations about distracted driving. He does not want anyone making the same decision he made many years ago. The experiences in FS 101 has been a real eye opener and great experience. I have learned many things from the activities we have done over the semester with distracting driving. I now know that in Missouri it is illegal to text and drive or even eat while driving while under the age of 18. If I were to get caught doing either, I can get pulled over and get a ticket. However, some states do not even have laws against texting and driving. Also being in FS 101, I had the experience to do a driving simulator. In that simulator I had to wear goggles that would weaken my eyesight and slow things down. Although I passed, it was very hard to drive and I wandered all over the road. I have never driven while intoxicated nor plan to, I know some people in this world do. I want to warn people of drunk driving and that it is just another way of distracted driving. Hopping in the driver’s seat after a few drinks can kill you or even other people. You are risking your own life and other peoples’ lives that may be in the car with you. Driving drunk, the people do not have their full focus on the road and they are not in the right state of mind. All and all, this semester in FS 101 has been a great time and a great eye opener. I will continue to spread the things I learned this semester to other young adults: to put the phone down while driving or make right decisions before putting themselves behind the wheel and putting their lives or others’ at risk.

Works Cited: Richtel, Matt. (2015). A Deadly Wandering: a Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age. NY: HarperCollins.

Major: Radiologic Science Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

e Yennifer Yepez

“Y

ou don’t want to be me”, said Reggie Shaw. These words still send a chill down my back even when I type them. The storyline behind these words and the weight that these words carry with them is enormous. Meeting Reggie Shaw made this topic even more impactful. His storyline and how he now must live with his decision for the rest of his life is so heartbreaking to even think about. Throughout this semester in class FS 101 I truly learned what distracted driving means and the consequences of the choice to drive distracted. Before understanding distracted driving, my definition was very narrow to only cellphone use, but now I define distracted driving as anything mentally or physically that causes you as a driver to become distracted. Basically, doing anything else other than driving is considered distracted driving. Since learning about Shaw’s experience, I have had talks with my parents and other family members about the impact driving distracted can cause. I now even take the cellphone away from my parents or siblings when they attempt to use it while behind the wheel. I currently do not drive, but I know now that when I do start, I will not use my cellphone and drive distracted. I decided to do this type of project because I believe this will help get the point across that distracted driving is extremely dangerous and everyone should stop. People normally do not want to read a 3-4-page essay. I believe that a comic strip will be more pleasing to the eye and more interesting. I decided to base it off of a college student who recently got a car. This comic strip is about her life in one world, but also in a parallel universe. In one world she is not texting and driving and gets home for winter break. While in the other world she is texting and driving. One has a happy ending and the other one does not. This is a very serious topic, because a lot of innocent lives have been taken because of distracted driving. The most impactful event that resonated the most with me was the workshop with Shaw. We each had a picture of someone that had passed away due to them driving distracted or the consequence of someone else driving distracted. It was incredibly sad to hear the stories. This should not be taken lightly.

Major: Accounting Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

e Breanna Hensley

ne second is all it takes for not just one life, but many lives to be changed forever. When society speaks about distracted driving, we typically think of texting and driving or just phone use in general while behind the wheel, when the real issue is much broader. According to Safer America, in 2018 the fatal crash count was estimated at 868 in Missouri itself, and 945 fatalities due to these car accidents. Not all these accidents were an “I love you” text or “See you soon”, some of these accidents were from someone changing the radio station to find that one great song, maybe even reaching for the water bottle they dropped in the floorboard. Many people are affected by these car accidents each day and it only continues to get worse (Corella, 2018). One of the biggest issues in America is not texting and driving itself but distracted driving. Distracted driving is defined as the practice of driving a motor vehicle while engaged in another activity. This is if you are talking to the passenger, focused on your baby crying in the back seat, trying to eat that juicy burger you got from Hi-boy’s before it gets cold or just checking your phone for a notification. Any action that requires your attention to be somewhere other than on the road can have a drastic effect on your surroundings and peers. These actions may seem very small while driving, and yes, we all know the multi-taskers that can do anything while driving, but in reality no one is perfect and mistakes happen.

dramatically each day. After this semester of speaking about distracted driving I have made little changes such as turning my phone off while driving, because I know that in my head if I know my phone is available, I will feel the urge to check it. I also remind myself what is important in the moment, and for me that is ensuring that I and others make it to our destinations safely. Works Cited: Corella, Mariela, et al. “2018 Fatal Car Crash Statistics in the U.S.A.” Safer America, 30 Oct. 2018, safer-america.com/2018-fatal-car-crash-statistics-in-the-u-s-a/.

For my project I drew a picture of a car accident in hope that this picture will be a reminder that all it takes is a second. To this day I still catch myself in mindless acts of checking my phone for the time or reaching back to grab something out of the backseat while driving. These things seem so small and harmless at the time until it is not, and you are wishing you could go back and see the stop sign or lady on the side of the road checking her mail. I typically reflect the most when reminded of the lives changed

Major: Nursing Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

e Savannah Taylor

istracted driving has become a bigger issue every year and now this topic has been addressed by schools and businesses trying to spread awareness. The dangers of this subject range all the way from just drifting off of the side of the road or hitting a curb, to even hitting another person and ending his/her life. During the lecture by Reggie Shaw, the whole room was filled with silence and everyone had their attention directed towards the stage. I believe that everyone had a primary “take away” from this year’s Truman Lecture series. Shaw has impacted the way I drive for the better, because the examples that he gave and his story, that had the audience in shock. Now when I drive I no longer keep my phone on my lap, I actually put it away in the center console, that way I do not get distracted by the notifications that pop up. My primary “take away” was when Shaw told us about the daughter that was getting married and she did not have her father to walk her down the aisle. This really touched me closely, because being a girl that is going to get married in the future, I could not possibly imagine not having my father with me on my wedding day. At this point in the lecture, I got a tear in my eye and I could not stop thinking about how this girl felt without her father supporting her on this important day. Shaw’s lecture also affected me when he told that the judge wanted him to know that he was a criminal, not a hero, because he killed two people. Even though he did not kill someone with a gun or weapon, he still killed two people which made him a criminal. The last thing that he said which impacted me was the story about the school bus and the semi- truck. This girl had her life taken away from her because of a truck driver who was not paying attention to the stop lights that were displaying on the back of the bus. The fact that this girl was on her way home to her family, and all of her friends made it home perfectly fine, makes it even worse, because they were just on the bus with her minutes before the crash happened.

During the National Save A Life presentation, we stepped into two perspectives on the effect of distracted driving. In the first perspective, we heard from a family affected by a distracted driving accident. The family had a little boy who was walking with his sister when a teenager ran a stop sign and took the little boy right from his sister’s hand. The boy is now living on a ventilator and will never live the life of a typical little boy ever again. In the second perspective, we heard from a man who was the cause of a distracted driving accident. In this incident the parents were the only ones to survive out of the six family members. The family affected by distracted driving expressed feelings that I would not want to have directed towards me because I was the cause of the accident. I would also not want to experience the feeling the man had when he caused the accident and had to look back on it. Living with that guilt or that grief for the rest of my life is not a situation I want to put myself in, especially if it is avoidable. There is always a consequence for an accident like this as well. Shaw had to face one. I would prefer to not face that consequence. Something as simple as waiting to read a message can make the biggest difference on this issue. One of the things that Shaw said that will stick with me forever is, “It’s not worth it”. Hearing him say these words really made me realize that I am putting myself and other’s lives in danger by choosing to drive distracted. I have chosen to alter my life for the better, but now the scary question is, are others willing to do the same. Will others be willing to put their phone away and wait until they get home to pick it up? Chances are they will not and will continue to drive with their minds somewhere that is not on the road. I believe that this message should be spread to other schools and businesses so that people will continue to make a difference and put other lives into consideration when driving.

Major: Radiologic Science Hometown: Raymore, Mo.

e Lydia Schuetz

chose to do a creative piece for my culminating project. I juggled various ideas, but they all had one common theme: America is controlled by technology. I finally came to the decision to mimic the popular picture of people holding hands around the world. I thought this would be a good idea because this picture represents unity throughout the world. By replacing the world with a phone, it shows that the world is connected through technology. Throughout my first-year seminar experience I learned quite a bit. I learned just how powerful technology is and the control it has over people. Considering the book was written some time ago, it is no secret that technology has only gotten stronger. Technology is now used as a map, form of communication in many ways, a ruler, fitness and calorie tracker, and so much more. Technology can do just about anything and has revolutionized our whole world. Although technology is so powerful and helpful, this experience has shown me that technology can also harm people and to not let it affect you in a bad way. Understand that your brain needs all of your attention and you are responsible for more than you know.

Major: Business Administration Hometown: Smithville, Mo.

e Victoria Yarber

hat is distracted driving? Distracted driving is the practice of driving a motor vehicle while engaged in another activity. There are four types of distracted driving: visual, auditory, manual, and cognitive. Visual distraction is looking at something other than the road. You may be looking at a cool building that just flashed by or you may be looking down at the radio or your phone. Auditory distraction is hearing or listening to other things while taking your mind off of driving. You may be listening to a song and blast the speakers. It may not seem like a big deal, but your mind is focusing on the words of that song versus the road. Manual distraction is manipulating something else while driving. This could be texting, drinking, eating, changing the radio, or anything that takes one or both of your hands off of the steering wheel. Cognitive distraction is thinking about something else. You may be wondering what you are going to have for dinner or what friend you want to hang out with later. All of these are bad choices to make on the road. (CDC, 2019) It is proven that our brain cannot handle distracted driving. Once distracted driving starts, our brain loses power to multitask, sense, think, or control emotions. This can cause cognitive delays, making you lose the ability to think or reason. Our brain can also go through emotional changes while driving distracted. A call or conversation could alter your emotions. While your brain is trying to focus, texting and driving make it lose its sensory perceptions. The main part of your brain cannot focus while distracted. I have had several personal experiences with distracted driving. Some were traumatizing. As of today, I have made a promise to myself, family, and friends to put anything that may be distracting away while I am driving. I know a text, call, drink, bite, anything that requires multitasking while I am on the road can wait. My life is more important than any distraction. Works Cited: Center for Disease Control (CDC). “Distracted driving. www.cdc/motorvehiclesafety/distractible-driving/index. Html.

Major: Nursing Hometown: Lee’s Summit, Mo.

e Talynn Simer

or my First Year Seminar project I decided to take a creative approach to this project and create a painting that would cover just a few of the many stories about texting and driving.

However, I chose to create a painting that would be different from what others may have chosen to paint. I did not want to paint a scene of a car accident for numerous of reasons. One being I was in a car accident last year. I was “t-boned” by another vehicle. The young girl driving that vehicle was on her phone and did not see me. It was a very traumatizing experience for me, and I know of others in the class who have had similar experiences. I know that a visual scene of an accident can truly impacts one’s perspective on distracted driving, if they have never been affected by it. But I also know how hard it can be for those who have experienced these things to listen to others talk about it, let alone look at pictures of it. It is hard and I decided to keep that in mind when creating this piece. I chose to break up my canvas into three different sections. These three sections all play a role in the steps of texting and driving. The steps are texting, waiting, and reading. Each of these sections is based off of a true story that correlates to the steps of texting and driving. To further explain, the first section was about Reggie Shaw. He was a nineteen-year-old boy who was texting and driving when he was on his way to work. Because he was distracted by his phone, he ended up driving into the other lane and killed two innocent men. To this day he says he cannot remember what those texts were about, because they were never that important. He now educates teens on the dangers of texting and driving to ensure no one else goes through the things he did.

(Teen Safe, 2019). He caused suffering for the family who had lost their husband and daughter. This teen was sentenced to four years of probation and two hundred hours of community service. If at any moment the teen broke any rules regarding his probation, the teen could be sentenced to four years in prison. All of these true stories lead me to my main point: it was never worth it. Those texts that Shaw was sending, the text that was waiting to be read, and the text the teenager was reading was never worth losing their own life or taking someone else’s. Those texts were never worth reading. They were never worth losing focus on the road. They were never worth taking the life of another. The text can wait. Because quite frankly, they will not ever be as important as one’s life. Works Cited: Teendriveadmin. “Real Stories of Texting and Driving Deaths That Will Make Teens Think Twice.” TeenSafe, 5 Mar. 2019, teensafe.com/real-stories-oftexting-and-driving-deaths-that-will-make-teens-think-twice/

The second part is about waiting. This section is based on the true story of a teenager from Washington who was waiting for an incoming text. Because the teenager was not focused on the road, he ended up “driving under the wheels of a logging truck” (Teen Safe, 2019). Unfortunately, the teenager did not make it. The teenager was so focused on receiving a response that he lost focus on what was truly important. He lost his own life in exchange for an incoming text. The last part is about reading. This section is based on the true story of a teenager from Minnesota who ran a red light at an intersection and hit another vehicle. In the vehicle was a father and his ten-year-old daughter

Major: Special Education Hometown: Buckner, Mo.

e Rudy Villarreal What is it Worth? You’re driving down the road and you get a text You decided to pick it up but what happens next? A kid runs in the street You feel the thud and hear the screech But in that moment what did you see? A little screen and a few words But that lack of attention resulted in much worse The end of a life Now you’re the sole cause of someone’s pain and strife And its something you’ll have to live with for the rest of your life Up till now your day was perfect Now let me ask you… was it worth it?

Major: Radiologic Science Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

e Blake Schroer

Major: Communication Hometown: Blue Springs, Mo.

Personal Reflections e Sue Ellen McCalley, Ph.D. Chair, Truman Lecture Series Professor of Education and Psychology

The Truman Lecture provides our students with an opportunity to meet inspiring individuals who have had a significant impact on the lives of people around the world. This wonderful program allows them to experience the Avila mission personally. It encourages them to explore their own potential to help the dear neighbor.

e Ron Slepitza, Ph.D., CSJA Avila University President

The power of the Truman Lecture Series and Avila’s Common Reading Program is to inform and educate our students of global issues that need to be addressed. The revelation is they can begin to change the world, right now.

e Paige Illum, Ph.D., CSJA

Director of Student Engagement and Success Adjunct Faculty Our goal is to provide the students with a meaningful academic experience while living our University mission and the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph to help our dear neighbors. Avila’s mission shares that we will “prepare students for responsible lifelong contributions to the global community.” This experience is the initial step in accomplishing this commitment to our students and honoring our relationship with the Sisters of St. Joseph.

From l to r: Sue Ellen McCalley, Ph.D. Ron Slepitza, Ph.D., CSJA and Paige Illum, Ph.D., CSJA

Appendix A: Avila First Year Students Emily Akright Ke’moni Alexander Chloe Alleman Alyssa Allen Sydnee Allen Cindy Anweiler Jonathan Arnone Alicia Atkinson Tariah Baker Stephanie Basurto Jessica Basurto-Reyes Jessica Baugh Jacy Beeler Camille Begnaud Richard Bertoldie Ashlyn Blatt Kaci Bocklage Olivia Boster Averee Brattin Isabella Brauner Vincent Brazzo Gunner Brody Chloe Brundick Helen Cadena Cayla Callahan Bailey Calvin Madison Carlton Jaimie Castillo Litzy Castillo Taityn Charles Hannah Coates Joleen Contreras Mykiah Cooper Diana Cordova-Duran Brooke Day Molly Delaney Dylan Deshazer Jacob Dowell Trisha Duffy Cierra Dunn Andrew Dutil Tony Eason Kristen Einspahr Aubrey Fielder Alexander Francis Brandon Freeman

Alexandra Funes-Carranza Kennedy Galanakis Madelin Gates Catharine Gilmore Hannah Glass Dylan Godfrey Jaime Gomez Annmarie Griese Paul Guerra Michelle Guzman Dae’Rese Hafeez Kylie Harms Breanna Hensley Morgan Herman Sierra Hernandez Sarah Holman Tyrese House Rachel Howard Kylie Hurd Tiera Jackson Clarence Johnson Courtney Kastelan Kenyen Keiber William Kieffer Seth Kilbourn Kirryn Killingsworth Lia Knippa Jacob Kruckenberg Ian Liechti Tyler Lindquist Adelynn Link Malik Littrel Nic Lobmeyer Faith Lockard Aryn Lorenz Grace Lowther Drake Mahurin Dhevaune Mays Taylor Mcclurg Claudia McIntire Luca Mcintyre Jose Meza Victoria Mincks Miranda Mitchell Ju-young Morimoto Ryan Myers

Jacob Nevels Cole Nichols Brittany Normand Elisa Nunez Wyatt Oberly Arcel Ojeda Esperanza Ortiz Brian Overall Preston Parks Sidney Parks Jonathan Patricio Katelyn Payan Kendall Peabody Jadon Pyle Kevin Ramirez-Hernandez Sadie Rann Ali Ray Ashton Rizzo Miranda Rocha Sophie Ruoff Ryan Schroeder Blake Schroer Lydia Schuetz Morgan Senevey Emily Sexton Athaviah Shane Michaiyah Shears Nathaly Sigala Talynn Simer Nina Sirna Skye Smith Aleksandre Smitka Christian Solorzano Sadie St. Clair Mackenzie Staats Noah Stanakis Bailey Stephan Betsi Sterling Austin Stuller Savannah Taylor Myelle Tealer Matthew Thomas Jada Tucker Rudolfo Villarreal Payton Walter Heylee Warren

Nicole Warren Tylar White Bridget Willis Cassandra Wilson Diamond Wilson-Boyd Alexus Wily Noah Winkler Nicholas Wood Sarah Wood Austin Wright Christopher Yang Victoria Yarber Tanner Yeisley Yennifer Yepez Damian

Appendix B: Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture Series Program

Jeanne ’76 and Bill Buchanan pictured with Reggie Shaw. The Buchanan’s established the Buchanan Initiative for Peace and Nonviolence at Avila University allowing multiple educational opportunities for first year students including the International Save a Life Tour in Fall 2019.

Jim and Sue Fahey pictured with Reggie Shaw. The Fahey’s serve as the Harry S. Truman Lecture Sponsors and without their generosity it would not be possible to bring lecturer’s such as Shaw to campus.

Appendix C: Anticipation Guide Perspectives Students were asked to express their opinions regarding statements related to topics discussed in First Year Seminar both at the beginning of the semester and again at the end of the semester. The purpose is to gauge how their opinions changed. The most significant changes occurred with these questions: •

I am familiar with many of the issues surrounding distracted driving.

•

I know how long it takes to regain “situational awareness” and return to an unimpaired driving state following text messaging.

•

I know the texting and driving laws in the states of Missouri and Kansas.

•

I am confident I can text and drive with no fear of an accident; I can focus my attention as needed.

•

I am familiar with brain research as it relates to attention and driving.

Students were also asked to write about the most significant changes that occurred within themselves throughout the course of First Year Seminar and why those changes occurred. Here are some of those responses: “I am much more aware that I am putting myself in danger when I text and drive.” “I now know more about the issues surrounding distracted driving, and I’m going to stop texting and driving.” “Almost all my answers were changed. I’m very happy with the information I learned throughout the semester.” “I didn’t know much about the laws surrounding texting and driving until after this course. Before this course, my commitment to not text and drive was not near as strong as it is now. Knowing some major consequences that come with distracted driving has changed my outlook significantly.” “I have now made a personal commitment not to text and drive because no text is worth a life.” “I now know it takes 15 seconds to regain “situational awareness” following texting and driving.” “I made a personal commitment not to text and drive. It makes me more aware of my surroundings, and I know I could never live with myself if I injured someone in a car wreck.”

Common Reading Program

vila University provides a common reading for all first year students as part of the First Year Experience. Student success research is clear about how this type of program can assist in emphasizing academic importance prior to the start of classes and assist in building community within a first year cohort. All Avila first year students receive information about The Common Reading Program during the summer prior to the start of classes. The topic of the Common Reading Program is always global in nature which connects with Avila’s mission of providing students with opportunities to prepare for contributions to the global community.

2019 A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, A Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age by Matt Richtel In 2006, as a 19 year-old Utah college student, Reggie Shaw was driving on a highway he’d taken hundreds of times before. While texting, Shaw drifted across the center line and fatally struck two rocket scientists, James Furfaro and Keith O’Dell. A Deadly Wandering follows Shaw, the families of Furfaro and O’Dell as well as many of those who were involved in the police investigation and trial. Author, Matt Richtel not only shares the details of these tragic events but also delves into brain research outlining our inability to multi-task, regaining situational awareness and why we can’t seem to resist our phones. 2018 The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer A remarkable story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. Kamkwamba gave the Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture. 2017 The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande This memoir outlines the hardships and the heartaches of Grande’s immigration story from child to adult. Grande was two years old when her father left Mexico and crossed the border into the United States, hoping to earn enough money to build a home in Mexico when he returned. Eight years later he returned to take his family across the border. Once in the United States Grande sorts through many challenges as she navigates into adulthood. 2016 While the World Watched by Carolyn Maul McKinstry McKinstry was present on September 15, 1963 at the Sixteenth Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, when white racists bombed the church. McKinstry’s four young friends were killed. She was among thousands of students hosed by firemen during the 1963 marches. She survived a second bomb explosion that destroyed a portion of her home in 1964. She wrote this memoir in 2011.

2015 The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster by Jonathan M. Katz On January 12, 2010, the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere hit the nation least prepared to handle it. Jonathan M. Katz chronicles the terror of that day, the devastation visited on ordinary Haitians, and how the world reacted to a nation in need. 2014 They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein The memoir of three boys who walked with tens of thousands of other boys across the Sudan as a result of civil war within the country. These boys, many of whom came to the United States as refugees, became known as the Lost Boys. 2013 The International Bank of Bob by Bob Harris An inspiring memoir of an ordinary American who turned his brief brush with opulence into a joyful adventure of investing in the world’s working poor. 2012 Unbroken by Laura Hilenbrand A World War II story of survival, resilience and redemption of Louis Zamperini. 2011 The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer A remarkable story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. 2010 Series of Articles Related to Hunger and Poverty Reid, Barbara. (2009, July 20-27). Always Enough: Heavenly Bread. America, p.45. New York: American Press, Inc. “Finding the Flexibility to Survive,” Copyright © 2008 by Brighton Earley. Part of the This I Believe Essay Collection found at www.thisibelieve.org, Copyright © 2006-2009, This I Believe, Inc. Reprinted with permission of This I Believe, Inc. United Nations. (2009). The millennium development goals report. New York, NY. “The Time to Help Is Now,” Copyright © 2008 by Maria Zapetis. Part of the This I Believe Essay Collection found at www.thisibelieve.org, Copyright © 2006-2009, This I Believe, Inc. Reprinted with permission of This I Believe, Inc.

Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture Series

Avila University received exclusive rights from former President Harry S. Truman to establish a lecture series in his name in 1970. The permission was granted to Sr. Olive Louise Dallavis, CSJ, who served as President of Avila from 1960-1985. Recent Past Lecturers William F. Buckley Joseph Califano Clarence M. Kelley Nancy Landon Kassebaum Sr. Helen Prejean, CSJ Louis Zamperini Bob Harris Alephonsion Deng Jonathan M. Katz Carolyn Maull McKinstry Reyna Grande William Kamkwamba

Political Analyst, Author & Columnist Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation Kansas Senator Social Justice Activist WWII Prisoner of War, 1936 American Olympian Author, The International Bank of Bob and Jeopardy! Champion Author, They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan Author, The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster Author, While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Right Movement Author, The Distance Between Us: A Memoir Author, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Avila University • avila.edu • 11901 Wornall Road • Kansas City, Missouri 64145 • 816.942.8400

First Year Student Reflections 2019 A Deadly Wandering

Articles inside

Photos from The Truman Lecture Series & First Year Seminar

Appendix A: Avila First Year Students

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Appendix C: Anticipation Guide Perspectives

Student Reflections & Projects

Appendix B: Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture Program