Ethos Magazine Fall 2014 by Ethos magazine

Know what to avoid on the way to class | Homeless in Iowa Porn better than HBO? | Up close and personal with an Iowa State Brony

CANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T MAKE THIS SH*T UP WHO SAID PRINT MEDIA IS DEAD?

FALL 2014

NOT albino

fall 2014 staff EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Traer Schon

SOCIAL MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Kelly Schiro

Kristen DeCosta

Mikayla Larsen

Charlie Spellman

Renae Meines

MANAGING EDITOR Elaine Godfrey

ARTICLES EDITOR Andreas Haﬀar

ONLINE EDITOR Kelsey Rindfleisch

Amber Klootwyk

Lyn Keren

Renae Meines

Sammie Pearsall

Hailey Padgett

PHOTOGRAPHERS Meredith Kestel McClane Gill

Nikayla Ratz

WRITERS Jasmine Schillinger

Charlie Coﬀey

Marco Nunez

Jessica Van Wyk

Kevin Burgoni

Varad Diwate

VISUALS DIRECTOR

Hunter Herold

William Dodds

CREATIVE DIRECTORS Emerald Klauer

Megan Sims Kyle Schlichtling Richard Martinez

Alixandria Collins

Julie Doyle

SOCIAL MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR

Isaac Biehl

Nick Frazier

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Kaitlin Little

ethosmagazine.org

Nailah Fitzgerald

COPY EDITOR

Tomhas Huhnke

Katie Thompson

DESIGNERS

Dale Johnson Korrie Bysted Lu Cai

Paige Roane Jaden Urbi Zachary Neuendorf Kiana Roppe

Letter from the Editors

THOUGHTS 4 Editor’s Letter

Don’t be afraid to take the leap

7 Don’t be the person who... (Quickies) Nuggets of information to keep your inner douche at bay

16 My Porn and Me

One writer’s take on the dark side of your browser history

ON CAMPUS 20 The Famous White Squirrel It’s not albino, but it is adorable. Learn the details behind this mysterious critter

10 Field Guide 8 things to avoid on the trek to class

26 Passport to College Iowa State from the eyes of international students

LIFESTYLE

7 Drunchies (Quickies)

Hungry? You might not want to try these recipes

34 Cybersecurity: Halting Hackers The Internet can be a scary place. Learn how to protect yourself online

9 Level Up: You’re Hired

How to go from gaming chair to oﬃce chair

12 The Appeal of the Undercut Hear from guys who rock this popular hairstyle

ENTERTAINMENT 36 Finding Fido Using Tinder for dogs to find a furry friend

22 Streak of Midnight The other campanile tradition

38 WDYTYA: Brony Pony cartoons aren’t just for little girls

18 Carbon Copy The real-life consequences of plagiarism

AROUND AMES

PASSION 14 Taboo on Pubes To shave or not to shave? We get input

from students You’re standing on the edge ready to jump, but a wave fear spent playing World of Warcraft, as Marco talks about in “Level up: 23 GunofControl rushes over you. You know it’s just water below andWhen all your Hired,” lifefriends hands you aYou’re gun, shoot the(pg. 9). have jumped, but there’s still that fear. Perhaps thistarget wasn’t a good With just one issue under our belt, we have learned so much about idea, maybe you should have stayed at home where it was safe. what it means to be Editors-in-Chief of a campus magazine. We 30 Young & Homeless College is a lot like cliff diving. It’s a lot of fun and you’ll try new learned how to manage our budget and communicate with writers, One man’s story of how he ended up on things (not all of them are great ideas) but you’ll also meet challenges photographers, designers and public relations staff. Through the late the street and exciting new opportunities—and sometimes you hit your head nights and last-minute phone calls, we’ve put together something and need to lie down for awhile. It’s a crazy time,8 trying to fi gure out we’re proud of. Fake ID’s, Real Problems your life before you hit the real world. Are they more troubleEthos than they’re is made with the hopes of every student on campus being able worth? We have all had those drunken—or completely sober— late nights to relate to or be interested in one story in the magazine. We pride ourselves on edgy, honest content. where we pretend to be master chefs only to see that we created a gourmet dish of unheated hot dogs and applesauce, much like the In this issue we hope you enjoy the variety of stories from being stories retold in Drunchies, on page 7. homeless on the streets (pg. 32) to getting your fake ID taken away in Even though college is a time to have fun, we’re still given the task a liquor store (pg. 8). of figuring out our future in four short years, which can be about as So take the jump—we think you’ll like what you find. hard as spotting the white squirrel on campus, covered on page 20. We weren’t sure about being Editors-in-Chief—it seemed like it was a huge responsibility. It’s a heavy load, but we decided to tackle it together, and it’s been a great experience so far, even with a few bumps along the way. All advisors tell students is to get experience, apply for internships, blah blah blah. What they don’t tell you is how much work it will be, how you might not like it or how valuable the experience is. Sometimes career skills can even come from those late nights you

MEET THE

Editor in Chief AKA Traer Schon

Editor in Chief AKA Kelly Shiro

fall 2014 staff STAFF EXECUTIVE

We exist only

SOCIAL MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS Kristen DeCosta

Mikayla Larsen

magazine

Charlie Spellman

Renae Meines

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Traer Schon

to produce this MANAGING EDITOR Kelly Schiro

Elaine Godfrey

Managing Editor AKA Elaine Godfrey

ARTICLES EDITOR Andreas Haﬀar

Katie Thompson

Goodbye socialLyn life. Keren Articles Editor AKA Andreas Haffar

Sammie Pearsall

PHOTOGRAPHERS Meredith Kestel

ONLINE EDITOR Kelsey Rindfleisch

McClane Gill

Amber Klootwyk A squirrel Renae Meines

Online Editor

AKA Kelsey Rindfleisch Nikayla Ratz

WRITERS Jasmine Schillinger

Charlie Coﬀey

Marco Nunez

Kevin Burgoni

Varad Diwate

VISUALS DIRECTOR

Hunter Herold

William Dodds

Megan Sims

Nick Frazier

Kaitlin Little

Creative Director AKA Emerald Klauer

Not sorry ‘bout it.

Paige Roane Jaden Urbi Zachary Neuendorf Kiana Roppe Can

we do an emoji?

Creative Director AKA Alixandria Collins

Korrie Bysted

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

I can’t think of a quote. So. Much. Pressure.

on the cover? This is ‘nuts!’

Hailey Padgett

Jessica Van Wyk

Kyle Schlichtling CREATIVE DIRECTORS Emerald Klauer I want to take this issue Richard Martinez Disregard basic wenches, out behind Alixandria the old Collins middle Julie Doyle acquire currency. school and get it pregnant. SOCIAL MEDIA & PUBLIC Isaac Biehl Managing Online Editor Social Media/PR Director RELATIONS DIRECTOR Dale Johnson AKA Rachel Vipond AKA Nick Frazier

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Nailah Fitzgerald

COPY EDITOR

Tomhas Huhnke

DESIGNERS

Lu Cai

Why aren’t we all using hashtags? #reallife Advertising Director AKA Kaitlin Little

Wait, I’m the advertising director?

WIngdings, For the wingding enthusiasts. Visuals Director AKA Tomhas Hunke

I tweet things regularly, and I’m really funny!

THOUGHTS 4 Editor’s Letter Don’t be afraid to take the leap

7 Don’t be the person who... (Quickies) Nuggets of information to keep your inner douche at bay

16 My Porn and Me One writer’s take on the dark side of your browser history

ON CAMPUS 20 The Famous White Squirrel It’s not albino, but it is adorable. Learn the details behind this mysterious critter

10 Field Guide 8 things to avoid on the trek to class

26 Passport to College Iowa State from the eyes of international students

LIFESTYLE 7 Drunchies (Quickies) Hungry? You might not want to try these recipes

34 Cybersecurity: Halting Hackers The Internet can be a scary place. Learn how to protect yourself online

9 Level Up: You’re Hired How to go from gaming chair to oﬃce chair

12 The Appeal of the Undercut Hear from guys who rock this popular hairstyle

ENTERTAINMENT 36 Finding Fido Using Tinder for dogs to find a furry friend

22 Streak of Midnight The other campanile tradition

38 WDYTYA: Brony Pony cartoons aren’t just for little girls

18 Carbon Copy The real-life consequences of plagiarism

AROUND AMES 23 Gun Control

PASSION 14 Taboo on Pubes To shave or not to shave? We get input from students

When life hands you a gun, shoot the target

30 Young & Homeless One man’s story of how he ended up on the street

8 Fake ID’s, Real Problems Are they more trouble than they’re worth?

QUICKIES #YCYS: YOUR CAMPUS, YOUR SH

This semester, Ethos students have been submitting their photos of life on campus for our “Your Campus Your Shot” promotion. Here are some of our favorites—and don’t forget to use #YCYS on your campus pictures for a chance to get reposted or featured in the next issue! BY JASMINE SCHILLINGER AND ETHOS STAFF DESIGN ALIXANDRIA COLLINS PHOTO ISU STUDENTS

@haylee_young24 Life is good. #ycys

@middlekoop2014 Beautiful day in Ames! #ycys @ethos_magazine

@Kmongar Beautiful week for Homecoming #YCYS @ethos_magazine

@natasha.paige Monday’s: Help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up. #ycys

@courtneypaigeclawson What a beautiful day on Campus! #isu #ycys

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DRUNCHIES

The attack of the drunk munchies It’s 2 a.m., you’re a college student, a little intoxicated, just got home and you’re starving. You obviously don’t have any money to order cheese balls and a pound of wings from Pizza Pit. Yeah. We’ve all been there. Desperate for food—so desperate we’d shovel just about anything into our bodies to cure the hunger. It’s depressing to think about some of the things we’ve actually managed to eat when we’re inebriated and absolutely famished. Not only depressing but even embarrassing at times. That’s why most of the people in this article would like to remain unnamed. Can you imagine how you’d feel if everyone found out that you ate a whole can of Eazy Cheese last Friday night?

@Georgeniang20 This is my view after a long day of practice #ycys @ethos_magzine

Some of these food concoctions are beyond repulsive. It’s hard to imagine these people had the courage to actually take a bite or two. But that’s what makes it desperate, right? “This isn’t even gross. I would totally eat this sober, but a lot of the times I eat Takis dipped in sour cream.” “Back when I was at my old school, I would come home after a night of drinking and grab a cheese stick, deli meat and salsa from the fridge. I’d wrap the deli meat around the cheese stick and just dip it in the salsa. Those were my go-to drunchies.” “Me and my friends had one of those pre-made pizzas you buy from Hy-Vee, kind of like Papa Murphy’s. I was in charge of cooking the pizza, so I preheated the oven and put the pizza in. About five minutes later, I took it out. I guess I just couldn’t wait until the pizza was cooked to start eating it. Gist of the story, I made everyone eat a completely raw pizza—dough and everything.”

@Shamamie They couldn’t say no to this bunch :) #CyCans #ycys #SAAC

“I’ve definitely eaten a whole packet of ramen raw because I was too lazy to microwave it. It doesn’t help that I was completely sober when I made that decision.” “The worst concoction I’ve ever made had to be when I put jalapeños, cream cheese and strawberry jam all together. I was trying to make something similar to the jalapeño poppers from West Town Pub.” “I have no idea why, but I once mixed a can of baked beans and a can of chicken noodle soup together.” “After a night filled with heavy drinking, I came home to two things in my fridge—mustard and pickles. I found some bread in my pantry that I’m pretty sure expired the week before and made a mustard and pickle sandwich. I honestly don’t remember it being that bad.”

@Happy_Frazier Iowa Classics, #YCYS

BE THE PERSON WHO... @kristendecosta I’m so Iowa #ycys Follow us on social media to see more! Facebook: Ethos magazine Twitter: @ethosmagazine Instagram: ethos_magazine

is a vegan pusher

always quotes vines or viral videos

is a library preacher

gets day drunk and makes your friends take care of you

Snapchats excessively tries to use Google Plus tries to teach the teacher asks “did you get my text?”

still sends Farmville requests on Facebook loudly talks about “how easy” a test was complains about a 100-level class

says abbreviations out loud packs up way before class is over

Fake ID’s: REAL PROBLEMS

Fake ID’s get you what you want, but do you really want the problems? BY KELLY SCHIRO

DESIGN ALIXANDRIA COLLINS

PHOTO MCCLANE GILL

*Names have been changed to protect identities Most college students don’t get a fake identification card for the reasons Brian in The Breakfast Club would, and they certainly don’t let their age be 68 on the fake. Sophomore Rob* wanted a fake ID in order to buy his own alcohol without the hassle of a middle man and to be able to go to a bar with his friends if he felt like it. According to Geoﬀ Huﬀ, Ames police department’s Criminal Investigations Division Commander, there are two types of fake IDs. The more common fake is another person’s real ID that looks like the underaged person using it. The other type is one that is completely fictitious and usually purchased online. Sophomore Elizabeth* says there are many ways to get a fake ID. They’re online, friends of friends make them or personal friends can have them made. Elizabeth says the price of a fake could reach as high as $150—the better ones can be scanned and even have the holographic markings on them. Rob spent $100 on his fake to get a New York ID that has the

holographics and scanning capabilities, although he says that only a few venues will actually scan the ID. Commander Huff says the completely fictitious IDs are easier to spot because they require security fields that aren’t usually present. Senior Kyle* has had experience with using a fake ID that was real, but wasn’t his. He once got asked for a second form of ID because the fake looked weird. Kyle was able to keep the fake but he couldn’t get in the bar. When asked about the bouncers checking IDs at the bars on Welch Avenue, he says, “I think it must be a little random. It just depends on who’s checking.” A bouncer on Welch says he looks at the facial features, specifically the nose region. He typically sees two or three fake IDs a night, most of them being real IDs from other people. There are different ways bouncers determine if the ID is fake. One is to ask the “owner” to name some of the streets near the address provided on the fake. If he determines it’s a fake, the bouncer says he would usually give the ID to the police. Commander Huff says that they have tools and extensive training in picking out the fake IDs or just another person’s old ID. If you’re thinking about getting a fake, consider the consequences of getting caught. Commander Huff says that most of their Minor on Premise charges are a result of using someone’s ID and trying to pass it off as you. Commander Huff cited that, under the 2013 Iowa Code 321.216B, if a person under the age of 21 is using an altered or fictitious ID to obtain alcohol, they have committed a misdemeanor and will be fined $200 plus court costs. Junior Dan* got his fake ID when he was in high school and it worked for two years. He paid about $75 for it from a contact in Cedar Rapids. During his freshman year, Dan got his ID taken away at a liquor store that he had been to many times before. When the cashier asked to see his ID, he had forgotten that his real ID was behind the fake. The liquor store kept the fake with all of the other IDs they confiscated. “It just took the convenience out of everything,” Dan says. For Dan, his fake worked more times than he could count. Fortunately for Dan, no legal action was taken. You’re probably 18 by the time you hit campus, and by second semester you will have friends who know how to get alcohol—if you didn’t already. Is it really worth the trouble of getting caught and possibly being fined $200 just to get into bars? Just think how much cheap vodka you could buy with $200. You’ll be legal soon anyway.

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LEVEL UP

You’re Hired How beating a boss can impress your future boss.

BY MARCO NUNEZ DESIGN EMERALD KLAUER PHOTO MEREDITH KESTEL

Imagine for a second that you are about to go into an interview and sitting across the waiting lounge is the only other applicant for the position. This person has had the same education and work experience as you. But there is one small difference—this person happens to play video games quite often. You smirk and think to yourself, “This job is in the bag.” A week after your interview you get a call: you didn’t get the job—the other applicant did. Why? The answer: video games. What could video games teach someone that could help propel them amongst others when they apply for a job? Video games have been proven to help better cognitive skills, organizational skills and social skills. As stated in the “Positive Association of Video Game Playing with Left Frontal Cortical Thickness in Adolescents,” a recent study conducted by German psychologists at Charité University Medicine, video games have many positive effects on our brains. Since gaming has increased tremendously over the years, there has been an interest in finding new ways for gamers to interact with each other in games. Whether it’s with someone in person or online, people work together in games in order to complete objectives. Some games make it simple— defeat enemies together or help each other get from point A to point B. Then there are games where each person controls a different character with specific abilities. These games are more challenging and require the players to communicate well and work together to achieve their goals.

World of Warcraft is a great example of such a game. Gamers work together to overcome challenges in a game, making perfect practice for the workplace. Many workplaces stress cooperation and video games are a prime example of how one could develop strong social skills simply by playing with others. Most gamers prefer to play with others, and thanks to the growth of the internet, gamers can easily enjoy playing with friends and other gamers alike. Video games often require you to manage things such as time, your inventory, or in-game characters. Most jobs also require you to organize things—your work area or items necessary for your work. High level jobs especially require you to have the proper organizational skills to handle many tasks and people at once. Gamers who have been gaming since their early years have an advantage because they have a lot of practice using their organizational skills in games. Organizational skills are important to employers. They want to know that they can trust you with various tasks and that you have the ability to efficiently and effectively handle them. Remembering all of your tasks is something video games can also help you with.

Gamers work together

According to to overcome challenges Real-Time Strategy in a game, making perfect Game Training: Emergence of practice for the workplace. a Cognitive Flexibility Trait, a study conducted by various researchers from European universities, people that play video games have better memory, pay better attention to detail and can be more alert when various things are going on at once. Playing fast-paced, action games, as most gamers do these days, can help develop these skills. When playing these games, gamers have to focus on multiple on-screen tasks at once. As a game gets harder, more enemies appear along with more obstacles and dangers, which requires one to think quickly and pay closer attention. Gamers develop better memory since they have to identify patterns in games such as enemy movements. These skills are important to employers and gamers have to recognize this. When we apply for a job, we never stop and think about how video games could help give us an edge. Some might even laugh if they were told video games could give them a boost. The truth is that video games help us develop these skills, but it is up to us, the gamers, to realize what they have helped us with and use it to our advantage. Think about the games you have played and what skills you had to use in the game. You might be surprised that playing video games provides job experience after all. Use the skills you have developed and remember to keep gaming.

Field Guide:

Making the Trek Through Campus BY TRAER SCHON DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION EMERALD KLAUER

As college students, we’re expected to make our way to class on time, alert and fully prepared, as if we’re part of some sort of elite military squadron. Getting to class is no easy feat—we’re forced out into the elements and given 10 minutes to navigate to our next class through a wooded landscape filled with people, somehow avoiding the multitude of hazards and dangers a college campus presents. Luckily we’ve put together this guide so you know what to look out for, be aware of and just flat-out avoid when walking to class.

These giant beasts are everywhere, hauling students—and a few brave Ames residents—from stop to stop around the community. Some drivers will stop for pedestrians, but it’s best to assume that this isn’t the case, or a red and yellow CyRide bus could become your flamboyantly-colored hearse. The bright side: with all of the people they pack into the Orange 23 bus, you’ll have around 3,000 witnesses to your bloody and gruesome death, so your family will be sure to get buckets of money.

With all of the cycling enthusiasm of Lance Armstrong and none of the talent, the bikers of campus are an ever-present danger. Although many of them follow traffic laws (and normal social procedures) it’s hard to distinguish them from those who don’t. The bikers hurtle down the sidewalk as fast as their two-wheeled contraptions can take them, fearlessly trying to weave in and out of pedestrians with the coordination and precision you’d expect from a drunk sloth. They tend to flock to the highest-traffic sidewalks of campus, completely disregarding the open terrain surrounding them. If you were to fall, many would undoubtedly cycle right over your flailing body without even realizing what was happening. To avoid them, stay in open areas and keep a sharp tire-popping needle on hand, just in case.

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It’s not much of a concern in the beginning or final months of school, but those few months in between are the ice cream in the middle of the ice cream sandwich that is the school year—in terms of temperature, not enjoyment. In the middle of winter, walking across the snowy, frozen tundra of Central Campus can be a harrowing and dangerous experience. With wind that chills your bones and temperatures cold enough to kill you from exposure—and then perfectly preserve your body—it’s essential to bundle up. Cut through buildings, hug a stranger, befriend Katniss Everdeen—do whatever it takes to stay warm.

General rule: if they’re yelling and/or handing things out, avoid them.

Animals fall into two categories: dangerous and distracting. Animals like geese fall into the dangerous category, because they are bloodthirsty monsters that will attack you and feast upon your soul if given the chance. The bunnies, ground squirrels and other similar animals fall into the distracting category, because you’ll lose track of time watching these cute, furry woodland creatures scurry around campus. Before you know it, it’s midnight, and you’re the guy who just spent an entire day mesmerized by a bunny family hopping around eating grass. Don’t be that guy––try to stay away from all animals on your way to class, whether they’re cute or demonic. Unless, of course, you can lure them into a “Snow White”-type of situation where you can teach them to do your homework for you, in which case, definitely spend some quality time with them.

Love may be patient and kind, but it’s also slow and annoying when walking on the sidewalk. On the walk to class, it’s common to run into couples holding hands and walking at their own leisurely pace, which would be fine if not for the hordes of people trying to squeeze around them to make it to class on time. If you’re not able to find your way around them, the only other solution is to infiltrate their lives and slowly start to break them apart—it doesn’t produce immediate results and may be devastating for the couple involved, but it’s for the good of the general public.

Sometimes you just don’t want to talk to or see anyone you know. In fact, you may be reading this now as a way of avoiding someone. That’s okay. Do what you have to do to avoid interaction. It’s 2014, and that’s acceptable.

Be careful not to accidentally run into a group of high schoolers touring campus. Before you know it, you’ll have on a red drawstring bag stuffed with pro-Iowa State propaganda while being force-fed fun facts about campus artwork from an energetic guide in a red polo. Suddenly, your parents are there, making awkward small talk with said guide on the way to the dining center. On second thought, you could get a free meal out of this, so it may be worth it. Campus is a large place full of mystery and danger. Becoming aware of the hazards listed on this guide will go a long way toward ensuring your safety on this Iowa State adventure you’ve chosen. If there’s ever a day when you feel like these obstacles are just too much, you can always crawl back into bed and hide in the safety of your blanket fortress.

The Appeal of the

C R U E T D N U

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BY JASMINE SCHILLINGER

DESIGN NIKAYLA RATZ

PHOTO KORRIE BYSTED

The haircut that makes girls swoon The Undercut. That’s the oﬃcial name for this rapidly growing hairstyle. When the sides of the head are shaved, with the back slicked back, or messy styled top. Rocked by either a male or a female, it doesn’t matter. Undercuts are hot—period. The undercut is becoming more and more popular, but a lot of the time it is misinterpreted as a diﬀerent style. Jordan Peterson, owner of the Des Moines Universal Kutz barbershop, explains what exactly the undercut hairstyle is and why it is often times confused with a side-part or comb over style. “An undercut is where the longer hair on top dishevels and flops over the sides without it being blended into the haircut,” Peterson says, “On the other hand, a side-part is a haircut that is going to have a part line and be blended in.” This style was very common during the ‘40s and ‘50s. You might have seen these haircuts supported in shows like Mad Men or movies like The Great Gatsby. This haircut is often times slicked back and styled very neatly with every hair in place. Peterson explained in order for an undercut hairstyle to have a “distinct disconnection,” when the hair clearly flops over the shaved sides, the person needs to put some time into growing their hair out first. Eric Cain, senior at DMACC, is still working on growing out his hair for more of the disconnected look. He supports a hybrid style with a mixture between an undercut and a hard part—a very distinctive part, created with a straight razor.

Cain shared his opinion on why he thinks women enjoy this cut so much, “It’s just like anything else that stands out, whether it be a nice body, good fashion sense or whatever you’re into. I feel like women respect a man that is well-groomed and takes care of his hair, especially a unique cut like this.” Tyler Hansen, a recent graduate in journalism, supports the more popular side-part hairstyle. “I wouldn’t say any one person in particular motivated me, but Ryan Gosling is my father. Like father, like son.”

“

Whether you’re out in boots, a white tee, or denim, it’s sure to dress up your style

”

When asked about what the ladies think, Hansen explained that he doesn’t do it for them, “I don’t do it for the girls, only for my personal preference. If it helps me pick up more chicks, it helps—one point Tyler.”

Hansen noted if any men are looking for a good haircut in Ames, The Salon is the place to go. An aspect that seems to get brought up when talking about these particular hairstyles is fashion. According to Cain, the cut goes with just about any outfit. It’s common to see people stem their haircut inspiration from a well-known celebrity, like Tom Hardy or Ryan Gosling. But those are

just a couple of names that have sported these stylish cuts. Macklemore, in particular, was one of the first to support the undercut style. Other names that have rocked the undercut at some point in time are Brad Pitt, Aaron Paul and Cristiano Ronaldo. P!nk and Miley Cyrus were some of the first females to start making the undercut a style for women. Now, it’s not uncommon to see some women with one side of their head completely shaved with hair flopping over the top. As for the much more common side-part or comb over style, many celebrities have taken this look over. Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Timberlake and Adam Levine—just to name a few. Peterson says that if you do decide to rock this hairstyle, you need to take care of it. “People with an undercut usually get their hair cut every two weeks, that’s common. Three weeks, depending on your budget. If you go four weeks—the look is probably starting to look lazy.” Peterson recommends using Lay-rite pomade to create the style. The product carries three diﬀerent kinds of hold and he promises it’s a hold that will last all day. Also, when styling, a blow dryer should always be used. Blowdrying the hair will give the look more volume before styling it with product. “I feel like these cuts make a man look more grown up and respectable,” says Cain. “Although, I feel like it’s a package deal, meaning, if you’re going to be sporting the haircut, you better have the style to back it up.”

Cain explained how he has always been fascinated by old-school barber cuts, but for the longest time he couldn’t find anywhere that would style his hair like this. One of Cain’s inspirations for the hairstyle was Tom Hardy. After seeing the movie Lawless, he had to have the cut. It’s no secret that these hairstyles have grabbed the attention of the opposite sex. Many women swoon over the sight of a man with a well-groomed undercut or side-part hairstyle. “When guys have this hairstyle, I feel like it shows that they like to take care of themselves and they want to look good, which is definitely an attractive aspect,” says Cassie Garrett, a senior in elementary education.

While pubes still remain a racy subject, students anonymously share their preferences.

BY JADEN URBI DESIGN EMERALD KLAUER What do you expect to see when you unzip your partner’s pants and dive in? From a sleek, manicured design to a ‘70s bush, everyone has a preference. We set out to see just what ISU students are hiding down there and why there’s such a taboo on talking about it. Whether it be with hot wax removal, laser hair treatments or just the good ol’ razor and shaving cream, people are constantly altering the pubes that Mother Nature gave them. Professor Diana Baltimore, a human development and family science lecturer, weighed in on why she thinks people might be grooming and why it’s such a taboo to talk about it. “I think a big reason not very many people are talking about their pubic hair is because in our culture, families do not generally discuss sexuality very openly. The FCC creates many rules and regulations that help shape what is viewed as appropriate and not,” Baltimore says. She goes on to explain that European culture is much more open about sexuality while a lot of Asian cultures never even discuss the topic.

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“We as an overall culture in the U.S. are becoming much less restrictive in terms of what we share about sex in the media, but not necessarily within our families and not necessarily all aspects of sexuality,” says Baltimore.

We as an overall

culture in the U.S are becoming much less restrictive in terms of what we share

about sex...

After all, if we aren’t talking about pubes, how is an awkward little puberty-stricken tween supposed to know what to do with their pubic hair once it starts growing?

“I think it was just that girl talk you had when you’re younger, and my friend was like ‘get rid of it,’” says one junior. “So to get rid of it, I decided to use Nair. That’s when I found out that you don’t put Nair on your vagina.” Luckily, not everyone’s first experience was as traumatic as the burn of Nair. “I learned about pubic grooming through talking to my friends,” says a female sophomore. “When I groomed for the first time, I shaved it all off, and then stuff I saw on TV just affirmed that it should all be gone.” So, when you’re running to the shower for a quick pube-shave before you go out on a Friday night, hoping to get lucky—do you shave? We conducted an anonymous online survey asking 150 people, 18 to 23 years old about their pubic preferences. The two main focuses of the survey are on personal upkeep and partner preferences. Take a look at the results and see how your grooming habits shape up.

When asked in an anonymous survey males described thier pube zone as...

When asked in an anonymous survey females described thier pube zone as...

64% bare

shaped

26%

wild and free

trimmed

13%

to visually please their sexual partner

When females were asked why they groom down there...

29% pubes are

unattractive and gross

Personal Upkeep When asked about personal upkeep, an overwhelming majority of both males and females described their personal upkeep as either ‘bare’ or ‘trimmed’. Females most commonly described their upkeep as ‘bare’ while males most commonly describes theirs as ‘trimmed’. Only six percent of females and 15 percent of males described their upkeep as ‘shaped’ or ‘wild and free’. So, why the trend in lack of hair? Next, respondents were asked why they chose to groom the way they do. Again, males and females shared the same top two responses. 33 percent of females and 46 percent of males said ‘I prefer a neat and clean look’ and 29 percent of females and 25 percent of males said ‘because pubes are unattractive and gross’. The remaining respondents answered ‘to visually please my sexual partner’ or ‘to avoid discomfort during intercourse’. There was a small percentage of people who chose to enter other responses to the question. These responses explained that

to avoid discomfort during sex

“nobody’s trying to get a mouthful of pubes”

33%

prefer a neat and clean look

38%

bare

shaped

45% trimmed

11%

wild and free

to avoid discomfort during sex

When males were asked why they groom down there...

10%

12% other

46%

to visually please their sexual partner

prefer a neat and clean look

25% pubes are unattractive and gross

they groom because of hygienic reasons, for a change of pace, to appear larger, it’s itchy if they don’t, or “because nobody’s trying to get a mouthful of pubes.” Well said.

Partner Preferences How you take care of your pubes is your own choice, but how do you want to see your sexual partner’s pubes? When asked in the survey, the majority of females prefer their pubes to be kept bare, but when it comes to their sexual partners, they prefer a trimmed look, followed by bare and lastly wild and free or shaped. While most males choose to trim their pubic hair, they prefer their partners to be bare, followed by trimmed, shaped and lastly, wild and free.

their partner’s pubes to be the same. Most people that are ‘just hooking up’ keep their pubes bare but prefer their partner to be trimmed. Single people said that they keep their pubes trimmed and prefer their partner to be trimmed as well. There you have it folks—the more single you are, the less you care about getting rid of your pubes. So next time you look down, realizing you haven’t shaved in two months and sex has been eluding you, just remember—it’s okay to be a little bushy, but it’s their choice to grab the tooshy. Shave wisely, my friends.

“I think relationship status makes a difference in how I groom myself. If I’m in a long-distance relationship I’m not going to shave as often as I would if I were frequently seeing someone,” says a male sophomore. Of the people who answered that they were in a relationship, the majority said they kept their pubes bare and preferred

& ME

Fathers, their sons, and their sons’ porn. A tale as old as time. BY ZACHARY NEUENDORF DESIGN AMBER KLOOTWYK PHOTO RICHARD MARTINEZ “Can I borrow your laptop to google gear pump prices?” my dad asks me from the living room. Back in my room, before I answer, I feverishly reach for my laptop, and with the speed of a weasel on cocaine, I go to the “History” tab, move down to ‘Clear History’ and with a click, all the webpages that defined my existence for the past month, vanish. A few seconds go by before I answer him with, “Yeah, yeah. One second.” Within those few seconds, I am convinced he knows precisely what I am doing covering up the dirty internet trails that I frequently travel down. Imagine I do not clear my history and my dad begins typing ‘gear pump prices’ into the Google search bar. He types ‘g’ with my history still intact and my dad’s languorous typing skills in action, the first result to be offered to him would have been ‘gay porn’. Then second, third and fourth results would likely be ‘gay porn’ followed by the categories ‘amateur’‚ ‘tumblr’‚ ‘homemade’, and ‘artsy vintage’. It is not my preference that would embarrass me my sexuality is old news. But the ‘porn’ tag that follows lends an extending hand of imagination to a parent. See, being gay in America translates into a prepubescent

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fondness for Mariah Carey. And all sufficient fathers are totally cool with that. However, once ’porn’ gets tagged onto ‘gay’ it unleashes a fresh can of worms. I figure this is the moment that parents piece together that their little one not only likes the bodies of others, but their kids actually enjoy bodies so much, they will watch strangers plow each other on the web. And in my case, it is Brazilian men on webcam. I am not cagey about my Brazilian-porn leanings, as demonstrated, but it’s not information I feel morally obligated to share with my dad, which is odd because I know damn well my father is a scout into sexually graphic territory. After all, it was his Playboy I picked up at age 12, fingered through, saw perky breasts and tidy vaginas and decided with certitude that these women looked alright, but it was likely my interests be found in Playgirl. It was proven three nights later when, once all the family was snoozing, I snuck onto the family computer and found the Playgirl website‚ my doors came crashing down. Yeah, this was cool with me. Just on the off-chance my dad does ever gain knowledge of my porn habits, I have formulated an argument for porn culture I will deliver with so much respectable

gravitas that he will have no choice but to give me and my porn the standing ovation it deserves. Like all well-buffed debates, I have recruited two intelligent women to reaffirm my stance with their respective touches of nuance. At my table, we have Marrysa Harkness and Katie Stirk. Both are students, occasional porn watchers and heterosexual, yet both prefer, interestingly enough, to watch women. This is not uncommon, and it is very revealing as to why we watch porn proving pornography accomplishes more than sexual stimulation. Why would heterosexual people look at same-sex bodies?

“I hate looking at a man’s face and body acting in porn‚ It’s the biggest turn off.”

Justiﬁcation Number One: Porn makes us strong. Not physically, per se but of course with the right amount of vigor and experimentation, I am sure porn time counts as gym time. However, I am talking about the strength that matters the strength of the spirit. Porn has opened me to all the fetishes of the world. Some do not satisfy my taste buds, but somebody out there loves those fetishes and it makes me feel cozy to know people share them. One example the community that lives for sploshing- those who find food sexually tantalizing, is extraordinarily vibrant.

Justiﬁcation Number Two: Scripted porn is funnier than any Adam Sandler movie. Harkness and I have watched porn together when we could have been watching How I Met Your Mother, and I can guarantee more laughs were shared. Across the porn landscape, we have dialogue worthy of trash cans, themes that range from fisting to bondage and the actors in charge of delivering the dialogue and themes are hammy enough to serve at Christmas dinner. It’s a delight.

Justiﬁcation Number Three: Friends who watch porn together stay together. It can be a bonding experience with the people you trust, admire and those who you wish to see squirm. To be clear, I am not talking about viewing porn with friends and simultaneously pleasuring yourself in their company (DISCLAIMER: Doing this is totally fine it just is not how I roll).

forced ourselves into. We all want to talk about our sexual tendencies but the window in day-to-day life to bring up such topics is either brief or non-existent. By setting aside time for communal pornographic viewing, you can break the ice and out pours a flood of your dirtiest, juiciest secrets concerning your sexuality. Whether we admit it or not, it is secrets that build friendships.

Justiﬁcation Number Four: Let’s get political and pretend we are defending ourselves against raging feminists with the best intentions. They are hooting and hollering that porn objectifies its participants. I’ll let Stirk dish on this “I don’t think porn is objectifying. These women and men are choosing to be exposed. Nude models understand the risks and the parameters that encompass the empire that is porn, so I suppose they’re objectifying themselves? Haha, no” Hell yeah, well said.

Justiﬁcation Number Five: Yes, we are aware some people devour too much porn.

you and begins to inhibit your social life or mental state, please seek help. Sex addiction is real, and the debate arguing against that fact is repulsively archaic. If you live with sex addiction, do not let shame paralyze you. We are all creatures with feelings we feel the need to stuff under the bed because we don’t think anyone will understand. But screw that belief system. Because at our core, we are humans who love each other no matter what. And at this point in my lecture, my dad will have jumped out of his chair and applauded for me until his hands blistered. Ignoring his pain, he will clap away as I bow for my hundredth minute. That’s the fantasy. The reality, anyhow, is not any less heartening. He does not care. Nor should anyone else. It is my time, my desire, and he gets that. Sex is so natural the topic itself is actually incredibly boring. But just like the act of sex, porn can be laughable, laudable, loathable and lovable. By the way, none of this means I won’t delete my internet history when my mom asks to google ganache recipes.

Do I? Do Joe or Joanna down the hallway? Likely not. Chances are we take in enough porn to appease us sexually. Harkness believes if you spend “like a third of your day watching porn, you should consider jogging instead,” and I concur. If porn consumes

I have watched porn with one friend, two friends, red friends, blue friends. And not once have I regretted the vulnerability we

CARBON COPY It’s convenient to buy a paper off the Internet, but plagiarism is serious business and the stakes are high. BY VARAD DIWATE

DESIGN NAILAH FITZGERALD

During his academic career, Greenlee School Director Michael Bugeja has met people accused of plagiarism and often heard a common response, “It was just a coincidence.” To check this claim, Bugeja engaged physicists and mathematicians to calculate the odds that an 67 word passage would show up in two writings as a coincidence. The findings were published in a chapter in his book “Living Ethics.” The odds were a lot worse than winning a seven-number lottery. “According to one calculation, it would take more time than exists from the Big Bang to have an 67 word passage just appear the same,” Bugeja says. “It’s phenomenal. These are called statistical odds of impossibility, not probability, but impossibility.”

What is it about? Plagiarism boils down to the basics of research and writing—differentiating your ideas from those of others and properly attributing any borrowed material. Students learn about it in high school, college and from instructors in every course, yet it

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continues to be a recurring issue among college students and professionals. Last year, 213 students were reported to the Dean of Students Office for academic misconduct. Joe Campos, a judicial affairs hearing officer in the Dean of Students Office, says plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct reported. Copying from exams and other forms of misconduct are not reported that often. The Academic Misconduct Policy at Iowa State covers cheating, copying and plagiarism. The policy is found in the class syllabus and students are reminded of the policy by their instructors at the start of the semester. Campos adds that students often fail to understand what constitutes plagiarism. “A lot of times I end up explaining to students that summarizing someone else's ideas, even if you don’t quote them directly, is something you need to cite,” he says, “Students come from a variety of states, countries, cultures and writing levels where they might not be as familiar with those types of nuances when it comes to writing a research paper.”

He usually finds an influx of academic misconduct cases around finals week when students are more likely to make poor choices due to time constraints. Students suspected of academic misconduct are reported to the Dean of Students Office by their instructors. A judicial officer determines if a student indeed plagiarized. Using large amount of text quoted verbatim with proper attribution in a research paper is probably not plagiarism. However, Bugeja says it can be classified as a copyright violation. “The other problem is when students, in a writing exercise or paper, lift information from a source document and paste it onto their target document without any citation, thinking that they did ‘research’ and that this is an acceptable thing in the Internet age,” says Bugeja. It’s recommended that instructors direct students to the Dean of Students Office if suspected of academic misconduct. It helps students get a fair hearing and adds to a centralized university database of student misconduct. Thus, there is a track of student behavior across departments and programs.

So what happens to my grade? Students are most worried about their grades in the particular class and assignment. However, this decision is made by the instructor for a specific class and not a judicial officer. A decision on misconduct cases is typically made based on individual circumstances and assessment by a judicial officer. A student’s history and his/her approach to the decision is also taken into account.

Uncovering the plot Campos adds that more often than not, the evidence of plagiarism is quite clear and students are also willing to accept wrongdoing on their part. However, students also say that they were not familiar with this type of misconduct and the resulting consequences. Students who intentionally commit plagiarism often know about severe consequences, yet hope that they don’t get caught. Campos says instructors usually detect misconduct through a change in writing or by coming across ideas they have read before. Sometimes its even from a reading assigned to the class. Another resource for instructors is SafeAssign on Blackboard, which scans its database of online websites and student papers to find a percentage match of similar content. Instructors can then check if text used from another source was cited in the paper. Sanctions by the Dean of Student’s Office include warning, probation and deferred suspension. If found guilty by a judicial officer, a professor also has the right to change the grade on an assignment. It is recommended that students also meet with their professor, as they’ll likely be in the class for the rest of the semester and will need to maintain trust. “The thing that makes each conversation different is what the student brings to it—the student’s perspective and ability to take responsibility or explain what happened,” Campos says. He adds he has usually handed out warnings if students are upfront about their mistakes and demonstrate that they genuinely learned from the experience. However, sanctions vary a lot depending on individual circumstances.

I didn’t mean to…

Better safe than sorry

A usual refrain by students when they are found to be guilty of plagiarism is that they did not know that it was wrong. “From a legal perspective, if you commit a crime, it doesn’t matter whether or not you knew what you were doing or not— ignorance of the law is not an excuse,” says Bugeja.

According to Campos, the causes for plagiarism often boil down to poor time-management skills and planning, which lead a student to take risky and unethical decisions.

Some students believe they accidentally plagiarized by forgetting to mention a source during writing. “Students may not realize it’s wrong but it’s pretty intentional to cut and paste something from a webpage or a document and represent it as their own. It’s hard to do that by accident,” says Gary Mirka, associate dean of the College of Engineering.

TIPS Cite! Cite! Cite! Talk to the professor and clear your doubts. Group assignments can be especially tricky. Consider turning in an assignment late rather than one without proper attribution. Plan ahead. Learn to cite. A lot has changed with the advent of the internet. As noted by Katie Hafner in the New York Times article “Lessons in Internet Plagiarism” published on June 28, 2001, it is easy to plagiarize using the internet and even easier to detect it. “[Plagiarists] don’t say it’s a coincidence anymore. They say, “I didn’t know it was wrong,” Bugeja says. However, this response just brings forth a possibility that the person was also negligent as they did not apparently learn the basics of plagiarism through high-school and college.

“Students need to realize that it’s not life or death with every assignment—sometimes turning in something late but well-done is better than turning in something in time with plagiarism,” he says. Colleges also take steps so that students understand plagiarism and take due steps to avoid it. Mirka says a special course for graduate students in the college of engineering related to research ethics includes substantial focus on plagiarism. Plagiarism can be even trickier when it comes to group work and individual work. Mirka says students in the engineering program are often encouraged to work in groups as they would be working the same way in the professional world. “I would advise students to be clear what the expectations are in terms of group work versus individual work,” he says. “There are some gray areas like lab reports that are sometimes done as a group and sometimes as individuals.”

Think about it... Campos stresses on the implications of receiving a very low or failing grade in a class due to academic misconduct. The consequences turn out to be serious for students who would soon be graduating. It can affect your graduation term and GPA. “The closer you get to graduation, the less wiggle room you have to buffer any of the side effects of being found responsible. The stakes are really raised,” Campos says. Cases of academic misconduct go quite far in their effects. Mirka says plagiarism also raises questions about institutional integrity as it does about individual integrity. “It affects the value that people place on a diploma from Iowa State,” he says. “We don’t want to have a reputation of allowing academic misconduct to go unpunished— we are very sensitive to maintaining the quality of education.”

Bottom line... Differentiate your thoughts from those of others.

The

Famous

WHITE Squirrel

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He’s Still Alive, Bitches BY PAIGE ROANE DESIGN NAILAH FITZGERALD PHOTO CHARLIE COFFEY

It’s always nice when you’re walking around campus and, suddenly, out of the corner of your eye, you see some squirrels messing around in the trees or sprinting toward absolutely nothing. It puts a much-needed smile on your face on those long school days. If you are the like the majority of the population on Yik Yak and have been taking note of the rambunctious squirrels on campus (don’t judge, they’re fun to observe) you may have noticed that there’s one squirrel who doesn’t fit in with the rest. The elusive white squirrel. Those of us who have noticed this guy may refer to him as the “albino squirrel,” but the squirrel is not, in fact, albino. Our little friend is actually leucistic, according to Tim Stewart, associate professor in natural resource ecology and management. Leucism is a condition seen in animals that causes reduced pigmentation. If the squirrel were albino, he would have red eyes and be completely white—which would be pretty creepy looking. The squirrel on campus is not completely white and has dark eyes. Leucism usually is not helpful for these animals when trying to avoid predators, but this squirrel seems to have some luck in his back pocket because he’s been seen running around for over a year. Iowa State’s campus seems to have given the squirrel a bit of a safe haven. We always appreciate how welcoming ISU students are to other students—the animals on campus must take after us and just let this little white squirrel do his thing. Many other college campuses across America have a white squirrel population too. At many of these schools, the white squirrel is seen as good luck if you spot one before an exam. At Iowa State we have the zodiac, which is bad luck if you walk over it. Where is our source of good luck? Why not a white squirrel spotting? Not one, but five towns use white squirrels as their claim to fame and none of the towns are particularly happy about the others according to Roadside America—a unique travel guide to unusual attractions. The biggest bragger about its white squirrel population is Olney, Illinois, who titles itself the “Home of White Squirrels.” The squirrel war is actually pretty serious—even combative. These towns are not messing around with their white squirrel appreciation. According to Roadside America, “if you crave more than a cursory encounter with these genetic purebloods, visit Olney during the last three Saturdays in October. That's when the city conducts its white squirrel count, an annual event since the 1980s.” Each year about 150 people volunteer to help with the count. "They are very well taken care of here," says Jessica Akes at the Olney Chamber of Commerce. Akes says that the town provides food and shelter to the squirrels whenever necessary, "and our city clerk bottle feeds the babies that get knocked out of trees."

These squirrels are very loved in this town. From squirrel crossing signs to giving the squirrels the right-of-way on the streets, these white squirrels are sitting pretty in Olney.

Although Iowa State is not that crazy about our furry friend, we appreciate him adding some diversity to the Iowa State squirrel population. Iowa State’s Facebook page even has an entire photo album dedicated to it. If you want to check it out (you definitely want to check it out) just go to Iowa State’s facebook page and find “The (not so) elusive white squirrel” album. The squirrel also has a Twitter account (@AlbinoIsu) where the white squirrel is able to express his real, and more colorful personality. We were lucky enough to sit down with the white squirrel and get an exclusive interview with him. Here it is: Ethos: So what’s it like being the only white squirrel on ISU’s campus? Squirrel: Pretty fun actually. I feel like a model when all the students and staﬀ want to take pictures of me when I’m hanging around on campus. Ethos: Do you enjoy people taking your picture? Squirrel: Well, since I am really one-of-a-kind here at Iowa State, I don’t want to just be letting everyone see the goods, but I still like to keep up my reputation and have a strong social presence. Ethos: Where on campus do you like to spend most of your time? Squirrel: If I told you that, I wouldn’t be so elusive, huh? Also, I know where all the best nuts are. It’s top-secret. Ethos: What do you like to do with your free time? Squirrel: I love going out to Mug night! Makes Friday a bit harder but I just downloaded the app Yik-Yak, so I usually climb up into a tree and sit there scrolling through it for hours. Seems like a lot of students enjoy talking about me. Ethos: How do you get into the bars? Squirrel: I’m a squirrel, you think they check my I.D.? I don’t even know how old I am. Ethos: Sounds great! Anything else you want to share with the ISU students? Squirrel: Have a good semester and I hope to see you around. Good luck spotting me in the winter! Next time you see the little guy on campus make sure to say hi and maybe he’ll bring you some luck on your next exam—or score you a drink at Mug Night.

30 seconds, 273 yards, 0 clothes: the run from Curtis to Beardshear

Streak of Midnight

BY WILL DODDS DESIGN HAILEY PADGETT *Names changed to protect the naked You are standing face-to-face with your significant other. Both of you are staring romantically into each other’s eyes, hands held with care. You’ve been having a great homecoming together, and it’s about to become even greater. Standing underneath the bells of Iowa State, you are about to complete one of the greatest ISU traditions and fulfill your dreams. The clock strikes midnight. You both go in for the kiss that will change your life—

OH SHIT YOUR BEST FRIEND IS RUNNING ACROSS CENTRAL CAMPUS NAKED! This is a common occurrence for freshmen and others who are unaware of another great ISU ‘tradition’—The Curtiss-Beardshear Run. For the modest and naive people, the Curtiss-Beardshear Run (also called Anti-Campaniling) is when people run across Central Campus from Curtiss Hall to Beardshear Hall naked. The run begins at midnight, and the goal is to sprint from the top of the stairs at Curtiss all the way to the top of the stairs at Beardshear before the clock finishes ringing in the hour. Accomplish or fail, it’s something many students continue to partake in. But when did it get started? How does this keep going with the cops around? Why do people do it? “The excitement and the thrill made it worth it,” says Steve*, a sophomore who ran his freshman year.

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Also—the girls, “I was with a group of three guys, including myself, and twelve girls … I got twelve girls’ phone numbers.” The history behind the custom is murky at best. It must have started a long time ago, but the “when” has yet to be uncovered. The purpose has also been lost to history, but it has evolved as a way for people to pull a prank on lovers campaniling or a thing that people “just do” and a rite of passage for some. While many people associate this tradition with homecoming and Veishea—or NotVeishea—it actually happens more than you think. In fact, it happens on a regular basis. Steve’s experience was spur of the moment. “As I was passing Curtiss one evening, I jokingly asked if they [twelve girls] were going to do it. When they said they were, I decided to join–and it was great,” he says. Don’t think your physique should keep you from joining in either. “You’re all there to run across campus naked, the last thing you want is for somebody to be a jerk to you about your body, so why do it to somebody else? I think it’s the unspoken rule,” Steve says. When it comes to the cops, Steve says you shouldn’t be too worried of getting put behind bars. “The police are aware that it happens as a tradition, so they don’t arrest people for it.

They will arrest you for being drunk, though,” he says. Police Officer Anthony Greiter has an official answer. “Our response to complaints on ‘the Run’ will have the same protocol that any other call will have,” he says. In other words, there is no difference to how police treat the run compared to any other call/complaint they get. So yeah, you can run—but do so at your own peril. Running the 273 yards from Curtiss to Beardshear sounds easy enough, but veterans know it’s harder than it looks. The total time for the clock to chime and strike 12 times is about 30 seconds. Walking the distance from Curtiss to Beardshear takes about three minutes. “I would train up before you do it yourself. It was a surprisingly long run for such a short amount of time,” Steve says. The best way to not get your clothes stolen is just as simple as taking them with you while you run or have a friend hold them. Even though the backstory is as concrete as the origin of the sandwich, the spirit is wellknown and embraced by many. “Once I was done I felt pretty proud–well, as proud as a noob freshman could feel, I suppose.”

When life hands you a gun, shoot the target. BY KIANA ROPPE DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION RENAE MEINES PHOTO ISAAC BIEHL

With both hands wrapped around the Smith and Wesson M&P22 pistol, I lean forward a bit, tighten my grip, align my sights toward that no-good white piece of paper, take one last deep breath and pull the trigger. Six shots slowly ring out, each one hitting the target then barreling into the ground as they fling up dirt. Simultaneously, the leftover brass shell casings fly out of the gun’s barrel in an off-kilter spiral, each one making a “cling, cling” sound as they hit the ground. I breathe in, and breathe out. This is the calm.

This country is obsessed with guns. Murder, assault or negligence with guns is blasted all over the news daily. Guns are a staple tool in almost any form of TV or movie entertainment. ‘Bad guys’ use guns to murder or scare good people and ‘good guys’ use guns to stop the bad guys or save the world. Guns are so ingrained into our country’s DNA that it seems we never stop talking about them.

standing in my yard staring at me. He then begins to slowly creep forward with a gun in his hand. I turn to my left and run down the hallway, unable to speak. I continue to race into the dining room where I can see out of uncovered windows on both sides of the house. But there are men with guns at each one as well—hunting me. I am completely surrounded. Recently, I had a dream where a man was attacking my mom, so I picked up my favorite cooking pan (I like to leave it on the stove in case I want to make cheesy hashbrowns) and beat him with it—saving my mom. It was then that I realized that I could fight back in my dreams; I didn’t have to be a victim. I could be Jason Bourne… or James Bond, or the badass character from any action-packed movie involving guns. That’s right—I can be a fashion major who wears red lipstick and a badass who knows how to shoot a gun. So at 9 a.m. on a cold Saturday morning, I did just that.

“I can be a fashion major who wears red lipstick and a badass who knows how to shoot a gun.”

Naturally, I grew up wanting to be a badass like Jason Bourne in “The Bourne Identity” or Bob Lee Swagger in “Shooter.” The ability to wield a gun to save lives seems cool. However, ever since I can remember, I’ve had dreams (it would be safe to call them nightmares, but they don’t bother me anymore) about people chasing after me and shooting at me with handguns. From the hallway of my house, I peer out the uncovered window into the darkness. It’s nighttime and I’m the only one awake; my mom and my sister are sound asleep. Then, I see movement in the darkness and my heart stops—there is a man with a bright red beard

After getting a bit lost and completely missing the hidden road I was supposed to turn on, I arrive at the Ames Izaak Walton League to meet up with my instructor Eric Tull and his wife Jessica.

Tull is tall in stature (more than 6 foot), and kind in manner. He grew up in small-town Iowa with a family of gun users; his dad had been in the deputy sheriff reserves and liked to hunt, his mom grew up around guns and knew how to shoot, and both of his sisters were part of their high school’s skeetshooting team. He received his first gun—a 20-gauge shotgun—at his 12th birthday. “It was probably the best present I ever got,” Tull happily recalls. December of that same year, Tull’s father took him deer hunting and although they never saw any deer, he enjoyed the experience. The pair continued to go deer hunting every year. For Christmas when he was 19, Tull got his first pistol and fell in love. He went on to acquire more pistols and take a few training classes. After informally teaching others how to use guns for years and not finding a career in college that he was interested in, Tull became a certified trainer and started his own company called Nexus Defensive Training. He is certified to teach a four-hour introductory course called “First Steps Pistol,” an eight hour course called “Basic Pistol Course,” an eight hour course on “Personal Protection Inside the Home” (hint: don’t keep shrubbery under your windows outside—robbers can hide there), a course to train volunteers who would supervise others at the range called the “NRA Range Safety Course,” and a course to obtain a Utah Concealed Carry Permit which is recognized in 31 states. Sufficed to say—Tull knows exactly what he’s talking about and will be a great person to learn from. He met his wife Jessica in 2003 while attending the University of Chicago and they got hitched in 2008. Jessica matches Tull in kindness and is happy to support him on all of his gun-wielding adventures—today’s training included. After we park our respective cars near the range, Tull gets out of his car and hands me my “eyes and ears,” meaning clear safety glasses and electronic ear muffs that can protect my ears, but still allow me to hear everything that’s going on. “I probably look pretty goofy in these,” I think to myself as I put them on.

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It’s a cold and windy morning in early October. Prepared for a chill, I’m wearing a lightweight black jacket and a pair of thin knit gloves to keep my hands warm between shots. With the electronic earmuffs on, the roaring wind sounds a bit like rushing water. I find it soothing. We then walk down a flight of stairs to the outdoor range. With each step, my anticipation grows. An L-shaped wooden frame serves as a shelter for shooters to sit/ stand behind. The area beyond the shelter to my left extends pretty far and has a couple rows of dirt that look about four feet high for shooters to fire at. Instead of walking to that area, we head straight where a giant wall of dirt called a “berm” forms the backdrop for shooters and their targets. Tull and Jessica start to unload their bags and set up three cardboard targets shaped to resemble a person’s head and torso downrange (the area you are meant to shoot at). They then staple three sheets of blank white paper on each. The mission: shoot the paper. The crisp white paper didn’t do anything to deserve getting shot at. Why would I want to destroy it along with all the good that could be done with it (think crayons)? Then, I remember the years of torture that paper facilitated; tests, after tests, after tests. OK, I’m ready to shoot.

Safety is extremely important when handling a gun. To perfect my stance and learn how to hold the gun correctly without the pressure of handling a real one, Tull handed me a blue plastic “dummy” gun to practice with. “The idea is to get a lot of hand contact on the gun,” he says, showing me how to place my hands as he talks. “That way, the gun won’t recoil as much.” There are three rules that I need to continuously implement called the NRA Rules For Safe Gun Handling:

Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction (downrange) Always keep your ﬁnger off the trigger until ready to shoot Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use

Because I proved that I could follow the rules, Tull brought out a real gun—a .22-caliber pistol. He shows me how to load the magazine, first with these small, red plastic bullets (which don’t shoot when you pull the trigger), then with .22-caliber bullets. I pick one up and study it closely, noting that there were a few rows of indentations toward the top that reminded me of the edging on a gear. It’s easy to see that engineering, creativity and craftsmanship went into the making of each bullet. To my surprise, I find it quite beautiful, especially when I compare the initial look of the bullet to one of the hollow brass casings on the ground. Tull then demonstrates the proper way to shoot a gun while seated. My turn. I sit with my feet shoulder width apart and my back straight. The gun lies safely on the table in front of me. To pick it up, I bring my right hand around the lower part of the pistol, keeping my pointer finger above (not on) the trigger. I then grab the magazine that I recently loaded and insert it into the gun. As I’m preparing the gun, a nearby rifle user shoots, sending a bullet thundering through the air. “Clayton,” I instantly think, being reminded of the Disney classic “Tarzan.” (In case you have forgotten, “Clayton” is the name of the bad guy who wants to kill the gorillas, and Tarzan—being new to English— mistakenly thinks “Clayton” is the name of a gunshot, not the guy holding the gun). Returning my focus to the gun in my hand, I bring my left hand up to the slider (which

is locked back because the chamber was empty), jerk it back even more, then release it and allow it to slide forward into proper position. I wrap my left hand below the trigger guard on the gun, stretch my arms out on the table, lean my body forward a bit, tighten my grip, align the front sight with the rear sights and pull the trigger. The bullet makes a clean hole through the target. “You got it on the paper,” Tull notes. “Nice job!” I shot a gun for the first time… and it wasn’t how I thought it would be. From all of the media coverage and movie focus on guns as weapons, I thought I would be afraid and that it would be unnerving to shoot a gun. But outside on the range where the biggest issue is the cold weather and wind, it was relaxing to just be in the moment and focus only on what I was doing. “When you’re shooting, there’s nothing else you can think about,” Tull says, happily describing his favorite thing about shooting a gun. “All the problems, the homework, the work, anything else—it’s just gone while you’re shooting. It’s nice to just completely focus on one thing. To have everything else [fade away].” “The calm,” as I call it, has lasted well past my first shot. I understand what Tull meant when he said “guns don’t just go off ” because the whole time—I was in control. I am in control. The best part? My dreams are now filled with run-of-the mill, gun-less attackers.

PA S SPOR T TO COLLEGE The success and strife of international students when they come to study at Iowa State. BY ANDREAS HAFFAR DESIGN RENAE MEINES PHOTO TOMAHS HUHNKE AND ANDREAS HAFFAR

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Coming to a university and beginning college isn’t just the next step for your education—it’s the crossing of a threshold into your new life as an individual. You may see the places that you’ve always wanted to, engage in activities that you’ve never heard of and experience living in a different way than you were accustomed to. You will meet people who are going through a similar process of learning and living—only you are thousands of miles from home. To leave behind the familiarity of home and embark on an adventure in a whole new country has its ups and downs. It’s not as easy as some may think.

Iowa State University is home to nearly 35,000 students, and 3,980 of those students are studying abroad, whether it’s for a few months or a couple years. This makes up 11 percent of the total enrollment, according to the Iowa State Registrar. On a diverse campus like Iowa State, there is an abundance of cultures and languages. This fall, 100 different countries and major cities are being represented in the Cyclone Nation, from Beijing to Bogotá. People from all over the world come here all pursuing different degrees and sharing cultural experiences. All you need to do is have your passport ready and hop on a plane to Des Moines International Airport.

Then, the student is given a form that indicates they’ve been accepted. They can proceed to apply for a nonimmigrant visa at the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate, where they will most likely require the student to schedule a meeting. If all goes well, four months later, the visa will go through, and the student will be packing up for his or her new adventure. But the documentation, oh, the documentation. One must be sure to have their passport, a receipt showing that they’ve paid for the fees (oh yes, there are fees), a photo of themselves, a transcript of one’s grades, scores from certain tests such as the TOEFL or SAT and a payment plan throughout the time spent in the states.

Not so fast. Traveling abroad is tantalizing; however, the process of getting into the United States and gaining admission to Iowa State is a tedious one. In addition to the requirements that the students from the United States have to meet, international students are required to do even more. International Students must first find a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school, such as Iowa State, which will be able to accept students outside of the United States. Then, you’re done. Welcome to Iowa State... Not quite. Most universities, including Iowa State, require students to pass the ‘Test of English as a Foreign Language’ (TOEFL) before they’re accepted. The test includes sections on reading, writing, listening and speaking.

The Cyclone Nation in the Heart of America Some people seem to wonder why a student from a different place would ever want to come to Iowa. Perhaps Iowa is mundane, or is Iowa all we know? Iowa State isn’t as boring as some may believe. The university, and life itself, is what they make of it, and Iowa State is well-respected nationally. The College of Engineering has the highest enrollment of undergraduates and last year, had just over 7,100 students. In the case of Azzam Alnasser, the reputation of Iowa State’s engineering school was what lured him to Ames. Alnasser is a senior in mechanical engineering from Jubail, Saudi Arabia and a “sponsored student.” A company called SABIC (Saudi Arabia Basic Industries

Corporation) based out of Riyadh sponsored him, enabling him to travel across the Atlantic for his education. However, Ames was not his first stop in the States. He went to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he took classes and worked on his English. Upon passing the TOEFL, he came to Iowa State in the fall of 2011. To say Alnasser was surprised at how things were in America would be an understatement. “Saudi Arabia is a completely different culture and has completely different perspectives. We do have segregation— women and men can’t go anywhere together like in school or restaurants. It’s not like here,” Alnasser says. Saudi Arabia is one of six countries in the world to still be considered an absolute monarchy. Alnasser goes on to say that socializing with people, especially women, could be seen as harassment and land a man in jail. The women in Saudi are not allowed to drive, have hefty restrictions when going out in public, and anything ‘coed’ is viewed as taboo. Alnasser loves having friends of the opposite gender and socializing with people here at Iowa State. At first, as you would imagine, it was a hard adjustment. “Coming to an extremely different culture in the states from a closed culture and [from] closed-minded people was totally different—everyone is a lot more openminded. At first it was a big culture shock,” he says.

(particularly the U.S.), there were a lot of funds for grad school. After that, the amount of funds given—regardless of major— decreased. It’s more competitive and there are very little opportunities,” Seblani says. Seblani didn’t shy away from the challenge and feels fortunate to be here in Ames. At first, like most students, she didn’t know what to expect. She’d been to places like New York before, but she’d never been to ‘America’s Heartland.’ For Seblani, ‘pleasant AND surprised’ may sum it up. What she found pleasant was that— “In Lebanon, I may be more cautious about how I act. Here, I don’t give a shit as much—I’m here to do my best. I can be myself. I would feel (more) judged by others in Lebanon. Here, I feel I can do anything. My friends here and my friends there are very different. People here are versatile and dynamic. I love it,” she says. Seblani’s surprising first day set the bar a little higher than she expected, as she would soon see. “How the people treat you is very different. People say hi, they’re nice to you, they are patient and you can ask anyone for help. In Saudi, you can’t do that. Nobody wants to talk—it’s too hot, no one has time to talk! You go on a picnic in Saudi, and after, you’ll hate yourself—it’s that hot.”

The English language and the TOEFL were only minor obstacles on Rewa Seblani’s path to success. Seblani is from Flewa, Lebanon, and is a grad student in plant pathology. She is attending Iowa State in hopes that she’ll be referred to as ‘Dr. Seblani’ sooner rather than later.

Alnasser admits the welcoming atmosphere has helped him settle in.

Arriving in the summer of 2013, this is Seblani’s second year in Ames. English may be a challenge to some, but for her, being raised in Lebanon helped.

“When I came to America, I couldn’t even speak a single English sentence. People took time to figure out what I was trying to say. At ISU, people are accepting,” he says. Alnasser has since been back to Saudi, most recently in the summer of 2014, for an internship with SABIC in its inspection department.

“We [Lebanese] learn English from kindergarten on and it’s intense. We learn it so well, that we may know how to write better in English than most Americans—in communication though, the accent is what throws some people off it seems,” she says.

This past summer was an eye-opener for him. Alnasser admits that the first three years at Iowa State were tough and tedious in regard to his studies. He had yet to fully comprehend how much he had learned until his fellow employees were astounded by the amount he knew.

“In Lebanon, I may be more cautious about how I act. Here, I don’t give a shit as much—I’m here to do my best. I can be myself.”

“Everyone was amazed. They kept asking, ‘How the hell do you know that?’ The senior manager was coming to my desk at least two or three times a week to chat about the States and engineering techniques, and was amazed by what (ISU) had taught me,” he says.

For her too, Iowa State’s reputation was intriguing; however, what sparked her interest was Iowa in particular. Seblani believes it’s a great place for agriculture and this is what helped her make the decision to join the Cyclone Nation.

The crew at SABIC was so impressed, the senior manager wants him to work for them when he’s out of college, which if all goes as well, will be this spring. He just hopes he can remember some English when he goes back home.

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Things weren’t so easy though (are they ever?) Graduate students too, felt the blow of the ‘Economic Crisis’ in 2011 and still feel it throbbing today. “It’s challenging now especially, because before the economic crisis in 2011

“The first day I was here, my brother was helping me move in, and we were walking to our apartment. We’re on the sidewalk, we see a girl with a huge chest and the shirt was see-through, without anything under. There she was, breasts very noticeable, and it was no big deal to her. I’m there like, ‘This definitely isn’t Lebanon anymore...”

A Home Away From Home? For Alnasser, Seblani and many students, there are many services that Iowa State provides. For those traveling abroad, there are student ambassadors, the ‘Iowa State Visits You’ program and the International Student Council—just some of the multiple ways for students to enjoy their collegiate life and make people feel at home. Kimberly Woo never actually visited Iowa State before deciding to enroll. Woo is from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and majors in journalism and mass communications with a minor in performing arts. She had lived in a big city for her entire life before coming to ISU. In December of 2013, Woo moved to the city of Ames, but not only that—it was the first time she’d ever been to the United States. “I wanted something different, to see something new and different from what I was used to… the first time I came to America, I moved to America. It was my first time on my own, at the age of 19, and I couldn’t wrap my head around it—it was crazy,” she says.

Woo has since enjoyed her time at the university. From being in crowds at football games and participating as a student ambassador, to loving Iowa’s cold weather and experiencing her very first ‘tornado scare.’ However, Woo is faced with a dilemma in which she is torn between both of her worlds. “I haven’t been home in two years and I’m so used to the life I have here. Ames is my second home. It’s scary to think about going home (to Malaysia.) I came here at 19 and I’m not the same teenager I was when I arrived. I really had to build my own life here and build from ground zero. Of course it was hard and tough, a lot of things were so different. But now that I’ve made friends and connections, I’ll graduate in spring 2016 and I have three months to get a job in America. After those three months, if I don’t get a job then I’m sent home for good,” Woo says.

Malaysian—but because I’ve built my own life here, it’s hard for me to leave. I can’t just say goodbye,” says Woo. “I’ve almost integrated so much, that all these little details come up as a reminder that I’m still an ‘alien’. It’s a major reality check, and it’s hard sometimes.” Woo knows the situation that she’s in. “They say college shapes who you are, and your friends in college are your real friends. It’s where you grow into your expertise and

it’s your life and job. But for me to think that there’s a 50% chance that I have to say goodbye to all of that, and take only my expertise and degrees with me—I’d have to start from scratch again. I try not to think about that,” she says. But, like other international students, Woo is happy with the time she has spent here. “Every moment here, I try to appreciate and enjoy.”

Unlike those who are born in the United States, international students must, again, apply for visas, watch for deadlines and go through the proper channels in order to get a job. This too, is not a quick course of action and even if they’re multilingual, three months isn’t a long time. “What if I’m sent home for good? I’ll have to leave all my friends here. I’m torn between these two places, which to me, I probably shouldn’t be because in reality, Malaysia is my home. I’ve changed so much that I can’t separate these two. I’ll always be

Iowa’s

Homeless

Youth:

Alex’s Story

The story of a young man’s journey through dysfunctional families, the foster care system and homelessness in Iowa.

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BY JADEN URBI DESIGN HAILEY PADGETT PHOTO MEREDITH KESTEL

The story of a young man’s journey through dysfunctional families, the foster care system and homelessness in Iowa. “I know I really shouldn’t brag about this, but the other night I made a pretty awesome bed out of these boxes at the corner of a gas station. I had a box pillow, walls and everything,” Alex says with an overly anxious laugh. To a few people nearby, his comment cut through the overlying hum of the restaurant noise. Their attention immediately veered from their lunchtime conversations, or lack thereof, and straight to Alex, but their eyes quickly darted back to their half eaten, half picked-apart trays of food when they realized they were staring.

“Every time he went outside to play, he got jumped and had knives pulled on him” On the exterior, it would have looked like any other college kid sitting down for a casual lunch. Alex wore his worn-out blue jeans and plain white t-shirt. His thin-wired glasses fit snug to his face and his sandy blonde hair lay close to his head, barely reaching the middle of his forehead. After lunch, Alex sat down and shared his story, where he has come from and how he got to where he is today. The following is an excerpt from Alex’s story: Alex originally went into foster care as a baby. His dad was strung out on drugs and his mom was abusive. “Tons of them, he loved them—so I guess I know where I got it from,” says Alex. His mom was an alcoholic. One night his dad had a drug-induced night terror and snapped his brother’s leg. Alex and his siblings were all taken out of the house and bounced around foster homes. “There was a time when I didn’t know who my real parents were. It was all twisted

in my head—some confusing shit for a 5-year-old,” recalls Alex. Alex went back with his parents when he was five. “Everything started off great. It was like we were a normal family. We smiled,” Alex says. Then his mom started to get angry, and his dad started doing drugs again. His brother Matt started to act out and he and his brother Johnny started to follow in his footsteps, that’s when they got physically abusive. His dad kept doing drugs and over time Matt and Johnny got into them too, eventually influencing Alex to start. When he was eight years old, he smoked pot for the first time. A few years after Alex moved back in with his family, they moved to the bad part of Dubuque. Alex lived across the street from two drug dealers. Every time he went outside to play, he got jumped and had knives pulled on him. “Eight years old and getting knives pulled on me—the hell is that? There wasn’t five minutes of my day where I wasn’t getting punched by somebody. I guess it toughened me up,” Alex concludes. Around the time when Alex was 11 he was taken out of the house because his mother beat Johnny for the first time and Alex stood up to her. None of his family had stood up to her before and she didn’t know how to take it. She beat Alex until he bled, and he had a scratch across his chest that was dripping blood. She called the cops on him saying that he was acting out in an aggressive manner and that he needed to be taken from the home. The cops came and arrested him. “Full on arrest, slammed me into the cop car. I saw my own blood smeared onto the hood of the car,” Alex says. It wasn’t until two or three months later that the cops decided that there might be some abuse going on. From there Alex went to a foster home. The first little bit was okay, but then his foster father began to get pushy with Alex. One day Alex was out riding his bike—he had bad asthma at the time. His foster father pulled his truck out in front of him, stopping Alex he walked up to him and pulled his

back tire and flipped him off the bike. Alex smacked his chest on the handlebar and he couldn’t breathe. “I was in the middle of the highway, just on the ground. I couldn’t breathe,” continues Alex. As he was laying in the middle of the road, his foster father put the bike in the back of his truck and drove away. Alex walked hours to get back into Dubuque and decided he was going to run away. “I slept outside, I mean I slept outside in the middle of a blizzard, anything, I wasn’t going back,” he says. Eventually Alex turned himself in because he needed food, water and a roof over his head. His whole family refused to talk to him. He went back to the shelter and then to yet another abusive foster home. One day it got so bad that he called one of his social workers and told them, “I will not go back there, I don’t feel safe. I want you to take me out.” And they did. After that, Alex went back to the shelter. “This time I was just really angry. Anything someone did, I’d punch them. Didn’t matter,” says Alex. Following the shelter, he went to another foster home. “I was always angry, but not as angry as I lead myself on to be. I was always doing drugs and stuff, I was really depressed, like super depressed and I let it all come across as anger. I ended up overdosing. I did it on purpose. I tried to kill myself,” Alex remembers. From there he went to a psych ward, and when he came out, his foster parents said that since he was unstable, he was unfit to be around their three daughters. “I would never cause their daughters harm. They know that I would never do anything to harm a child. Never,” says Alex. His anger got a lot worse—and it was real. Alex’s friends were all scared of him. He went to a different shelter and it was a lot worse. There were constantly cops on duty and he started riots when he was there. There was a fight every day. “One day there was a fight so bad, that the staff actually locked themselves in a room

with shatterproof glass windows and the cops were called and I loved it. I just loved the chaos,” he says. Alex went to another foster home. “My foster mother was really nice to me, she was kind, she was caring, everything that I didn’t want because that meant that I had no reason to hate her. I kind of needed help, you know? I was on drugs, I was angry, drinking a lot. I tried to get her to call the cops on me,” he recalls. He punched walls and yelled and told her to call the cops, but she said no. He destroyed everything he could, but she still said no. He went inside and started punching the walls again, and then his foster brother started talking down to him, saying something about how he takes after his mother. Alex told him that he would kill him, and meant it. That’s when she called the cops. “I got her to the point where she had no choice. Cops got there and I was standing there with a smile on my face, looking just as cocky as could be. She didn’t deserve any of that.” They took Alex back to the shelter with the cops. “The more I thought about it, the more I hated myself for the things I did. I could have gone about it in a different way and

she still didn’t give up on me,” he says with remorse. The foster mother that he had pushed to the edge kept coming to visit him, she kept coming to see him, kept bringing him food. He didn’t get calls from any of his family—he hadn’t talked to them in four years. “My foster mom came up and gave me food, came up and called me. When I refused to talk to her she’d come up and sit in a room with me, just sit there because I wouldn’t talk,” says Alex. After that, he went to treatment. The first visit that he got while in treatment was from her. The first phone call, first letter, it was her. “She was always kind to me and I fucked her over terribly and there’s not a day that I will forgive myself for that. When I was in treatment I really started to focus on myself and do what I needed to do. I got my life together,” Alex says. Alex was going to be a college football player—he even had Division 1 schools looking at him. His junior year in high school he snapped his collarbone. He walked out of the weight room crying and started doing drugs again. This is when he decided that he was going to kill himself. “I went to AMP (Achieving Maximum Potential) Camp, an annual camp put on for

“The more I thought about it, the more I hated myself for what I did”

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“He didn’t get calls from any of his family—he hadn’t talked to them in four years.”

“This time I’m going to get my life together and it’s not going to go down again. I won’t let it. Not again”

foster youth in the AMP programs across Iowa. I met a lot of great people. They saved my life,” says Alex. After AMP Camp he went back to the drugs. Since then he’s been doing drugs fairly steadily. “I’ve had guns pulled on me, I’ve had knives pulled on me. Each time nothing changed. I just survived like I always did. I was a survivor. I would push through it, I would get my way out,” says Alex. Just recently, Alex’s friends were robbed by a tweaker. “My buddies were looking for him and he knew that, so he wanted to send a message to my friends through me. He pulled a gun at me, pointed it at my chest. I stopped, thought through my entire life, everyone I had fucked over, everyone I had hurt, everyone I continued to hurt. I told him to pull the trigger because I just wanted to die. That was about a week ago,” says Alex.

Every time Alex wants to give up he thinks about all the people that he’s hurt. “I can’t give up because the people that I’ve hurt have still been there for me. The people that I’ve hurt have pushed through their own issues and they still try to help me and I don’t deserve it. I don’t know, it’s just a lot of shit that I put myself through, and I know that,” he says. Alex is using all of the bad things that he’s done to force himself to stay on the right path. He thinks about all the people who he’ll lose, one a lot more than others, and thinks it’s just not worth it at all. That’s why he’s pushing himself to be sober.

Now, he’s staying in a homeless shelter, trying to get a license and doing everything to get his life back together.

“I’ve been sober for a fucking week. I’ve been looking for jobs. Trying to keep myself in check. Keep myself calm when I’m in the shelter. This time I’m going to get my life together and it’s not going to go down again. I won’t let it. Not again. Not over something stupid. Not because something bad happens to me, there’s no reason. I’m going to get my life together and I’m going to keep it together, no matter what it takes,” assures Alex.

“I should be getting ready to start my second year of college. I shouldn’t have gone back to drugs. It isn’t easy at all. I’ve wanted to give up like a thousand times already and it’s only been six days,” confesses Alex.

AMP is a youth-driven statewide group that seeks to unleash the full potential for personal growth among foster and adoptive children in Iowa. For more information on AMP, please visit ampiowa.org

CYBERSECURITY: HALTING HACKERS How to protect yourself and why it matters. BY RACHEL VIPOND DESIGN MIKAYLA LARSON PHOTO LU CAI

If you don’t have a fingerprint scanner on your phone, you probably have a passcode or pattern enabled. Text message verifications now flood in when you log into banking apps, and you’ve been told that using the same password for every thing is bad. Maybe this password is your pet’s name or you’re one of those using “password,” which has consistently been listed as the most widely used password on the internet. Whether it is poor password choices or weak security on sites you visit, something has to be done to combat threats to your personal data. Cybersecurity is the word on everyone’s lips, but what exactly is it and what does it do? A broader term for cybersecurity is “information assurance,” explains Professor Doug Jacobson of the ISU Information Assurance Center and on faculty for electrical and computer engineering. This gets to the heart of what cybersecurity is all about—protecting your data. Referencing the CIA model of confidentiality, Jacobson explained that cybersecurity means more than just keeping your credit card numbers away from hackers. It aims to maintain your information as it fits your needs—maintaining the integrity of your information, keeping it available to you when you need it, or confidential when it is for your eyes only. It’s likely you’ve caught a headline or two about the nude celebrity photos that were leaked from their iCloud accounts recently. Sparking scandal and talk of lawsuits, it’s no wonder that cybersecurity is a hot topic.

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Iowa State has taken note of the demand for better cybersecurity. In fact, Senator Chuck Grassley spoke at Iowa State earlier this year on the topic, and the university has received $2.38 million to promote cybersecurity. Cyber-defense competitions are put on across the country, with students and amateurs doing their best to break through firewalls or resist attacks. So, what does all this hype mean for the average Blackboard-using, smartphone-addicted, Facebook-browsing college student? As it turns out, a lot. If you use Facebook, online banking, heck, if you’re a student at Iowa State, you have personal data online. Cybersecurity is what keeps that data in the place you want it, and away from those who would exploit it. “People approach the computer as a harmless device, an inanimate object that can’t hurt [them].... but it does provide direct access to people who do want to hurt [them],” says Jacobson. A reason cybersecurity is more important now than ever is that hackers can make money off their exploits. “The hackers used to be in it for the thrill of the game, but now it’s a huge criminal enterprise,” explains Jacobson. Once your data is stolen, they set up websites to sell it to the highest bidder.

To address this problem, certain institutions are stepping up to educate and make people more “security literate.”

it’s inconvenient to unlock your house– it’s inconvenient to push the buttons to your apartment.”

“To sit there and tell somebody to make a good password doesn’t really tell them anything. Unless they know why—what a password [does] for me and what does it not—these lists of things for them to do [to be more secure] have no context,” Jacobson says.

Some apps, like 1Password, attempt to make multifactor authentication a little simpler. 1Password creates strong passwords for sites that it encrypts and stores, controlled by a master password that you create as well as biometric data. Its design allows for higher security with fewer steps.

Iowa State is meeting these literacy needs with classes and education efforts. In fact, any student can take COMP E 131, a course in cybersecurity. The government is making an effort to teach the public as well: the “Stop. Think. Connect.” educational campaign aims to teach public about cybersecurity threats and what they should do to protect themselves through simple modules on a website. Back to those fingerprint scanners. Have you noticed that your passcode is generally required in addition to your fingerprint scan when you first turn on your phone? This is called multifactor authentication, and you use it every time something requires an email or text confirmation, or you trigger a security question. These have been met with some resistance because they require an extra step and therefore more time. That being said, extra time shouldn’t keep you from embracing multifactor authentication—passwords by themselves just aren’t that secure. Coupling the password with another form of proof that it’s you unlocking your iPhone? Much more secure. “There is a tradeoff between security and convenience,” explains Jacobson, “but

Security is often either hyped up to the point of paranoia—think that uncle who forwards you chain emails about internet conspiracy theories—or ignored almost completely (have you used the same password for everything since MySpace was still a thing?). The key to keeping a level head is knowing some of the basics. For instance, it’s important to know that personal computers are by default what Jacobson refers to as “exit only doors.” This means that bugs and viruses will attack your computer only if you let them in. If you’re not running a server (and you likely aren’t), you have the ultimate say in what comes into your computer. Knowing this, it makes sense that you should be choosy with the websites you visit, the email attachments you open and the software you download. If they’re from reputable sources, you’re probably safe. Security technology can be alienating and confusing, but breaking it down can make cybersecurity useful and achieve its purpose: protecting you.

To recap the beneﬁts of cybersecurity, Jacobson offered ﬁve tips to the average student to improve their security. If you change anything about your habits, make it these:

1 2 3

Run a ﬁrewall on your computer, and antivirus or malware software. As to which brand is best, Jacobson says, “They’re all the same. Pick one, run something.” Be leery. Though in general Midwesterners tend to be quite trusting, this shouldn’t carry over to their computer use. Always look at your credit card or debit card transactions for oddities. Small, $0.89 iTunes purchases and other “microtransactions” are a way hackers check to see if they can get away with bigger purchases. If your information has been stolen and you don’t catch these, chances are that the account-draining purchases will come only a day or so after the small ones. Because of this, Jacobson mentioned that credit cards could offer more security than debit cards because they actively monitor purchases for odd purchase locations or unusually high purchases.

4 5

Be careful when sharing passwords with others—or don’t do it at all. This is especially true for sharing within relationships—what if it goes sour and they’re holding a grudge? Change your passwords often. “I always tell people: when you change your Facebook status, change your password,” says Jacobson. Even if it’s something as mundane as a Facebook account or an email account, being hacked can do a lot of damage.

FINDING FIDO

Swipe right for your new best friend: how ‘Tinder for Dogs’ can help

BY KELSEY RINDFLEISCH DESIGN MIKAYLA LARSON PHOTO KEVIN BURGONI

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As this magazine is a student-run publication, I think it’s safe to assume that our readership has at least some familiarity with the dating/hookup app Tinder, along with cheap liquor and turning down for what. I, for one, have never had much interest in such an app—my phone is primarily used to do crossword puzzles and google vitally important things like “smiling baby wombat.” However, I was forced to take a break from figuring out a 10-letter word for “floralscented rapper” (which is, incidentally, “Lilac Wayne”) and take notice when a very interesting new concept was introduced to me: Tinder for dogs. This has been created in the form of an iPhone app called BarkBuddy, though its premise isn’t what you might think. At first mention, BarkBuddy seems like it could be one of two things: a forum in which fluff-deprived humans such as myself can find nice (if a bit too trusting of the general population) dog owners who will let us track them down and put our hands on their pet, or a forum for dog-to-dog communication in which owners can set their dogs up on weird little dates in which they wear tiny bow ties and bonnets.

Though Hegland and her associates turned out to be unaware of BarkBuddy’s existence entirely (the app apparently just saps data from other online adoption resources like PetFinder), she reported that many dogs and cats have been able to find a home through online resources. “The Internet really helps,” she says. “It helps people to see the pictures and learn a little bit more about the dogs.” Adoption sites and apps like BarkBuddy afford dogs and cats who otherwise might not have found a home a chance to catch the eye of prospective owners from miles away. Hegland said multiple people have come to Jewell from states as far as Texas, just to adopt an animal they saw and fell in love with online.

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However, neither of those are the case. BarkBuddy is intended to be used by would-be pet owners to locate adoptable dogs nearby. Much to my disappointment, I had to sign into the app as my lame human self and did not get to create a fun Tinder-esque profile for my thousand-year-old Shih Tzu, Brook. Please note that I went ahead and did this anyway (see photo) and it was very fun. It was also a surprising amount of work (I had to make an email account for my dog, you guys. You can hit her up at gobbledybrook@gmail.com). BarkBuddy, like Tinder, requires you to sign in with your Facebook profile. It then uses your location to pinpoint dogs in need of a home near you, and you are asked to swipe left or right on their photos. If you swipe left, the dog disappears from the screen and you are shown a new furry friend but if you swipe right, the dog is saved into a list of favorites that you can access at any time. However, I firmly believe every dog is a perfect living creature and thus was emotionally incapable of swiping left on any of the dogs I saw. Under the “favorites” tab, you can see a map with pushpins displaying the locations of each of the dogs. You can also tap on an individual dog to view his or her profile and share it through text, email or social media, or to contact the owner and begin the adoption process. Since most shelters or owners require some sort of adoption application form to ensure their animals are going to a safe home, BarkBuddy also allows users to sign up to get pre-approved for adoption. While individual owners are able to use the app to place their dogs for adoption, all of the dogs I found on BarkBuddy were being kept at animal hospitals for now. Purely for journalistic reasons and certainly not just because I wanted to spend an afternoon petting dogs, I took a trip to Jewell Animal Hospital to make the acquaintance of some of the pups I found on BarkBuddy. There I spoke to veterinary assistant Ariel Hegland, who graciously spent a portion of her workday introducing to me adoptable dogs and listening to me make a series of distinctly inhuman noises as I proved myself incapable of handling such cuteness. Dogs and cats are regularly brought into Jewell Animal Hospital as strays, owner surrenders, or rescues from puppy mills—and since the hospital is a no-kill shelter, that’s where the animals remain until they are adopted.

Brook, 98 less than a mile away

Active just now

About Brook

Loving life in Cedar Rapids, IA. If you’re looking for a bubbly and effervescent companion, I suggest you befriend a bottle of champagne instead. Ha ha! Just kidding! I’m sure you can quite clearly tell from my photos that I am very vivacious and fun. One time I ate a bumblebee!

Unfortunately, dogs like the ones on BarkBuddy are often overlooked in favor of purebred puppies from breeders and trendy “designer dogs.” Hegland strongly encourages owners to steer clear of breeders. “They’re just in it for the money, basically,” she says. “There are just so many animals out there already and we don’t need people to be breeding them. There are so many unwanted cats, unwanted dogs—it’s just crazy.” Online resources like BarkBuddy and PetFinder can help you find dogs of any age or breed, and rather than dropping upwards of a thousand dollars on a Maltipoo from a breeder, you can rescue a similar dog from your local shelter or animal hospital. While the BarkBuddy app had a far different purpose than what I was expecting, it is a superb tool for what it does. It takes the process of finding a new pet and simplifies it significantly. If you’re in the market for a new best friend, I strongly suggest you take this app for a spin—it’ll surely be a pawsitive experience.

WHO DO

YOU THINK YOU ARE?!? If you’re willing to put your wall of masculinity down, you can enjoy the show—and become a Brony. BY KELLY SCHIRO DESIGN EMERALD KLAUER ILLUSTRATION AMBER KLOOTWYK PHOTO TOMHAS HUNKE

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My Little Pony is a half hour show meant for young girls. Neither the writers nor the creators of the show imagined the fan base expanding to men and women of all ages, but that’s exactly what’s happened. “Bronies” are people over the target age of My Little Pony who enjoy watching the show. We found an Iowa State junior who identiﬁes as a Brony to explain his fascination with the cartoon and what being a “Brony” truly means. Ethos: When did you first hear about My Little Pony? Brony: It was back a couple years ago when I was a sophomore in high school. I was looking at the site KnowYourMeme, and it was one of the articles that was posted. I looked at it and got interested. E: What was your initial impression of the show? B: Usually the shows are supposed to be mindless, just for the kids. But this show tries to do more than that—it entertains kids and adults as well. You get involved. The show makes sure of that. E: How often do you watch the show? B: When I can. I watch it when I’m not busy with college and whenever I need to calm down. E: How long do the episodes last? B: They make about 20 to 26 episodes per season and they’re about 30 minutes, 20 if you take out the commercials. E: What generations do you watch? B: I’ve just watched the newest generation, it’s on now. The newest generation is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. They’ve revamped their line and made a show to promote merchandise. E: How do you watch the show? B: Sometimes I’m able to catch it on TV but otherwise I have to watch it online. It’s on Hub Network. E: What keeps you so engaged? B: Its always been about the characters and whether you care about them or not, how they develop and change over the course of the seasons, and the lessons they learn. You get kind of caught up in the characters. E: What happens in a typical episode? B: It typically focuses on one of the six main

characters and how she has a predicament and how her friends try to help her out. Then she finds something in herself to fix her problem; in the end they learn some sort of moral about friendship. There are life lessons that you can learn either as a kid or an adult. E: Who is the intended audience? B: I think it’s for young girls about six to ten, or four to eight. It has grown out of the original audience and the writers and makers of the show have taken notice and have adjusted what they do accordingly. E: What is your definition of a Brony? B: It’s just someone who watches My Little Pony and likes it. They can be male or female— ‘Bronies’ is what has stuck the most. There are some female fans that call themselves ‘Pega Sisters.’ E: When did you consider yourself a Brony? B: After the first half of the first season, I decided that I liked the show. In the beginning I thought it was weird that there were all of these adults so dedicated to a show that’s targeted to little girls—it’s strange. E: Are there a lot of people online who are Bronies? B: Just about everywhere you go there’s a special My Little Pony thread or a subforum. There’s definitely a sub-Reddit. They normally form a subforum on the big sites like Know Your Meme and 4chan. If there are two or more Bronies there’s definitely going to be something going on. There’s also a few dedicated My Little Pony sites, mostly the Equestria Daily where people get their news and community events. E: Do you know any other Bronies? B: Yeah, I used to go to high school with a couple of them, and I know at least a couple in college. They mentioned My Little Pony, and then I mentioned My Little Pony, and they went, “Oooooohhh.”

with it. There are people who are like “Ewwwwhhhh,” but nothing bad. There are those trolls who just like to harass you online. It’s the classic “you’re gay” or you like this really gross stuff like My Little Pony porn— and stuff like that. It’s on the internet; they’re not yelling in my face. There’s a disconnect. E: In real life how do people treat you? B: They joke about it, but it’s just a friendly jab. E: What are some misconceptions about Bronies? B: We don’t all look at My Little Pony porn, we’re not all gay, we’re not all men, we’re not all neck beards, we’re not all white men who watch it in their basements—there’s a wide variety of people who watch the show. E: Have you been in any awkward situations? B: I was talking to another Brony and there used to be this fan-made game that was taken down by Hasbro who makes My Little Pony. That guy was really mad, he went on this huge emotional rant that was way too extreme for me. It was just like “OK.” It was very uncomfortable. E: What was the game? B: It was like a fighting game that some fans of the show were making. It was getting a lot of buzz and even showed up at some popular e-sport competitions. Hasbro had to use a cease and desist order on its development and people got really mad. I was excited for it, but it was a fan-made game and Hasbro had the right to cease and desist. E: Do you have a favorite character and why? B: I like the character Fluttershy. She’s one of the kindest and nicest characters, and she’s very shy, but she’s got a heart of gold and cares about everybody. I’m shy, a bit of an introvert and can relate to having to get out of your comfort zone for your friends.

E: Are you ever nervous to mention My Little Pony? B: Yeah, I mean, in the end I like a show that’s originally targeted to little girls, so there’s social stigma that comes with that. The fan base can get really, really dedicated and can get too extreme for me. People associate those extremes with me, even though I don’t do them at all. E: Have you ever experienced any harassment or negativity? B: Not particularly, some people are okay

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