Wildcat Survival Guide, Fall 2013

Wildcat Survival Guide Open to discover: • Hot spots on campus • How to survive on a college budget • Ways to beat Chico's annoying mosquitoes

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WILDCAT SURVIVAL GUIDE

1 Study quietly in these silent havens 2 How to avoid pesky mosquitoes 3 Living life on a college budget 4 Scenes from Wildcat Welcome Week 5 Senior scrambles to achieve bucket list 5 A few must-know spots on campus

wildcat survival guide

news all week @ theorion.com

WedneSday, AUGUST 28, 2013

| 1

Loud roommate? Study quietly in these spots 1. Third floor of the library.

Allison Weeks

Opinion Editor

Life can be a lot harder when you have a roommate who wants to party all the time.

Those of you going through this, have no fear. There are places outside your bedroom that will allow you to articulate your thoughts out loud and on paper.

Here are a few serene places on and around campus that will help you keep your sanity:

This is the perfect place for any student who wants to be left alone to study in a quiet area because students on this floor are required to be silent. Cellphones must be turned off and lots of cubicles are spread out so that the person sitting beside you has no way of distracting you while you study.

2. The Naked Lounge The Naked Lounge has a calm atmosphere that invites visitors to sit down on one of their cozy couches and get into their home-

work. The back room of the shop is an even better getaway because several walls seperate you from people who are fumbling to decide what drinks they want. The coffee shop also sells eco-friendly blends at a reasonable price.

You can access Wi-Fi with any purchase.

3. Starbucks Coffee on Esplanade The Starbucks coffee shop located downtown is way too noisy and crowded to get work done. The Starbucks on Eighth Avenue and the Esplanade is the complete opposite.

Whenever I have gone to study there in the past, hardly anyone was in the store — it

was whisper-quiet. And there’s free Wi-Fi, of course.

4. Upper Crust Bakery This place not only offers a peaceful study environment, but provides a selection of delicious treats for you and your friends. This coffeeshop also has huge tables you and five of your friends can fill up. And if you decide to study by yourself, there's enough room to spread your books across the entire table.

Allison Weeks can be reached at

opinioneditor@theorion.com

3

The Orion ∤ FRONT PAGE ILLUSTRATION by LIZ COFFEE

2 |

WedneSday, AUGUST 28, 2013

news all week @ theorion.com

NEWS

Squish, smash, spray, swat skeeters Nicole Santos

Staff Writer

Mosquitoes suck.

It’s my third year at Chico State, and let me tell you, the worst part about going back to school is the amount of mosquito bites I accumulate during the first few months.

Freshman, expect to be bit at the beginning of the semester. You can’t escape it. It will happen randomly. But know that you are not alone.

This semester I moved into my new apartment a week before the school year began.

The night that I moved in, my roommate and I went out to meet up with some of our friends.

The minute I got home I started to scratch my legs, arms and back furiously, as if I had become a victim of chicken pox all over again.

That’s when I started to notice bright red blotches on my skin. The mosquitoes didn’t waste any time. They marked their territory.

Most of us are eager to explore our favorite parts of Chico, whether they be downtown, in Bidwell Park or the nooks and crannies of campus. It's only natural that you'll want to acquaint yourself with all our college town

has to offer.

Yet, I know many incoming students are unaware that Chico is a feeding ground for mosquitoes.

I’m here to help. Over the years I’ve gathered a list of remedies to help protect your skin and resist the itchy sensation that comes with each bite.

Here are a few techniques that will help keep you from being bitten:

Apparently the pungent smell of garlic is the key to ridding yourself of these pesky critters. Eat it before going out or rub it on exposed skin and the garlic will change your scent as it seeps through your pores.

Citronella oil

Acne medications

According to Amelia Island Mosquito Control, citronella oil is found in outdoor candles, torches and lanterns and various skin products that mosquitoes dislike. This is a natural yet fragrant way to protect your skin. Apply before hiking at Upper Bidwell or at dusk before hitting the town.

Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are the most common ingredients in acne medications and creams. When applied to the irritated area it will help dry up the spots where you’ve been bitten. Most of us have face washes and tubes of acne treatment gel lying around in our bathrooms, which makes this a very convenient option when you need fast relief.

Dryer sheet in pocket Many of my friends moms have said placing a dryer sheet in one of the pockets of your shorts or pants is a simple and inexpensive solution.

Eating garlic I would use this next option as a last resort because it may repel more than just mosquitoes.

If you’ve already been bit, try these simple treatments. You may already own these, but if not, Target or any other drugstore should carry them:

Burt’s Bees Herbal Blemish Stick There are several essential oils that can provide temporary relief for bites. This allnatural roller ball stick reduces blemishes and acne. It also contains tea leap oil, which is a powerful pesticide that can be fatal to mosquitoes when they come in direct contact with it.

Lip balm Any brand of lip balm should do the trick.

I’ve found that the brand EOS gets the job done. It comes in delicious smelling flavors and colorful small packaging you can keep in your backpack or purse. Apply directly to the irritated area and I assure you will not touch your bites any more.

Bug spray After spending a week and a half in Marco Island, Fla. with my family this summer, it has come to my attention that the most effective and long-lasting brand of bug spray is Off ! Deep Woods Dry insect repellent. The nice aspect of this brand is that will you be protected without an oily or greasy feeling on your skin.

In this hot weather I recommend trying any of these remedies to keep your skin mosquitofree, especially because it’s the perfect time to show off that summer tan, that new maxi dress or that “I worked out all summer” bod at the pool.

Don’t let the mosquitoes suck all the fun out of your outdoor activities Wildcats.

The Orion can be reached at

editorinchief@theorion.com

wildcat survival guide

news all week @ theorion.com

WedneSday, AUGUST 28, 2013

| 3

Oft-broke student cashes in on budget tips Quinn Western

Managing Editor

“I have less than $100 in my account and rent is due next week.”

That was probably the last thing my dad wanted to hear during a phone call last March. He trusted me to budget my expenses last year and — like many college students — I was short.

My father is a banker, and I am a college student who is good with words, so I’m not the best money manager just yet.

After a long chat with dad about how I was slipping up, he gave me another chance to redeem myself. Surely I would be better the second time.

Oops.

Tuition was due in July, and I was a little short. Again. After a much louder conversation with my father I realized the changes I

made weren’t working. So I broke down my expenses since March to see how much I was spending on gas, bills, rent, food and personal expenses. I emailed the results to my dad and his response was, “This is excellent!”

Excellent? My dad is full of surprises.

“I do not think for a second you are irresponsible, but I do think you need to be disciplined in your approach,” he wrote back.

“Well done on this! Be careful. You want to control your own destiny!”

I stared at my computer screen, bewildered for a few minutes, then clicked to another screen to look at my bank account. I felt a wave of stress and pressure flow over me.

Now I have come to my third try. The school year is beginning and I have some changes to make:

1. Put the debit card away After breaking down how much I should be spending per week, I’ve started taking that cash out at the start of every week. I

will only use my debit card if it’s an emergency, because when I start using my card I lose track of how much I’ve gone over. I’d see the money in my wallet and think “Oh, I’m doing fine this week.” Not exactly.

2. Pack a lunch Butte Station is the demise of my bank account. I spent so much money in that store last year I’m surprised there wasn’t a name placard hung on the door in my name. Now I have started packing a lunch every day and limiting my Madison Bear Garden outings.

3. Break it down Add up your expenses for the past few months to see where the money’s going. I didn’t even realize how much I was spending in certain places until divided my expenses into categories.

Not only do I almost never go to this store anymore, but when I see any dress, blazer or shoes I “must have,” I walk away. If I’m still thinking about that item the next day then I will consider going back, but I usually forget about it. The initial dopamine rush we get when we see something we want will dissipate after five to six minutes, according to consumerreports.org. That’s why infomercials want you to call in the next three minutes to get that super deal while your dopamine levels are pumped up.

So if you’re super excited about that belt or hat, take a walk.

I’m fortunate enough to have mom and dad to guide me while I learn from my mistakes. So here’s to a new school year, being disciplined and taking control of my own destiny.

Have any other tips on how to budget your money? Tweet us @theorion_news.

4. Walk away I love Forever 21. It’s a little sickening how excited I get when I walk into the store.

Quinn Western can be reached at

managingeditor@theorion.com

4 |

WedneSday, AUGUST 28, 2013

NEWS

news all week @ theorion.com

wildcat survival guide

news all week @ theorion.com

WedneSday, AUGUST 28, 2013

| 5

Student shut-in prioritizes having fun over work

Chico State greets incoming students with tunes, food

Benjamin Mullin

Editor-in-Chief

I pass the same sidewalk graffiti on my walk home every day. It’s a stenciled send-up of Darwin’s evolution of man, the oft-caricatured visual representation of humans evolving gradually from chimpanzees.

This version has a chilling twist, however.

Right after the human stage of evolution, after the man finally begins to walk erect, the graffiti depicts him slowly dissolving into a bar code.

Lately, I’ve been glancing at this graffiti a lot.

Not because the sketch is any different, but because I’m going to graduate in a little less than a year. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I’m hoping the next stage in my personal evolution will be something more than fading into obscurity -- becoming a bar code, something monotonous, mass-produced and boring.

To that end, I’ve started making a Chico buck-

et list. It’s my response to the end-of-college jitters, a reminder that I’m still young enough to do crazy things -- even if my society-proscribed young and crazy period is coming to a head.

1. Perform onstage

polite, half-hearted, stifle-a-yawn applause will be all the affirmation I need after covering campus theater for a semester.

2. Go floating

The first I ever heard of Chico’s annual MeYou might say this is a strange and juvenile morial Day floating tradition was at a meeting thing to put on my bucket list, but no one asked for The Orion’s news team, where my baseball you. I didn’t have much on my plate when I bat-wielding editor asked all of the news writauditioned my freshers who wanted to cover man year, so when I “the float.” Naturally, “Every year, I’ve gone as got a callback to join the list of writers who the same thing during the show choir, I was wanted to abandon Chico’s annual celebrastoked. Then the deadtheir own Memorial lines started piling up Day plans to cover the tion of all things scantifor The Orion and I was annual carnage was exly-clad -- a reporter. forced to make a deciactly zero people long. sion — my dead-end But because I didn’t hobby as a low-rent, miniscule-talent tenor, or have any plans, being a clueless freshman, I my dead-end, low-rent job as a journalist. As signed up to watch people in varying states of you can see, I chose the latter. But after this seintoxication wade into the river. This year, hopemester’s over, I’m looking forward to singing fully I’ll be on the other side of the news — not my heart out for a group of people who are just drunk and waterlogged, but enjoying a leisurely there for appetizers and air conditioning. Their float down the river without having to worry

about a deadline.

3. Have a Chico Halloween: Every year, I’ve gone as the same thing during Chico’s annual celebration of all things scantilyclad -- a reporter. When everyone else is getting on their Halloween costumes, I’m turning on the police scanner. When everyone else is getting blasted at local bars, I’m on the phone with police to figure out how many people were arrested for DUIs. And when everyone finally collapses at around 2 a.m., I’m bent over a keyboard banging out the last paragraph of a crime story.

But not this year. This semester, I’m going to try on a different costume that doesn’t include a notepad, camera, press badge and a 6 a.m. deadline. Maybe this year, if nothing too crazy happens, I’ll go out for the weekend. Maybe everyone will behave and I’ll have a normal Halloween.

Yeah, right.

Ben Mullin can be reached at

editorinchief@theorion.com

Four must-visit campus locations for new students know.

Lindsay Pincus The Orion ∤ Photograph by Dan Reidel

Staff Writer

The Orion ∤ Photograph by Dan Reidel

About a year ago, I was a freshman. I had just moved into Lassen Hall and had a teary goodbye with my parents. Then that was it. I was alone.

My roommate wasn’t there and all the girls on my floor were buddied up with their roommates.

I thought I would be productive and go get my books from the bookstore — this was something to keep me from remembering that I was alone and stranded on a new campus with no one I knew. So as I opened the doors to leave the dorm, I realized I had no idea where I was going.

While I walked around the foreign campus and searched around for the bookstore, it was obvious that I was a freshman. I had my backpack on and a school map crunched between the deathly grip of my hands. I had confusion in my eyes as I wandered around campus. I even called my friend from home as I was walking so I didn’t feel so lame and lost.

So to keep you from feeling the way I did that fateful day, I've listed and described a few places every incoming Chico State student should

The Orion ∤ Photograph by Dan Reidel

Welcome home [TOP LEFT] Will Wagie, guitarist for the cover band Decades, plays at Rock 'da Block, a celebration welcoming freshmen, while Samantha Francis sings along.

[BOTTOM] A man accepts popcorn at a Wildcat Welcome Week event, which featured cotton candy and carnival-style games. [RIGHT] Adan Gonzalez directs vehicle traffic while students

In my English 130 class last semester, we were offered extra credit if we went in to get our esButte Station says reviewed by a tutor. As soon as I heard exThis little building between Plumas and Te- tra credit, my head shot up and I immediately hama halls was my saving grace from time to asked where I could go to get this help. Lo and time. Whenever I needed a quick lunch, I would behold, my professor told me to go the Student go straight to Butte Station to pick up a sandServices Center. I entered the tutoring office wich or a salad. and was greeted by one of the tutors. My name If you didn't know, sicknesses go around was put on the waiting list and I didn’t need an like the plague in the appointment. dorms. Butte Station The tutoring session was a great place to was amazing. The tuMy name was on the pick up some cold tor was friendly and medication when the willing to help me with waiting list and I didn't deathly dorm coughs whatever I needed. Not need an appointment. went around. It was only did I get extra very convenient to be credit, but I also did able to access those well on that paper beremedies immediately cause of the tutoring rather than having to bike or walk to a distant session. Outside of tutoring, the SSC also has grocery store. Butte Station may be small, but academic advisers, counselors, a study abroad it's packed with must-haves for every student on office and the Wildcat ID card office. campus.

Whether you're looking for a Scantron sheet Bell Memorial Union you forgot to buy before your exams or an enFirst off, everybody calls this building the ergy drink to help you make it through your BMU, so don’t get confused when someone says morning class, Butte Station has you covered. this. This building contains many different resources. First off, the Wildcat Store is there, Student Services Center which is basically a larger version of Butte Sta-

tion. Everything you need to survive your first semester is right there. There is food, school supplies, textbooks and everything else you could possibly imagine.

Also in the BMU is another on-campus eatery, Marketplace Cafe, which is only open for lunch.

Of the variety of selections including tacos, sushi and burgers, my personal favorite is the salad station.

Wildcat Recreation Center The WREC is always packed with students, so there are a lot of people to meet. My friends and I would go rock climbing, which I was no professional at, and learned it was a great workout.

Not only is there a rock wall, but there's also a basketball court, an indoor track, treadmills, a pool and a weight room. The pool here is a great place to be on Friday afternoons. It is packed with students tanning and swimming to celebrate the end of the school week. I love going to the pool because it is a great place to socialize and to relax.

After a stressful week of school and running around campus to discover new tresure troves, the pool is a great place to hang out and unwind.

The Orion can be reached at

editorinchief@theorion.com