10-1-14 Statesman

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Tweed presents ceramic exhibit, A4

THE STATESMAN

Photo submitted by Tweed Museum of Art WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH

WWW.UMDSTATESMAN.COM

Nolan’s bill could lower tuition Congressman says it is “impossible” for students to work their way through college BY SAM STROM News Editor

Congressman Rick Nolan has introduced a bill that may help students pay their way through school by making it more affordable, and also by raising the amount of money students make while in school. His bill, the Restore Democracy Act, introduces seven major reforms that will affect Congress. The Restore Democracy Act will change the way politics are done in

Washington, and according to Nolan students will benefit from the bill — should it pass — regarding their tuition. “It’s your future and your children’s future,” Nolan said. “I was able to work my way through the university. Why? Because the university costs were a fraction back then than what they are now.” Nolan also said that the minimum wage, relative to the prevailing wage, was better when he was in school than it is now. Now, it’s too difficult for

students to completely pay for their college with a minimum wage job. “It’s impossible, in my judgment, to work your way through a university,” Nolan said. “The costs are just too great, and the wages and the income are too low. It doesn’t work.” Approximately seven out of 10 seniors nationwide graduate with student debt, and this has a negative impact on the economy according to Nolan. “It’s bad for the economy to

be graduating people from colleges and universities with the kind of debt that they have,” Nolan said. “It hurts the economy; they can’t get into buying their first home or buying a decent car.” Along with his Restore Democracy Act, Nolan said that he is planning three more actions that will address student-loan debt. “One is to raise the minimum wage,” Nolan said, in an effort to increase the income of students with part-time jobs.

Too many distractions? Research examines benefits of self-control

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see NOLAN, A3

Class puts students in heat of debate Prof. encourages global warming discussions

BY MAKAILA MILLER Staff Reporter

It’s time to study for that exam in two days … but first, you should watch that new video, look at some food pictures posted on Instagram, Google the top 10 best chocolate desserts and check your twitter feed. Sound familiar? Last year, psychology professors Brian Galla and Angela Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania and Sidney D’Mello of the University of Notre Dame teamed up to develop the Academic Diligence Task, aimed at measuring and improving students’ academic perseverance in the face of today’s numerous technological distractions. The researchers enlisted 921 high-school seniors with various academic, social and cultural backgrounds. The students completed a computer-based test consisting of five successive four-minute sessions, where participants had the choice to do simple math problems on one side of the screen or watch videos and play games on the other. The researchers concluded that those who stay focused on the math problems demonstrate more self-control to work hard and achieve longterm goals. They are also more likely to have a higher high-school GPA and graduate from college. Self-control describes a situation where an individual takes action to change his or her current environment, allowing them to manage his or her own subsequent behavior according to Julie Slowiak, a UMD psychology professor. Slowiak has done research on

“Two, the government needs to fund a greater share of education to bring tuition costs down to a level that is affordable. If it were up to me,” Nolan added, “I would have government funding for four years of college or technical education free of charge. I just believe that there’s no better investment we could ever make.” Nolan is also sponsoring legislation that would allow

BY AISLING DOHENY Staff Reporter

Social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat distract students from getting work done. New research indicates that students who can put the phone down have a better probablility of graduating college than those who don’t. SARAH STAUNER/STATESMAN

factors influencing work-task performance. UMD junior Claire Olsen, a teaching social studies major, has observed from her classes and experiences that individuals are becoming used to constant stimulation from technology and being immediately entertained. “It is important for students to struggle and learn from their mistakes without turning to a distraction,” Olsen said. “By not taking the easy way out, students will remember things.” Slowiak shared Olsen’s view on this trend.

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“Students gravitate toward the immediate gratification of social interaction and entertainment provided by technology in contrast to the often delayed, larger positive rewards for engaging in studying and other academicrelated behaviors,” Slowiak said. Slowiak believes this mindset can lead to inappropriate behaviors in education, such as lying, cheating or plagiarism. These behaviors lead to immediate results such as completing a paper, but they also have negative long-term consequences such as receiv-

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ing a failing grade or academic suspension. Olsen credits the lack in perseverance among students to these individuals being disconnected from what they are learning. Professor Dan Glisczinski, Olsen’s professor in Educational Psychology, agrees. Glisczinski teaches how when people learn or experience something interesting, their brain releases dopamine and adrenaline. When they experience a similar sensation in the future, they remember, see DISTRACTIONS, A3

UMD’s Department of Communication offers a course for students to discuss and analyze the abstraction that comes with discussing climate change. The class Communication Inquiry: Social Scientific Methods discusses and researches what makes climate change so controversial. Professor Aaron Boyson has done research on the subject of global warming in his classes. With his students, Boyson takes an interactive approach on how global warming should be discussed, how to develop strategies that would influence a belief in global warming, and how to instill the idea that global warming is more than a scientific concern in today’s world. “Global warming is a communication issue,” Boyson said. Boyson is an overt believer in global warming and believes that as a scholar and scientist, it is his duty to spread the word and advocate for change. He encourages this ideology to his students, most of whom are communication majors and are required to take the course. The class does not exclude any students with differing beliefs, however. Boyson understands that the arguments behind global warming are often times politically charged. “It’s a social science class; the main research of the see CLIMATE, A3


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