Helllo, Guilford News.

When attending a new school, a restaurant, a family dinner, a meeting, or even a church impressions are key. We all want to portray the correct impression and show our right and respectable personality. The thing to remember is that we have different facades. Once we get to know one person it becomes hard for us to alternate. When we a certain impression of a person is conveyed in our minds it becomes hard to change our perception of that person. Not only such but we begin to expect certain things from this person.

Impressions are so important even on a school level. When students like certain teachers or the teacher favors a certain group of student is merely their perceptions of each other. However when something is done by either party that defies expectations a change in the continuum occurs. What do you wonder am I talking about? Well here is an example:

In the November issue of the Guilfordian an update occurred on the case of John Hatch the previous Mathematics teacher here in Guilford.  Of course you might recognize this name from the previous blog post I have published.  Reading the updates I came to realize that impressions can be a harmful matter.

 Listen to why I think so.

College and Drinking, My view!!

College is a great step in one’s life. It represents that this person has become mature, responsible, and knowledgeable. When parents send their children to college one of the first words they say to them “Be safe, don’t do anything stupid”. Of course we all know that these words go right over the kid’s heads. In through one ear and out through the other. These words become as useless as trying to nail Jell-O to a tree.

It is the one of the first things that a teen does when coming to college is experiment with all that was forbidden. After all it is those things that are forbidden that are most desired. Teens begin with their reckless driving, late night partying, extreme procrastination, and drug and alcohol experimenting. With the use of all these factors I feel that the teen belittles him/herself. They become children again in want of the one thing that is harmful. It is truly bewildering to me. Why would a well-educated teen demean him/herself. Where are one’s self-respect, modesty, morality and values?

In class today we discussed many topics, and we all had many different opinions. One of the topics that were focused on was the lowering of the drinking age to 18 instead of 21. In opinion I disagree. Despite the fact that I do not drink, and will never in my life take in a sip, I still held the position of not changing the law. I look out on the streets and observe 21 year olds behavior. I see reckless behavior, drinking till the wee hours of the morning and not taking a smallest bit of responsibility. The one thought that pops in my mind, is that if twenty one year olds are not able to control themselves and drink moderately I can only imagine what the potential eighteen year olds would do. That not to say that there are no eighteen year olds currently doing the same exact thing.

If we allow eighteen year olds than what’s stopping the younger generation. There is enough in the parent’s plates to deal with; adding drinking to the mix is not going to be any easier. I believe that drinking and all the other fall outs of society is a question of morality and ethics. It’s a question of how one wants to be perceived, what he/she has to prove to the world and who he/she is trying to be. There is no such thing as drinking in to have fun or socialize. That is a mere excuse, drinking is drinking and one cup only leads to another. You have fun with friends and family doing something together, and you socialize with some water.

What is the Freshman 15? How can you avoid it?

The whole world cheers for healthy and organic food. However being in college makes it quite difficult to maintain a balanced healthy diet. A student falls to the temptations of fast and convenient foods. Though eating is the body’s energy it’s also the path to destruction of the mind and body. Having a good healthy diet has tremendous effects on the mind, and thus on the outcome in the students scholastic wellness.

Research has proven to me just how difficult it is to maintain a healthy balanced diet. Most freshman’s end up gaining weight, hence the concept of the freshman 15. The concept of the "Freshman Fifteen" was found in 1989 that chronicled a college freshman's fight against weight gain. These 15 pounds of perceived weight gain that has been investigated, analyzed, evaluated, and debated for almost two decades refers to the popular belief that students gain an average of 15 pounds during their first year of college (Carithers-Thomas, Bradford, Keshock, Pugh). Shocking!!! Is it not? This is not exactly the best news freshman’s want to hear. Being a freshman myself I could not help but wonder what it is exactly that causes this weight gain.

As if I don’t already know… Everyone knows why it is they gain unwanted weight. We just choose to deny it. Unless it is a medical issue, the most common factors affecting weight gain are:

Reasons	Percentage
Late-night snacking	20.8
Cafeteria food selection	12.9
Social Eating	11.9
Irregular Schedule	11.9
General Stress	10.9
Decreased Activity	10.9
Lack of “Healthy Foods”	8.9
Social Drinking	6.9
(Carithers-Thomas, Bradford, Keshock, Pugh)

Not too out of the ordinary right? All of these seem to be understandable factors. 

Study has shown that 90% of first year college students are aware of the freshman 15, yet many students chose to ignore the warning signs related to weight gain. Many researchers suggest that this weight gain is attributed to the new-found freedom and accompanying stress associated with the shift to college life  (Carithers-Thomas, Bradford, Keshock, Pugh). Ya think. I’m finally free, no parents telling me not to eat what is unhealthy or to eat my veggies!!! Other researchers claim that the excess weight gain is due to an increase in caloric consumption through the intake of alcohol and unhealthy snacking (Carithers-Thomas, Bradford, Keshock, Pugh).

Along with all these reasons for weight gain, I believe that another reason could be the cafeteria food in the colleges. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s great that we have a cafeteria. I think I am right when I say that we are all grateful for all the help and effort put in by the cafeteria workers. However despite its good intention the cafeteria is health hazard on the students. Navigating the cafeteria can be time consuming and confusing. Keep it simple and keep in mind your fueling basics. I know all the unhealthy options out there: fried foods, greasy burgers, meat-loaded pizza, sugary cereals, bacon, potato chips, and ranch dressing... ( Meg Mangan). All these options seem unhealthy, but the great thing about the cafeteria is that is it has many options. It always has the option of grilled over fried, and almost always has steamed or sautéed veggies. It is only up to the student to choose the healthy choices.

With all the studies conducted it turns out that gaining fifteen pounds is nearly impossible. What a scare I gave you!?! Don’t worry I nearly scarred myself reading all the information. As I read in one article with 49 participants, the average amount gained was only 4.6 pounds, and 36% of the sample actually lost weight during their 1st year of college. In addition, body fat did not change during that year (Graham, Jones). Great news, huh? Nonetheless some did gain, though it might not have been a whole 15 pounds, it was unnecessary weight.

As a freshman in Guilford College, I can assure it is easy to put on those extra pounds. Take for example going to grab a wrap at the grill. Given though a wrap could be made to your exact specifications, it still remains unhealthy. The ingredients are either frozen or canned. To top things off with every wrap you get you are offered either a bag of chips of a fruit. Most of the students go for the chips. Sad fact but true.

A good way to keep off the unwanted weight is to get involved on campus. Keep your mind busy enough to only think of food when it is truly hungry. There is plenty to do and while it is extremely tempting to snack on unhealthy food, one must have the will to resist. Sounds like a suicide mission, I know, I’m shaking my head as we speak. It is doable though. It’s all about choice and will.

Though food plays a crucial role in a student's health, another important factor is stress. A student, especially a college student, is under a lot of stress. With school work, involvement, and the rapid change he/she is exposed to stress is simply inevitable. When a person is under stress, food becomes the long adored friend. Emotional eating comes to play and this becomes a health risk.

Do you see how the two are entwined?
Stressful student =  emotional eater = unwanted weight = more stress
Its a vicious cycle!!

However: Where there is a will there is a way:
I don’t want anybody having this kind of relationship or something like this after their freshman year:

So please have the will to stop!

If you have gained the weight or know somebody who has, here is a way to get rid of it:

Hello. Are you there. Where did every one go? Hope I haven't scared you away?

Reference:

Graham, Melody A., and Amy L. Jones. "Freshman 15: Valid Theory or Harmful Myth?" Journal of American College Health50.4 Jan. (2002): 171-73. SPORTDiscus. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=6437119&site=ehost-live>. 

Carithers-Thomas, Jennifer A., Shelley H. Bradford, and Christopher M. Keshock. "Freshman Fifteen: Fact of fiction?" College Student Journal 44.2 June (2010): 419-25. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=51456646&site=ehost-live>.


Mangano, Meg. "CAFETERIA." Volleyball (10584668) 21.8 Oct. (2010): 34-38. SPORTDiscus with Full Text . Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=54017145&site=ehost-live>. 

In the Spirit of Halloween (A little late I know)

Don't we all enjoy Halloween dressing up and all the candy. Who doesn't? We all know that children are the ones that get the best kick out of Halloween. 
Daring moms and dads across the U.S. followed the talk show host’s request. They hid their children’s candy and captured their reactions on camera:

I know I would be mad if somebody took my candy. I don't blame them!!!

Bidding, what you really can learn.

Life is full of materialism. It is how one views and cherishes these things in life that it becomes clear what a person cares about. Different people are fond of different things in life. One way to show ones bond to something is through a bidding transaction. In such a transaction it is revealed to the world how far one can go to acquire a certain something. 

From all the different things presented in our bidding transaction in class, it was clear which ones held the most sentimental value to the different students. With only 15,000 dollars to spend, one must choose wisely where to spend the money. Some chose to spend it on materialistic things, or at least in my opinion, such as the most popular or famous person. I chose to spend my money on matters that will benefit not only me but also others. For example I was successful in acquiring the Miracle Medication, in which it was the medication that is used to cure the worst of diseases, such as cancer. I was also successful in acquiring the opportunity to pay back my parents for all the trouble they have gone through. Certain matters like this give you some insight about me. One has the opportunity to understand his opponent.

This can be used in the negative as well the positive manner. In the negative would be if it is known what the bidder is passionate about, and it is known that he/she is relentless then the trick is to have them spend their money. In a positive manner it would be used in acquiring insight about a person and knowing what he/she is passionate about and forming a bond, relationship, or friendship.