Brian Osborn Staff Writer Oh Valentine’s Day, a day of love, gifts, and time to spend with that significant other. But for those of you without that special someone, Valentine’s Day is like the new MTV show Buckwild, sad and pointless. So if you are going to be like me and order Chinese food for one and live in cynical bliss, here are some ways that you can redeem the day. The way I look at it is that you have to replace the emotion that you are missing with the next best thing. So how about laughter? The Funny Bone in West Des Moines would be a good option. Darrell Joyce, who has had spots on Comedy Central, will be performing on Valentine’s Day. So you could grab your buddies, sit around, have a good chuckle, and forget about the empty bed you will be going home too. What about excitement? There are many theaters in the area that should be showing some kind of a film that will trip your trigger. For guys, we can see just about anything because let’s face it, we’re pretty easy to please. “Django Unchained” (which is my pick for movie of the year) has many aspects to do so. Quick drawing guns, explosions, comedy, and even a love story that you can get behind instead of those movies with cheesy lines and vampires that sparkle in the sun instead of blow up. Unfortunately for women, theaters right now are soaked in masculinity and your options are pretty limited, unless you can get into a love story between a zombie and a living girl. The day after V-Day premiers a movie called “Safe Haven” staring dreamy eyed Joshua Duhamel (Transformers Series) and Julianne Hough (Rock of Ages) that shows promise if you’re into that type of thing. But if that doesn’t do it for you, you could always have a “Twilight” marathon with you and your other single girlfriends and get lost in Taylor Lautner’s washboard abs. For those of you trying to fulfill a sense of adventure, why not try and go on an adventure (if weather allows it). During the summer, my roommates and I would make a quick drive over to Ledges State Park night and just walk along the trails, talk, lay in the grass and look up at the night sky. I always found something peaceful about those trips. It just gave me a good time to think, put things in perspective and have a good talk with my friends about life and other things. But if all else fails and you are of age, there is usually a bar not to far away where you can have a drink, make some new friends, rekindle old ones, and just have a good time. And who knows, you might even find a valentine. Just don’t drink and drive or you could go home to an empty bed in a six by six prison cell. Kodie Butterfield Staff Writer The story of the origin of Valentine’s Day takes place during ancient Roman times. Emperor Claudius II made it against the law for young soldiers to marry. Saint Valentine was a man who went behind the ruler’s back and preformed marriage ceremonies for young couples. He was caught and put to death for repeatedly breaking the law. It wasn’t until after being put to death that he was considered a saint. What is Valentine’s Day really about? Is it about how many cards, flowers, or chocolates you get? Or is it where your significant other takes you for dinner? Valentine’s Day has been advertised for many years as a day to treat the person or people you love special. Today the stores start covering themselves in hearts and chocolates as soon as the new year begins. Couples start planning their dates and figuring out what that ‘perfect’ gift might be. Valentine’s Day like so many other holidays has suffered the disease of commercialization. The holiday has developed into a chance for stores around the country to make money off of unaware consumers. I work at a grocery store here in Boone Iowa and the holidays just don’t mean the same anymore. I have had first-hand experience for the past two years seeing all of these people scrambling around the day before Valentine’s Day to find that gift for their significant other. I’ve had the pleasure of watching the floral department become swamped by men sweating and rushing to get roses for their wives or girlfriends. Now commercialization isn’t the only thing that has made this holiday what it is today. There is also the stress factor. We can see this appear as early as elementary school. Even at this young age kids feel the pressure to get the “best valentine” or to get the most in your decorated shoe box. I remember myself as a kid working for hours with my Mom on decorating the perfect box for all of my classmates to put in my special Valentine cards. I would spend another hour picking the perfect card out of the set for each individual person. I know now that almost every girl in my class did the exact same thing. Then I look at my 8-year- old niece. Last year she was in second grade and I still remember her talking about her Valentine’s Day party at school. She went on and on about how a certain boy in her class gave her a “special” card. For her this meant it had her favorite cartoon character from some Disney movie. Then my niece continued to tell me about how there was a girl in her class that she didn’t like. My niece gave the girl a card that had one of the evil stepmothers from a princess movie. I had a complete mental flashback to when I was young and worried about the same thing. Valentine’s Day isn’t just a stress for the women or girls though. My best guy friend in elementary school did the same thing I did. He didn’t want certain girls to get the wrong idea, but I do remember he would always save his favorite for me. Then when I go to work on or near this holiday I see more men than women. They are the ones running around trying to get flowers, chocolates, and the perfect card. The idea behind Valentine’s Day today is to show that special someone how much you care. I personally think it is great that people want to shower others with love and gifts. The question remains though; why do we need just one day a year to do just that? Why do we need an excuse to treat the people we care so much about special? I’m not saying that Valentine’s Day is a bad thing, but much like many other holidays it is just a reminder of the things we should be doing every day. Personally, I would rather have a random act of kindness or love throughout the year then just have one day to feel extra special. Women extend winning streakFreshman point guard Jasmine McCoy, 32, drives the lane in a game against Iowa Lakes on Feb. 7. The DMACC Bears improved their record to 19-6 (8-3) with a 28-point win over Southeastern Saturday. Freshman Carlee Schuhmacher dominated the stat line by posting a double double, scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds. With the win, the Bears are now tied with Iowa Central Community College at second in the conference and are ranked 16th in the latest poll. The Bears return to the floor Wednesday night, Feb. 13, against Southwestern. File Photo by Dick Kelly/DMACC
Bears come up short on the road against cccSophmore forward Devonte Smith, 21, handled the ball in a 79-71 win over Iowa Lakes Feb. 6. On Sunday, the Bears record fell to 14-11(3-6) after a nine point loss to CCC, 88-79. The Bears outrebounded CCC, but the shooting woes continued, connecting only 26 field goals on 67 shots. Sophmore LaTree Russell led the way with 24 points. With five regualr season games remaining, DMACC looks to finish strong starting Wednesday night when they take on Southwestern. File Photo by Dick Kelly/DMACC
Derek Williams, No.5, freshman point guard for the Bears suffered a concussion during a game on Jan. 16. Williams has since returned to the lineup after experiencing symptoms for five days. By Kolby Vetter Staff Writer Derek Williams, freshman point guard on DMACC basketball team, says the last thing he remembers from the game on Jan. 16 was running down the court going for the ball. From there on it was just a blur. “I got elbowed on the side of my head, I blacked out and all I remember was getting help from the people after I regained consciousness,” Williams said. Williams was sidelined for the rest of the game against the Clinton Cougars. When he returned to DMACC, he was diagnosed with a concussion. Concussions is a serious topic and DMACC is following decisions closely by the Iowa High School Athletic Association to set more guidelines and policies to prevent and respond to head inuries, said Orv Salmon, Athletic Director. “We have changed our approach on the issue, based on the consultation of the doctor that is in town, we do exactly what he says, and he follows the exact protocol that was set up by the IAHSAA,” Salmon said. Salmon said that the topic of concussions is a not new one, but more awareness is being brought up around the country. In 2012 there were between 1 to 3 million concussions nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control. When a concussion occurs, the scientific term for what is happening is that the person’s brain is being hit against the skull, which causes bruising and can result in serious brain trauma. But this brings up a point of what determines how serious a concussion is. “If a player loses consciousness he or she will not be allowed to go back into the athletic competition, and that’s directly from our athletic trainer, then that player needs to be evaluated by doctor,” Salmon said. The player must run through a series of tests to figure out the severity of the injury. From there it is taken day by day based on how he or she is feeling, Salmon said. Salmon said that as the issue is becoming a bigger topic of discussion more rules will be placed. He also said that the NJCAA is starting to play a bigger role when it comes to the injury. Salmon believes that over the next couple of years the rules will become even stricter. Salmon said the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference has general policies in place for responding to concussions, “but our frame of reference for handling this is always just trusting our local doctor here.” After the injury, Williams had to go through what he called a “seven day cycle” that included a lot of rest, and staying in. “The first day, I was supposed to sleep for 24 hours, no TV or anything, and as the days progressed just get back to the normal way of life, like using my phone and everyday things,” Williams said. Williams went through five straight days of headaches and called the concussion on a scale of one to 10 an eight. According to the IAHSAA for a player to return to the court he or she must complete a seven-step process that includes: Completing physical and rest, returning to everyday activity, light exercising, non-contact training drills, medical clearance, and finally returning to normal competition. “Before I could return I had to make sure my balance was okay, I had to go to the doctor three times to make sure it was right where is should be, and from there get the okay from the doctor,” Williams said. Williams and Salmon agree that as the years progress and the risk of concussions go up, it will be considered more serious; there will be more guidelines and rules to follow that minimize the chance of suffering a concussion. Baltimore Ravens and Super Bowl champion, Bernard Pollard, a defensive back, told ESPN that he believes that football won’t even exist in 30 years because of the nature that it is played and the brain injuries it causes. Williams said, “You need to start being more careful, and not getting back so early after a concussion, because it can really mess you up in the long run.” DMACC Boone student Emma Allen embraces British culture with some sightseeing in London. Photo by Megan Kroeger By Cainon Leeds Editor-in-Chief Emma Allen was the only student from Boone Campus to join the DMACC study abroad program this spring. She and seven other DMACC students departed for London on Feb. 2 with DMACC English professor Randy Jedele to explore the United Kingdom’s history, customs and culture. Allen said she wanted to study abroad because of a vacation she took with her family in Britain for a few days last summer. They saw such historic cities as London, Liverpool and Edinburgh. However, Allen said that the trip was mostly devoted to sightseeing and that she would have enjoyed more time to experience English culture. “I’d like to feel like I’m a part of it,” she said. Kennedy LaVille, a former DMACC study abroad student, advised that all students who are interested in studying abroad should “take every opportunity to try new things and experience it.” Former DMACC study abroad student Kenzie Tedrow shared similar thoughts from her experience studying abroad. She stressed the importance of the “little things” like visiting with a shopkeeper in France and enjoying evenings with her roommates. “My absolute favorite moments were sitting in bed and enjoying ice cream and cake with my roommates,” Kenzie said. Allen spoke of her hopes of taking in part of English culture by visiting British pubs, eating fish and chips, steak and ale pie and other local dishes. She also said that she wanted to do some sightseeing of her own. In addition to a bus tour of Scotland and getting better acquainted with her classmates, she wanted to visit some famous places from literature. “I want to go to Whitby because that’s where ‘Dracula’ is based and Whitehaven Mansion from Agatha Christie’s ‘Hercule Poirot,’” she said. Although students like Allen, LaVille and Tedrow pursued and were able to study abroad, the number of students studying abroad at DMACC seems to be decreasing. According to Jedele, he took 16 students abroad in 2005, 17 students in 2009 and now he’s taking eight students. LaVille speculated that most students may not take the opportunity to study abroad at DMACC because of the cost of the program. Because of DMACC’s comparatively low tuition rates, lower income students may not be able to pay for the $9,565 it takes to study abroad, and that doesn’t include the personal expenses associated with living in London or the optional packages available to students. “I think it was around $12,000 total,” LaVille said. Tedrow took advantage of the scholarships available to help pay for the expenses of studying abroad. She agreed that the program was costly but worthwhile. “I met three of my best friends studying abroad,” Tedrow said. Instructor Jim Dose assists Anna-Grace Fleckenstein with her math homework in the AAC. Photo by Josh Stevens By Josh Stevens Staff writer Students at the DMACC Boone campus logged an average of 418.33 hours per week at the Academic Achievement Center last year. That means students spent 16,733.5 hours using the facility for 2011-12, according to statistics. “We like to be taken advantage of,” said Mary Ann Koch, director of the Achievement Center. The center, which is located down the hall from Entrance 16 on the northwest side of campus, offers tutoring, proctoring, career exploration, computer based learning and more. The AAC offers a variety of opportunities to aid in a students learning experience and success. Walk-in tutoring with faculty members is available at no cost for students. Tutors are available in English/composition, math, reading, accounting, computer classes and more. Another option is peer-to-peer tutoring, but those sessions are by appointment. Jim Dose, math professor, has helped in the Center for six years. Pegi Blevins, Jenanie Roth, Ann Keisel and Rosie Irvine are also faculty members who work in the AAC. Aaron Overbeck, a student and a third baseman for the DMACC Bears baseball team, said, “It’s nice to have guys like Jim to help out with the math.” The AAC provides individual consultations to help students deal with problems such as test anxiety, time management, test taking techniques and how to get the most out of a textbook. Proctored testing is a main component of the AAC. Koch said it is important for students to “know your instructors name and bring photo identification.” Last year 3,230 make up tests were conducted. The AAC also proctors COMPASS assessment, CLEP Tests/Challenge tests and GED tests, which are now available on computer. Another element the AAC offers is career exploration. For more information go to IHaveaPlanIowa.gov Help for those learning English as a second language is also offered in the AAC with the use of programs like Rosetta Stone, Focus on your Grammar and Lose your Accent in 28 days. There is also a program called Assistance with Word Processing. This program helps with people unfamiliar with Microsoft WORD 2003. If you are looking for help with less human interaction they offer e2020, which is a computer based learning system. AAC hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday in room 102. “It’s a quiet environment that you can go and tutors are readily available,” said Britney Lee, a liberal arts major. By Jessica McNeece Staff Writer Sean Taylor still remembers the moment he walked into the house his sister lived in after a long days work. Little did he know that his future wife would be sitting in the room. “We met in college. The first time I saw her was when my sister was having a party at our house. I came home early from work and my sister had her powder puff football team over. She was on the team and when I saw her it was like A-WOOGA!” Sean said. “When I saw my wife, I can honestly say we fell in love at first sight. We have been married 21 years now,” said the DMACC professor. Taylor and his wife, Shannon Taylor, are both psychology teachers at DMACC. Shannon teaches at the Hunzinker Center in Ames, while Sean teaches at the Boone Campus. Though the teachers fell in love, they have their psychology experience to argue against the concept of love at first sight. Although two people may fall in love, psychologists will say that there are many other components than just the sight of a person. “I don’t believe you can actually fall in love at first sight, but you can be attracted at first,” said Shannon Taylor.Student Matthew Beyer also talks about his experience with love at first sight. “Personally, I don’t believe in love at first sight. It seems too vain to fall in love due to looks, although good looks are beneficial when seeking a mate. My fiancée and I didn’t fall in love at first sight, but we definitely knew that something was there,” Beyer says. |
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