Hey, let me keep my money!

Many college students are on a tight budget, and pride themselves in finding deals on whatever they buy and hitting up as many free food events as they possibly can.  Such habits allow students to avoid starvation for a cheaper cost per day than their meal plan daily allowance.  Thus, a balance of unused “dining dollars” is begins to grow.  Now, campus meal plans are great, but there is a catch.   When the balance of a exceeds a certain cap, the excess money is “forfeited.”  Why, when it could be transferred to the student’s signature card account? 

Students need to spend meal plan money on food, naturally, because that is what the money is designated for.  Everyone needs to eat, but there are many other small items that students need to worry about paying for, including laundry, printing things on campus, and small bookstore purchases.  The BYU Signature Card account is commonly used for these types of transactions.  If excess meal plan money was automatically transferred to the cardholder’s Signature Card account, the money would all circulate back to BYU, and no one loses.   Students would not be penalized for their frugal ways, nor would they starve themselves just to buy apparel or textbooks at the bookstore; the latter because it would be preposterous to refrain from eating for ten days for a balance of more than $100 to build up.

This service would be so convenient and students wouldn’t have to worry about stuffing their faces or treating all of their friends to lunch when they their balance approaches $100.00  Campus would just be a happier place.  

Co-ed camping?

Everyone is looking for something fun to do over the weekend. Here in Utah, the possibilities are endless! Utah provides some great experiences, especially outdoor activities. For many college students camping is a favorite outdoor activity because it is cheap, fun, and can make lasting memories. However, camping contains the possibility of physical and sometimes even spiritual risks. The most common spiritual risk of co-ed camping is increased temptation of committing adultery, and increased risk of violation. The BYU Honor Code has addressed the issue of co-ed camping. Co-ed camping is not encouraged nor authorized by BYU. (http://honorcode.byu.edu/content/mixed-gender) I think that if BYU students 1. receive permission to co-ed camp, 2. have a minimum of two females and two males, and 3. live by housing hours, they can have a wonderful and safe camping experience.

The BYU Honor Code is something we as students are very blessed to live by. The Honor Code allows this campus to be enjoyable, peaceful, and spiritually uplifting. I think the Honor Code should be respected and observed to make this campus the most wanted place to be for college. In that regard, I think co-ed camping trips should receive permission from the Honor Code Office (HCO) to encourage the spiritual safety of all who participate.

Another key to spiritual and physical safety, is to have more than two people camping in one occasion. As the saying goes, "There is safety in numbers." To decrease risk of physical violation, co-ed camping can allow a cushion of safety and security for the females attending. Camping with male figures will decrease the probability of potential predators around a campsite. A counter argument may say that the male figures attending may also be the potential predators. I think that this would only be a problem if people are naive enough to go camping with people they don't trust.

What am I going to do with my life?

On September 15th applications for the English Teaching major are due. Applications? Didn't I already write an essay, take the ACT, and maintain a decent GPA in high school to apply for Brigham Young University? I already went through the torture of waiting to know if I would be accepted and now I have to do it again, only this time I have to provide multiple essays and a video of me teaching a lesson. I thought I was going to learn how to do that once I was in the program. Isn't that what the program is for?

Universities all over the world require one application process, combining the undergraduate degree application with the application for the university itself. While this forces students to know what they want to major in when they begin college, it allows students to get out in the work force quicker or go on to graduate studies and it eliminates general education requirements. Most universities in America have closed majors and require students to come to the university for a couple years and then apply for a major. This makes it easier for high school students to not focus on what they want to do with their lives, because of the mindset that they can do it their first couple years of college. It also influences the phrase of being on the "five year program" making it longer to graduate and enter the work force.

Being a student in America we have the privilege of going to school for free for thirteen years. Each year there are subjects we are required to learn, including english, reading, math, science, and social studies or history. These exact subjects are found in the general education requirements. Perhaps it's just me, but after thirteen years of science I know for a fact I do not like biology or physical science, yet I had to take them for my GE requirements and this time I'm paying to take the class. Now many of my GE classes I enjoyed, but they were classes I was able to choose and most of them were in the field of study I will hopefully get into...if I get accepted.

Opinion Editorial: H1N1 virus

Do you have a fever, cough, sore throat, or nasal congestion? Are you experiencing any body aches, headaches, and tiredness or vomiting? Well have no fear you only have the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. I think this is ridiculous. This new virus that has come out is being blown way out of proportion. Everyone is freaking out thinking that they are going to get the swine flu because their best friend’s cousin twice-removed boyfriend’s aunt’s sister’s niece had symptoms of swine flu. It doesn’t make sense that everyone is so concerned over a virus that is not even as bad as the regular flu. In the Daily Universe on September 9, 2009 there is an article where a Dr. Willmore says, “Even though the swine flu is getting a lot more press, if you compare the two illnesses [swine flu and the regular flu], you get much sicker patients and a lot more deaths with the regular flu.” It is amazing how the media can affect how everyone behaves and what everyone believes.
I recently went on a trip to Mexico and when I got back the first thing people asked me was “Do you have swine flu?” Really? People are overreacting to everything that is coming out. There were schools in my area that got completely shut down and Proms canceled because there was a possible case of swine flu. And even more, my friend’s mom almost died last December when she came down with what doctors told her was just the regular flu. Where were all of the precautions and warnings about getting the regular flu? Why weren’t people going through extra steps to not give or pass-along the regular flu?

My Opinion Editorial

Let's face it, riding a motorcycle or moped isn't as safe as driving in a car. In a car you have airbags, seat belts, and the whole vehicle that covers you, but when riding a motorcycle/moped you have very limited ways to keep you safe , and one of them is protective headgear, another words helmets.
I'm not from Utah, I'm from California where the helmet law is in forced. In Utah however I've noticed that people usually don't wear helmets, and it came as a surprise to me, because I'm thinking, "They're gonna get a ticket." When I didn't see anyone get a ticket, I thought to myself, " The helmet law isn't a big deal here? People drive crazy! They'll fly everywhere if they crash."
So, I went online and figured out that in Utah, you're suppose to wear a helmet in the highway, and they didn't mention anywhere else. Which brings me to the conclusion that they should change the helmet law. Its obvious that most drivers here like to speed and tailgate. It was even mentioned in the Utah Drivers Handbook, that speeding and following closely (percentage wise) is the top two reasons why people crash. If they change the helmet law, it will increase the riders chance of surviving in one of these common crashes, and protect them.

Popular Vote

Opinion Editorial:
Popular Vote

I would like to begin this Opinion editorial with a question to the readers. Name off to yourself the “popular” kids in your high school class. I know you know them. And to those of you who were the popular kids, do not stop reader, it is not bashing you. Back to the question at hand, after you named off those popular kids, forget about them and try to remember the kids you personally knew that hung around them. The ones that hoped the aura that radiated off the big timers would rub off on them and increase their own likability. Then while they are with you, they are completely a different person. Now, this paper is not one to bash the popular kids, but the concept that when people around are popularity they would change the way they talk, act and ultimately their thoughts and beliefs to impress the popular rule.
The table in the middle of the lunchroom was reserved for popularity, where they can be heard and seen easily. The center stage. Those who hold the right to sit there are usually seen and heard. Who would not want that? We all want to share our ideas and be recognized. That is why I am writing this opinion editorial, I want to be heard. And I am sure that after some of you read this, you sure would like to be heard as well. Though the only way you could get the most attention is center stage. Although, before you can enter, you must become part of the group. In the United States today, popular demand asks for you to release your dogmatic views and to embrace the changing of society and support it as well. To have a belief in anything automatically lowers your ranking in the world of popularity rules. Though change is not bad, in fact it is essential for life and people, but to lose the right to hold a personal belief because it is against popular culture is ironic.
Coming from a suburb in Seattle, WA, I can tell you the popular kids have full reign of the not so popular kids there. They have the right to hold their opinions, but when I share my own opinion, the attacks start coming. From attacks on the belief to personal attacks, it all comes out like a bursting dam. Popularity rules again. Even though I am using the liberal side as the “bad” guy, please understand it works both ways. People have opinions, they do have the right to hold and share them. But when that opinion starts hurting other people directly, indirectly, physically, and worse off, morally, that is when it gets too far.
J First Opinion paper! YAY

Too Little Room

In may of 2009, I sat at my computer waiting for the clock to strike six. It was the day I was assigned to sign up for a dorm room. As I logged onto Brigham Young University's website I saw a message stating all on campus housing for women was full. I was devastated. Where was I supposed to live now. I had gotten accepted to BYU but if I had no where to live I couldn't go there. Unlike most other colleges around the united states, Brigham Young University does not even have enough on-campus housing to house all its incoming freshman. That causes lots of problems.

Unlike the freshman who got into on-campus housing, those who are not lucky enough to make it in have more stress put on them. They have to worry about where they are going to live, how far that is from campus, and they have to figure all this out without having ever stepped foot on campus. This is a lot of pressure to put on someone who is leaving home for the first time. They have the stress of getting to class on time from a farther distance. They also have the fear of getting lost trying to find their way around off campus. I think that a lot of the freshman year stress would be reduced if all freshman could live on campus in the dorms.

On-campus housing also has some added benefits to living off campus for the first year. Those who live on-campus have the opportunity to meet lots of new people who are the same age as themselves and who are going through the same difficulties. This forms more lasting friendships and bonds. Unlike those who live off campus who are around older people who don't remember what it is like to be new and have absolutely no idea what they are doing.

Passing Periods- Enough Time for Students?

We all value the time we spend in our classes here at BYU. We all also must value our time during passing periods between these classes, especially because of how short of a time this is. 10 minutes. Is this too short? Or is this university campus just too big? The architects of this school no doubt tried their best to build the many classrooms within a close proximity to each other, but for some, 10 minutes still is nearly not enough.
True, many people do not experience problems with this 10 minute long "period" between classes, but those people are the ones with fairly reasonable schedules which provide for easy walking time between their next rooms of learning. Others, unfortunately, have hectic schedules--not necessarily due to the difficulty of classes--but because of very inconvenient buildings and times for these classes. BYU is huge. So is the amount of students flooding the walkways every single day of the week. The two don't mix very well. Combine that to the 10 minute passing periods, and for some, there is created a dangerous journey to get to classes each day with the ducking and dodging to get around other students and the worry of arriving only to find that the professor has already started his lecture on cell biology. Ouch. Yet, this can all be avoided.
First off, can't the 10 minute passing period just have a teensy 5 more minutes added? If so, students would not have to be in such a riotous rush for class. This would also allow for fewer students arriving late, sparing them the emotional pain of walking into a room full of 200 people with their eyes fixated on them as they quickly and nervously take their seat. Students could also have ample time to use restrooms or other facilities without worry. Secondly, the option to ride bicycles to class could take a whole lot of strain off of students with this problem. Bikes are allowed, bike racks are even provided, but why can't students ride these bikes around campus during class time? Sure, there could be injuries, but it's not as if you're driving a car on the walkways-it's just a bike. University students should be capable of riding their bikes safely. The same goes for those who are walking.

Is a nationalized health care system really worth it?

Pre-med students around the country are starting to pay attention to the recent storm of rumors and plans surrounding the United States health care system. Will the government step in and begin regulating hospitals more closely? What will happen to the cost of health care? What will happen to the quality of health care? And weighing even more heavily on students minds, what will happen to doctors' wages? A major government reform to publicize health care would start a chain reaction that, while hopefully leading to lower cost, will lead to lower quality care and a fewer number of qualified students willing to make the long, financially difficult road of medical school.

The average medical school student goes into approximately $150,000 of debt by the time they graduate. Then take into consideration the fact that here at BYU, most of these students have young families that will add considerably to that debt. That being understood, if you then tell these students that their salary is now about to be significantly reduced, how are they supposed to pay off all that debt that they accumulated? And from a undergraduate's perspective, is it worth it to even take that road knowing that even after the nerve breaking stress of a rigorous medical school curriculum, they will still have to work long hours for years to come just to pay off their tuition?

In response to the concern for the cost of medical education, there has been some speculation that either medical schools would have to lower the price of tuition or the government would have to subsidize it to a greater extent. Neither really seems like a desirable solution. If medical schools were to drop the price of tuition, more likely than not the quality of education would decrease significantly. Lack of teachers, equipment, and funding for projects would all combine to lower the level of skill of our medical students. To compensate for this, either the students would have to supplement their learning elsewhere, or spend more time in school to make sure they were sufficiently qualified to enter the work field--sending them into yet more debt. On the other hand, if the government were to subsidize the cost of school, the question comes to mind, where would they get the money from? In an economy of stimulus plans and bailouts, it is difficult to believe the the country's budget could take such a burden. As it stands there just doesn't seem to be a solution for the rising cost of medical school.

Exercise and Its Effects on American Obesity

To the avid runner, sports fanatic, and gym-crazed college student who just took a second, incredulous look at the title, I give two words of advice: keep reading. It’s true, physical activity has been proven to reduce the risk of certain cancers, improve heart health, enhance cardiovascular performance, and cause the production of endorphins, the body’s natural anti-depressant. However, in light of this generation’s exercise obsession (which has suspiciously spiked right alongside the country’s obesity rate) we have to ask: Are there negative side-effects being overlooked? Exercise has shown to increase appetite, discourage day-to-day activity, and cause permanent wear-and-tear on the body’s joints, tendons, and muscles.
The basic recommendation from the American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association for an individual’s physical activity is a moderately intense cardio workout for thirty minutes a day, five days a week. But what about afterwards? Researchers from the Surrey University and Imperial College London found that, “although hormones released during exercise helped suppress the appetite some people still ate more after exercise than those who did not participate in physical activity.” The fact is, exercise just can’t facilitate weight loss if the calories burned during physical activity are replaced, and in most cases, superseded by post-workout over-eating. Not only does exercise stimulate hunger, but now a study done by researchers at the University of Illinois suggests that “the very thought of exercise may cause people to eat more.” Test subjects who participated in the study ate as much as they wanted on two occasions: once after viewing exercise print messaging and once after coming in contact with non-exercise-related messaging. The subjects consumed more, on average, after their thoughts had been exposed to exercise-related topics. The researchers concluded, “These inadvertent effects may explain the limited efficacy of exercise-promotion programs for weight loss, particularly when systematic dietary guidelines are absent.”
Isn’t it also true that exercise has shown to curb appetite? Yes, but John Cloud explains why that doesn’t always mean a lower caloric intake in his Time article, “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.” He says that, “because exercise depletes not just the body's muscles but the brain's self-control ‘muscle’ as well, many of us will feel greater entitlement to eat a bag of chips during that lazy time after we get back from the gym.” Almost anyone who has planned and carried out an exercise routine can relate to feeling worthy of a reward after an especially challenging training session and, without fail, that irresistible craving will undo all the hard work done for that day. This, Cloud explains, is why exercise could be making you heavier.

Where are the priorities?

Every Tuesday afternoon, at precisely ten forty-five, students and faculty across BYU scamper around campus herding themselves towards the Marriot center and other internet accessible locations. Any other visitor to the Brigham Young University campus would be suprised to find out that by ten forty-five all stores, facilities, information desks, and even classes campus wide have fully shut down their services. So why does BYU campus shut all of this down? For the wonderful weekly devotional/forum. Here students can be uplifted, enlightened, or even just be taking a break from their classes.
Originally as a student here at BYU I thought wow, what a great thing for a university to do, especially one that is religiously affiliated like this one. I am not trying to down on devotional because I do love to go, and if you don't you should :) but here's my dilemma. This semester I started a new job for the same people I worked for last year, nothing extravagant, just a desk job; however, I am employed by BYU. Thinking I wouldn't have to worry about scheduling for work, I still got stuck working on Sunday. Although we do rotate our schedules so we don't work EVERY Sunday, it makes me wonder how the entire University can be shut down for a devotional or forum but other places can't be shut down on Sunday when it's most important.
How does BYU get away with making students work on Sundays where they can be most uplifted at church, especially when one of the main extensions of this school is the LDS church (where members are actually asked to not work on Sundays.) Can they figure out a way to shut down places on campus that stay open on Sundays, just like they shut down EVERYTHING for devotional?