Reflector Magazine, Fall 2015

VOLUME 88 | FALL 2015

BREAKING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER

TYING TOGETHER BDSM & THE ‘BORO “BUT THEN ‘PROJECT RUNWAY’ AIRED”

Battling Depression On Campus

Student Approved Destination Getaway

A Guide to Cultural Sensitivity Launguages Around Campus Surprise Anxiety If I Just Try Hard Enough Blurred Lines BDSM in the BORO No Rhyme, No Reason The Design Life Beating Fashion Norms Off the Beaten Path Destination Nashville

PAGE DESIGNED BY ALEX SMITH

Always Take the Risk

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Hello Georgia Southern! You are now holding the newest and latest edition of Reflector Magazine! How much luckier could you get? This is going to be the highlight of your day—just you wait. Within these sacred pages are in-depth features and articles on issues typically considered taboo and not something you’d find in your average, normal life. We’re talking about subjects such as alcoholism, anorexia and bulimia, and depression and anxiety. There is even a piece that dives into the world of BDSM.

Letter from the Editor

But it’s not all dark and heavy, trust me. We’ve got a nice warm and fuzzy story about a talented student and one about people who know how to speak multiple languages. We even plan a destination getaway for you. I know, aren’t we nice? No need to thank us just yet though. Read through the pages, gaze at the pictures, don’t be afraid to grab tissues if you feel the need, whether because of laughter or sadness. Please just grab them and cry. Because despite the in-depth look into the non-average but incredibly common lives, the staff worked incredibly hard on this little magazine being held in your hands right now. A lot of blood, sweat and tears were contributed to making the perfection that you see before you. And I mean that literally. Now, I don’t want to spoil anything else for you. So flip the page and enjoy. See ya on the flip side! Reflector Magazine Editor Tayler Critchlow

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Staff list Editor-in-Chief Reflector Editor Creative Manager Magazines Visual Chief Design Editor Designers

Contributors

Jeff Licciardello Tayler Critchlow Hailey Smith Maya Gleason Alex Smith Rebecca Davis Erin Fortenberry Mara Suarez Skyler Black Julia Fetcher Asya Fields Macy Holloway Donna Jones Michelle Pratt Yasmeen Waliaga

Business Manager Distribution Manager Marketing Manager Public Relations Coordinator Reflector Relations Manager

Taylor Norman Manuel Girbal Cydney Long Lauren Little Emily Arnold

Director of Student Media Business Coordinator

David Simpson Samantha Reid

Mission Statement The Reflector is copyrighted 2015 by Reflector Magazine and Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Ga. It is printed by South Georgia Graphics, Claxton, Ga. The Reflector is operated by GSU students who are members of Student Media, a Georgia Southern student-led organization operating through the Dean of Student Affairs Office and the Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management. The magazine is produced twice a year by GSU students for the Georgia Southern University community. Opinions expressed herein are those of the student writers and editors and DO NOT reflect those of the faculty, staff, administration of GSU, Student Media Advisory Board nor the University System of Georgia.

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Partial funding for this publication is provided by the GSU Activities Budget Committee. Advertisements fund the remaining costs. Advertising inquiries may be sent to Office of Student Media, PO Box 8001, or by calling the Business Office at 912-478-5418. Inquiries concerning content should be sent to Magazine EIC Jeff Licciardello by emailing magseditor@georgiasouthern.edu. All students are allowed to have one free copy of this publication. Additional copies cost $1 each and are available at the Office of Student Media in the Williams Center. Unauthorized removal of additional copies from a distribution site will constitute theft under Georgia law, a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine and/or jail time.

Cuisine & Culture

A GUIDE TO

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY BY Asya Fields

PAGE DESIGNED BY HAILEY SMITH

With the diversity of the nation growing as the years go by, many people do not understand what it means to be culturally sensitive. Cultural sensitivity as defined by the Psychology Dictionary is the “consciousness and understanding of the morals, standards, and principles of a specific culture, society, and ethnic group or race, joined by a motivation to acclimate to one’s actions with such.”

Although the definition may be confusing to some, it can be made simpler by saying that it’s a way to respect other people who may not be the same as you — whether that’s in race or ethnic group. Everyone has their own definitions and diverse definitions can help people determine whether they are or are not being culturally sensitive. Chris Ogletree, senior multimedia communications

Be open to discussion. Don’t walk on eggshells. Skirting around the issue and not asking questions is probably the worst thing possible when trying to be open about another person’s culture, custom, or religion.

major, feels that cultural sensitivity is “being cautious of how you interact or communicate to other people who are different than you.” The city of Statesboro can be considered a diverse area, with the amount of minorities that come here for education. Though the area has experienced a lot of cultural growth in the past years, some people may not understand when they are being culturally insensitive, or

Educate yourself It never hurts to do a little reasearch. By taking the step to educate yourself from either online sources or through workshops, you can have some background information and be better prepared for for having open conversations.

even how to recognize it in themselves. “I think Statesboro is culturally cautious, but not culturally sensitive compared to other locations that are more diverse,” Jerry Jones, senior chemistry major, said. There are various techniques and methods that a person can utilize to increase their cultural sensitivity.

Celebrate diversity. This will help increase cultural acceptance by allowing people to fully embrace and accept another’s culture. Show that you recognize the differences, this could be as simple as hosting a dinner with everyone bringing a dish from their home country.

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Q&A Suhaniya Aumbhagavan

LANGUAGES AROUND CAMPUS BY TAYLeR Critchlow Language unites people and crosses borders. In many countries it is the norm to be fluent in more than two or three languages, whereas in the United States, most are proud to have a basic understanding of a single second language. Though that isn’t the case with all, there are some students on Georgia Southern University’s campus that are multilingual, (speaking more than two languages) and with hopes and dreams of learning 6more. | REFLECTOR F ALL 2015

PAGE DESIGNED BY REBECCA DAVIS

Maame Afriyie

PHOTOS TAKEN BY KELLY LOWERY

Tahir Daudier

Maame Afriyie

Tahir Daudier

Suhaniya Aumbhagavan

What languages do you speak? English, Creole, a little bit of French

When do you use it the most

Around family, phone conversations with my mom, dad, or brother. Yeah pretty much when I’m talking to family or other Haitian on campus. There are a couple of Haitian individuals on campus and we all kind of know each other over a period of time, and we just kind of meet. I have a Haitian flag that hangs in my car. So like sometimes people will be like ‘hey, I’m Haitian too’ and they’ll roll down the window and speak and stuff like that.

Is there another language you would like to learn?

I would definitely love to learn Spanish, I love the Hispanic culture and right next to Haiti we share one island with the Dominican Republic and to be able to cross that border and you know speak the language, and have that conversation.

What languages do you speak? Twi, Ga, Fante, English

What languages do you speak? English, Tamil and a little bit of Hindi

When do you use it the most?

At home and talking to a few of my friends back home.

a: Q:

Why should others learn another language?

Because one, it makes you great at interaction, like you don’t know where you will be one day so you need to be open to more languages for you to be able to like communicate. And one thing about me, any time I go to any society I make sure I am able to speak something or say something common so they can relate to me and they can feel comfortable talking to me. So I feel like it is a disadvantage if you don’t have any other language apart from whatever you speak.

When do you use it the most? Typically on the phone with my family, when I’m Skyping people in Sri Lanka. I do know one Sri Lankan on campus and we kind of do it but just for fun. [Met] during the club fair last year, and he thought I was Indian. And I was like he looks like a Sri Lankan, so we just started talking and I was like ‘are you from Sri Lanka’ and he was like ‘yeah’.

Why should others learn another language?

It makes you more versatile, for instance I lived in Florida for a little bit and when I was there people mistook me for Hispanic or Latino origin and they would simply speak to me in Spanish or give me Spanish forms. And I thought you know why go through the trouble of telling them ‘hey I don’t know this’ I might as well learn the language.

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LAC B R E

K BY S

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Health & Fitness At Georgia Southern University, a college of over 20,000 plus individuals, no one student should ever feel alone. College is a place for learning, growing and experiencing the world from a different lens. College is a place that is meant for forming relationships and for providing a safe and comfortable environment for learning. But if that’s the case, why are anxiety and depression so common at the collegiate level nation-wide? According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), “Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problems on college campuses.” Anxiety can be caused by overstress from school, work, relationships, and can also be caused by mental disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. Depression is the second most common reason that college students seek treatment at counseling centers around the nation. It is harder to pin down the main cause of depression, but some factors include life events such as losing a loved one, poverty, genetic predispositions and personality issues. According to Jodi Caldwell, Ph.D., Director of the Counseling Center here at Georgia Southern, the anxiety and depression are much more prevalent than many would expect. “It’s not just Georgia Southern,” Caldwell said. “It’s nation-wide. Anxiety and depression continue to be the number one and number two reasons that college students seek treatment, and that’s true here, too. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of the population experiences depression. I can tell you that for the last couple of years anxiety has overtaken depression as the number one presenting concern,” Brian M. DeLoach, M.D., Medical Director for Georgia Southern, said. “According to data from the 2011 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment, approximately 30 percent of

college students surveyed reported feeling so depressed that they found it difficult to function at some point during the year prior to the survey.” What is necessary to understand is that there are different types of anxiety and depression. Some types of depression, such as organic depression, are caused entirely from within while other types

Counseling Center for anxiety. “It isn’t necessarily that they have an anxiety disorder, it’s just that they are anxious right then and there.” When a counselor looks at your life right at this moment, it is easier for them to tell whether or not the feelings of anxiety or depression are just in this period of time or prolonged.

E V E R y D A Y A N X I E T Y: 1. Worry about bills, job, a breakup, important life events 2. Self-consciousness in an uncomfortable social situation 3. Case of nerves before a big test, presentation, significant event 4. Realistic fear of a dangerous situation 5. Sadness, anxiety immediately after a traumatic event

The differences between "everyday anxiety" and "anxiety disorder"

ANXIETY DISORDER: 1. Constant worry that causes distress and interferes with daily life 2. Avoiding social situations as not to be judged 3. Out of nowhere panic attacks 4. Irrational fear or avoidance of a situation that poses no threat 5. Recurring nightmares, emotional numbing related to a traumatic event that occurred years before

are caused by outside forces. In anxiety, you tend to see similar trends. Where some anxiety is inherent in the mind and others are caused from outside forces, the latter in both categories is what is most common in the college setting. Caldwell said that during finals, there are a large amount of people going into the

“One of the things we look at is knowing what’s going on in your life right now,” Caldwell said. “If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and you’ve never had it before, it’s probably you feeling anxious in relation to what’s going on in your life.” The most obvious difference between the two is the fact

that prolonged anxiety does not have a particular “trigger” but just exists in the person. Anxiety and depression can cause other physical and mental issues to develop as well. “It is well known that anxiety and depression can cause specific physical or somatic symptoms, such as: fatigue, joint and muscle pain, poor nutritional status, sexual dysfunction, problem with concentration and sleep disturbances,” DeLoach said. For both anxiety and depression, there exists a multitude of treatment options. In all cases, the treatment depends entirely upon the person. Caldwell explained that what a counselor does is work with the individual to figure out what treatment plan they would be most comfortable with and what would suit them best. Some of these treatment plans include workshops, individual counseling, medication, and self-help. “Something that people forget about is that self care can contribute significantly to your well-being. It really is important to eat regular meals. Nutrition can affect your mood. Physical activity helps increase mood. Sunlight can increase mood. There a lot of lifestyle pieces to emotional well-being too,” Caldwell said. Take the time and effort to talk to your friends, roommates or classmates that are around you because anyone can be struggling with anxiety or depression. The problem is much more common, and just making sure that no one is alone makes all the difference. Caldwell said, “I think that we tend to tiptoe around the issue, and if their friend or roommate is really struggling, just having someone ask about it kind of gives them permission to open up. Don’t feel like you need to be the one to fix it. There are people out there, counselors, we don’t fix things, but we help people find their solutions.”

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If I Just Try Hard Enough Imagine not being able to avoid the one thing that haunts you most. It’s a vital part to surviving on this world. You can’t live without it and are barely living with it. Food. Eating disorders affect a wide range of both men and women on college campuses.

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According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, “25 percent of college-aged women engage in bingeing and purging as a weightmanagement technique.” Just because you may not see many people with

eating disorders around you doesn’t mean that it isn’t a problem on campus, or even closer to you. “We’ve seen a resurgence of eating disorder behaviors in the last two years at the counseling center, and that’s not to say that there’s

more. It’s just that more people are coming to us for assistance with eating disorder behavior in the last couple of years than we have seen for a while,” Jodi Caldwell, Ph.D., Director of Georgia Southern University’s counseling center, said.

PAGE DESIGNED BY ALEX SMITH

By Donna Jones

Anorexia and bulimia are the most known eating disorders, but there’s also compulsive eating, bingeing and purging. Sufferers can also have a combination of the disorders. For Georgia Southern freshman Emma Gravley, overcoming an eating disorder was a challenge that she constantly struggled with. “I suffered from an eating disorder not otherwise specified for several years. I had symptoms of both anorexia and bulimia. When you suffer from anorexia, you can still have traits of bulimia,” Gravley said. Gravley started showing signs of having an eating disorder when she was a teenager. “Looking back on it I started having issues when I was like 14, but I didn’t really realize it until I was almost 16, didn’t really start trying to get over it until I was about 17,” Gravley said. Gravley said that it was not something that she intended to do. She didn’t just wake up one day and say “I’m never going to eat again.” “It starts off real slow. When I was 14 I didn’t go around only eating 100 calories or not eating for a couple days or anything like that. [When] it started off I was like ‘uhh I need to stay away from that fast food, don’t touch those carbs.’ It started off just little things. Then slowly I started cutting down my calories. Then it got to a point where I wouldn’t eat for a few

days, or if I did eat it would be nothing but carrot sticks or something,” Gravley said. The eating disorder behavior took a toll on Gravley’s life. She was constantly counting calories and watching what she ate. “It kind of consumes your life,” Gravley said. “When I first got at it my cellphone was just full of dieting plans and calorie counting, apps for tracking it. [I had] apps for tracking exercise and my weight. It was just an obsession.” The eating disorder also affected Gravley at school. “I was in a class that was about farming and things like that,” Gravley said. “We would go on a lot of field trips to farms. They would give us, you know, samples of what they’ve grown… It’d be little tiny bites of something and I would be freaking out trying to figure out how many calories was in this one bite, or one sip of a drink.” At first Gravley didn’t want to get over the eating disorders. “I felt like I wasn’t sick enough because I wasn’t underweight.” Gravley said. “In fact I was still a little bit overweight. It wasn’t until I actually wanted to stop being obsessed with this and I realized that it was taking over my life that I actually put in any sort of effort.” After years of dealing with eating disorder behavior, Gravley had a moment that she knew what she was doing wasn’t okay and that she had a

problem. “At one point I really thought I had done something that was going to kill me. When you’re purging a lot, it ripped my throat. I thought I was going to kill myself. I was throwing up blood; it wasn’t normal. I freaked out. I thought ‘oh my God, this is not how I want to go out,’” Gravley said. Once Gravley recognized that she needed help, she already had a psychiatrist because she was also battling depression and anxiety. “I got help before it got really bad, which was probably why I haven’t suffered any internal damage today,” Gravely said. Even though Gravley wasn’t left with any internal damage, she suffered mental damage. It’s a constant struggle for her and she still has urges to act out the way she did before. “Once I starting trying to overcome it, I had to ask for help from, you know, family and friends. I’d be like if you see me not eating at lunch, you gotta be like ‘you have to eat’. You got to tell me to eat. If someone didn’t make me, a lot of times I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t eat and I would exercise too much.” When thinking of purging, most people think that only means vomiting, but there are other ways to purge that aren’t so uncommon.

Signs of an eating disorder Anorexia Avoid eating in social situations Dramatic weight loss Refuse to maintain 80 percent of recommended body weight Develop a lot of fine body hair Tooth decay Discontinue Menstrual Cycle

Bulimia Eating in secret Eating 2 or 3 meals within a short amount of time Vomiting Over Exercising Misusing laxatives and water pills Tooth problems Avoid eating in front of people

Compulsive Eating Uncontrollable eating Eating even when full Self-loathing and regret after eating Extreme weight gain Hiding food to eat at a later time Eating regularly in person, but overeating when alone

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“I would say we see [over exercising] more common amongst college students. We work closely with the RAC when they start to suspect someone is over exercising, etc, to try to intervene with folks. Other purging methods [include] using laxatives, extra fiber things and water pills,” Caldwell said. Gravley’s family had a hard time grasping the fact that she had an eating disorder. “My family didn’t get it. They don’t get it with a lot of my issues. They’d try to get me to eat more. They didn’t understand that that wasn’t the issue,” Gravley said. Although her parents didn’t understand that it was more than a physical issue, she has a strong friend support group. She also depends on herself to stay on track. “I speak with my girl friends or I speak with my girlfriend. I have that

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support group. A lot of it is I got to pay attention to the way I’m behaving. I have to keep a close eye on myself. I keep a journal where I write down everything I’ve done that day. I do not let myself write down calories, ever,” Gravley said. Gravley has her disorder under control, but she still has days when it’s hard. “There are days where I look in the mirror and I just can’t. Some days I fall back in that habit. I usually catch it pretty fast, or somebody yells at me,” Gravley said. “I’ve had my moments where I relapsed for weeks at a time. It doesn’t go away. It gets better, but it doesn’t go away.” Eating disorders are often about something deeper than not wanting to eat. For some it’s the power that comes with it. “There’s a lot of pressure on you in general to fit into images. And it wasn’t just my body image. A lot of it was I felt like my life was not mine to control, but I could control my weight, if I just tried hard enough,” Gravley said. Gravley wants people to know that there’s a way to handle talking to a person with an eating disorder. “You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. They could’ve put me in the hospital and put me on a feeding tube...but it wouldn’t fix the problem. You can’t keep someone in the hospital forever. You can’t just treat the physical problems, you have to fix everything,” Gravley said. It is important to admit that you have a problem and get help so you can start the road to recovery, according to brainline.org. Gravley is currently studying psychology at Georgia Southern. The experiences that she went through made her realize that she wanted to help people with similar problems. Gravley said, “The important thing is to realize that you can get over it, you just have to want it. You

can’t force anything… you have to realize that there’s a problem. That’s the first step.”

If you or someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder contact the Georgia Southern Counseling Center or visit www.anad. org for more information.

PHOTOS TAKEN BY MARGARITA SUAREZ

PAGE DESIGNED BY HAILEY SMITH

By Yasmeen Waliaga

The commonality of Alcoholism and Addiction REFLECTOR FAL L 2 0 1 5 | 13

one enters college, it seems as though suddenly, the straight line between right and wrong becomes squiggly. People want to test themselves more, to try things that others are trying, to keep up. Things are no longer seen as black and white, but in a number of other shades. Going bar hopping on a Tuesday becomes normal. Cracking the first beer open at 10 a.m. on a game day is the norm. People adapt. But for some, the limits become more difficult to identify. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), four out of five college students drink, and one half of those binge drink. Also according to the NIAAA website, “19 percent of college students between ages 18 and 24 meet the criteria for alcohol abuse and dependence, but only five percent of them seek assistance.” “When I first got into this field 10 years ago, college students thought that you had to be living under a bridge drinking out of a paper bag, but it’s not always that,” Emily Eisenhart, the director of the Georgia Southern University Center for Addiction Recovery, said. “It’s very possible to have a substance use disorder in college these days. In fact, it is very common.” Eisenhart said that the line between normal social drinking and having a real problem can seem very thin. To determine if you have a problem with drinking, many factors need to be considered. “What happens when you drink? Do you blackout? Do you make other bad decisions that you wouldn’t normally make sober? Do you keep doing it despite the consequences?” Eisenhart said. Georgia Southern University has one of the oldest programs in the country for addiction recovery. The Center for Addiction Recovery provides many services including relapse prevention seminars, leadership and team-building retreats, community service opportunities and scholarships. Currently, they work with about 40 students who are in long-term substance abuse recovery. Eisenhart said, the students they work with have 14 | REFLECTOR FALL 2015

been sober for generally around 2.4 years and have an average sober GPA of 3.7. Other substances that Eisenhart said she often sees abused in college are stimulant pills, such as the ADHD medication, Adderall. “There is this idea that if you’re successful, then whatever you had to do to get there is good,” Eisenhart said regarding the dangers of students falling into this mindset. “So they might start off getting an Adderall from a friend to stay up late studying for an art history test, then could spiral into being okay with abusing prescription painkillers.” Substance abuse and alcoholism can affect several aspects of a student’s life, including relationships, academics, and future plans. However, the Center for Addiction Recovery at Georgia Southern is working to help students struggling with those problems to overcome them. The prevalence of college students to develop alcohol or drug dependency problems is becoming more evident in today’s society. With the increasing identification of problems like these, universities have begun to take more measures to help their students, such as creating programs like Georgia Southern’s that can assist students in overcoming alcoholism and addiction. Eisenhart said, “People with substance abuse problems, they are not morally deficient. They’re not dumb. They’re not lazy. Those are really big stigmas that have been attached to substance abuse disorders in our society and they keep people from getting help.”

PHOTOS TAKEN BY AND PAGE DESIGNED BY MARGARITA SUAREZ

When

BDSM IN THE ‘BORO

Features

BREAKING THE BOUNDARIES OF KINKY SEX PHOTOS TAKEN BY BRANDON WARNOCK PAGE DESIGNED BY REBECCA DAVIS

It’s a Wednesday evening and a private room at a local Statesboro restaurant has been reserved for a group of people. The first guests to arrive are Mr.* and Mrs. C*, accompanied by an additional male with whom the married couple, to a stranger, seems quite acquainted with on many levels. The dimmer the natural light from the windows becomes, the more guests enter the room; a man wearing a collared shirt that was his work attire, a long-haired man dressed in dark colors, a woman in a floor-length dress with an excited look on her face, an average college student wearing glasses and a t-shirt. These guests fill the room, accommodated to their request, the request of privacy, which was so crucial to the party. Mrs. C and the man to the left of her exchange

a playful nudge followed by a giggle, and it becomes obvious that this group has an appetite for more than appetizers and an entrée. And for these dinner guests, nothing is worth quite the anticipation as their kind of dessert. What preference or taste brought this group of people who work different jobs and belong to several age groups together? What do they have in common with each other that they would not have in common with others? Some of them are alumni of Georgia Southern University, a few are current college students, and others are just Statesboro residents. No common interest that can be noticed from the exterior seems to explain their connection. So, what ties all of these individuals together?

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“Rope,” the long-haired man dressed in black said, “It’s a preference thing.” The man, who is known among the guests as Lestat, shared his inclination to choose certain materials of ropes and other playful objects. Others began to offer their particular opinions and experiences regarding rope, further indicating their enthusiasm toward the shared interest among them. What these individuals have in common is beyond occupation or age. It goes deeper than the traits that one would notice on the outside. The shared interest of this group involves each of their desires and the ways they choose to express them. The group is called Southern Lifestyle and Players (SLAP), and their common interest is bondage, dominance and submission, masochism (BDSM), which is the catch-all acronym used to describe a variety of kinky or erotic preferences and practices. Before the bedroom, prior to the roles, the tools and toys, members of SLAP gather in a casual setting for what is called a “munch,” or an opportunity to become comfortable with each other. On one side of the table, Mr. C, an alumnus of Georgia Southern who is active in Statesboro’s BDSM community sits beside his wife, Mrs. C; sitting beside them is another man, the couple’s submissive. Mr. C identifies in the community as a dominant, or someone that enjoys having power, while Mrs. C is considered a submissive. The man who sits beside Mrs. C is their submissive who lives in their

FLOGGER Floggers, unlike whips, are made of several tassels that touch the skin at once, delivering a sometimes painful sensation depending on the material of the tassels.

TASSELED WHIP Tassled whips, like leather whips, give a concentrated pain that adds a sense of domination and submission to the kinky experience.

house. In addition, he has a female submissive of his own who also resides with them. Mr. and Mrs. C have been in a relationship for 13 years. “Before we got married, we were monogamous still,” Mrs. C said. The couple said that they started playing with others about two and a half years ago and eventually both became interested in playing with kink too. They now no longer choose “vanilla” sex, which Mr. C defines as, “monogamous sex without kink elements.” Mr. C continued, “Kink elements include ropes, paddles, electricity, pain, fire, needles, knives, and more.” His wife laughed as they recalled an instance in which he set her on fire. However, for other members, “vanilla sex” is not entirely an experience belonging to the past. Nick Bradford, junior engineering major and SLAP member, said, “I do enjoy vanilla sex just as much as I enjoy other things. Really all that kink does is it adds something new. It can change anything from the mood to physically interacting

with how a person processes temptation. It can be really a wide range of things.” Bradford discovered the group about two years ago, shortly after moving to Statesboro to attend school. “I’ve always known about my kinky tendencies. I just did not really have a name to put on it. I just thought it was weird,” Bradford said. Bradford believes that being involved in this community is not considered a lifestyle, just like being gay isn’t a lifestyle, but just a preference someone is born with. Most consider Statesboro to be a small town and wouldn’t suspect a group like this to have such a strong foundation within its city limits. This begs the question of how the group came to be. People with these preferences often become members on the website, FetLife.com, or, in the words of Mr. C, “Facebook for kinky people.” On the website there are posts from the area, as well as, groups that people can join. When signing up, the website asks users to choose their role. Some individuals enjoy multiple roles, whereas some stick to one. A common role in the community is “dominant”, however, there are different types of dominants. Some are known as “master”, and others are known as “alpha”. An “alpha” dominant is considered the “dom of doms”, or the individual who plays the dominant role even over other dominants. Lestat said, this type of dominant term is used to characterize people in more of a predatory lifestyle, or one that might involve more primal actions such as chasing, biting, and

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FEATHER

The feather is used for an intense sensation. When brushed with a feather, a partner feels tickled and teased.

scratching. Some people might identify as “masochists” or “sadists”. Sadists enjoy inflicting pain on another, while masochists prefer having pain inflicted upon them. Others might prefer playing the roles of “daddy” and “babygirl”, which Lestat said is more of a nurturing type of dominantsubmissive relationship. Some of the names of these roles have been referenced in music and film, however, the members of SLAP said they do not appreciate the way their interests are portrayed by the media. Last year, the movie version of the popular book, “50 Shades of Grey”, was released and revealed to people a different type of relationship, which was shocking to many. But in reality, the movie’s plot was not a true representation of the BDSM community. Mr. C explained that most of them do create contracts like in the movie that are specific to what they are engaging in whether it be with a submissive or any other partner in kink play. The difference, or where they said the movie has manipulated what they do, is the amount of consideration and attention paid to the terms that are agreed upon by both “play partners.” “You always have a thorough negotiation to go over do’s, don’ts, and expectations,” Mr. C said. Potential sex partners are also ‘vetted,’ which is the process of looking into the person’s background and history in BDSM to become more confident about

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engaging in anything that could be risky with them. Lestat, who commonly practices the artistic skill of rope bondage, said he follows certain precautions when tying someone up and in the moments that follow. Lestat said, “Anytime you do a scene, especially anything that involves pain, you need aftercare. Aftercare is different for every person. It can be just cuddling. It can be sex. It can be lying around watching TV. But, when you have scenes, the submissive usually goes into what is called subspace, which is basically a tantric state of mind where you are less likely to feel the pain.” To Bradford, “50 Shades of Grey” portrays an abusive relationship, when really respect is at the core of any BDSM experience. He said there are different ways of establishing that respect between each other, including discussion and the use of safe-words or a similar system. “It’s so much about communication and finding out what each person is expecting out of the experience. Before you

LEATHER WHIP

Leather whips are commonly used in kinky experiences to exert intense pain and prove one’s power in the situation, defining the roles of dominant and submissive more clearly.

play, you really need to sit down with whoever it is and talk about expectations and what sort of limits you have,” Bradford said. For safety, Bradford prefers to use what he calls a “stop light” system. During the sexual experience, he might ask the partner how she is doing and she would respond by saying, “green”, “yellow”, or “red”. So, Bradford might continue or stop depending on the partner’s response. The group often has demonstrations on how to work with different machines and toys, such as rope play. However, new people have to first attend a munch and become acquainted with the rest of the people. Sometimes, they even have introductory sessions, where new members learn about safety and other important measures. Members of SLAP maintain their roles in society, in addition to their roles in the bedroom, many are working jobs and some attending school. While for some, it is important to keep this aspect of their life private, there are others, including Bradford, who feel that it should be shared with others in order to fully depict them as an individual. “If there is someone that I am considering dating, as far as pursuing a long-term relationship, this is absolutely something I let them know about,” Bradford said. “I’m fairly open about it because it is part of who I am and I feel like being dishonest about who you are does not make for a good relationship.”

Editor’s note: Names marked with an * were modified to respect the personal privacy of the source.

PHOTO BY BRANDON WARNOCK

No Rhyme No Reason

By Donna Jones and Julia Fechter REFLECTOR FAL L 2 0 1 5 | 19

D iscovering that you

have a mental illness can be the start of a complex journey. For many who have a mental illness, it is hard to accept that condition. It can be even harder for them to acknowledge that they may never completely be cured of their condition. Enter Amanda Tolbert, a sophomore writing and linguistics major at Georgia Southern. Amanda has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. She says that these conditions were partially passed down through her family and hormone imbalances, as well as a culmination of life experiences. Tolbert has had depression since her freshman year of high school. She said that her depression was a thing where she was just sad and she didn’t understand why. “You had all these people around you and they always wanted to go do something, and you didn’t. You just wanted to be by yourself,” Tolbert said. Even though Tolbert knew that she was going

20 | REFLECTOR FALL 2015

to be alright, it was still like living in a dark place where she didn’t want to do anything. “It’s kind of just like you know that you are ok, you are mentally aware that you are absolutely fine, but you don’t want to get out of bed. You don’t want to talk to people, you don’t want to be around people, you’re just alone,” Tolbert said. “You can’t convince yourself to get up and

really notice? Would anyone really care? It’s those type of thoughts that lead to suicide, and that’s hard, because you don’t want to tell people that you’re hurting,but you are,” Tolbert said. Tolbert said that for her anxiety is like an aftermath. “If I get depressed, and I don’t go to class, and I don’t do what I need to do, just because I’m in that place, then I have to deal

“I thought, what if I just disappeared for a little while? Would anyone really notice? Would anyone really care?” -Amanda Tolbert

do anything, because the world is just dark.” For a while, the depression really transformed Tolbert’s way of thinking. She started to have thoughts that affected her mentally. “I thought, what if I just disappeared for a little while? Would anyone

with everything of that aftermath. Now I’m dealing with the anxiety of, ‘Oh my god, my grades are down. Now I lost this person. Now I don’t know what I’m doing.’ It’s just that makes you more depressed. Now you’re completely lost,” Tolbert said. Everyone who has a

mental illness handles it differently. According to the website, Guide To Psychology, some people go to a psychologist for treatment. A psychologist offers therapy, but is not qualified to prescribe medication. Others go to a psychiatrist, who can prescribe medication. That is usually the psychiatrist’s primary responsibility. “I have medication that was prescribed to me. I constantly have to deal with [medication] because I have to take it every day. It’s just one of those things that they keep adjusting, because depression isn’t just something that stays still. It will fluctuate. You can get better, and you can get way worse,” Tolbert said. While Tolbert does take medication for her depression, she does not attend therapy for her depression or her anxiety. Tolbert said that she doesn’t believe in therapy “Honestly, sometimes I think therapy can hurt more than it can help. Just because, it’s hard for me to tell someone what it’s like to be in the dark, and for them to sit there and be like, ‘Yes, I

understand.’ It’s like, but you don’t understand. You don’t know what I’ve experienced, what I’ve gone through. So, therapy to me, is something that’s not always genuine. I don’t want to experience it,” Tolbert said. As Tolbert was traversing the new territory of being diagnosed with depression, she struggled with keeping some friends. Tolbert said friends would try to help her, but she would lash out and say she was fine. However, brushing depression off can make the problem even worse. “That’s probably one of the biggest problems that comes with depression is that if you don’t accept that that is what it is, you are never going to be able to get better,” Tolbert said. Tolbert let her friends know something was wrong first before she told her parents. She said that she didn’t want her parents to know that there was something wrong with her. “Being their only child, I wanted to be the best there is. I think when I first discovered I had depression, I didn’t want people to know. I hid it

from everyone. I hid it from myself,” Tolbert said. It took Tolbert meeting her best friend, Caitlyn, to make her realize she wasn’t alone. “She [Caitlyn] was finally like, ‘I know you’re not ok. There’s nothing I can do to make you do anything, but I know that you’re not ok, and I’m here for you.’ Now it’s just like I understand. I have someone to talk to, and I don’t want people to feel alone, because I know what that is now,” Tolbert said. Despite the support Tolbert has built, depression and anxiety still have their challenges. Depression, sometimes followed for her by anxiety, can strike at any time. “There’s honestly no rhyme or reason to it, because I know that I sit in my room and I’m completely fine one day and the next day, I’m just not willing to do anything,” Tolbert said. Living with depression and anxiety, Tolbert still has times when it can be too much to handle. “There are days when you’re just going to sit in bed and think, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’ but

eventually, over time, you just progressively get into the habit of knowing that you have to do what you have to do,” Tolbert said. Tolbert wants other people dealing with depression to understand that they have a problem so they can begin the process of overcoming it. “That’s honestly the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with is knowing that I have it. There’s no way to get rid of it, it’s something that just exists in you. Once you know what that is, you can stop wondering if there’s something wrong with you, if there’s something wrong with life, and you can start accepting things for what they are, and dealing with it the way you need to deal with it,” Tolbert said. Fast forward to how Tolbert is doing now. The medication she takes does not fully suppress her depression. This is due to hormone imbalances in her brain, which can be hard to understand. “I went from 10 milligrams, and I was doing just fine for months and months. Then one day I was in my room and I just laid on the floor and I

started crying. I went to the doctor and they bumped me up to 20 and I was suddenly ok. It’s a balance. It’s a guessing game of where you have to be and what you have to do to be there,” Tolbert said. Because of everything Tolbert has gone through, she says it can be hard for people to understand depression. “You can say, ‘I do understand it, I do know what you’re talking about’, but you don’t... Until you experience it yourself, you can’t,” Tolbert said. With everything that Tolbert has gone through, her best friend has continued to be her rock throughout her journey. “Caitlyn, she doesn’t understand it, but she just knows that sometimes I just need to sit there. And I need her to sit there, and once it’s over, it’s over. You’re completely fine after that. If you have a best friend or you have a friend that is helping you try to deal with it, they shouldn’t try and fix you. They just need to be there to understand that you have to go through it,” Tolbert said.

If you are reading this and need to talk to a professional about depression, anxiety, or other mental health concerns you may be experiencing, then you are encouraged to contact either the Counseling Center or Health Services. The self-help link provided below also has more information about mental health and other issues that may affect you or someone you know. •Counseling Center: (912)-478-5541. •Health Services: (912)-478-5641. •http://studentsupport.georgiasouthern.edu/counseling/ resources/self-help/

REFLECTOR FAL L 2 0 1 5 | 21

Kyler works on the hem for a bridesmaid’s dress.

22 | REFLECTOR FALL 2015

BY MACY HOLLOWAY

Pre-College Years Already involved in creative outlets at a very young age, Arnold thought that clothes were made by big machines where the fabric goes in one side and clothes just popped out the other. He wasn’t totally far off if you think big picture, but while his mind was already fairly stimulated with dance and piano lessons, he wasn’t aware that designing clothes was an actual career. He explained that this new obsession with designing was fairly

slow-growing at the beginning. “Well I think it kind of happened in two stages. The first stage, I started to notice that I had this visual appeal to things that were really creative...so in the initial stages of interest, I was more so into art and dance and visual studies of that nature.” “But then Project Runway aired,” Arnold said through a laugh. One day during an art class he was attending, he learned about Alexander McQueen and thought he was just the most unique person he’d ever seen. Arnold explained that while all of his creative activities already took up a lot of his time, he became more and more

PHOTO BY LAUREN GRAY

At Georgia Southern it’s exceptionally easy to pick out the things that are all the same—the difficulty arises when you try to look for something unique, something that stands out. If you walk past the fashion building on any given day you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the mass variety of people filing out of their design classes. One particular individual that makes a statement is Kyler Arnold. He’s an aspiring fashion designer with a keen eye and a strong sense of self that he explains may only be found through expressing one’s personality through fashion. This is his story.

THE DESIGN OF LIFE

Life & Style interested in the idea of being able to design things of his own imagination. He asked his parents about adding even more lessons to the whirlwind that was the adolescent life of a creative and eccentric young man. “I first began sewing with a private instructor named Ana Harrel,” Arnold explained. Harrel was a seamstress in the beginning who later owned a company in Madrid, Spain. She then moved to Florida where Arnold stumbled upon her. He studied with Harrel from the time he was eight until he graduated from high school. They studied for eight hours every single Saturday for ten years. Arnold shook his head and smiled at the memory, “birthdays, holidays, everyday I’d be there bright and early. I learned everything there is to know.” In the initial stages of his lessons, Arnold stated that they started off with what they, in the fashion industry, call ‘sloper samples.’ “It’s where I’m just making basic bodices and basic skirts. That type of thing.” Eventually it progressed, and he became familiar with industrial sewing machines because when he was younger they never, ever learned on table top. Arnold explained that once they really got into the meat of actual design, skillset and putting things together from drawings, he began to make clothes for his family members. “It was mostly my sister and step-mom, because men’s wear is so difficult,

anyone in fashion will tell you that. It has to be tailored and perfect, so I definitely didn’t start with myself.” Arnold attended the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts for his high school years in Jacksonville, Fla. While they didn’t offer a fashion program when he attended, he was accepted on pure skill alone into the vocal music and visual arts programs, as well as technical theatre program. “They put together four shows a year, every quarter, and I just did every single costume that there possibly is. It provided me with such great experience,” Arnold said. While in high school, he put together a showing for his school and even got one of his pieces sold to a boutique called Anomaly in Five Points at Riverside. He said that 17 of his velour dresses were sold from the store. While he was graciously impressive at costume design during his teenage years, it wasn’t really his lifelong passion.

“

Arnold realized he enjoyed garments that were more streamlined and fitted— finished and professional. “So I really figured out that I was an apparel guy during high school.”

A Family Impact When prompted as to whether or not his family was supportive of this particular passion, he was quick to exclaim, “absolutely not.” “I mean to be completely blunt about it, my father and my step mother took a good while to start to adapt to the idea that this was not a phase. They assumed I would grow out of it so that’s where the disappointment started. In the beginning they were like ‘yeah, let him do his thing’ because I was in dance and piano.” He reassured his father that ‘no, this was not a phase’ and each year he’d eventually have to stop being surprised that he was still intrigued by the idea of

I think that the importance of looking yourself and being yourself is really the only thing we have as humans to distinguish us from other humans.” He said that while costumes are meant to be worn and torn apart to fit the next person,

a career in design. “I’m sure a lot of it was a sexuality thing, he didn’t like the fact that I like guys. Which

is understandable, I mean my dad is a real southern conservative man and I see how it’s hard for him to understand,” Arnold added. Arnold was quick to explain, however, that, “y’know I had other family members that were really supportive. My aunt has always been there and thought that I was, like, the most amazing person in the world. My grandmother thought that whatever I choose to do would be fine.” Though his grandmother has passed away, he is certain that she would have been proud of the work he has done.

Talent vs. Skill So after all this time and all of these amazing things he’s submersed himself into, the question is whether it’s all just skill or if some of it may be naturalborn talent. “See yeah, I get asked that a lot. The thing is that I don’t know if it’s talent or if it’s just skill. I always want to differentiate between those two. I feel like having an eye for design and the woman’s body in particular—ironic enough as that is—I just think that I understand the geometry of a body and how important fit is. I believe I do just have that natural ability to do those things.” While his knack for design may be an inherent talent, Arnold doesn’t believe that his ability to excel at dance and piano was something he was born with. He enjoys the arts and they were really just something his passion

REFLECTOR FAL L 2 0 1 5 | 23

pushed him to begin studying and continuously work toward. “I guess you could call some of my gifts talent, and some of them just acquired skill.”

Muses and Aesthetic With all artists there is always a great beauty behind the inspiration and Arnold is no exception. He’s had a multitude of muses over the years. “Oh, god. I’ve had so many, they change all the time. My biggest in the beginning was Iris Apfel and she’s just got this eclectic nature about her. I saw her at one point and I just thought that she was the most memorable thing that I had seen in a long while,” Arnold continued with a nostalgic excitement, “it was just so interesting to see someone that had been stepping out of society’s little box.” “Then there was a designer named Yelle, who

is just this crazy spunky little french woman who wore these big polka dots. Very twiggy. It just really sparked my inspiration.” Arnold’s personal aesthetic is very structured, he explained that his inspiration come directly from architecture. He believes that geometry is just one of the most important aspects of design and seeing buildings with amazing architecture really help give him that “great initial thought pattern.” “I think that muses change and inspiration is constantly evolving,” Arnold said.

GSU’s Program Arnold is quite impressed with the program at Georgia Southern. He explained that while there may be more students interested than most people would think, the atmosphere is fairly quaint. He expresses his experiences with the program as more of a science-based setting.

“It’s not really a run of the mill creative outlet for design students,” Arnold said. While other programs at more arts-centered universities the courses may have you taking art and drawing classes, the GSU program is much more about developing the technical aspects of design. “This department is one of those where you have to take initiative of what you take out of it. You have to really show up and pay attention, they are so serious about getting their point across that they really have no care of if you take it seriously or not. They want you to but they’re also not going to hold your hand. A lot of the students really respect that about it,” Arnold said.

Society’s Effect on Fashion

with each outfit a person decides to put on their body. It’s not exactly the best way to display the importance of being yourself. He feels that there are way too many “you can’ts” in society nowadays and his question is “why not? Who said you couldn’t wear those colors together?” “I mean, if I want to wear stripes and leopard print shoes, then I will. I don’t care. I think they’re cute, I’m comfortable. They represent my personality and I’m going to wear them.” He feels that if he is boldly and loudly expressing who he is as a person then he doesn’t need to feel like he’s doing any kind injustice. “I think that the importance of looking yourself and being yourself is really the only thing we have as humans to distinguish us from other humans.”

Over the past decade or so there’s been this surge of TV shows and online media to expose everything wrong

24 | REFLECTOR FALL 2015

PHOTO BY LAUREN GRAY

Between classes and work, Kyler spends most of his time in the design studio.

Beating the fashion norms: Mod Prep vs Classic Vintage By Michelle Pratt and Donna Jones Determining what your specific style is can be a tricky thing to do with so many different genres of dress out there. To one person, a dress might look vintage, while another person might

describe it as classic. However for Georgia Southern University students, Rickey Jones and Lexus Lewis, the answer was clear. For them style is about expressing your

individuality and not about fitting into a specific crowd or conforming to the latest trends. Jones describes his style as a modern preppy look with a twist, while Lewis describes herself

as more of the classic vintage. No matter the look these two throw together, they try to stay true to their personal styles.

RICKEY Jones

Sophomore Apparel Design major

PHOTOS BY KIARA GRIFFIN

“To me fashion is the most basic form of me, but at the same time the deepest form of self expression because of the fact that what I wear and what I put on my body is really the representation of me and where I come from,” Jones said. Fashion and style isn’t about being a specific size or a specific type of person, it’s a way to feel confident in whatever you choose to wear. “I think that rules of fashion are subjective because a rule for me may not necessarily be a rule for somebody else,” Jones said. Go with what makes you happy and don’t worry about dressing for other people’s pleasure. You can really get to know yourself through discovering your style. “Play to your strengths as far as who you are as a person a n d what you

like to do,” Jones said, “If something is not socially accepted in the fashion industry but you like to wear it, honestly I say go for it.” When choosing an outfit, Jones stresses that you shouldn’t be afraid of failure. “Embrace your fashion nono’s because you can’t have a fashion yes-yes without a fashion no-no,” Jones said. When asked about his specific style Jones described the look as modern and polished. “I like to play with colors and textures, but keep a preppy silhouette,” Jones said. Although Jones describes his style as “mod prep,” he is branching out and trying different looks to become more versatile. Some of Jones’s favorite designers are Marc Jacobs, Raf Simons, and Tory Burch.

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Junior Apparel Design and Studio Art major

“Style is like an introduction of yourself without speaking,” Lewis said, “It’s just another way of expressing myself.” For Lewis, her style is cute and comfortable while still being “vintage, sophisticated, and sexy.” She sees fashion as something more than just clothes on your body. “I don’t think fashion is just something that you wear, I think that it is an art piece,” Lewis said. She is a big believer in stepping out of your comfort zones and taking a break from the social norms. “I don’t really pay attention to [the fashion rules]. It really doesn’t matter what is ‘in’ to me. I’m going to wear what I want to wear, honestly,” Lewis said. Lewis’s list of fashion ‘must haves’ includes scarves, oversized and overexaggerated coats, shoes, and unique handbags. However, she doesn’t overaccessorize. “I’m pretty minimal with accessories, but it really just depends on what I’m wearing to compliment or add to my outfit,” Lewis said. Some of Lewis’s favorite stores are Forever 21, H&M, and Goodwill. However she is always looking for new places to shop to broaden her sense of style. “Try new things and always experiment when you’re trying to find your genre,” Lewis said, “Experiment with different eras and cultures — doing that really builds your style horizon.” When trying to find your sense of style remember that you should always do what makes you happy and not worry about what other people will think. No matter what you will always be extraordinary.

26 | REFLECTOR FALL 2015

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE PRATT

Lexus Lewis

Entertainment

Off the Beaten Path BY MICHELLE PRATT

Being in the “middle of nowhere,” USA, it is always a struggle to find new and exciting adventures that are not 10 hours away. Yet there are some places right in Georgia that aren’t too far and will definitely be worth the drive. One of the most interesting places on the coast of Georgia is Cumberland Island. On this secluded island only accessible by a ferry operated by the National Park Service, it’s very common to see feral horses grazing the undisturbed land. Cumberland Island is known for its beautiful landscape and amazing wildlife. “The ferry is used to preserve the island and wildlife on the island,” Thornton Morris, president of Cumberland Island Conservancy, said. This island prides itself on its conservation efforts that help keep the environment as untouched and pristine as possible. According to their website, owners of land on this island do everything in their power to leave as much as the land undisturbed by building their homes in clusters or compounds. “[Its] houses are built in clusters so that the land is more wild,” Morris said. “Less than a half dozen residents live on the island full time. Most of them are just vacation homes.” With this Island only being about a three-hour trip from Statesboro it is definitely something to put on your bucket list. Located in Pine Mountain, Ga, Callaway Gardens is only a short three-hour-and-42-minute drive from Statesboro, and has any kind of awesome adventure you can think of. Home to one of North America’s largest butterfly conservatories, the Day Butterfly Center is a great place to explore the world of thousands of beautiful butterflies. However, Callaway Gardens has so much more

like zip lining, geocaching, fishing, biking, and tubing on Robin Lake. Not to mention all of this is funded by a pretty neat organization. “Callaway Gardens is owned and operated by the non-profit Ida Cason Callaway Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental education and land stewardship,” Rachel Crumbley, director of Marketing and Public Relations for Callaway Gardens, said. One of the most Pinterest-worthy events in Callaway Gardens is their annual Hot Air Balloon Festival during Labor Day Weekend. During this festival you will spend a whole

When coming from the boat ramp you paddle to the left and go up the creek and you will see full grown cypress forests that are absolutely breathtaking.”

weekend admiring and even riding in some pretty awesome hot air balloons. “The Balloon Festival typically has between 15,000 to 20,000 guests. We’ve had years with 22,000,” Crumbley said. If you don’t like parks or the beach, then channel your inner woodsmen and take a trip an hour away from Statesboro to Ebenezer Crossings. According to a press release by The Trust for Public Land (TPL), “The Ebenezer Creek site of a frantic and tragic moment of Civil War history

has been protected as a new public park. On December 9, 1864 hundreds of freed slave refugees died trying to cross Ebenezer Creek to avoid confederate troops pursuing General William Tecumseh Sherman during the union Army’s ‘March to the Sea.’” Ebenezer is also famously known for the landing of the Salzburgers in 1734, but has much more to offer than just a patch of land that our ancestors roamed on. “The best way to see Ebenezer Crossings is by paddle boat or kayak,” Curt Soper, Georgia/Alabama State Director of the TPL, said. “When coming from the boat ramp you paddle to the left and go up the creek and you will see full grown cypress forests that are absolutely breathtaking.” However the history of this place is a very interesting way to get to know about an area close to Statesboro. “What is most interesting about this area is the history about it, and the history from the Revolutionary War,” Soper said. In 1779, thousands of British Loyalists established a headquarters in Ebenezer and built seven forts surrounding the area. No matter if you are a history buff or you love to kayak and hike, Ebenezer is the perfect place to discover our local history while being in the outdoors. “It really is just a cool place that I think everyone should visit,” Soper said. If you love the beach, love to walk in fields of flowers and butterflies, or just love to be out in the woods these three places will give you the perfect experience. Don’t limit yourself to just Savannah and Atlanta, get out your comfort zone and go off the beaten path.

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statesboro

DESTINATION Nashville onda Civic H 8 0 20

Nashville

By Jeff Licciardello

Budget

W$4o+ Food

anderlust. The desire to travel. A

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feeling so strong, so demanding, that it

31.6inGal can make$65 one feel like a bird locked a cage— HOTEL $ just waiting to fly away. We live in a world where Fuel $21

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the screens in our pockets connect everything

and you can experience the diverse cultures of this world without even rolling to the other side

Nashville

of the bed.

Total: $130

Nashville

But no filter can compare to actually tasting

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that perfect dish you’ve only seen in your

Budget

dreams. And no Snapchat story can give you the same feeling of being there at that concert. It’s

Food $4o+ Being in Statesboro, it can sometimes feel like HOTEL $65 $ there is nowhere to travel. Sure, can go to Fuelyou $21 time to get up, get out, and go explore.

Total: $130

head out to Atlanta or even Jacksonville, but after so many SCAD plays and high-budget

Disclaimer: These prices reflected as per-person are based off of rates provided during time of writing. Hotels fluctuate and so do gas prices, so this number may change as you approach booking your stay. We suggest booking as far in advance as you can to get the best deals. Also, if you stray from the itinerary, this bottom line number will change, but it’s your trip, take advantage of your time in Nashville and do what you want!

Budget

28 | REFLECTOR FALL 2015

Food $4o+

Time S

31.6 Gal

Savannah, or if you want to go edgier you can

restaurants it’s time for a change of scenery.

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Budget

The Hotel

While staying in downtown might be the glamorous option (ooh the flossy, flossy) that can get expensive very quickly. If you have the connections or the cash, check out Hotel Indigo or one of the spacious chain hotels in the area. For those of us ballin’ on a budget, give the Club Hotel Nashville a chance. It’s not sketchy,

has some amenities if that’s your thing, plus it will only put you back $65 a person for the weekend. Make sure you have gas, because it turns your trip into a commuter experience. Uber is always an option, too, if you’re not looking to drive, just make sure you count that into your bottom line.

Honestly, who doesn’t love food? There are tons of restaurants in Nashville for you to explore. Barbecue is king; so make sure to take in some of the local fares. Hog Heaven BBQ is a town favorite, and its location gives you the perfect opportunity to have a picnic by The Parthenon. Sky Blue Cafe is the perfect place for breakfast or lunch. The space is super quaint and you will feel at

home with the awesome staff. Saint Añejo on McGavock Street has a brunch menu to die for. Horchata french toast, dark chocolate cinnamon waffles and drool worthy huevos rancheros, oh my. After a late night that is bound to happen, this is just the meal you need to keep you going. Each meal is decently priced and it’s easy to walk out of the restaurant for under $15, including the tip.

Club Hotel Nashville Inn & Suites

The Food Sky Blue Cafe,

Saint Añejo, Hog Heaven BBQ

The Activities

Explore, Shop, Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame, Jack Daniel’s Distillery This is where you can let your creativity shine in Nashville. There is so much to do in this city that it’s hard to stuff it all in just three days. The first day in town, you should make sure to throw out an itinerary and simply wander around. See what’s going on around town,

stop into some coffee shops and ask the locals what you should add to your Nashville bucket lis t. Don’t forget to take in some of the local art to really get inspired by the Nashville state of mind. Before you leave on your excursion, check out who’s performing at the

Grand Ole Opry. Not only is it a gorgeous venue, but also the chances of getting a good deal on an awesome performance are high. If country music is your preferred genre, you’ve obviously come to the right place. Pay your respects in the Country Music Hall of Fame. A

student ticket will cost you around $20, so don’t forget your Eagle I.D. when you head over there. For the 21+ crowds, take a detour on the way home and visit the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, TN. You can take a walking tour with a tasting at the end for $10 per person.

This list isn’t definitive either. This is your trip and if you do some research and find an awesome art gallery or restaurant that you and your friends want to hit up— go for it! Make the most of your destination and enjoy the break from student life. REFLECTOR FAL L 2 0 1 5 | 29

Always take

T he Ri s k he summer before 8th grade my parents got a divorce. It was all fine and dandy until my mom broke it down to me and said we were going to be moving. Different address. Different school. Different friends. As a 12-year-old girl I thought my life was over. I already had my clique of friends and didn’t need anymore. I begged and pleaded with my mom not to let this happen. I made a promise with myself that I would run away and become one with the wild so I could stay at that school (I obviously didn’t work out the fine details yet). I thought that if I left, my friends were going to forget about me and I would not be invited to our weekly slumber parties. I worried that I would be the girl from Mean

Girls that sat in the bathroom by herself and ate lunch. I was wrong. I walked into my 8th grade classroom not knowing a single person. I wasn’t open to talking to people because plain and simple, I was scared. Scared of what they were going to think about me or if they’d judge me. I actually ended up falling asleep in second period and getting the first of my many silent lunches that year. Needless to say the first half of my day wasn’t going so well. Then I walked into my third period, accelerated math. People were already in groups talking about their summer and I was just sitting there thinking “oh great.” Then I overheard two girls talking about 50 Cent. He was my biggest crush

since the day he came out with “I’ll take you to the candy shop.” I was so nervous to say anything to the girls because I thought they’d think I was eavesdropping. I went back and forth in my head debating whether to say anything. Finally I blurted out “I LOVE 50 CENT!” The girls burst out laughing and we all continued to discuss our obsession for the rapper until class began. That one comment that I was so hesitant to say ended up with the three of us becoming best friends. It’s kind of crazy to think about where I would be if I didn’t say that to my now best friends. We went through major milestones together, from graduating high school to starting college. I couldn’t have done it without having them by

my side. It actually worked out better for me because I gained friends and still kept the ones from the previous school. You should always take the chance. Whether it be as small as joining a conversation, or as big as taking a new job opportunity across country. Fear or worry shouldn’t get in the way of ceasing the opportunity for doing or learning something new. That moment that I was scared to talk to new people only lasted until I took the risk. The reward was definitely worth the chance I took. Now I’m not saying that it’s going to work out every time, because trust me, it doesn’t. But how will you ever know if you don’t take a chance?

This post was originally featured on the Reflector Magazine Community. Students interested in submitting to the Reflector Community should visit ReflectorGSU.com/submit

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By Donna Jones

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