an IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY student publication
G$B AND YOUR MONEYp. 35 The 8 a.m. drag p. 24 THE WORLD OF DIGITAL DATING p.16 Can’t keep a relationship going? It’s probably your fault. p.12 WHAT AN ASSHOLE! p.10 SKEWED STATS ON DRUNK DRIVING p. 13
Are you a root rat? p. 47
TV IS DEAD p. 14 ISU myths p. 45
This magazine was funded in part by the Government of the Student Body. our culture, our time
FEBRUARY 2011
THINK YOU HAVE HAD A ROUGH DAY? MEET FOUR STUDENTS WHO OVERCAME BIG OBSTACLES p.27
THE EXPLORATION OF SEX EDUCATION p.22
dance dance revolution
DUB H: GET DOWN WITH ISU’S BIGGEST DANCE CLUB
table of contents
COVER STORY P. 38
In only about 10 years, Dub H grew from a small dance crew to a way of life for hundreds of ISU students
PERSONAL STRUGGLES P. 27
TO
Did you miss the bus? Bomb your last exam? Get in a fight with your girlfriend? Think you’re having a rough time? Meet four brave ISU students who overcame extraordinary difficulties and are stronger today for it.
Ethos Magazine @Ethosmagazine
ONLINE DATING p. xx The world of online dating is a mix of people searching for their soul mate, but our writer’s exploration turned up with the unexpected G$B P. 35
Every year, the Government of the Student Body manages a massive budget of our money, but do they handle it fairly? How do they manage to deal with a growing number of student clubs?
8 A.M. GRIND P. 24
How our brain handles those early morning classes.
SEX ED P. 22
The history of Sex Ed has changed a lot, but it’s still not where it needs to be
OH, and who does the Dub H choreographer think he is? p. 46 ON THE WAY IN...
The stuff you need to stop doing in your profile pics, stupid laws, headlines you won’t see, ISU myths debunked, and of course the tunes you need and the people you don’t want to be.
DATING:
How girls are failing at parties, how to break up with an asshole, and a translation of what men and women are really saying. p. 12
TECHNOLOGY:
A struggling music and film industry can’t manage the Internet, and Xbox has a real game changer. p. 16
PLUS foreign slang (p. 47), the
Can’t get enough? Neither can we! Check out exclusive web content at ethosmagazine.org.
comparison of eating out and making food at home (p. 09), how to not be a stupid tourist (p. 44), the skewed stats on drinking (p. 13), some unique ideas on earning money (p. 10) and more!
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Stand up against the Department of Residence, ISU Dining, and Republicans Unless your parents, a rich uncle or cash flowing from a lawsuit settlement are paying for your time at Iowa State, you’re probably struggling to cover groceries. Money for a movie is a luxury. And if you’re like me, you probably become enraged when you see other students drive by in a brand-new Nissan or BMW. Yet, even if my personal checking account didn’t struggle to maintain three figures, I would still find the amount we are charged for dorm rooms and meal plans absurd. The discussion on the cost of college and student debt often turns to tuition and state aid, when, in fact, the cost of living and purchasing food easily trumps tuition prices. The average monthly amount for an old two-person dorm with no air conditioning and mismatched and broken furniture equivalent to that of a homeless shelter is the same price one would pay for rent in a large California city. The low-ball average of each meal within a meal plan is $8. And you can expect to pay twice as much with your dining dollars at the C-Stores around campus as you would at Hy-Vee or Kum & Go. That needs to change. At the University of Houston, three professors lived in student dorms during the fall semester. The school explains it as a way of making sure the campus is seen as a home, rather than a “parking lot.” I challenge Peter Englin, director of the Department of Residence, to do the same and live in a dorm for at least a week, eating only at ISU Dining locations on a student’s budget. For good measure, I would also encourage President Geoffroy to do the same, so they understand our financial pain. If GSB is serious about debt management, as they like to imply, it takes more than sending ISU Ambassadors to Des Moines to lobby for state appropriations. It requires challenging our own institution and demanding the Department of Residence and ISU Dining bring down costs. By the same token, we are a complacent student body. The cost of college everywhere is skyrocketing, but it should be in Iowa State’s interest to help students graduate with little debt. Iowa is a leader in student debt, but hardly anyone has an interest in fighting for us. We don’t vote, we don’t pay taxes, we don’t engage. As soon as Republicans took control of the Iowa House of Representatives, their first bill included $18 million in cuts to public universities. But at a public forum on the measure, when ninety-three citizens signed up to speak, only two spoke on behalf of college students. And neither were from Iowa State. While in Europe, college students are rioting over tuition increases. Cyclone Country deserves better than debt. But little will change until we stand up for ourselves.
Tyler Kingkade editor in chief
editorial Allison Butler
Chelsea Evers
managing editor Taysha Murtaugh senior editor
features editor
Kaitlin McKinney senior writer
Corrin Hatala copy editor Devon O’Brien senior writer
Andrew Lopez humor editor writers: Kristine Ahlfield, Emily Bloomquist, Shanna Delfs, Chelsea
Evers, Hannah Gilman, Nicole Gustafason, Elizabeth Hanson, Tabitha Jamerson, John Lonsdale, Nicole Kerns, Kayla Kinzie, Kelly Mantick, Katelynn McCollough, Abbey Nekola, Melinda Schultice, Clarissa Stoll, Riley Ubben
art Patrick Crowley
Laurel Scott
Julie Cronin junior creative director
Josh Peterson junior creative director
creative director
Alex Meyer senior designer
photography director
Kelsey Wolfswinkel senior designer
designers: Seth Lunsford, Kelly O’Halloran, Amber Oppelt, Amy Simmonds, Maggie Thilges
photographers: David Derong, Abby Gilman, Annie McGuire, Kelly O’Halloran, Whitney Sager
illustrators: Jaymi Pham, Joshua Burhite
advertising Matthew Sorensen director of advertising
advertising representatives: Julia Anderson,
Amanda Laverman, Ashley Bernhagen, Sam Gerken, Rachel Laubenthal, Cody Recker
online
Sean Flack assistant online editor
Michea Boyd assistant online editor
Cicely Gordon convergence editor special thanks to: Hickory Park, Gary McKay, Meredith Corporation, Paula Curran
a very special thanks to: our faculty adviser, Deb Gibson Funded in part by the Government of the Student Body.
Tyler Kingkade, editor in chief
Quickies 9
fast fun for everyone
Design JULIE CRONIN
Writers TYLE R KINGKADE // ANDREW LOPEZ // DEVON O’ BRIE N // KAT E LYNN MCCOLLOUGH
WAYS TO NOT GET LAID
Bet You Didn’t Know This About Your Presidents Illustration:JOSHUA BURHITE
1. Wear Axe on dates—it smells attractive in a middle school physical education lost and found bin—not in bed.
2. Update your status daily with depressing song lyrics. Those lyrics were written because the artist wasn’t getting laid either. Take some time to let that sink in.
3rd
3. Wears Crocs. They’re shoes for clowns who aren’t ready to fully commit.
4. Wear basketball shorts in 10 degree weather. If you’re wearing basketball shorts in 10 degree weather, you have two things in common with a homeless person: 1. you’re wearing basketball shorts in 10 degree weather and 2. You won’t be getting laid because you’re wearing basketball shorts in 10 degree weather.
5, Drink chick drinks. Hey dude, want me to hold your purse while you drink your 55 calorie beer and Smirnoff Ice?
6. Complain about being single. Every time you do it, you’re reminding us why you’re single.
1. George Washington was the only president who didn’t live in Washington, D.C. // 2. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the only presidents to
sign the Declaration of Independence, and they both died on its 50th anniversary: July 4, 1826. // 3. James Madison was the shortest president standing at only 5 feet 4 inches tall. // 4. Theodore Roosevelt lost vision in one of his eyes while boxing in the White House. // 5. Gerald Ford was never elected president or vice president. // 6. William Henry Harrison served the shortest term, lasting only 31 days. // 7. George H.W. Bush vomited on the Prime Minister of Japan at a formal dinner in January of 1992.// 8. Warren G. Harding lost the White House’s china set in a hand of poker.// 9. Gerald Ford was a model and once appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan.// 10. Thomas Jefferson had two pet bears, John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator, James Buchanan had a pet elephant and Theodore Roosevelt had a pet zebra. // 11. Barack Obama collects Spiderman and Conan the Barbarian comic books.
7. Wear Ed Hardy gear. Not only will you look like a tool in your embellished shirt, but you’ll also get passed up for the guy who doesn’t look like a walking STD.
8. Stalk your crush. It’s the highest form of chivalry…if you’re Charles Manson.
9. Take your date to Outlaws. The only romantic thing about Outlaws is saying “Hey, let’s not go to Outlaws.” 06|Oompa loompa doopity doo...
don’t be the person who...
...says ‘like’ between every word. Like, it’s the most like annoying thing like ever like said. Like, you know what we, like, mean?...has no class when approaching the opposite sex. We’d rather have a conversation with Emma Watson… not Ke$ha. ...takes up 2 seats on the CyRide. It’s awkward for me and you. ...sends their Foursquare updates about their location on their Twitter every five minutes. ...one-ups in conversation. ….is completely out of the loop on pop culture. If you heard “Get Low” by Lil Jon for the first time on Need for Speed: Underground, we have no interest in your existence.…exposes your butt crack every time when you sit down. Remember kids, crack kills. ...is a Parking Nazi for the Iowa State Parking Division. ...is a hipster who makes fun of hipsters. That’s so mainstream.
Five things we hate about LANE4's proposals
STUPID FACEBOOK POSES Photography LAURE L SCO T T
3
1
If LANE4's proposals go through, we'd likely lose Chicha Shack, AJ's Market, Headliners, Project 20/20, El Patron, Jimmy John's, Grandma's Attic, Cy's Roost, Fighting Burrito, Asylum, Mickey's Irish Pub, Copyworks, Outlaws, Mayhem Collectibles, Birthright, Pita Pit, India Palace, Ames Progressive, Joy's Mongolian Grill, T Galaxy, Planned Parenthood, Little Taipei and Kum&Go. We'd get left with one shitty bar; Welch Ave. Station.
2 5 4
LANE4 goes by the motto "if you build it, they will come," ignoring that we already come every day and spend most of money in Campustown. LANE4 truly has a goal of pushing out college students, even though we're the ones who predominately live in Campustown.
NOT CLASSY!
1. When you “enhance” your eye and skin colors, you are also enhancing the list of reasons that people think you’re awful. And the Comic Sans captions? Do we even need to go there?
2. Drawn on mustaches? STOP IT! 3. Okay, this might be worse. Ladies: having a mustache isn’t “cute.” Really. 4. It’s nice to show off your rack from time to time, but subtlety is an art form; they don’t need to be so“in-your face.”
5. We can’t decide which is worse: the awful peace sign or the obnoxious duckface.You’re not Miley Cyrus. And even if you were, it looks stupid.
awesome Walmart starts selling gloves that work with touchscreens.
Flava Flav opens a fried chicken restaurant in Clinton, Iowa... um, what?
hilarious MySpace closer than ever to completely shutting down. Oh, sorry; we meant My_____. Hawkeye football players are getting arrested and going to trial, what else is new?
Lady Gaga and Elton John recorded an original duet for the new Disney flick Gnomeo and Juliet.
In the first bill House Republicans push, they include millions in cuts to public universities, despite Iowa being a leader in student debt.
so awful, it’s evil
LANE4 sounds like a shitty bowling alley.
One thing we like about LANE4
GSB would no longer be putting money towards the Varsity Theater.
MAPPING THE NEWS Buffalo Wild Wings builds a location in Ames.
LANE4 focuses on demolishing flourishing small business, rather than substandard houses littering the Campustown neighborhood that students rent as party houses.
TIME magazine names Mark Zuckerberg 2010’s man of the year, most likely going by what movies they saw to make their decision. Justin Beiber has his own movie,“NeverSayNever” in 3D. Never will we go see that.
lame The completely scripted reality TV show about a wannabe hipster,“My Life As Liz” returns for a second season. ...but they only carry them for women. So men don’t own iPhones or Droids now?
What A Stupid Ticket There’s little doubt anyone who has received a ticket from a police officer thought it was a little dumb. And there are probably some laws, from the ban of clove cigarettes to the illegality of fireworks in the state of Iowa, you think make no sense. But what about these laws that are still on the books? A man with a mustache may never kiss a woman in public. (Iowa) One-armed piano players must play for free. (Iowa) The fire department is required to practice fire fighting for 15 minutes before attending a fire. (Fort Madison) The “Ice Cream Man” and his truck are banned. (Indianola) Horses are forbidden to eat fire hydrants. (Marshalltown) One must obtain written permission from the city council before throwing bricks into the highway. (Mount Vernon) Within the city limits, a man may not wink at a woman he doesn’t know. (Ottumwa) Kisses in public may last for no more than five minutes. (Iowa) Any hotel in the city limits must have a water bucket and a hitching post in front of the building. (Dubuque) No person may pick a flower from a city park. (Mount Vernon) ethosmagazine.org
| 07
EDITORIAL
$
$
In Search Of A Better Way To Make Money I hate my job with a passion. I work at one of those depressing, minimum wage-paying restaurants that makes me want to test out those rumors about free tuition if you get hit by a CyRide each time someone asks for a refill and a side of ranch. Unfortunately, those rumors aren’t true, and even if I were to work a solid forty hours per week, I can barely afford to pay the rent. When I’m not busy with my other activities, I struggle to focus. The remaining time I have is spent on the main reason why I’m even here in the first place -- to go to school. A friend of mine is in this situation, too, and asked me if I knew of any other jobs where he could make more money and still give him the flexibility he needs. All I could come up with was standing on the corner of Lincoln Way and Welch in a skimpy outfit with his belly fat hanging over the side of his Mariah Carey-inspired hot pants for all the drunkies pouring out of Headliner’s after last call to see. I decided it was for the benefit of everyone, including my own, to find other options. I began to make a list of all my ideas, but none of them hit the mark: • Dining centers. • Teaching assistant. • Hooker. • Drug dealer. • Parking Division ticket issuer AKA Parking Nazi. Unable to come up with anything good, I resorted to the Internet to help me with my quest for riches. My first stop: the Student Job Board on AccessPlus and my first potential job. 08|She works hard for the money.
“Unclothed model for figure drawing class. Perform related tasks as assigned. Imperative that models be dependable, on time, mature and responsible for position. Bring photo ID with birth date and class schedule for availability. Apply in person.” Wait a minute, all I have to do is stand there with my clothes off and get paid $15 an hour? Get me some space heaters and sign me up! But then again, I kind of look like a five-year-old in the photo ID I got when I was a freshman. Could be a problem. The next best thing I came across: Environmental Service Clean Team; Housekeeping/Custodial; On Campus. “Perform cleaning and pick-up services for events held at Hilton Coliseum and other Athletics Department facilities in accordance with established standards. Respond quickly to clean-up calls during events. Remove trash and soiled linens--” Stop right there! Is this real life? I’m the size of an average player’s leg, it’s bad enough having my self-esteem lowered when I see them working out at the same time I am. Finally, I moved on to the big leagues. Did you know you can actually sell your laborious talents on Craigslist.com? In all seriousness, this option might be a good one for those who haven’t found a job with the skills they have, because people are always looking for a variety of things to be done for them. You often set your own hours and wages. Thousands of people find work and other things using this site, and it seems to work for both sides successfully.
By
JOH N LONSDALE Another viable temporary career path is selling plasma at centers like Community Bio Resources, Inc. of Ames. You sell your plasma with an average compensation fee of $25 per visit. Don’t forget to drink lots of water so you don’t get dehydrated. But if you’re afraid of that huge twoway needle they stab you oh-so-gently with, this may not be your dream job. Ever heard of Locks of Love? Well, here are a few details not about donating your hair, but about selling it. Sites like HairTrader.com, Hairwork.com, eBay and Craigslist all offer to buy hair as long as it meets certain requirements, like it must be at least ten inches in length and cannot have been chemically-treated. Although eBay and Craigslist are harder to sell your hair for good money, other sites offer up to $2000 for excellent hair. Most hair that meets the requirements usually sells for $300 to $900. How about selling your body? Or at least pieces of it. Sites like FertilityBridges.com and FamilyCreations.net give you the most bang (or lack thereof) for your buck if you are willing to sell your, ahem, “lady eggs.” Women with bachelor’s degrees are usually offered $10,000 and those with an associate’s degree get $2,000 less. Be able to travel to get the job done and you’re in business, just as long as you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Save that part for the doctors. Men could think about selling sperm at sperm banks on your trips to Omaha or Chicago or at sites like SpermMobile.com. Not so fast, though, post-pubescent boy playing “World of Warcraft” in his mom’s basement. First, you have to be eighteen to thirty-five years old, and basically perfect in every way. Ninety to ninety-five percent of potential no-sperms-attached dads get rejected while the remaining percentage of good men, mostly always in college, get paid approximately $50 to $100 per ejaculation. But that’s just what this world needs; more me’s in thickframed Ray-Ban glasses running around with chicken legs and a creepy Julia Roberts vein in his forehead. Until then, I’ll be getting your refill and side of ranch, sir.
Quickies
Cost Conscience By ABBEY NE KOLA
Blowing out a budget can turn any college experience sour in no time. Though it’s nice to go out for dinner and drinks with friends every now and then, too often can break the bank. Compare how much it costs to dine out with the cost of getting out an apron and pan.
STRAIGHT COST
FOOD ITEM
COMPARED TO
NUMBER OF PORTIONS COST PER PORTION
BUSINESS
GROCERY
BUSINESS
GROCERY
BUSINESS
GROCERY
Legend’s
$9.99
$14.47
1
8
$9.99
$1.81
12” pepporoni
Jeff’s Pizza
$10.48
$5.00
8
8
$1.31
$0.62
Cheeseburger
Okoboji Grill
$7.99
$13.50
1
8
$7.99
$1.69
Grilled chicken
The Café
$13.95
$12
1
3
$13.95
$4
Taco salad
El Azteca
$5.95
$17.12
1
4
$5.95
$4.28
Applebee’s
$12.99
$15.47
1
2
$12.99
$7.74
BBQ Pulled pork sandwich
Hickory Park
$4.95
$10.50
1
8
4.95
$1.31
Coca-cola/ Diet Coke
Hickory Park
$1.79
$4.79
2.5
12
$0.72
$0.39
Coca-cola/ Diet Coke
Kum & Go
$1.06
$1.69
4
8
$0.27
$0.21
Brownie
Applebee’s
$5.99
$4
1
14
$5.99
$0.29
Screwdriver
Average bar in Ames
1
20
$4
$0.93
Jack and Coke
Average bar in Ames
$4
$23 (750 ml bottle of Jack Daniels)
1
20
$4
$1.15
Merlot
Average bar in Ames
$6.50
$9.99 (for midlevel quality)
1
8
$6.50
$1.25
Bud Light
Old Chicago
$3.10
1
6
$2.48
$1.17
Chardonnay
Average bar in Ames
$6.5
1
8
$6.50
$1.25
Pasta
alfredo with salad and bread
Pizza
with French fries
with veggies
Steak
9 oz. with baked potato and toppings
with side of corn
with ice cream
(OJ + vodka)
$4
$18.50 (750 ml bottle of vodka)
$6.99 $9.99 (for midlevel quality)
TUNES YOU NEED “Map of Tazmania” by AMANDA PALMER Into girl power anthems? What about ones that instruct you to “grow that shit like a jungle?” Yes, she’s talking about her ladybits and this song is just as catchy as it is crude. The music video is a “must-see.” //“Wet” by SNOOP DOGG //“Get Over U” by NEON HITCH //“Pursuit of Happiness” by LISSIE Quad Cities native Lissie breathes new life into this popular Kid Cudi hit //“Mister Heavenly” by MISTER HEAVENLY Did you ever wonder if Micheal Cera was a member of a hipster-approved indie band? Well he is, and they’re actually pretty rad. //“Someone Like You” by ADELE //“Walk Away” by THE SCRIPT and B.O.B. //“The Ballad of Mona Lisa” by PANIC! AT THE DISCO //“Don’t Look Back” by She and Him //“Look at me Now” by CHRIS BROWN //“6 Foot, 7 foot” by LIL’ WAYNE He’s baaaaaaaack! // “Ray-Ban Vision” by A-TRAK //“1983” by NEON TREES
ethosmagazine.org
| 09
Quickies
relationships
Design Amy Simmonds
What a friggin’... We’ve all had our share of asshole boyfriends and bitchy girlfriends. But sometimes we can’t tell that we ourselves have become that person.
By K R I S T I N E A H L F I E L D and M E L I N DA S C H U LT I C E Illustrations JAY M I PH A M
BITCH!
Ask your boyfriend’s opinion about something — clothes, which restaurant to eat at — then disregard his response and pick whatever you want. Delete every girl’s number out of his phone while he’s not looking. Get mad at him for looking at other girls when you know full well the only reason you went to see “Twilight: Eclipse” four times was to see Taylor Lautner shirtless on the big screen. Compare him to his friends. Let him know you think John’s “feet” are bigger than his.
ASSHOLE! Drive three hours to visit your brother, but not your girlfriend, even when they go to the same college.
Bother your boy constantly to find out where he’s at, who he’s with and what he’s doing every minute of every day.
Tell your girl to think about laying off the desserts. Not appropriate. Ever. Ask your girlfriend to tell her friends how “well endowed” you are. Got a big head there? No pun intended. Tell a girl you have to “see if she’s any good first” before you officially start dating. Punch walls. What are you going to hit if there aren’t any walls around?
HOW TO BREAK UP WITH THEM: E-DUMP Send them a text or an e-mail with minimal explanation as to why you don’t want to be together. Keep it short, sweet and right to the point. Maybe a picture of you with some new people at a party would give them the hint.
GRAND SLAM Slamming a door in the others’ face is a classic symbol of it being over — that’s probably why it is a signature move in every breakup scene.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Making it known in a public place would be humiliating and a huge blow to the ego. Yell it loudly, and make it clear that it’s over.
THE SILENT TREATMENT Silence is the best policy — don’t ever answer any of their texts, phone calls, e-mails, knocks at your door. Basically don’t let them in your life at all.
TAKE A DUMP Round up everything they have ever given you or left at your place and drop it off, whether they are home or not. If that isn’t a wake-up call that it’s done for good, then I don’t know what is.
10|You’re my perfect little punching bag, and I need you. I’m sorry.
&
what they say what they mean women vs. men.
[ [
“Where is my shortest skirt? I gotta get to Sips, Jose Cuervo gets impatient when I make him and the boys wait too long.”
“I Facebook stalked her. A lot.”
In a text at 3 a.m.:
“You get the burger and fries, so I can pick off your plate.”
[ [ [ [
“You should have deleted your sexts from last night.”
[
“I just got out of the shower, but I’ll be ready as soon as I try on everything in my closet, curl my hair, and paint my toenails.”
“I hope the solution is sex.”
[
[ [ [ [
“I need more boys to put in the friend zone.”
“You’re boring me, I’ll find something better to do.”
“I’m not that interested in you, but I can’t sleep and I’m horny.”
“I want to get ridiculously drunk with the guys tonight and I don’t want you there.”
“I want to make sure you’re in bed alone.”
“You’re not going to put out and I have to take a dump.” ethosmagazine.org
| 11
Quickies
relationships
Design Amy Simmonds
PARTY
FAIL: how girls screw up the hookup By E L I Z A B E T H H A NS O N Photography L AU R E L S C O T T
I
’m at your average Hunt Street party standing in the endless line for the bathroom. But I can’t help but overhear a group of girls’ conversation next to me. “I can’t believe he’s here dancing with another girl,” one girl grumbles. Her friends reassure her he’s an asshole by saying, “Yeah, seriously, the nerve! You can do so much better, screw him.” Every weekend I see the same girl with the same sad story -sometimes multiple times in a night. The world has come to an end because some dude ditched you. Well here’s the dead honest truth and some tips for your long dating road ahead. VISUAL AIDE To put it frankly, college-aged men think with their dicks. They’re visual creatures, so you need to catch their eye before you can catch anything substantial (like a date). This doesn’t mean you need to walk around in a Hooters tank, 12|Excuse me, I’m sorry, I’m really such a lady...
but a bad grooming regime with baggy jeans and a T-shirt won’t cut it either. You can tell a lot about someone’s personality by his or her style. Don’t wear something you’re uncomfortable with just to impress a guy. Instead, wear something that profiles who you are. GOT 99 PROBLEMS Let’s face it, we girls like a good dose of gossip now and then, but mark my words: the more drama you give a guy, the less interested he’ll be. This can be easily resolved by watching your booze intake. Meet a guy at a party who reminds you of your ex? Stay somewhat sober to make sure you don’t end up telling him 100 times. Weird drunk texts, calls and voicemails are strictly forbidden. You will regret it in the morning, and he will regret giving you his number. Don’t come off like an emotional train wreck. Serious issues are third or fourth date material. SPEAK THE LANGUAGE A collegiate male’s favorite pastime usually involves having a few beers with the boys and telling a few jokes,
otherwise known as “shooting the shit.” I’m not saying you need to keep up with his buddies, but a fluent understanding of sarcasm can help. On another note, guys usually like to joke around, so don’t be put off if his friends try to tease you the first few times you hang out with them. This is very important if you get easily offended. If you are that type of person, tone it down and relax. Don’t sweat the small stuff or you’ll come off needy and prissy. JUST BE NICE. Approaching a girl can be an intimidating task for most guys. Instead of flat out rejecting him for superficial reasons, give it a chance. First impressions can be awkward, so until you spend some quality one-on-one time you can’t make judgmental decisions straight off the bat. Always be as composed and polite as possible. They say college is the time of your life. Don’t waste your worries on some guy you had a crush on whom ended up dancing with another girl. Stay cool by following these tips, then say screw it and move on. There are thousands of single men in this town.
EDITORIAL
Thank you, By MADD, for the LAURE L SCOT T 21-years-old age Illustration AMY SIM MONDS limit on alcohol based on extortion I was sitting at my computer, browsing PostSecret, a website where people can anonymously send in secrets, when I came across a postcard with a photo of a young girl torn out of a magazine. I thought of my friend Nina as I read the words. Nina, who, weekend after weekend, would drink to the point where when it came to be morning, she would not be able to remember whether she lost her virginity in a blacked out haze. I imagined Nina sitting at her desk, the permanent marker smelling of nausea and headaches because this is a Monday morning, and the glue stick and torn pages of the magazine are off to one side, crumpled like day-old beer cans, and she isn’t sure how to word what she has to say. She eventually decides on this: “Am I an alcoholic or am I a normal college binge drinker?” The answer: Just because you’re in college doesn’t change what alcohol does to your body. The idea of a “normal” binge drinker is any oxymoron. Excessive use of alcohol, or binge drinking, is a sign that you are either an alcoholic or that you might become one. Many young adults don’t know what makes them drunk or they don’t believe they are or simply want to prove they can hold their liquor better as a point of pride. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), originally Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (an important distinction), was founded in 1980 by a mother whose daughter was killed by a man who had been drinking and driving. That mother, Candy Lightner, wanted to raise awareness of the leniency of laws for repeat offenders for driving while intoxicated. Lightner didn’t want another prohibition, and
STATE DIFFERENCES: Ban alcoholic consumption altogether: Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Consumption allowed in specific locations, in presence of consenting and supervising family members: California, Colorado, Montana, New York, Texas, Virginia , West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. she wasn’t against drinking—she was against drinking and driving. The man who hit and killed Lightner’s daughter had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.20, which has nothing to do with his age. The same BAC will affect anyone, aside from individual variances in tolerance, the same way, whether they are over or under the arbitrary age of 18, the arbitrary age of 21, the arbitrary age of never-old-enough. The interstate highway system is owned and operated by the federal government – the same federal government that decides how much money each state gets to repair its highways. Now, one might wonder what this has to do with MADD and with the National Minimum Drinking Age Act (NMDAA), and one is right to question that. This is how they are connected: There was a law in the works in Congress in 1984, the NMDAA. This law required states to raise the age for drinking and public possession of alcohol to 21. If the states did not comply,
their interstate highway system funding would be cut by 10 percent under the Federal Highway Aid Act. When this act was signed into law, many states were in violation of their own state constitutions, all to protect their livelihood. This kind of threatening is considered by many to be extortion. MADD recently claimed that this legislation reduces the number of alcoholrelated accidents by 800 each year, but what MADD doesn’t say is that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in order for an accident to be considered “alcohol-related,” a driver, motorcycle operator or non-occupant (pedestrian) must have a BAC of 0.01 or higher#, which, according to Kurt M. Dubowski, PhD, is a BAC level that results in no impairment and can only be detected using special tests. ethosmagazine.org
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Quickies
tech
Design KELSEY WOLFSWINKLE
Watching on the
Web By RILEY UBBE N
The digital age turned the entertainment industry upside down. The past decade saw publicized lawsuits and staggering drops in sales within the music industry, leaving the head honchos with no choice but to find different ways to coax hard-earned money out of your bank account. Now the people behind TV shows and movies are feeling the music industry’s pain. With so many shows available online through legitimate services, many are starting to wonder if cable companies are still necessary as each generation becomes more tech-savvy. Film companies have been dealing with bootleggers for a while now, but sources illegally posting content on the Internet are doing even more damage. Legal or not, the new opportunities the Web provides mean you may not have to spend a fortune on your entertainment. In the eyes of a college student with a demanding schedule, cable TV might as well be another lecture. It costs too much, it forces you to tune in at inconvenient times and it tends to spread out 30minutes-worth of material over the course of an hour. Services like Netflix are a godsend, putting viewers in charge of what they watch and when, and all without commercial breaks. Netflix has quickly become a staple in James Grill’s viewing habits. “My roommates and I watch it everyday through our Xbox 360,” Grill, freshman in pre-landscape architecture, says, “because it’s much more convenient than TV. I really only watch TV if a new episode of a show I like is on.” 14| Just push play; they’re gonna bleep it anyway.
Pair that with websites like Hulu that offer more current episodes, and the result is a cheaper alternative to cable. This less expensive option is starting to make a lot of sense to those looking to cut costs, bringing about a movement to cut cable that has TV executives concerned. Playing by the rules has its limits, however. Not everything is legally available online, leaving some to turn to back-alley websites that stream TV shows and movies often before they’re available on DVD. Rather than shell out $10-20 on movie tickets, anyone with a computer can visit a site like TVshack or Stagevu and see the latest blockbuster for no cost at all. Sure, the quality can be deplorable, but it’s a free movie. As with the music business, illegal sources providing video content have met some resistance from the government, though the TV and movie industry’s good fight seems to be going just as poorly as the music industry’s. Back in July, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seized the domain name of TVshack.net and replaced the website with a message reprimanding all the shameful offenders out there, warning them to stop what they’re doing immediately. TVshack wasn’t fazed, however, and opted to
move their domain to TVshack.cc, before having that one taken in December. Looking at the old and new side-byside, it’s clear the Web isn’t ready to completely take over the entertainment industry any time soon, but the way you watch movies and TV may just see some big changes down the road. The public is still in love with the movie theater experience; the gigantic screen, the popcorn and the social opportunities it offers still can’t quite be replicated through any Web site, let alone a disc copy. As DVD sales drop, however, film companies may have to make their movies count for more at the box office, so movie tickets may only get more expensive. Dropping cable in favor of Internet subscriptions also takes some initiative and technological know-how, so until the public catches up with new technology necessary to cut the cord, the cable guy’s job isn’t going anywhere. Those who go the extra mile, though, will reap the benefits, saving as much as $745 per year, according to Wired magazine. Savings like that could go a long way toward paying off that nasty student loan debt.
Game Changers In Motion By SEAN FLACK
Kinect for the Xbox 360 offers a whole new gaming experience
When Nintendo released the Wii in 2006, it was—to say the least—a game changer. For the first time, a company had been successful in releasing a console that centered around interactivity. Microsoft and Sony couldn’t compete with the initial popularity of the Wii, because part of what made it popular was that it appealed to everyone. Frat boys, grandmas and even people who didn’t like video games would huddle together to try their hand at “Wii Bowling.” Putting the popularity aspect aside, the Wii also ushered in a new age of how we play video games. In the old western town of gaming, the Wii was the new sheriff in town. In retaliation—albeit one that took about four years—Sony released the Playstation Move. But the company that’s really giving the Wii a run for its money is Microsoft. What differentiates Microsoft’s Kinect from the Playstation Move and the Nintendo Wii is that the Kinect is completely controller-less. But in this age of laziness and apathy, are people ready to interact more with their video games? Or, is it even possible to? One of the draws of video games has always been that you can sit down and immerse yourself in a different world only by sitting on the couch and moving your thumbs. Even the Wii, the Move and popular games such as “Rock Band” can be played sitting down. Granted you can sit down with some games for the Kinect, but this is no flicking of a thumb — these actions require bigger movements. While certain games vary in difficulty, the Kinect is a cool experience. It works through a sensor device attached to the Xbox, ideally under the TV screen. When you start it up, the Kinect will ask you to stand still as it registers your body. In addition to a sensor, there’s also a camera that is responsible for picking up your movements, facial
features and voice. This camera also functions as a way to embarrass yourself at the end of a game through a highlight reel of the gamer in action called “Game Highlights.” After the initial registration in the beginning, there is no other calibrating to be done, and you are free to begin the Kinect experience. The Kinect responds well, and I had no trouble with lag or trying to find my cursor on the screen. Plus, the novelty of using no controller remains pretty fresh after playing for a while. But I have to admit, I kind of missed my controller. It wasn’t because “Kinect Sports” is a work out— and believe me, it is —but because ultimately, I felt ridiculous waving my arms everywhere. There’s a lot to be said for having some sort of controller in your hand. It’s concrete. You can feel it. And although movies portray this style of gaming as the future, I can’t really see having any deep gaming experiences with it. No one wants to be the character. People play video games to escape. And frankly, it would just seem annoying after awhile. The Kinect requires you to stay in a certain square area so the camera can pick you up. This means that walking and running would have to be accomplished by marching in place at various speeds. As I found out while playing the track game in “Kinect Sports,” running in place is no fun at all. But the Kinect doesn’t have any qualms about what it is. Much like its peers, the Kinect is essentially a party tool for the time being—something
one brings out on family game night or when having friends over. Graphically, the Kinect trumps the Wii. Comparing “Wii Sports” to “Kinect Sports” is like comparing VHS to Blu-ray. The graphics aren’t mind-blowing by any means, but it achieves its purpose with ease by utilizing Xbox avatar graphics. With a less-than-ideal launch lineup of games and a $149.99 price tag for what is essentially just a motion-tracking camera, the Kinect is going to have some trouble reeling in an audience past the initial craze period. Microsoft’s main challenge is going to be trying to make the Kinect into a legitimate gaming experience, something that can function as more than just an excuse to wave your arms wildly. While mini-games like bowling, volleyball and ping pong can be fun, they don’t have any staying power. There’s no depth or change. It’s constantly the same thing; an electronic board game, if you will. Why the Wii succeeds is that in addition to its gimmicky interactive games, it has its bread and butter like Mario and Zelda to provide gaming experiences that boast a perfect balance between motion and stillness. While we may have stepped into the future of gaming, it’ll still be awhile before we can expect interactive “Grand Theft Auto” or “Red Dead Redemption.” But if that means more time spent on controllers, then maybe it’s for the best. ethosmagazine.org
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16|Ice, ice baby...
DIGITAL DATING The Quest for Love and Sex Online By C L A R I S S A S T OL L Photography L AU R E L S C O T T Design JO S H PE T E R S ON
I always assumed online dating was for desperate middle-aged divorcées — certainly not college-aged students with active social lives like myself. Walking into my freshman year at Iowa State three years ago, I was absolutely, positively certain there would be men lining up outside my dorm room waiting to ask me out on a date. No, I’m not vain, conceited or egotistical. Actually, I’m fairly modest and make an effort to avoid the typical college scene in Campustown, where men and women can be found engaging in romantic rendezvous on any given night. I just figured that out of the more than 28,000 undergrads at Iowa State, there would be at least one person who wanted to catch a movie at the dollar theater or grab a coffee at The Café. I waited two years before a real fish came to bite my bait. There might have been a nibble or two every six months or so but I would always end up re-hooking my worm to cast it back into the dating pool. I was not alone in my preconceived notions about online dating. Several ISU students voiced similar thoughts.
A Good Last Resort? “I think it’s sort of sketchy,” says Josh Bernhard, 24–year-old graduate student in statistics. “In college, having an online relationship is not ideal. I am surrounded by thousands of people, so if my database is better than any online website, I am going to use my resources.” “It’s a good last resort if I were in my thirties,” says freshman in prearchitecture Casey Tiedman. “There are plenty of worthy women all around me. I just haven’t met them yet.” “I wouldn’t use them, and I don’t think it would be useful,” says Debanjan Kumar Ghosh, 20, senior in chemical engineering. “There are already so many other sources to use for social interaction, such as bars, parties and clubs.” All three of these gentlemen have found some aspect of love on their own since first attending Iowa State. Miles Hayes, 22, senior in mechanical engineering, also found a relationship during his junior year at Iowa State, but ended it when Audrey Smith, 21, caught his eye through Match.com. Surprisingly, they were not set up through the site. Audrey randomly discovered Miles’ profile, which had been active for longer than a year and sent him an electronic wink, notifying him of her interest. Miles instantly responded with a six-page e-mail, and seven days later they had their first date at a public park walking their dogs, Aimee and Jayda. Before meeting Miles, Audrey had an active account ethosmagazine.org
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with Match.com for six months. She has a unique history that ultimately forced her to venture toward online dating. When Audrey was nineteen, she found herself pregnant. When she broke the news to the father, he bailed, leaving Audrey alone to raise her now 2-yearold boy, Ryland. Her situation has made it difficult to meet anyone, let alone a romantic interest. She tried the college dating scene of bars and parties, but few men were interested in her plus one, so she created her account on a whim. She finds online dating to be much different, more convenient, for her complicated life. “In person it’s more lust at first sight than love,” says Audrey. “Online, everything is up front, to the point and out in the open, which makes the first date easier because you don’t have to spend the time getting to know the other person.” Audrey went on several first dates and invested more than fifty dollars before meeting Miles, but the money doesn’t matter to her when looking at the bigger picture. “For only fifty dollars I found the person I want to 18|My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.
be with the rest of my life,” says Audrey. “In the long run it was a great thing.” Audrey was the first and only girl Miles has pursued online. They will be celebrating their one-year anniversary March 1. Even though they live more than forty-five minutes away from each other, they still make their long distance relationship work. They have since been featured on Match.com as a successful “couple of the week.” The idea of a computer automatically matching me with someone had never before crossed my mind. The more I thought about it, though, the more convenient online dating started to sound. Why not have computers do the work for me, for free? It would certainly save a lot of time and money in the long run, if proven successful. Now, I’m not actively seeking an intimate or romantic relationship. However, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I dove into the realm of Internet dating. But before jumping into the dating pool, a single must ask themselves a series of questions:
Am I hard to please? Do I have a lengthy list of dating “deal breakers”? Can I afford to regularly buy drinks for other people at a bar? Do I have trouble making up my mind?
If you can answer yes to any of those questions, consider giving it a try — a serious try. Hang up your beer goggles and save a few dollars at the bar trying to get with someone you won’t remember tomorrow. You might find yourself with a more permanent relationship status.
eHarmony I first sought out eHarmony because it’s the most advertised and popular online dating service. Launched in 2000, eHarmony considers itself the “#1 Trusted Relationship Services Provider in the USA.” A 2009 survey conducted by Harris Interactive found that an average of 542 eHarmony members marry every day in the United States as a result of being matched on the site. With a statement such as that, I couldn’t resist signing up. What I didn’t realize was that I would spend the entire afternoon
and following morning completing the lengthy profile (eHarmony will not let anyone actively use its site until every question, text box and information insert about themselves is completed). There are twenty-nine dimensions of compatibility to complete. After several hours of filling out only the required questions, I had completed a mere 89 percent. But alas, I abruptly hit a dead end. eHarmony fails to mention that full access to its services is not available until users subscribe to a membership ranging between $25 and $50 a month. Until that point of notification, users are only allowed to fill out their profile—that’s it. No commitment, no communication. Yes, periodically eHarmony offers a free week of e-mail exchanges with chosen matches, but photographs and full profiles of those matches are not provided. Subscribed member or not, users are never allowed to search for other members’ profiles. Members must wait for their matches to be assigned to them, which are distributed once a week. Three matches are additionally offered daily if members are not satisfied with their weekly matches. Users’ answers from eHarmony’s initial questionnaire are used in comparison to others’ answers to generate a percentage of compatibility. Thus, if users share a high compatibility, a recommended match will result. eHarmony can only recommend matches; it is up to the user to decide to independently continue the relationship through a series of online communication. For someone who is not interested in what is recommended, the end result is a lot of frustrated waiting. Patience may be the key, but in the end, eHarmony’s proven successful matches show that good things come to those who wait.
Plenty of Fish Plentyoffish.com had the quickest application process. New members are required to provide a photo and answer questions about whether or not they own a car and their annual income. This is to match you with someone compatible with your income and model of vehicle of course, before officially allowing you to join the community. The service offers more options when choosing what type of relationship you’re looking for such as talk/e-mail, hang, long term, dating,
friends, intimate encounter and activity partner. Members are able to save users’ profiles as “favorites” to periodically check up on—in other words, stalk—at later dates. There are several additional features to this online dating service, which gives it a unique and more lifelike college setting. Besides being able to see who viewed your profile, members can select the “Date Night” tab to put your name on a wait list, with age and geographic location preferences, for other members to rate you and decide if you’re worth requesting a date for Friday night. You can also filter through a collection of enlarged profile photos under the “Meet Me” tab deciding, based upon looks only, whether you want to meet them in person or not. If you select option “yes,” your name is put on another list, accessible only to that specific user, for them to choose if they want to accept your request to meet. These options make finding a lastminute date and hook up quicker and simpler in a less personal way. It only took me a mere five to ten minutes to sign up and complete my profile and compatibility test: the “Relationship Chemistry Predictor.” The predictor is only forty-eight questions long, which is significantly less compared to eHarmony’s twenty-four page relationship questionnaire. Once filling out the predictor, the “Chemistry” tab at the top of the page shows what users share the highest percentages of fondness. Forty-eight multiple-choice answers later, it was not minutes before I received my first e-mail from a male user in the Ames community. The subject in the e-mail was titled, “lookin’ good.” If that wasn’t a sign in and of itself, the body of the first e-mail read, “so what are you lookin’ for?” In my description, relationship status and profile I unmistakably spelled out I was not interested in a relationship, let alone anything casual. The message was ignored, and I continued scanning profiles for current ISU students to read their reasoning for creating an account. More often than not, “activity partner” and “intimate encounter” were listed far more than the “long term” and “dating” categories. During this scanning process, four or five notifications popped up on my computer screen inviting me to engage in instant message conversations with
ONLINE DATING BY THE NUMBERS
542
eHarmony members marry per day
37 million registered eHarmony members
30% Americans who have used online dating
4
billion
worth of online dating, worldwide
online users. I accepted one only to be bombarded with extremely blunt and personal questions as to why I was online and what my sexual orientation and boundaries were. I signed off, not sure I had found more than a handful of bottom feeders. Maybe if I were more into meeting random guys looking for a good time or local girls interested in secret experimentation, I would have been satisfied with the service; however, in the end, I had to remember that this site is free, and I got what I paid for. Henry David Thoreau said it best, “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” Maybe it was not online dating that was causing me to reel in my pole empty handed. Through hours of Q and A, harassment from people I had never met and frustrated roadblocks, I found myself mustering up enough energy to give it one more shot.
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Quick Facts
WHAT THEY WANT TURN ONS
Top 3 “Must-Haves”* 1. Sense of Humor 2. Chemistry 3. Affectionate
TURN OFFS
Top 3 “Can’t-Stands”* 1. Lying 2. Cheating 3. Rude
*both men and women Source: eHarmony
20|Digital digital getdown, just you and me.
OKCupid OKCupid.com is another free online dating service. The layout was aesthetically pleasing to the eye and organized in a way that allowed users to select one-touch options rather than sorting through complicated drop menus. The text boxes had extended character limits and specific match questions to send to users prior to initiating personalized e-mailing to narrow potential candidates more quickly. A $9.95 per month upgrade is available which removes ads, adds extra search filters, allows users to write reviews on other members’ profiles, add photos to private messages and increases inbox storage. OKCupid does send out suggested matches, but it does not limit members to specific profiles. There is a search option that allows users to browse profiles based on specific limitations such as age, distance, gender and romantic preference. From there, OKCupid provides the users’ age, sex and location, along with their percentage of compatibility, when they were last online, their self-summary and an option to view their full profiles. Users are able to send e-mails to
whomever they choose, for free, without a maximum limit of messages per day. As for ranges of profiles, OKCupid showed a substantial number of ISU profiles, both male and female, who were looking for a range of relationships. This is the best site for a college lifestyle. Whether you are enjoying the diversity of the stream or preying for a guppy or the big-kahuna, casting your pole out on this online dating service could have you out to sea on calmer waves. The long term relationship I am currently in was not electronically matched by a machine. I didn’t find him through a website, and I certainly did not send him any roses. I may be hooked on someone, but chances are most college students will find themselves using their tackle boxes for catch-and-releases when fishing for a robotic romance. Put it this way: if you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime. The same goes for relationships. If you use an online dating service to find a relationship, you will only be satisfied for a day, but if you learn how to date, you may be satisfied for a lifetime.
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By HANNAH GILMAN Design JULI E CRONI N Photos ANNI E MCGUI RE
As it so happens, none of you would be reading this story if it weren’t for sex. You know, your parents “did it,” and—long story short—a single sperm penetrated an egg and a baby was born. Now, we know how sex works. We know how relationships work (kind of), and many college students know what sexually transmitted infections are and where to get birth control, etc. But not everyone does.
22|Are you really that repulsed by lady parts? What do you think I have down there? A gnome?
Unfortunately, the United States doesn’t have a united stance on sex education, and what students learn from state to state varies based on laws that dictate what’s taught in classrooms. Iowa is one of the leading states in sex ed and enforces comprehensive sex ed programs. Some states allow parents to have their children opt out of these programs, while other states leave all decisions to the school districts. The good news is that sex ed has come a long way from where it once started. It used to be about chastity belts and the Comstock laws, which were enacted in 1873 and made it illegal to send any “naughty” materials such as contraceptive devices and information through the postal service. “The history of communication around sexuality has always been interesting because it’s been taboo to talk about sexuality in general,” says Amy Popillion, senior lecturer in human development and family studies. “Early on, a lot of the talk centered around ways to control desires to do things like masturbate.” When World War I rolled around in 1914, STIs, then still referred to as sexually transmitted diseases, became a topic of conversation. In 1918, Congress passed the Chamberlain-Kahn Act, which provided money to educate soldiers on the risks of STIs. At that time, people started to see sex ed as a public health issue. “It turned into a scare tactic type of thing,” says Popillion. “The schools started to integrate [sex ed] more, but it still focused on a lot of the scare tactics, you know, ‘don’t over-masturbate’ and all of those things.” “It wasn’t until [Alfred] Kinsey that we started to see sex ed appearing on college campuses,” Popillion adds. Kinsey was an American biologist who founded the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction in 1947 and produced the ever-popular “Kinsey
Reports,” which focused on human sexual behavior. Shortly after Kinsey made his mark in the sex ed world, Mary Calderone acted as president and co-founder of the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States, or SIECUS, and the medical director for Planned Parenthood. Her most notable contribution was standing firm on the idea that children should learn basic facts about sexuality at a young age and that birth control and medical information should be available to everyone. There are two major forms of sexual education taught in the United States today: comprehensive and abstinenceonly. Comprehensive sex ed covers everything from anatomy to contraceptives, reproduction, birth, STIs, sexual orientation, values, dating, communication, sexual pleasures, intimacy, expressions of sexuality and body image. Abstinence-only, however, simply tells students that they should wait until marriage to engage in sexual activity. A 2004 poll conducted by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government found: Sixty-nine percent of the general public said it was very important to have sex ed as part of the school curriculum, as opposed to seven percent who said it shouldn’t be taught at all. Forty-four percent of people said sex ed was somewhat effective in helping teens avoid getting HIV/AIDS and other STIs, forty-seven percent said it was somewhat effective in helping teens avoid pregnancy, thirty-five percent said it was somewhat effective in helping teens postpone having sexual intercourse and forty-four percent said it was somewhat effective in helping teens make responsible decisions about sex. Thirty percent said the government should only fund sex ed programs that promote abstinence-only, whereas sixty-seven percent
said the government should fund comprehensive sex ed programs. Sixty-six percent of people said sex ed should be required for students, and thirtytwo percent said it should be optional. When asked if giving teens information about contraceptives would encourage them to have sexual intercourse earlier, thirty-nine percent said yes while fifty-five percent said no.
Iowa is one of twenty-two states that mandates sex ed in the public school system. This doesn’t mean, however, that every student is being fed the same information. “The tricky part is what the law says versus what happens, and it goes back to who your teacher is,” Popillion says. “Different teachers are going to carry it out in their own individual ways. They might be required by law to teach comprehensive sex ed, but they, of course, can throw in their own biases.” On Iowa State’s campus, HD FS 276: Human Sexuality (one class that’s always, always full), offers comprehensive sex ed. “When people say sex ed, I think people’s minds go right away to the sex aspect, like ‘Oh no, we’re talking about contraception and abortion!’ and all of those things that are very sex-oriented, whereas when we say comprehensive, we mean relationships and intimacy and taking care of your body,” Popillion explains. “That’s what comprehensive truly means.” Popillion argues we should take a more normative approach, because sexuality is so much a part of who we are. “We have so many taboos and repressed things, and we’re so willing to provide education around other things, but it’s interesting to me that people don’t provide information about your whole entire life.” Popillion says. “It’s not just about sex, it’s about relationships and communication, and it impacts you in almost every single thing you do in some aspect throughout your day.”
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GRIND The alarm clock goes off. You’ve already hit snooze five times in the last forty minutes. It is a depressing 7:40 a.m. and way too early to think.
By SHANNA DE LFS Scurry to throw on some baggy sweats and a hoodie, dash out the front door and anxiously run through campus to make it to your class by eight o’clock on the dot. Does this routine sound familiar? If so, you are not alone. Many ISU students struggle to wake up early and rush to campus for their dreaded 8 a.m. class. Why do we even have to put ourselves through this? Why do some students end up with classes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. while others drag behind all day in an attempt to stay awake? Why do 8 a.m. classes even exist? While it may seem that attending classes would be more realistic for some if every day began at 11 a.m., educators at the university know differently. Barbara Mack, an associate professor within the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, has taught 8 a.m. classes at Iowa State for all of her twenty-four years at Iowa State. “The taxpayers don’t really understand why students don’t like 8 a.m. classes,” Mack says. “They expect that the university is going to teach Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. After all, we have to keep
Photos MAT T H EW SORE NSON
Design ALEXANDRIA M EYE R
the heat and air conditioning running. Students have been in their high school classes at 8 a.m., so why should college be different?” Facilities Planning and Management and the individual colleges decide which classes will be at 8 a.m. and which ones will be during “prime time.” FPM Program Coordinator Katie Baumgarn describes “prime time” classes as those held between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Classes are then put into an automated system, rearranging the classes based on a number of factors: times found effective in previous semesters, room availability and the number of students enrolled in the class. “Required courses are obviously used for 8 a.m. classes because we know students will have to sign up for them” explains Jane Peterson, professor within the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. Dr. Robert West, associate professor of psychology, researches cognitive processes and prospective memory and has also taught 8 a.m. classes throughout his career at Iowa State. West recognizes 8 a.m. classes are usually larger and require classrooms with more desks.
24| I throw my hands up in the air sometimes saying,“ay-oh, gotta let go.”
Those rooms are generally more available at 8 a.m. This makes perfect sense for faculty and administration within the university, but how effective is a system like this when it comes to students’ education? Staying up till 1 a.m. studying for exams, working on essays or even taking an extra work shift on a Tuesday night doesn’t make learning a monotonous biology or philosophy lesson at 8 a.m. any easier the next day. It’s no secret more sleep allows for better attentiveness the next morning, however, experiments conducted at Harvard Medical School and Trent University in Canada have developed another theory: sleeping after a lesson or class allows for more learning than just an exceptional night’s rest. According to Dr. Robert Stickgold of Harvard Medical School, “During REM, the brain re-enacts the lessons from the previous day and solidifies the newly-made connections through the memory banks.” The Conference Board is a business membership and research association that works with companies and provides them with information about improving
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their performance. According to The Conference Board’s study “Your Brain at Work,” individuals have different peak times throughout the day because of differences in circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are “24-hour-sleepwake cycles” that control a range of functions our bodies perform. Circadian rhythms tend to peak at different times of the day, and these peaks correlate with alertness and performance on different tasks. For people who are most chatty and perform best in the morning, these rhythms tend to peak in the early hours of the day. Night owls feel this peak after the sun goes down and accomplish more work and learn more effectively in the evening hours. Age is another factor to take into consideration: older adults tend to be morning people, whereas younger adults, including college kids, tend to be more active and alert at night. “Your Brain at Work” finds younger adults are more likely to become more coherent and remember more as the day goes on, while older adults show a decline in memory and motivation for activity and learning. This is due to a shift in circadian rhythms around the age of 50. In his research, West has found the correlation between time of day and learning can be a subjective measure. While some older adults are more attentive in the morning and younger adults in the evening, people from both groups have actually shown to be neutral, or unaffected by the time of day. “While all of this is good evidence,” West elaborates, “[circadian effects of cognition are] subjective to biological and psychological factors.” It would be ideal for students to be able to schedule their classes where their optimal performance and memory could be best utilized. Unfortunately, this isn’t always a luxury for every student, due to the availability of classrooms on campus and the number of enrolled students. “The important thing here is synchrony between your optimal time and when the most demands are placed on your mental capacity,” West says. Identifying your peak time of the day to absorb information and tailoring your schedule to your optimal performance is the best solution to surviving college classes and the 8 a.m. grind.
26| Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy.
P E R S O N A L S T R U G G L E S What if your best friend died? What if you suddenly couldn’t breathe? What would you do if you lost one of your legs? How would you handle going to a restaurant and not being able to order anything because your body couldn’t take it? For these four students, they deal with these obstacles every day, but their strength overcomes their struggles.
Photography ANNI E MCGUI RE & DAVI D DE RONG Design SET H LUNSFORD ethosmagazine.org
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TJ Good spent his freshmen year at Iowa State perfecting his signature. Today that signature adorns a plaque on a memorial patio Tyler Anderson and some of Good’s friends helped build.
28
Life After Death By TYLE R KI NGKADE
T
he office Tyler Anderson unlocks on the third floor of the Town Engineering Building barely has room for a couple of chairs. Bottles of soda are stacked around boxes; folders and props with two desks and a humming refrigerator are buried underneath the mess. Anderson, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, helps sell Papa John’s pizza and soda once a week to raise money for their group. “It’s a lot of work for not a lot of money,” the Indianola, Iowa, native admits. He’s also in a competition team called Steel Bridge — where they construct scale bridges that must be able to hold a certain load — and he teaches classes. Anderson is heavily involved in his engineering major, but not as busy as Travis “TJ” Good was before he died. Good was president of Steel Bridge for two years, during which he led them to become the first Iowa State University competition team to place first nationally. He was one of Anderson’s closest friends, and they both spent hundreds of hours in Town Engineering, dating back to their freshman year in 2006. They met that year through engineering activities and both lived in Legacy Tower sophomore year when they began hanging out more. “He never watched TV; he thought it was a waste of time,” Anderson says about his now-deceased friend. Good was always busy with something: He was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the College of Engineering, and once handmade a steel beer pong table using 3D software. The table was equipped with an automatic ball washer and ten LEDs that would light up around each cup placed on the Plexiglas top. “Everything he made, though, had a purpose of having friends using it,” Anderson explains. While Anderson, now a fifth-year senior, was admittedly timid in high school, Good’s social personality helped Anderson open up. “It wasn’t about drinking; it wasn’t about partying. It was just about people hanging out. He
had wine and cheese parties, [Good] would call and say, ‘Hey, I picked up a keg; come by whenever.’” The week Good got sick, engineering majors were hunkered down studying for an extensive eight-hour exam, which lay ahead on Saturday. Their futures were riding on it, but Good knew he was going to pass, so he still wanted to hang out. Good was in a billiard league that met Monday nights. He had a couple beers, but nothing that would have caused him to become ill. The following day he woke up shaking and vomiting. Good thought it was probably a fever or a bug, but his friends say he was never sick — never even a cold. Anderson drove him to the hospital Tuesday afternoon. “He didn’t even tell his parents because he thought it was just something minimal.” It turned out to be anything but minimal; Good had bacterial meningitis, a rare bacterial infection usually found in young adults, and by 8:30 p.m. his body was bruising. He died before the stroke of midnight. The next few days, Anderson dealt with not only his friend’s death, but also with his parents repeatedly calling to make sure Anderson himself was not getting sick. He was told a big indication of meningitis was a really bad headache. “Well I hadn’t slept in forty-eight hours, so obviously I have a headache,” Anderson laughs. “[It was] tough dealing with [the fact that] I’ll never see my best friend again and to also watch for my own health.” Anderson watched Good’s picture appear on the 5 p.m. news programs, although only for a few seconds, right after they spent several minutes on Jon Lacina—the student whose body was finally found after he went missing for three months. One of Anderson’s friends vented her frustration that Good’s death was overshadowed by Lacina’s story on the Iowa State Daily website. The Daily ended up printing it word-forword. Anderson disputed the notion he or any of his friends were bitter— they understood—he and his friends had been following that story just like everyone else in Ames. Good’s involvement made it hard for an entire department to pick up and move on. Veishea was only days after the incident, and it was difficult for his engineering friends to continue
studying for an important exam after losing a loved one. But Good was a senior, he was on track to graduate and many of his friends graduated. While Anderson misses seeing his buddy around campus, he confesses he was mentally prepared “in a way” to not see him. However, it’s still difficult, Anderson says. “Just realizing how many areas of my life he was involved in, it was everything. From calling him on a random night to see what he’s up to… I mean it was just everything.” In October another tragedy struck when sophomore Sam Kruger, an ASCE cabinet member who was friends with both Anderson and Good, died in an automobile accident driving from Northwest Iowa. “He was actually wearing one of these bracelets,” Anderson says, displaying a white silicone gel band on his wrist with Good’s name imprinted on it. “I hadn’t even began to get over Travis and that hit me.” Anderson had once before been forced to answer questions about a student’s death. During his freshman year at Iowa State, he made recruiting calls to seniors in high school. Although he knew nothing about the student who had stumbled into Lake LaVerne and drowned one night in 2007, it was all people wanted to know about. The year 2010 didn’t see a record number of student deaths, with the total near a dozen, and none of being malicious. “I’ve always been one who’s surprised there’s not more [student deaths] just with how careless college students are,” Anderson says. “I can count back once a week when I could’ve died.” Typically, the university does not allow memorials to be placed on campus, but Good’s well-known involvement helped his friends get permission to build a memorial patio outside Town Engineering Building. It’s placed next to the garage where Good spent hundreds of hours working on projects and was constructed using tig welding by people who Good taught to tig weld. Some of the sheet metal on the bottom of the table was donated and is in the form of teardrops. The plaque adorning the top of the table includes Travis’s signature, something he obsessively perfected during his freshman year of college. ethosmagazine.org
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Danielle De Bruin lost her leg when she was only 7-years-old in an accident with farm equipment. She wishes farm safety courses were taught at an earlier age.
One Fewer Than Two By LAURE L SCO T T
“I
was most concerned about saving the favorite boots I had on. It was weird. I was like, ‘I hope they can save my boots, these are my favorite purple ones.’ I didn’t realize that I would lose my leg, or that I wouldn’t get my boot back.” Danielle De Bruin, junior in agricultural business, was seven years old when she lost her right leg in a farming accident. “I slipped and fell ,and the next thing I knew I was caught. I spent the next eight weeks in the hospital,” Danielle recalls. “And thankfully, I’m here today.” It was four in the afternoon on October 11, 1997 when Danielle slipped, catching her leg in an auger (a machine that looks kind of like a tractor with an enormous drill bit attached) with her father just five feet away. “The tractor supplying power to the auger miraculously died otherwise I would have died,” Danielle says. Danielle started out in a wheelchair and soon moved on to crutches, which 30
she still uses today instead of a prosthetic leg. Sudden weather changes and stress trigger phantom limb pain in Danielle’s missing leg. Danielle explains, “There are times when I will be walking up stairs, and the phantom pain will make it feel like I’m walking up the stairs on two legs; it’s really weird to experience.” For Danielle, the hardest thing about recovering from the accident was relearning how to walk, how to carry things, go up and down stairs and open doors all at the same time. “[People] don’t realize I can do stuff for myself,” she says. “You know, it’s nice when people open the door for you, but you don’t have to run from twenty feet away to get the door. … If I need help, I’ll ask.” She does wish farm safety courses would be taught to children at a younger age. According to the National Safety Council, agriculture is the most hazardous industry in the nation, with most injuries afflicting those who are younger than fifteen, or older than sixty-five. Danielle did not attend a farm safety course until the age of ten, which she says is typical.
Life on one leg doesn’t have to be depressing, however. Devon O’Brien, Danielle’s friend, says Danielle jokes around about her leg. “We were all at a friend’s house and my feet were cold, so I offered to get socks for everyone, and I was saying, ‘OK, so we need three pairs of socks,’ when Danielle piped up and said ‘I only need one sock!’ It was so funny because I don’t even think about it—she’s just a normal girl.” And Danielle says she doesn’t miss much about her former life on two legs, but she does miss being able to roughhouse and go on runs with her siblings. Now that Danielle has only one foot, she donates the extra shoe she gets when she buys a new pair to the National Odd Shoe Exchange, a non-profit organization that is a source of footwear for those requiring only a single shoe, or shoes of differing sizes. “I often wonder about what my life would’ve been like, but then it is just one of those what-if questions, so I just ignore it,” Danielle says. “It’s all good. Over time you’re just like ‘whatever.’”
T
he hands squeeze Katie Delzell’s rib cage as hard as they can until she can’t breathe anymore. The attacks usually only occur at night -- it’s like they know when she’s lying down. The hands wrap around her for twenty minutes to an hour on average -- only five minutes if she’s lucky. She hasn’t experienced any for months now, but she’s finally getting used to her condition. Delzell, 19, has Devil’s Grip, a chronic condition she was diagnosed with in the late winter of her junior year of high school. It was the beginning of track season, and Delzell had pains in her chest. Fluid was building up in the lining of her heart and doctors found ulcers in her esophagus. She was fine for a few months. The symptoms went away until she started running again at the start of track season, and that’s when the hands started to squeeze. For the average person, the muscles lining the lungs are supposed to expand and contract, but Delzell’s don’t
A Grip On Life By JOHN LONSDALE
expand the way they are supposed to. “It literally feels like you’re being squeezed,” Delzell explains. “It feels like someone’s standing right in front of me and squeezing my rib cage as hard as they can.” The attacks generally come in cycles. She might have one or two attacks a day when her condition flares up. At one point, her episodes lasted for three weeks and another lasted for about three months. The attacks hadn’t bothered Delzell until this last summer. “It was uncommon ‘cause I was standing,” she says. “They usually happen at night … not when I’m asleep, but they are triggered when I’m lying down. The longest one was an hour and a half. It’s not overly pleasant. My heart beats too fast.” An average person’s heart beats 100 times per minute while going up a flight of stairs, but Delzell’s doubles-–a primary reason she doesn’t play sports anymore. “[But] it’s something I’m just used to now.” Delzell not only struggles with Devil’s Grip; she also has a second heart condition diagnosed in May that is known as -- get ready for it -supraventricular tachycardia. Delzell’s
doctors are unsure if the two are linked; however, her Devil’s Grip tends to flare up more often when her other heart condition gets worse. There is one medicine Delzell has on hand in preparation for an unexpected attack. It is supposed to slow her heart rate down, but Delzell says it hardly works. “Some people hear my story and are a little freaked out,” Delzell says. “Two heart conditions by the age of 17… [it] sounds cliché, but I don’t feel my problems are as major as other people I know.” Heart problems are prevalent in Delzell’s family; her grandmother is one of six that have all died of heart failure, her uncle had a heart attack at 34 and her cousin suffered complications from a hole in her heart. “It’s different now because most people whom I’m close to know [about it]. It’s a condition you can’t see. A lot of people don’t think it’s real. You don’t always know what’s going on, but just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. It has definitely caused me to toughen up a lot. I used to be a cry-baby, but I’m certainly not anymore.”
Devil’s Grip, sometimes known as Bornholm disease, is a chronic disease Katie Delzell deals with. It feels like her muscles are squeezing on her ribcage. But Dezell also has a heart condition, which is prevalent in her family. ethosmagazine.org
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Elise Grantham is not only a vegan, but has a gluten intolerance as well. Checking labels and researching how a restaurant cooks their food is a normal part of Grantham’s daily routine. 32
Limited Dinner Menu
I
By KAITLI N MCKI NNEY
t seems common among students to complain about the lack of appetizing food Iowa State has to offer. We whine about the bland food at dining centers, and we are reluctant in spending more than a few dollars on a good meal when we dine out. For Elise Grantham, sometimes making the selection isn’t so easy. The same old-same old just won’t do. In February 2010, Elise made a trip to her doctor to check out her thyroid problems related to an autoimmune disease, when the body attacks its own cells. In order to get a better understanding of why Elise was having issues with her thyroid, her doctor decided an allergy test would help. The result of the test concluded her allergies consisted of such foods as eggs, bananas, oranges and cheese. In addition to these foods, the doctors found one more allergy that would result in the biggest endeavor in Elise’s diet. “My doctor tested all possible food groups for allergies, and gluten turned up to be one of them,” she explains. Since that doctor’s visit, Elise has been adapting to gluten intolerance. “The most common symptoms of gluten intolerance without celiac disease are mainly limited to the gastrointestinal tract and include abdominal pains, cramps, diarrhea, and loss of appetite,” says Laura Kimm, a West Ames HyVee dietitian. “Celiac disease is a more serious form of gluten intolerance and is a genetic, inheritable autoimmune disease that interferes with the digestion of important vitamins and minerals,” she says. Because the issue lies in the small intestine, vital nutrients will not be taken in by the body and can result in serious problems. “People who have this condition have an inability to absorb the nutrients from food so malnutrition can develop,” she explains. Even though Elise and others with the disorder cannot actually feel what is not being absorbed into the small intestine, she could feel her stomach reacting. For those who are unaware they are gluten intolerant, every meal can be a nightmare. Abdominal pains, cramping and an uneasy stomach follow what seems like every meal
or snack. Uncomfortable trips to the bathroom become frequent, and nothing can soothe your stomach. It can be terribly uncomfortable. For Elise, her stomach pains became unbearable. “It [gets] to the point where I do not want to go anywhere. I just want to stay in bed,” she says. Oftentimes, these symptoms are what initially drive people to see their doctor. However, gluten intolerance can have more serious or even permanent distress if a strict, gluten-free diet is ignored. If Elise continued to include gluten in her diet, she could become infertile or acquire a vitamin deficiency leading to insufficient nourishment in her nervous system. Individuals who experience vitamin and nourishment deficiency often run into problems like malnutrition, as Kimm explained, and they can even develop autism. Kristi Patel, assistant director for retail locations on campus, explains campus cafés and restaurants do not cater to gluten intolerant individuals. “We don’t have a specific menu for individuals with gluten-free needs. There are certainly products in our facilities that are gluten free, but we don’t have very many items that would normally contain gluten that are formulated to be gluten free,” she says. Because Iowa State does not offer specific gluten-free menus, a simple stop at the Hub for lunch between classes probably isn’t the best idea for people like Elise. People with gluten intolerance find that structuring an appropriate meal can be a struggle, and for students on campus, finding a dining center or café that caters to their allergy can be frustrating. While Iowa State does not offer specific gluten-free menus at cafes and restaurants like the Memorial Union Food Court, C-Stores or Clyde’s, there is relief. “[Iowa State] houses a dietitian to take care of our residential students’ dietary needs,” says Jill MagnusonArroyo, associate director for residential dining. “She meets one-on-one with the students and reviews menu choices and menu alterations, so students end up with food that tastes good.” However, Elise differs from most gluten intolerant individuals in that she also lives a vegan lifestyle, meaning she doesn’t consume or use animal products. She has been eating a vegetarian diet since she was four. Now, at age 20, Elise
has been on a vegan diet for almost a year. Living a vegan lifestyle may appear to only make her food choices more difficult, but Elise finds it helpful. “I’m already used to having to be aware and look at ingredients. [You are] just conscious on what [is in food].” Looking at ingredients has become second nature to Elise. It is fortunate for ISU students that the university provides options and resources, but what about off-campus? Out of the many restaurants located in Ames, Elise finds her favorite gluten-free dishes at The Spice, a Thai restaurant located on Main Street. After numerous requests that meals be prepared glutenfree, Tanita Eamkajornsiri, manager of The Spice, decided a gluten-free menu should be offered. “We’re always trying very hard to accommodate our existing customers with their requests,” Eamkajornsiri explains. “We want to make it easy for our customers to enjoy their food at The Spice while [satisfying] their needs in terms of their allergies.” Fortunately for Elise, on the scale of intolerance, she is low to moderate. She is not to the point that her foods need to be cooked in separate pans. But Elise still finds it upsetting to avoid the foods she once enjoyed. “I love bread and beer,” she laughs, “so that’s sad.” Elise can still dine out with her friends, but it’s usually a different routine. “I tend to not go out to eat, [but] when friends want to, I’ll eat ahead of time and get soup or something at the restaurant.” Gluten intolerance is genetic. “My mom has it [too],” Elise discloses. “When I got tested, so did she.” When Elise heads home for a break from Ames, she finds it easier to find food around the house, dealing with both vegan and gluten-free diet limitations. She chose to be a vegan is for ethical reasons, not diet and health reasons. “I think being vegan is a lot easier than having a gluten intolerance,” she explains. Fortunately, Elise does have options with her gluten intolerance, and as a vegan, there’s a wide variety of animalfree dishes to choose from. But even with this silver lining, it is still tiresome for Elise to have to limit her food choices. “As Americans, we congregate and socialize over food, so it has been a struggle to have to worry about my food restriction when I just want to hang out with my friends,” she says.
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The Government of Which Student Body? By TAYSHA MURTAUGH
Photography LAUREL SCOTT
Design MAGGIE THILGES
Every year, the Government of the Student Body receives funding from you to allocate to student organizations. Last year, GSB cut thousands from student organizations. Some groups feel they are at a disadvantage when asking for funding. Is it personal, or is it just politics?
34| Ignoring all prior advice and forewarning, and we might be full of ourselves all of a sudden, aren’t we?
The International Student Council left the Government of the Student Body allocation meeting feeling defeated last spring. After a lot of complicated discussion, GSB had cut the club’s funding from $9,180.80 to $5,652.04 for the following year. “I felt sad, disappointed,” recalls Wiwi Tjandra, treasurer of the International Student Council. “[Our club] serves basically all international students and almost all our events are free, not only for international students but all students.” International Student Council had requested an increase in funding last year to go toward food and entertainment for the annual International Food Fair. Some of their requests included a new sound system and hiring a capoeira, or group of dancers, to perform. “We were trying to bring them to campus so we can show our international dance as entertainment for everyone,” Tjandra explains. Despite attending allocation meetings in both the
groups. During the hearings, each group, including International Student Council, proposed its budget and discussed its goals as an organization. Then, based on GSB’s budget, the committee allocated money to each group. Where does this money come from? You. The students at Iowa State. In case you haven’t been paying attention to your U-Bill, there are a number of mandatory fees added to your tuition each year, including an “activity, services, building and recreation fee.” This fee covers services like CyRide, provides student admission rates to concerts and games and — last but not least — funds GSB. GSB currently gets $33.75 per student, per semester, totaling about $1.8 million which, according to the GSB website, is to be spent “enhancing students’ experiences at ISU and specifically in student organizations.” So if this money is meant to fund student organizations, why did so many budgets get cut this year?
“Last year we had to cut $300,000, so it’s harder and we had to cut deeper, and people don’t like that, but we can’t spend money we don’t have.” spring and fall to discuss their funding request, International Student Council’s budget was still cut. “If the budget is not approved, you can’t really do a bigger event and you are limited,” Tjandra says. The International Student Council wasn’t the only club hit hard by last year’s allocations. GSB cut about $300,000 from student organizations last year during regular allocations. “Sometimes we’ll have years where we only have to cut out $100,000,” says GSB Finance Director, Anthony Maly. “Last year we had to cut $300,000, so it’s harder and we had to cut deeper, and people don’t like that, but we can’t spend money we don’t have.” Every spring, GSB’s finance committee meets with organizations requesting funding for fifteen to twenty minutes each. These are called “regular allocation meetings.” Last year, the committee spent about forty hours total discussing funding with about 140 different
A lot of it has to do with the increase in the student body, Maly says. More students means more clubs which means a need for more money -- money that GSB didn’t account for when it projected the student fees for the 2010-2011 school year. Because the student fee of $33.75 stayed constant from last year to this year, GSB’s budget remained constant and was unprepared to deal with the increase of funding requests. Maly says there are only about thirty groups who consistently ask for funding every year, and this year there were 140. So why didn’t GSB see this coming and increase the student fees? “GSB is a student organization, but people still have to get elected,” says Jacob Wilson, former GSB senator. “We don’t really think about the politics of it, but … if a group of students runs and says ‘we’re going to increase your student fees,’ that’s all students will hear. They won’t
listen to how much it is. They won’t know where that money is going to go.” Instead, the senators played it safe and cut funding from student organizations. “Because we had to make $300,000 in cuts last year,” Maly says, “we had to supplement that with one-time funding that we had leftover, so we won’t have that funding in the future.” In other words, student fees will increase next year in order to cover a loss of back-up funds this year. But GSB is only proposing to raise student fees from $33.75 to $35.
Who gets cut?
Some cuts were across-the-board, or applied to all clubs, such as setting a maximum number of Iowa State Daily advertisements GSB buys for each club. Other cuts, however, were decided on a case-by-case basis. The Finance Committee has a list of priorities and criteria that groups have to meet in order to be eligible for funding. This list, which can be found on the GSB website, says organizations are required to provide justification for every line in their budget during their budget meeting. The committee also wants to see groups’ overall plans for events, activities and operations for the fiscal year and full documentation of any income and the number of members in the organization, among many other things. The final decision is made based on the Finance Committee’s discussions with the group during and after the hearings. Most senators have their own criteria of judgment. Wilson says he looked for a number of factors while he was a senator allocating money (Ahem: if you feel like your club got screwed over, now’s the time to listen up): 1) Did you ask for funding or lobby for more money? “Sometimes groups will become disorganized and forget to ask for funding,” Maly says. “Either groups are just not wanting money or they’re not wanting to put in the time to ask for more money.” 2) How many students is this club going to benefit? “For every person, you get up to a certain amount of funding,” Wilson says. ethosmagazine.org
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3) Did you actively try to fundraise? Wilson said GSB expects clubs to bring in some kind of money through fundraising or fees, and this effort shows ownership and commitment to the organization. 4) Partnerships: Can you work with other groups to make a particular event better? 5) Is this a one-time expenditure or a capital expenditure? For any expense, GSB senators like to see that you’ve shopped around for the best price. Many groups ask GSB to fund onetime expenditures, like conferences and events. Capital expenditures are usually for equipment that will last for at least three years, and those kinds of expenses are preferred by GSB senators. That way, Wilson says students can be sure they’re getting the full value of their dollar. “If we spent all this [money] in one year,” Wilson says, “how would that benefit Iowa State the next five years? You might have some really kick-ass events for one semester, but after that it’s gone.” 6) Will the money improve the overall campus climate for a variety of students, and in particular, minorities? “I think we have a lot to learn from our vastly multicultural campus,” Wilson says. Does all of GSB think in these terms, though? Wilson says when he was a senator, he took time to visit with different groups requesting funding. “I think where GSB is really lacking is having a diverse presence within the senate,” Wilson says. For instance, many senators were confused last year when an international student organization requested money to purchase a lion’s head costume for a cultural celebration. “Some of them even said during a meeting, ‘Why would you buy a lion’s head?’ The thing is, very few of the senators are international,” Wilson says. “Most of them are white, Christian males. They’re not always the best representation of the campus as a whole. If the student organization is trying to purchase something and no one is really sure of what it is, they have the extra job of educating the senate, and that’s a lot to ask of a student
organization, frankly.” Tjandro said the language barrier and meeting procedure is confusing for the international students like him to follow, and that puts them at a disadvantage. “It’s too complicated,” Tjandro says, “and it’s different from the way our International Student Council meeting goes. The whole process — they didn’t really describe for us when we were supposed to talk, and I wasn’t sure how it was going to be.” Wilson says although it’s true, in theory, that everyone has an equal opportunity to run for a student government position, the reality is that GSB hasn’t done a very good job of promoting senate elections. “I would like to know how many times senators have gone to the LGBTA Alliance meetings?” Wilson asks. “How many times have they gone to a Multicultural Council meeting? How many times have they gone to an Atheist and Agnostic meeting? These are three examples of student groups that are generally marginalized on campus. How many times has GSB reached out to them? When I was a senator, that’s what I did. Honestly, that’s one of the reasons I felt bad leaving, because I don’t know how many other people are going to continue that.” Wilson resigned from GSB after a year and a half of service in order to focus more on his studies and application to grad schools. He ran for vice president last year under Chandra Peterson but lost to Nate Dobbels and Luke Roling. Now an outside spectator, Wilson notes that GSB is doing an overall good job, but they’re lacking in campus communication and representation. Anna Howie, president and former treasurer of the LGBTA Alliance, agrees that GSB isn’t representative of the university. “I feel that they kind of lack a general sense of diversity from something as small as a general interest to something like sexual orientation. I feel that not every organization is completely represented in the senate. There could be someone who lobbies for the similar interests of the organization, but if they’re not a member of the
36| When people run in circles it’s a very, very mad world.
G$B Facts and Figures By EMILY BLOOMQUIST
$33.75 $62.60
Amount of student fee the GSB receives Amount of student fee that CyRide recieves
$24,000
GSB discretionary fund available for unexpected and unplanned club events
$250,000
‘Capitol Projects’ account left over from unused club funds
President
Recieve scholarship as‘salaries’
Vice President Financial Director
1/2
GSB has to pay half of the copyright fees for elevator music
HINT
When less groups petition for funds more money goes to groups that do
Funds Allocation Atheist / Agnostic Society ISU Hip Hop Dance Club $219.00 - 35 members (DubH) $4,765.00 - 478 members Cuffs Club $843.06 - 25 members
KURE 88.5 Station $9,556.00 - 60 members Hope 4 Africa $245.00 - 50 members
Mock Trial Club $2367.22 - 18 members Juggling and Unicycle Club $380.76 - 9 members
Majors of the Major Players President, Luke Roling Chemical Engineer/Mathematics Vice President, Nate Dobbels Agriculture Education Finance Director, Anthony Maly Political Science Chief of Staff, Jordan Lass History Speaker of the Senate, Halley Stille French/History Chief Justice, Andrea Mallarino Political Science
14 current GSB senators won their place with 6 or less votes
29.78% of the senators on GSB each received support from .021% OR LESS of the student population.
organization, it gets kind of hard to represent them.” Last year, the LGBTA Alliance’s funding was cut. Although the organization eventually found alternative funding through group fees and LGBT Student Services, GSB’s lack of representation caused issues while discussing their funding. During a meeting, GSB’s Finance Committee wanted to deny the alliance a portion of its requested funding because the organization refused to provide an email list of its members. Since the number of active members directly affects the funding the group receives, the Finance Committee wanted to see a list. Of course, the alliance explained, not every member of the club is openly gay or wants to be identified as part of the alliance. “The alliance only had about forty people signed up on the mailing list,” Wilson says. “A lot of people go to the meetings, but they don’t necessarily feel comfortable being part of the list, for a multitude of reasons.” Wilson says he looked deeper at the issue and determined that the attendance at the alliance’s meetings nearly doubled the number of names on the mailing list. Because of his support, the senate increased LGBTA’s budget. “If these groups of students don’t even know GSB is there to support them -- if GSB doesn’t make a conscious effort to reach out to them, they’re not going to feel like they have any part in GSB, let alone have a desire to be involved in the group,” Wilson says. And being uninvolved in GSB
can mean exclusion from important campus decisions about your money.
The Varsity Theatre Debacle Remember that $300,000 that was cut from student groups this year? The same amount of money and more—$346,000, to be exact —is tucked away in a separate bank account for the purpose of renovating the Varsity Theatre. The project, called “Cyclone Cinema,” began last year to provide lowcost movies to ISU students. The project’s funding comes from money left over from student groups last year, and like the theatre, this money is currently in a stalemate. The theatre project stopped after more than $4,000 had already been spent on architectural rendering and building maintenance. In April, the city of Ames and Iowa State University teamed up on a project to revitalize Campustown. Kansas City property development group, LANE4, was selected to oversee the project. LANE4’s proposals would essentially wipe out many of the bars and eateries students frequent each weekend. Among LANE4’s ideas for Campustown were restaurants, a hotel, small shops and—you guessed it—a movie theatre. “You don’t want to put two theatres right next to each other,” Maly says. “That really doesn’t logistically make any sense. We’re waiting for [LANE4] to come back with their plan … before we move
forward with our plan. Obviously we don’t want to move forward too hastily.” GSB’s theatre plan started long before LANE4’s plans, however. The student government even had a lease fully negotiated with the family that owns the theatre. It was supposed to be up and running by the fall 2010 semester, but according to Maly, they were unable to move forward with the plan due to the LANE4 discussion. “Students voted and overwhelmingly supported this,” Wilson says. “They want this, and they want it to be a student-run theatre. They don’t want this to be a privately-owned theatre that’s going to jack up the prices any time they want.” Although GSB’s initial surveys showed that students were in favor of “Cyclone Cinema,” a later survey by then-GSB President Jon Turk, found that students absolutely rejected it. Turk said the first survey was greatly flawed and left out details of the cost of the theatre and how few times it would actually be showing movies. With all this money now frozen in an account, though, students just want to know what’s going on; Wilson says they deserve communication from GSB. He suggests the GSB student leaders stand up to the university administrators, not budge on issues and keep the student body informed about what’s going on. “GSB came out strong and talking about this and got people excited,” Wilson remarks, “and now students hear this and think, ‘Oh why should we trust you, if you can’t really even do anything?’ I think it’s really harmful to the image of GSB.” While $346,000 remains on reserve in an account for a cinema that may or may not happen, clubs like International Student Council have to limit their events and get by on a tight budget. “The number of international students is increasing every year, but our budgets are cut … so we can’t improve an event,” Tjandra points out. “If we had a bigger budget, we could have a bigger event for the students.” Additional reporting from Emily Bloomquist
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I knew about Dub H before coming to Iowa State, but I never expected it to be as much fun as it was! — Kristen Wiedenski
38| You can do it, put your back into it.
STEP BY P E T S Photography: L AU R E L S C O T T Story: CLARISSA STOLL Design: PAT RICK CROWLEY
With the club approaching its ten year anniversary, it’s no wonder the ISU Hip Hop Dance Club has grown into one of the largest student organizations on campus. Don’t recognize the name? It might be because the common name used by active and inactive members is Dub H. Whether you think the club is popular or not, Dub H is the only club able to say they have at least one member representing each college within Iowa State. Carin Skowronsky, founder of the club, created the term Dub H from the double H’s in “hip hop.” During its first semester in the fall of 2001, Dub H was able to recruit a mere thirty members. Nine years later, senior Haley Wakefield, current president of the club, now has to use two sets of technology systems just to keep track of this semester’s record high of more than 500 members. This rapid expansion made it possible to afford a venue upgrade. “We have been able to move from having our show in the Forker Building on campus to a much more high-tech show in the auditorium of Ames High School,” Wakefield says. “We have been able to implement more extravagant themes and a more entertaining show for our audience.” Wakefield is focused on giving her members a multifaceted and diverse outlet outside of class. The majority of members in the club are ISU students. However, faculty and community members make up a small percentage of participants. Dub H even has high school students from surrounding areas who join searching for a place of escape through hip hop. Dub H has always stressed the importance of flexibility and accessibility. Volunteer choreographers oversee members in anywhere from seventeen to twenty dances that are showcased in the final performance. Members are allowed to be in one to four dances with each dance around four minutes in length. The club prides itself in accepting every skill level of dance. No audition is required, only a desire to dance. “Many of our members never had the opportunity to do this kind of dancing in their hometowns while they were younger,” Wakefield says. Dub H works to strengthen members’ physical, spiritual and emotional well-being. Networking, socializing, dance education and physical exercise are also common reasons why students choose Dub H over other club. Besides working to put on its final performance, Dub H is involved with raising money for the Boys and Girls Club of Story County. Throughout the semester they will perform traveling showcase programs and other fundraising activities for charity. Students don’t have to pay the semester dues to dance with Dub H; there are several free workshops offered at the beginning of each semester that allow students to loosen up and feel the beat out for themselves.
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40| When I see your face, there’s not a thing I would change.
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DubH has allowed me to use my prior dance experience and expand it and grow in so many new ways. — Erin Good
42| Don’t be fancy, just get dance-y. Why so serious?
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How to avoid being a
Stupid Tourist By: KE LLY MAN TICK Design: AMBE R OPPE LT Mouths agape and hands clutching digital cameras set on rapid fire, tourists attract certain unflattering dogmas, most of which are responsible for the big red target on their backs that can be seen by all of the eye-rolling locals. The disdain and danger for doe-eyed tourists or newcomers only increases with the size of the city. When moving to New York City, Los Angeles, or Chicago, blending in can be particularly tricky, but with these tips from true locals, you can sit back and laugh at the woman who gasps at the price of the $7.00 hot dog.
Chicago
New York City
L.A.
“Avoid Michigan Avenue!” Jason Markely exclaims. Markely, who has resided in the Windy City for eight years, reveals that Michigan Avenue’s reputation as a tourist trap is known across Chicago. Along with being particularly pricey, this area contains locals who treat tourists like the village idiot. However, if you can’t live without a trip to the Gap, Markely recommends name-dropping a favorite bar in your neighborhood or another slice of information that would identify you as a Chicagoan.
“Before moving to New York City, exercise!” laughs Claudia Vela, who has been a resident of New York City for over four years. Living in the Financial District a block from Ground Zero, Vela explains that residents of NYC must walk everywhere, even to partake in public transportation. The walking conditions can include humidity, wind, rain, snow, human traffic, and taxis will not always be readily available to relieve your weary feet. Allowing for these weather conditions is vital, especially on your way to work where arriving late and sweaty is typically frowned up on.
“Don’t be surprised by the amount of roaches you will find in any place you live in at first. It’s not dirty, it’s just reality,” Tami Lane reveals of the dazzling Los Angeles scene. Lane, who moved to L.A. two weeks after college graduation in 1996, has stayed in various areas of L.A. While she admits that living in Hollywood is an exhilarating experience, areas just outside of L.A., such as Los Feliz, Culver City, and around local universities, offer much more affordable housing.
From an experience in which a clueless woman tapped Markley on the shoulder for directions to Al Capone’s home in the middle of a house-less, bustling part of the city, Markley offers a two part piece of advise. “Yes, Chicago had a mafia—still does—but that does not mean Al Capone drips off every corner of the city.” In other words, don’t assume that you will be seeing Al Capone’s haircutter in the middle of Chicago and don’t try to find a local who will point you along your way. Markley continues on, emphasizing,“Never touch a stranger in the city if you don’t want to get punched, spit on or screamed at.” “Get to know the grid,” Markley counsels, referring to the numerical system of Chicago’s street layout. Beginning with zero north/south and east/west at State and Madison, every 800 block from this central location marks one mile. The numbers work north and south or east and west. Markley further explains,“If I live at 1600 North State Street, I know that I’m exactly two miles from downtown [State and Madison].” Living at 425 W. Surf means you are a half mile west of State and Madison. Once you master the grid system, a quick glance at any address will tell you exactly where in the city you are at and, most importantly, how far you are from the excitement of downtown Chicago.
44| Welcome to New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
“Keep in mind that New York City is always going to be more expensive than you think. There are all types of hidden costs,” warns Vela. Vela recommends allowing room in your budget for these unpredictable expenditures and chatting with friends or family in the area who might be able to share some of their financial wisdom. “Are no secrets in NYC,” Vela admits cryptically. She reveals that everyone knows the best nightlife locations and restaurants. Even the real estate market is equally as scouted out. “If you are going to pay low rent,” Vela warns,“it is because there has to be something wrong with the apartment. What I mean is that in NYC, it is what it is.” Finally, one of the most important aspects of living in NYC is to stay focused, keeping your eyes locked on your goals and objectives. “NYC is like a big buffet,” Vela smiles,“you can eat and eat all types of food, and by the time you decide to eat your favorite food, you might be full.” However, beware of the extreme ambitiousness of New Yorkers. “In NYC, you have to be aggressive, even to buy shoes.”
“Don’t think that everybody living in L.A. has a chip on their shoulder,” Lane states. She affirms that most Los Angelans possess a courteous and affable air. “It’s usually assholes from Wisconsin that move to L.A. and think that being uppity is the way L.A. works. It’s not!” she adds, a sardonic bite in her voice. “The thing about L.A.,” Lane begins,“everybody has a different story; there is no formula for breaking in, and there is no star on a map that says ‘start here.’” Lane herself started off her career painting sets for the UCLA Opera. Now, with an Oscar for special effect makeup on her mantel and work on hundreds of blockbuster movies under her belt, Lane looks back and advises,“You just have to put your butt in your car—and you will need one because L.A. is too big and the public transportation is next to nothing—and get there. It’s not for the faint hearted.” As a parting word of counsel, Lane expresses that it is up to you to find the opportunity. So get those stars out your eyes and go all ready!
Headlines
You Won’t See After banning Salvia, K2 and Four Loko, the Iowa legislature moves to ban Jägerbombs Realizing a samesex couple getting married has no effect on their own lives, Republicans quit gay-bashing In an effort to save money, ISU Dining decides to play KURE in dining centers instead of satellite radio GSB admits buying the Varsity Theater is a waste of money; begins to share more money with student clubs
ISU officials declare the entire campus to be a free speech zone H&M and Urban Outfitters announce plans to open stores in Ames
Iowa State Myths ED K N U B E D By: NICOLE GUSTAFSON Design: KE LLY O’ HALLORAN
Everyone has heard of or participated in some of Iowa State’s many superstitions and traditions. But which are true and which are just stories to entertain new students? You might be surprised to hear the answers. ZODIAC The classic ISU superstition revolves around the zodiac on the floor of the front entrance to the Memorial Union. The legend goes that any student who walks over the zodiac will fail their next test. The curse can be reversed by throwing a coin into the Fountain of the Four Seasons. Ironically enough, the zodiac was actually made to be walked on. The symbols were raised higher than the rest of the floor so they would wear down as students stepped on them. Most students still insist on respecting the zodiac, though. No one wants to take a chance at failing a test. CYRIDE COLLISION Another serious superstition is that you’ll receive free tuition if you get hit by a CyRide bus. But before you go jumping in front of the nearest #23 route shuttle for a cardinal and gold paycheck; the city
of Ames operates CyRide—not Iowa State—so it is not responsible for your tuition. Needless to say, we at Ethos are not recommending you test this one out, unless you enjoy arguing with attorneys. CARVER HALL BRICKS Rumor has it each of the bricks in Carver Hall holds a peanut. That’s a lot of nuts! Unfortunately, any Cyclone Aide will tell you this rumor is just for entertainment. CAMPANILING This last tradition is brought up a lot around Homecoming week. It is said that someone is not a true ISU student until they kiss another person under the Campanile at midnight. The old tradition included leaving lemon drops at every door of their hall if they do not accomplish this by the time they are a graduating senior. ethosmagazine.org
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Who Does Travis Horn
Think He Is?
By ANDREW LOPEZ Photos DAVID DE RONG Design JOSH PETE RSON Travis, you’ve been choreographing for Dub H since 2006. What got you involved? I got involved in 2004. I heard about a hip-hop and dance club and wanted to do something I initially found fun. It snowballed into a rewarding and adventurous passion. It will change your life. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t exactly come off as a hip-hop, b-boy type. I get stereotyped for being the white kid with all these piercings on my face, but I can get down to all kinds of music, from 80’s hair metal to hip-hop. How does that personality reflect in the dances you choreograph for Dub H? I try to please the crowd and grab the crowd’s attention. I love gimmicks and props and keeping the audience intrigued and exhilarated. What’s more exhilarating, some scandalous booty poppin’ or powerful crotch grabbin’? Booty poppin’. You don’t see guys booty poppin’ very much. Throw it in a sexy dance and the crowd eats it up. You met your fiancée, Sarah Bender, through Dub H four years ago. Who’s the better booty popper? We both have ghetto butts, but Sarah can out-pop me any day. I give her a run for her money though. I’m looking for new ways to grab girls’ attentions when I go to the bars. Can you tell me how to crotch grab? Don’t hold back; make it a statement. Either make people offended with your grab or attract everyone in the room. No half-ass crotch grabs. Let them know they’ll have something to grab down there later. Sounds like I’d learn a thing or two from Dub H. It will consume you. I found my best friends, the love of my life, excitement, and self-fulfillment with Dub H. Try it out, and I promise it will change your life and who you are. OK, this has been bugging me for a while. Is the past tense of break dance “broke dance” or “break danced?” Break danced, unless you’re dancing for hobos.
46| You think I’m pretty without any makeup on.
YOU DID IT! You just read this issue of Ethos cover to cover. Still looking to procrastinate? Take a trip down memory lane and do this word find, with a list of words from this issue.
FOREIGN SLANG
By ALLISON BUT LE R & CHE LSEA EVE RS
Fit in with your foreign friends and learn some slang from overseas
BRITISH Fanny: vagina
“You didn’t get that inside my fanny did you? It’s okay, I have Plan B in the drawer.”
Spend a penny: take a pee
“Excuse me a sec—I gotta spend a penny.”
Chunder: to throw up
“After my tenth keg stand, I chundered everywhere!”
Chav: trailer trash
“I don’t want to wear those shoes with those pants; I will look like a chav.”
Prang: freaking out about something
“I’m pranging out that my parents are going to see my credit card bill.”
ethos television poses dating gamer republicans presidents motion dining gsb asshole residence money bitch vote online party difficulties
campus drinking eharmony dubh driving plentyoffish hiphop madd okcupid dancing money headlines education jobs quickies sex translation alcohol
morning food relationships class cost government travis facebook overcome tourist lanefour culture digital laws university struggles laid campus
AUSTRAILIAN Brick shit house: strong, muscular man “Check out that meathead—he’s built like a brick shit house.”
Crack a fat: get an erection
“My English professor’s so hot, I crack a fat during every class!”
Root rat: somebody who is constantly looking for sex
“That chick is a total root rat—she’ll sleep with anything that moves.”
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