OPINION

NOVEMBER 1, 2021 | NORTHERNIOWAN.COM | VOLUME 118, ISSUE 19 Disclaimer: The following opinion articles featured do not reflect the opinion of the Northern Iowan newspaper or staff as a whole. Bones or no bones

STESHKA WILEMS/COURTESY PHOTO MATTHEW HENERY/COURTESY PHOTO

Noodle the TikTok sensation is a 13 year old pug that loves to sleep and is the newest craze on the internet. When Noodle stands up, this signifies a bones day for everyone.

ABIGAIL SAATHOFF

Opinion Columnist

If you’re like me, each morning you wake up, roll over and grab your phone and scroll through TikTok, anxious to see if Noodle, a 13-year-old pug has bones or not. When Noodle the pug wakes up each morning, his owner Jonathan Graziano attempts to stand him up. If Noodle stands, it’s a bones day, but if he falls, it is a bones day.

If it’s a bones day, that means that it’s going to be a good day. This is what people hope for the day they have to turn in a massive project or participate in a terrifying interview. A bone’s day is where you can feel safe trying something new.

If it’s a no bones day, that means that today is probably going to be a little bit “ruff.” This is the day that you can sit inside all day, sleep in and just take some time to give yourself a little self-care. This is the perfect day to take a long shower, throw on a face mask and a day where you hopefully won’t have anything important to do.

This pug has ravaged the nation with millions of people falling in love with the adorable pug and allowing it to determine what kind of day we are going to have. The pug is trending on TikTok, getting millions of views on each video with people writing songs about the pug, drawing him and more. Even news stations like NPR, Today, CNN and the Washington Post have picked up the story. In my own home, my roommates have begun sending messages in our group chat, notifying me whether or not it is a bones day.

Something about this adorable pug has attracted people. Noodle gives an almost Groundhog Day experience every single day, bringing people joy. It gives people the validation they need to embrace their good days, and accept their bad ones. Neil Dagnall, a reader in applied cognitive psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University in England, in an interview with CNN stated, “Life is full of uncertainty and Noodle’s actions provide a form of guidance and reassurance to some people.”

Dagnall is exactly right with his words. Since the start of the pandemic, people have been searching for a sense of security, and everything that Noodle does works to guide us on our way. In an interview with the Washington Post, Lisa Haberman, a media and marketing consultant and UCLA extension adjust professor agreed, saying, “I think that Noodle is the personification of how we all feel. We’re all exhausted; we’re all overwhelmed. We all want to have a no bones day. And I think Noodle just kind of empowers us to push back a little bit.”

Now I think we can all agree that bones days and no bones days are equally wonderful for different reasons. Bones days remind up to give our everything to the day, and no bones days remind us to step back and take a moment for ourselves. So check out @jongraz and see what the pug has to say today!

UNI students debate distance and in-person learning

PATIENCE KAUZLARICH

Opinion Columnist

Editors note: This article references mental health strugggles. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health please call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800) 273-8255.

In 2019, the COVID19 virus struck the United States, throwing us all into a state of emergency. Since then, the U.S. has begun to loosen restrictions on what citizens can do, where they can be and how they do those activities. One of the changes this year included sending students back to school.

In March 2019, spring break turned into summer, and summer ended up being an entire year long. Many students, new and old, had their preferences when returning to campus this semester. Avery Schweitzer, a senior family services major, spoke to me about her experiences the past four years at UNI, including her thoughts on distance learning.

“I’ve never been an overly social person, so I enjoyed distance learning,” Schweitzer said. She has been at the university since her freshman year. She’s lived in the dorms, in a small apartment and is now living in a home off-campus with three other roommates.

“Being in a small space sometimes added challenges last year. It was hard to find space and time for people to do their activities in the living room when three other people were also trying to do schoolwork from home.”

For Schweitzer, her grades improved while learning from home. When asked why this was, she explained that learning in a comfortable environment was easier for her. Doing homework, talking with professors and maintaining a healthy lifestyle was easier for Schweitzer, who felt that distance learning was less stressful. Schweitzer said having class online made it easier to complete schoolwork and have a somewhat normal social life. Upon returning to campus this year, she is fully vaccinated and chooses to wear a mask when she feels it will keep others safe.

“One thing that makes me uneasy about coming back to campus is the fact that so many people aren’t vaccinated and still choose not to wear masks. I am and know plenty of people that are immunocompromised, and it’s scary to think I have to put my life at risk to get an education.”

While Schweitzer enjoyed distance learning, not every student felt the same way. Another senior, who asked to remain anonymous, spoke about their struggles while locked at home.

“At first, I was like yeah sweet, a long vacation. But eventually, being locked at home took a toll on my mental health,” the senior stated. At home, the UNI student has a parent battling leukemia. This made it very hard to be social and interact with anyone other than roommates.

According to the CDC in the article, National and State Trends in Anxiety and Depression Severity Scores Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, 2020–2021, depression and anxiety rates increased 13% in August 2020. In Iowa alone, the average depression severity test score increased from 1.87 to 2.14. This UNI student happened to be part of that increase, suffering from major depressive disorder and anxiety.

“My anxiety was always so high. I could never go home and found myself stuck in my room, stuck in my bed, all day.” Some days seemed worse than others, but things took a turn for the worse in July 2020, only four months after the pandemic began.

“I was admitted to the hospital after a suicide attempt.” The student talked about how being shut out from the world and without a regular schedule hurt them in a way they never knew possible.

“Returning to school this year has been helpful to me in so many ways. I have my job back, I can see my friends and family, and I feel like my life is slowly becoming normal again,” they claimed.

While every student has their own opinions on distance learning, being pulled away from a normal schedule was very difficult for everyone. Within the next few months, both students hope that life as we know it becomes more and more “the way it once was.”