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WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7
STUDENT LIFE BACK ON CAMPUS
LIFESTYLE WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7
STUDENT LIFE BACK ON CAMPUS
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Stay healthy with these fundamental tips Here are four suggestions to reevaluate your negative health habits. JESSICA CHOI Editor
Maintaining your health becomes increasingly difficult as the perils of pandemic student life weigh its many burdens onto you. When balancing a rigorous academic schedule, a social life — as social as one can be amid these distanced times — and all outside responsibilities, tending to your physical health easily drops in priority. However, here are some easy and doable tips for taking care of your health. Don’t skip meals One of the easiest things to neglect as you rush out of the house is a solid meal. The time crunch to complete unfinished assignments, get ready, drive to campus and attend class can easily push out the thought of food. Even on days when you are hungry, there just isn’t enough time to sit down and eat. Food is fuel, and in order to function to the best of your capabilities, you must eat. Setting loose time frames of when you should eat is an easy first step. This will ensure a start to a healthy eating schedule. Take a moment to reflect on your body and notice when it needs energy or is hungry. After you assess your personal schedule and energy levels, set at least three meal time frames — phone alerts and alarms can be used as gentle reminders. Most importantly, if you feel hungry, make it a priority to stop whatever you may be doing to eat. This applies to
staying hydrated and drinking water as well. If you know getting a meal is impossible when you’re in a time crunch, pack snacks to have with you whether you’re studying at the library, in an online meeting or stuck at work. Sleep when you’re tired We all know that sleep is important. But why is ruining your sleep schedule so easy? And why is getting your sleep schedule back on track so difficult? Similar to hunger, sleep can be something that is pushed aside in order to complete tasks and other activities. Staying up a few extra minutes to finish an assignment is doable and acceptable. However, cramming hours of work or staying up unnecessarily late for leisure purposes with responsibilities the next day can take a toll on your well-being. Plan out your schedule and have a general organization of your responsibilities, assignments and activities. Staying organized is key to fending off procrastination. Consequently, limiting procrastination makes it easier to dedicate your late nights to rest. Also, dedicated spaces for specific activities can create healthy habits for sleep. For example, instead of resting on your bed in the middle of the day while scrolling on your phone, rest on a chair and use your phone away from the bed. Associating multiple activities in one space can lead to bad habits; associate your bed with sleep. Take a break Fatigue and burnout are
some of the many negative effects of the pandemic. This exhaustion and anxiety can be overlooked and disregarded causing an aggregated onset of stress. Sometimes doing nothing can be what you need. Even though there may be many things left to do on your agenda, in order to work efficiently there must be rest to recuperate energy so that work can be done with the best effort.
Get some sun The shift within the academic and professional world to remote learning and working makes staying indoors easy. Going outside has become increasingly unnecessary because of the shift to virtual schooling and work. It’s also become anxiety-inducing due to new socially distanced norms. In order to combat decreased time outdoors and
minimal sun exposure, you can make it a priority to spend some time outside. Exercise is the typical form of outdoor activity. However, there are other creative options such as taking your remote work outside, spending a leisure activity in the sun or simply going for a walk. Try taking one daily activity outside and test how that feels.
Taking remote work outside or going for a walk are simple ways to enjoy the sun. (Jessica Choi / Daily Titan)
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LIFESTYLE WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7
STUDENT LIFE BACK ON CAMPUS
How to smoothly transition back to in-person learning GENESIS PAVIA Asst. Editor
After two weeks of virtual instruction, students return to Cal State Fullerton for in-person classes. Whether you find yourself itching to get back to a sense of normalcy or you find yourself worried about stepping foot on campus, preparing your mental health is imperative. Here are five ways that can guide you during this transition. Be mindful While some students are eager to make the transition back to campus, it’s important to recognize that others may be feeling more apprehensive. Practice mindfulness by being patient with yourself and those around you. Try to be more observant and listen to what others have to say. Awareness that there may still be unresolved feelings and concerns about
one’s health can help mitigate COVID-19 fears and expand preventative measures, according to a Frontiers in Psychology article. Pace yourself Transitioning to an in-person learning environment can be done at your own pace. You can do this by finding several comfortable study spaces as you work through assignments. Looking for settings with natural light can make studying more enjoyable or at least bearable. Find those places that will suit you and keep you motivated. Be sure to take short breaks in between studying to allow your mind to destress. When you decide to call it a day, find moments for self-care. Try activities that will not drain your energy but will instead have you feeling relaxed. If you feel more drained than usual, arranging a bath or layering on a face mask can help alleviate stress. Establish a good balance between work and personal care.
Manage your time Getting back into a routine can be difficult, especially when online classes do not require you to leave your house. It’s easy to open your laptop five minutes before your scheduled class to begin and attend the lecture. However, whether you’re a returning student or it’s your first time on campus, try managing your time by making it a priority to leave your home earlier. This will give you enough time to find parking and get familiar with your surroundings. According to a Purdue University Global article, identifying time-wasters and setting goals can benefit your time management. Start by creating a checklist. It can sound daunting, but it can be helpful to organize and prioritize tasks for the day. If physical planners are not your thing, using a virtual one can be an alternative. Planners and journals can seem scary or just
inconvenient to those who are not used to them, but your cell phone or laptop can be an accessible alternative. Lastly, do not feel bad if you stray away from your list. Life happens. Taking the initiative to devise a game plan in the first place can feel rewarding. Be familiar with COVID-19 Carrying extra face masks in your car or backpack is always a good idea. One day, you may find yourself rushing to get to class on time and forget to grab a face covering before leaving your home. Having spare face masks can save you or someone you know from being turned away by your professors or faculty. During this return, familiarize yourself with the university’s COVID-19 guidelines. If you’re feeling uneasy about this return, knowing what is going on on-campus may help relieve some of your nerves. For more information regarding COVID-19 and
safety protocols, visit https://coronavirus.fullerton.edu/. Reach out for help if you need it If you find yourself struggling with any coursework, reach out to your professors. Consider taking part in their office hours or set an appointment to discuss what material is unclear to you. It can seem quite intimidating at first but begin by introducing yourself and stating what you need from them to help you understand the material more clearly. The uncertainty of COVID-19 can get the best of us. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. CSUF offers resources to help students cope with their stress levels. Remember that you are not in this alone. Visit https://www.fullerton. edu/caps/ or call 657-278-3040 to connect you to a range of clinical services. You can also visit https://you. fullerton.edu/ for physical and mental health resource.
OPINION WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7
STUDENT LIFE BACK ON CAMPUS
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Thrifting supplies boosts sustainability Second-hand school necessities can reduce waste and overspending. NOLLYANNE DELACRUZ Deputy Editor
Every start of the semester comes with the promise of a fresh start. However, a new beginning does not always have to correlate with the overconsumption of school supplies. Last year’s product shortages resulted in low-stocked shelves. As a response, college students should take advantage of reusing thrifted items. College students should thrift their school supplies at any given opportunity because it saves money and does not require new materials to produce items, ultimately contributing to a lower carbon footprint. A major selling point related to thrifting is the environmental impact. Unused notebooks, 3-ring binders and packs of pencils can be bought at thrift stores during the back-to-school season. Most municipal solid waste comes from paper, so buying a new notebook every semester strays from a sustainable lifestyle. Additionally, notebooks made from recycled paper still require energy and extracted materials, thus making it only fractionally better than buying new. Instead, college students should invest in reusable notebooks and other school supplies from a thrift store, eliminating the destructive process of hammering energy and materials to produce brand new school supplies. Another reason to purchase school supplies from a Goodwill outlet is that it can
help students save money on necessities. Back-to-school spending has increased significantly since schools have reopened. For some college students, relying on family funds may not be an option. Thrifting school supplies allows students to cut costs on low budget items. Items that may be marked up at an office supply store, like Staples, can cost significantly less at a charity shop. Likewise, products from thrift stores tend to be marked down through discounts and coupons. The value of thrifting cannot be overstated as students buy more clothes to prepare for more in-person classes. Thrift stores and charity shops provide the opportunity for college students to find high quality, vintage items for cheap deals. Hence, more money can be saved for high budget purchases. Some may oppose thrifting because the prices of secondhand items have been increasing due to its recent trendiness. However, the prudency of the activity has led to a drop in the fast fashion market. Every secondhand purchase prevents an item from becoming permanent trash. The preference of buying new products demands new materials which the Earth cannot keep up with. There is no use pretending that the Earth has infinite resources as the climate crisis worsens. Thrifting is also not an excuse for overconsumption. It does not matter how cheap an item was resold for; if it is not a necessary purchase new, then it is not
CASSIDY MOLINA / DAILY TITAN
a necessary purchase second hand. The goal of thrifting does not have to be replacing an entire system of consumption. However, if it is possible to buy secondhand, one should. Thrift stores are easier to find than some may think. Some examples of thrift store chains are Goodwill and The Salvation Army, which can be found in almost every city. However, if the experience
of diving through cluttered racks is not enjoyable, smaller vintage and consignment stores offer a more curated experience. Buffalo Exchange on Harbor Boulevard is less than 10 minutes away from Cal State Fullerton and it is an excellent choice for reused clothing. Thrifting has also been made easier through websites, like ThredUp, Poshmark and Depop. Contrary to common
perception, thrifting does not have to look like searching through racks and bins in a brick-and-mortar store or scrolling through pictures from anonymous sellers. Thrifting can be as easy as getting some friends together to swap excess school supplies. It may be a jarring shift to start thrifting items off of a back-to-school checklist, but it can be a financially and environmentally rewarding experience.
6 Column: Proctorio must be uninstalled OPINION
WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7
Invasive software is anxiety-inducing for student performance.
VANESSA SIGUENZA Editor
Pondering between two multiple choice test answers always made me feel as though I would slip into impending doom during in-person classes. Even singing “eeny meeny miny moe” in my head wasn’t useful. My test anxiety would creep over my body — clammy hands, inability to focus and heart palpitations. Scouring through my brain’s memories for the correct test answer felt like an unsolvable Rubik’s Cube as students shuffled noisily out of their seats with their scantrons and exams. I would sometimes end up betraying my gut instinct and switch my answer — a number one no-no
when test-taking. Although traditional tests do heighten my anxiety, online-proctored exams shoot it off the charts. Proctorio, a supposed “privacy-centric, accessible and scalable remote proctoring solution that allows test takers to take exams from home” must be uninstalled and removed from Cal State Fullerton’s remote learning. Migrating from traditional in-person tests to virtual spaces run by Proctorio is invasive and intimidating, let alone implying guilt that college students will cheat from the get-go. Proctorio seems to wreck college students’ test performance, particularly those with high test anxiety. Recently, I took a simple syllabus quiz that should have guaranteed an easy A. Yet, I felt tense at the sight of
STUDENT LIFE BACK ON CAMPUS
Proctorio’s effortless access to my desktop and a blinking camera observing my body language. Even though my professor mentioned that all of our tests are open-note, I couldn’t help but think if I glance up from my notes or book, I’d be immediately flagged. I folded and didn’t do as great as I anticipated. However, I’m not the only one who feels uneasy at the sight of my own webcam. According to the International Journal of E-Learning and Distance Education, a 2019 study conducted by Daniel Woldeab of Metropolitan State University and Thomas Brothen of University of Minnesota, observed 631 undergraduate students that attended a large U.S. midwestern university. The college students were exposed to three types of learning for an introductory
psychology class: face-to-face, online and hybrid. Of the 631 who were observed, 44 students took their exams with ProctorU as the experimental group. The remaining 587 students served as the control group. After students completed their online examinations, they were answered post-surveys that measured their expectations and reactions. Their scores were assessed based on five variables. The first being the Westside Test Anxiety Scale. It was used to identify the students’ cognitive performance impairments, such as anxiety, lack of attentiveness, worry or poor memory. Additionally, their final exam scores, ACT scores, GPA and total credits completed were examined. The results revealed that there was a “greater relationship for trait test anxiety and
GABRIELA MENDOZA / DAILY TITAN
poorer final exam performance” among the experimental group that dealt with ProctorU. The students noted that the proctors made them uncomfortable more so than students with mean anxiety scores. Although ProctorU has slight modifications from Proctorio, the two softwares have the same underlying goal: to scan “suspicious” activity. Moreover, the software’s popularity has waned in a handful of universities across the United States, facing student complaints. Since the fall 2020, a petition to terminate the use of Proctorio is still up and running, “Stop CSUF from using invasive programs like Proctorio,” with nearly 5,900 signatures. Other concerns may arise for college students, including inaccessibility to download Google Chrome or purchasing a compatible microphone, solely to complete one semester with at most three exams. Students’ anxieties would soar not just because of test material, but their focal point would be obsessing over worst case scenarios — internet connectivity and computer bugs. While maintaining academic integrity is a reasonable concern for any professor, Proctorio’s glaring camera lens is not the solution to monitor students. Unfortunately, a cheater will always remain a cheater, no matter the circumstances. CSUF should discontinue Proctorio from the virtual learning environment. Instead, professors could arrange take-home essays or comprehensive open book exams. I would much rather toss myself in a classroom with a vigilant professor rather than have a staring contest with Proctorio.
NEWS WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7
STUDENT LIFE BACK ON CAMPUS
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New students benefit from technology initiative IPads and laptops are available through CSUCCESS and Titanware. SPENCER OTTE Editor
Incoming spring 2022 students and new transfers are eligible to borrow a technology bundle through a new program on campus — California State University Connectivity Contributing to Equity and Student Success, also known as CSUCCESS — which aims to promote digital equity and enhance student success. Eligible students can request either an iPad Air, Apple Pencil and Apple Smart Keyboard Folio bundle or a Microsoft Surface Laptop Go, as part of the ongoing CSUF TitanWare program. Students are able to keep the devices through the duration of their academic career at a CSU. The CSU launched the CSUCCESS program in partnership with Apple after students throughout the state reported difficulties accessing online instruction due to inadequate internet connection and other technological issues. The program began in fall 2021 with eight participating universities — CSU Bakersfield, Channel Islands, Fresno, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Maritime Academy, Northridge and San Marcos. This semester, Fullerton, along with Dominguez Hills, Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona, San Bernardino and Sonoma have joined the initiative. The CSU invested $18,000,000 to purchase over 21,000 laptops and tablets and 10,000 wifi
CSUCCESS is run through the IT Center for equitable digital access. (Spencer Otte / Daily Titan)
hotspots, making it the largest and widest-reaching device distribution program within the CSU. Since the program began, it has provided iPads to nearly 30,000 students. “The CSUCCESS program is one way for us to remove barriers to success for our diverse and talented students so they feel supported and empowered to focus on their academics,” said Joseph Castro, the CSU chancellor, in a press release. “Reliable, modern technology builds a foundation for achievement and can transform opportunities for our students statewide.” The iPad bundles and Microsoft laptops were purchased with one-time Higher Education Emergency Relief
Funds, said Rommel Hidalgo, the associate vice president for the Information Technology Department. An initial batch of 1,000 iPad Air bundles were purchased by the university for the CSUCCESS program. Hidalgo said that eligible students were contacted and invited to register for the program via a web forum that can also be found on the CSUF-CSUCCESS website. As of Feb. 4, around 800 students have picked up bundles. Hidalgo said that the university only has funds to support the program for the spring 2022 semester and that they are waiting to hear about additional funding for the program in the fall from the chancellor’s office.
According to the CSUCCESS FAQ, future phases of the program may open up eligibility to returning students as well as first-years and transfers. “I am convinced that true and consistent student success depends on having a modern, and more importantly, reliable, computing device in our students’ possession beginning on day one and continuing throughout their college experience,” Castro said. “We aspire to have additional phases of the initiative that will expand access in the future to more new and current students at other CSU campuses.” While the CSUCCESS program is only open to incoming students, TitanWare, an initiative created
by CSUF at the start of the pandemic in response to the increased need for technology, is offered to all students. TitanWare offers 48-hour laptop rentals, and semester-long laptop rentals are available based on financial needs. In addition to laptops, webcams and headsets are available for rent on a short or long-term basis. TitanWare also offers free access to software including Adobe Creative Cloud suite, Dropbox and Microsoft Office. IT technical support is offered 24/7 to help set up laptops or activate software accounts. Additionally, students may request a wifi hotspot with an unlimited data plan from one of two major carriers at a significantly discounted rate.
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WEEK OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7
STUDENT LIFE BACK ON CAMPUS