The Voice //College Magazine

T h e Voi ce

An East er n Or egon Un iver sit y St u den t Pu blicat ion

Jan u ar y 30, 2018 Vol. 1. Issu e 2

Fr at Ch at

Sh or t st or ies

Body Posit ivit y :

Pg. 12

an d Poet r y

A New Er a

pg. 5

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T he Vo i ce

L etter Fr om the Editor

Editor-and-Chief Anita Harris Writers Charlene Frett Emmalyn Guzman Victoria Gentili Emily Caldwell Dear Mountaineers,

Photographers Olivia Steffey Christia Tiacole Tiffany Collins Miguel Vasquez Illustrations Caleb Arentz Tiffany Collins

Welcome to the new and improved issue of The Voice. As you can see we?ve switched from a newspaper to a magazine. This means smooth new look, with the same great content you enjoy. As you may have guessed, a lot of questions were asked concerning our switch. W hy switch? W hat was wrong with the old issue? Well, EOU is a place dedicated to change and diversity. We here, at The Voice, figured we should also live by that motto. The news world is transforming into a more sleek and entertaining format, and we did not want to be left in the dust.

In our new issues you?ll find a new diversity section, featuring articles that touch upon topics that affect student minorities. Do we have gender neutral bathrooms? How many faculty of color do we have? How much money does EOU invest in multicultural affairs? These important questions can be answered in our new diversity segments.

The new and improved version of The Voice aims to reach every type of student from every type of background. We might have changed our look, but we?re still the same old Voice of EOU. I hope you enjoy this issue, as much as we have enjoyed putting 2 it together with you in mind.

Best,

Table of Contents Features

Opinion Frat Chat

Body Positivity: A New Era

Local Locate

Shor t Stor ies and Poetr y

La Grande and

If You Want My Damn

Olivia Steffey

Opinion About Forever, Well Here It Is 3

Febr uar y Play list Songs picked by hand for your February enjoyment.

Panic- T he Smiths ? Crystallized- Young the Giant ?

I Fall Apart- Post Malone ? Sweet Creature- Harry Styles ? Pulaski at Night- Andrew Bird ? Secrets-Mary L ambert, B.o.B ? Spirit Cold-Tall Heights ? Elusive-L ianne L a Havas ? T he Perfect Parts-Shakey Graves

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Seasons The wind whistles your name The sun mimics your smile The frigid cold of winter nights remind me of your scorn Spring is our love, sprouting new and untouched memories, Tall and strong and adorned But in the end we only Fall

Remember You were once broken Remember Only the silhouette of a man appeared before me fractured and torn Today you are whole again Your heart beats with purpose, pink and pumping with love I hope this feeling you can Remember 5

If You Want My Damn Opinion About "Forever," Her e It Is

By Ch ar len e Fr et t Eternal. Endless. Infinite. Perpetual.

Boundless. Undying? love. Love, love, love. It has to be forever. It has to be beautiful. It has to be irresistible. It has to be? extraordinary. Your souls have to connect, and the stars have to align.

Well, you know what I call all that?

W hat's that word again?Oh, right.

Bullshit. It's all complete and utter bullshit, the kind they want our little fragile and feeble hearts to believe!

The blood is all I see. The dark, thick liquid terrorizing my hands, seeping through the fibers of my skin, burning my bones, is all I see. The taste of metal on my tongue, the tremble of my own body, the wet tears staining my cheeks? is all I see, and all I feel. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing more than just this.

You see, I can remember the first time we met.

We were young, innocent, and of course, destined to meet. The magic was apparent underneath a chandelier of diamonds and gold.

The jazz music echoed in our ears, the clings of champagne glasses lingered among each guest, and the smell of seduction caressed the necks of those begging to be touched under the starlit sky. Silk was the main material of the evening; gowns and dresses being admired by those who dare gaze at a woman's body. Each selected style exposed the bare shoulders of a woman while men dressed in formal tuxes seemingly suitable for the night. Hands touched, kisses spoke, smiles brighten, and it was all lovely and erotic.

Yet, there should have been more than just one woman wearing a silky, dark auburn dress, flowing past her knees, drinking a cocktail, and casually enjoying the alluring sounds of jazz 6

music at the bar. There should have been more than just one man who had the guts to approach her intimidating aura, unbuttoning his blazer to breathe in her presence, drinking a glass of scotch, and gazing at her from across the room. He shouldn't have expressed his charm, whispered in her ear, placed his fingers on the midst of her back, and gazed into her soul as if he's uncovered all of her darkest secrets, ones she wouldn't dare to tell.

Then he said this: "There's something about you that draws me to you. I can't put my finger on it, but I know I don't want this night to end. Come with me, be with me.

I'm yours. I know what you are looking for, and I can help you find it. Trust me."

Bullshit! You see, men do this kind of shit. They say all the right words, they touch you in all the right places, and we, as women, unwillingly give ourselves up to these men. We worship them, praise them, let them take and take and take until we are nothing but a soulless body.

Don't get me wrong, it was all swell in the beginning. We were, what they say "in love," entranced in each other's presence, drowning in each other's desires, cravings, and temptations. It wasn't until he taught me how to kill, until he evidence is everywhere...he's everywhere.

So I'm sitting here, silent and still, next to his body, asking myself about a love that doesn't exist, asking myself what the hell these people are talking about.

Love is not eternal. It's not forever; it's not a happy ending.

It's bullshit. It's all bullshit.

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Body Posit ivit y: A New Er a

By Em ily Caldw ell

We are now living in an era filled to the brim with body positivity, but what does that even mean? Body positivity in the simplest terms is the concept of loving your body as it is. It is the idea that traditional beauty standards are not an indicator of what beauty specifically looks like. The body positivity movement aims to get rid of stigmas like the dreaded bikini body concept or the idea that you need to look a certain way to rock a bikini when in reality confidence is the key to rocking anything that you choose to wear. This movement is valuable in destroying unhealthy standards for both young men and young women.

This criterion tends to vary from decade to decade or even year to year and do a great job of tearing down the confidence of youth who are struggling enough trying to figure out who they are without the additional stress of trying to be beautiful by societal standards.

This new era of body positivity aims to abolish the strife that young kids and people in general face trying to fit into the norm. It aims to focus on loving oneself, rather than finding all of one's faults.

This movement could change the whole basis of the way that our media and advertisements function. It already has made some changes with an increase in commercials almost solely about body love. There is also an increase in ?plus-size models? in the fashion industry.

For example, in 2016 the model Ashley Graham made history as the first plus-sized model to be featured in Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition.There are several other advocates for body love across every social media platform, including Megan Jayne Crabbe, otherwise known as bodyposipanda on Instagram, and Tess

W hile it tends to be a movement run by women, it is fully intended for men as well.

W omen are faced with women in the media that have legs and stomachs photoshopped to perfection, but men face the same photoshopped double-standards with men in advertisements that have abs that didn?t exist before the photo was taken. For so long, we have had a very specific standard for what an attractive woman and what an attractive man should look like.

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She has made it very clear that she allows for no use of photoshop on her pictures used by Torrid or any other company that she associates with. Tess Holliday has a whopping one and a half million followers on Instagram. Her posts get at least 50,000 likes, and she always includes the hashtag #effyourbeautystandards. This hashtag has gone viral, being included in over two million posts on Instagram. I have even used this hashtag to enhance the body positivity movement. Like any other movement, there will always be somebody that does not agree.

Some people argue that the body positivity movement is simply a ?fat acceptance movement.?. They say that the movement is not about body love and that it was started as an attempt to increase how accepting we are of obesity when we are already too accepting as it stands. I, however, think that this movement has been nothing but beneficial. I have struggled with years upon years of self-hate. I would look in the mirror and hate what I saw because it didn?t look like the girls in the magazines. The images in the media became the norm, and I wasn?t the only person to notice that my body was different. I was bullied for it for years.

Getting rid of the stigma attached to what beauty looks like is the first step in preventing future generations from facing the same strife that I had to deal with. This movement does just that.

All in all, body positivity is taking the world by storm, and it couldn?t be more of a blessing. As a girl who grew up hating her body because it didn?t fit the normal standard of beauty, I am so happy to see the media start to advocate self-love and negate self-hate. There is no time better than now to love yourself. It is time to nurture our inner self-love advocate and love who we are wholeheartedly.

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Local Locat e La Grande, OR

La Grande is considered a college town.

It is hard to deny that the college scene is present. From lively basketball games to loud house parties, La Grande can be considered a temporary home for many students. However, behind the sporting events and campus life, there is much more to be explored. Roaming deer can be seen frolicking through the grass in the mountains. Morgan Lake shimmers under the gray sky of winter.

Behind the scenes, a girl with blond hair and vintage glasses can be seen capturing the beauty of it all. Olivia Steffey is a student of Eastern Oregon University. She has captured all of the landscape photography for this issue. She is also the photographer of the cover photo, which was captured at Morgan Lake. Steffey's stunning photography can be seen on The Voice's online website, eouthevoice.com, and in many other upcoming issues of The Voice.

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especially those on the same campus, is the number of dues that go toward the National organization insurance bill;

Fr a t Ch a t

organizations that have banned alcohol leave members with a much lower annual bill.

Pros and cons can be compared to each fraternity, as well as learning about each chapter?s history.

By Em m alyn Gu zm an

The background of fraternities can be broken up into three categories, all women chapters, all men chapters, and co-ed chapters. Below that are specific organizations coupled with their individual headquarters that are available in various states and open to specific ethnic or religious groups; each with their individual states philanthropy, motto, their own set of colors, symbol, flower, and mascot. There is such a thing as women fraternities. These are not just called sororities, but women fraternities; depending on the location and size of the organization, a fraternity?s membership can consist of all men, be a co-ed environment, or have an all-women membership without being given the name sorority.

Fun Fact: There are 123 fraternities and sororities with 9 million members total. There are 750,000 undergraduate members in 12,000 chapters on more than 800 campuses in the United States and Canada.

W hen we all hear about college fraternities, most of us would think hazing, wet t-shirt contest, and all-night parties. Most of us do not see the positive influences these organizations can have on their campuses and the surrounding communities. Most would not even know that some of these organizations have become national throughout the years.

This article will let you in on some of the pros and cons that follow fraternities and sororities, along with activities and gatherings that have gained national recognition, such as Fraternal Order of Police.

Cons in Greek life should be recognized, since each organization has pros and cons throughout and it is up to the students to compare, making the decision if the Greek life is for them.

Some of the apparent disadvantages would be the rumored hazing (mostly during Hell-Week) and parties that are rampant throughout various colleges that have been labeled ?party schools.?

These parties invite rumors of drug and alcohol abuse, but it all depends on the location of the fraternity and the regulations that accompany the organization. However, other objections are factors not so recognized. Cost of membership, formals, and cost of creating activities like clubs, dances, formals, and concession stands on game days can add up quicker than students realize.

The leading cause for the price differences between Greek organizations, 12

Because of these multiple organizations, the students that are actively involved in the Greek systems are given more opportunities, not just during their college years, but in their post-graduate life. Along with the enlarged network connections, as well as the broader diversity groups, internships and additional help for seniors, graduates and post-graduates have been associated with fraternities and sororities. This can help students get a better idea of what they want to achieve in life and where they want to start their careers.

Garrett Young II, an EOU Resident Assistant, stated in an interview that fraternities and sororities could be beneficial to small colleges such as EOU, depending on the type of message the organization beholds. His father was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha,

a well-known business fraternity that addresses social issues such as apartheid, AIDS, urban housing, and other economic, cultural, and political issues of interest to people of color. Garrett has stated in his interview that if he were to join a fraternity, it would have to benefit his future life, not just be a place to party. Being a well-known resident assistant and majoring in Physical Activities and Health, Garrett believes that being involved in an organization (be it a fraternity or another club) should give you and your college life added value.

Other fraternities and sororities have life-long members that go on to use the organization to help with projects and programs relating to their chapter?s traditional emphasis, such as benefiting underprivileged children, research on medical conditions, agriculture or even the chapter?s overall religion, like Christianity, Catholic or Protestant.

Each chapter has a mission statement, which shows the chapter?s primary focus on how to leave an impact on society. An example would be Delta Kappa Gamma, which bases their attention strictly on women teachers and extending education to third-world countries: Leading W omen Educators and Impacting Education W orldwide.

My grandmother (who was a member for years, since the late 80?s) described the national conventions this specific chapter attended, making education a higher priority in our society and making strides to make education available for everyone.

A college?s size can become a factor as well when considering if Greek life would be deemed appropriate for their campus and the surrounding community.

Like fraternities, the clubs are here to have the students become part of a group, make new friends and make connections that will go on even after college.Another goal every club and organization have for the club, as well as their members, is to leave a legacy.

To give the members every opportunity to make their mark on the club, the community, and society.

College is all for finding out Nicole Almanza, the student where you want to belong trustee on the EOU Board of and planning for your future Trustees, stated in an interview all the while having fun and that even though a Greek System making memories along the could be a welcome addition to Eastern Oregon University, many way. Students sometimes are of the clubs that would be involved not sure where they want to go in life, and if they can find and created by the organizations that passion or plan in a club, already exist on campus today. the legacy is already made.

Clubs like the Chemistry Club, CRU, Rodeo Club, Latino Impact, Ag Club and Eastern Theatre Club are active and thriving on campus today to name a few.

Many campuses believe that organizations like established fraternities and sororities could benefit their campus by creating clubs supported by the organization, such as volunteer work and creating awareness for disease or other mission statements. Fraternities that carry specific majors and areas of college such as business majors or specialize on how to be a successful entrepreneur can help smaller campuses like EOU in a big way.

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