February 18, 2013 • A POSITIVE PRESS PUBLICATION • VOL. 3, ISSUE 8
Alone is Okay
written by first-year, Megan Robertson
I can imagine what you see when you look at me. Pale. Fidgety. Alone. Sitting by myself in a dining hall on a laptop: I am the picture of a college student working on homework, and yet it comes with a modicum of self-consciousness. I know people look at me as they sit down with their trays overflowing with food at their tables overflowing with friends, and they don’t think alone. They think lonely.
The distinction is important to me. I am an introvert, and I need to be alone sometimes. To me, alone can mean peace. Solitude. Serenity. Maybe even productivity. I am alone frequently. I like it, and I’m not ashamed of that. So why care about the distinction? Because I have also felt lonely. I have fought a mostly-private battle against depression and mood swings—uninvited medicinal side effects—for the past few months. For a chunk of several weeks, I harbored an aggressive fear of being alone. It was uncharacteristic. Every time I left a class, I would start texting people. What are you up to? Come eat with me. Let’s hang out. I found that being around people made me happy, and I was scared to let that go. After dinner, I was suggesting homework parties to prolong the oodles of fun, even though I knew I wouldn’t get any work done. I was creating company, which is fine. But it pulled me in two directions: my introversion |
was demanding quality sit-down time with the Internet, and my depression was begging for constant human contact.
Whether as a product of my internal struggle against this new feeling or as a product of the fickleness of medicinal side effects, I eventually stopped fearing solitude. And what a relief. I could go back to my dining hall marathons without a painful ache for the presence of other people. Then, recently, I heard a fellow TCB-er pitching a story idea about approaching people eating alone in dining halls. It struck a nerve with me. I like eating lunch alone. And in a way, sitting down with me and forcing a conversation is telling me that being alone isn’t okay. It’s reinforcing my not-so-old fear that you need the company of others to be happy, to give the outward appearance—if not the actual state—of normalcy and well-being. And I reject that idea. |
This is not to diminish the idea of making friends and talking to strangers, an idea I support. But people are often alone because they want to be, and not because it’s forced upon them. Of course, if you are alone and you don’t like it, seek out other people and make choices that make you happy. The same is equally true if spending time with others leaves you longing for alone time.
So, my fellow Lone Stars, keep on keepin’ on. Being alone does not mean being lonely. It doesn’t mean you don’t have friends. It doesn’t mean you can’t be or aren’t happy. Often, the only obstacle between solitude and happiness is the feeling that you’re being judged for being alone. But alone is okay. |
With Eyes Wide Open
written by first-year, Sina Iranikhah
We often think that friends and family only matter in times of despair and crisis, but that is far from the truth. Loved ones come together during situations like Sandy Hook and Aurora, and we learn to appreciate one another more. I am just as guilty of it too, but a certain experience my junior year altered my outlook on life. I’ll never forget that dismal day, October 15th, when we found out a freshman at our school had committed suicide that night. The building was silent, as everyone was affected. All I could wonder was if the tears would ever end, and for a few days I felt like they wouldn’t.
His name was Will Trautwein, and although I didn’t know him well I won’t forget those blue eyes. They lit up your soul and made you smile. As heartbroken as we were, we held a candlelight service for Will that night. However painful it was, it was also enlightening as I learned something at the service that I still carry with me to this day: always show love and compassion to your friends and family. Though there was tragedy in our midst, a beacon of light emitted from within it: the Will to Live Foundation. Will's mother and father, |
Susie and John Trautwein, created this organization in honor of Will, but also to help out those who were affected by the tragedy. The motto of the Will to Live Foundation was deemed, “For the kids, through the kids, by the kids,” and one of its themes is to help teens find their ‘Life Teammates.’ The term was inspired by Mr. Trautwein’s experience at Will’s funeral: “I noticed over 30 of my very best friends in my life had traveled, in cases, over 1,000 miles to get there and be there for me – their friend,” said Mr. Trautwein. He put it best: “Quite simply – a Life Teammate is a “friend for life”.
Most of us have already met our Life Teammates, whether we realize it or not. Perhaps they are family, peers, or other influential adults. As college students, Life Teammates are essential to our successes. There will be days when we will feel lost and alone, but this is when your Life Teammates will step up and, as Mr. Trautwein said, “help you find the good when you just can’t seem to see it.” These people will stick by your side through your darkest and brightest moments. |
Will’s death had an impact on my community that helped us to better understand the world we live in. He taught me to never take a moment or a relationship for granted. There will be times when it may seem that all hope is lost, but your Life Teammates are by your side every step of the way. Through the Trautwein family I learned that even the darkest of times can make a community strive to do better for the world. Thanks to their foundation other teens have been able to heal and see their importance as human beings. Remember, “Where there is a Will, there is a way.” I miss you, buddy.
(will-to-live.org) |
Experimenting with Tradition
by first-year, Jessie Blaeser
Motivated by the prospect of upholding tradition at the University, I pick up my 2012-2013 version of the “G” Book. I start with the “Lost Traditions,” and I read stories of rat caps, the legendary billy goat, and the senior parade until my eyes fall upon number eight: “the tradition of saying hello.” It was once required of UGA students to say hello when they passed each other, whether they knew one another or not. The idea that no one was treated like a stranger on UGA’s campus for decades, and maybe even centuries, is a warming prospect, but the subsequent loss of this tradition is a lamentable one.
I decide that I am going to conduct an experiment: I am going to try my best to execute this tradition of the University, and I am going to see how my fellow students react. Day One: I quickly discover that saying hello to every person who I pass is a task. It takes quite a bit of confidence to say “hi” to people who seem to be very focused on some unknown object ahead of them. I learn that maintaining eye contact is the first step, and the next is to manage a smile. |
Day Two:
I sit down in Tate today to get some work done during a break between classes. During a study lull, I look up from my work hoping for some alleviation from my boredom. I see two girls wandering around the large room. One of the girls makes eye contact with me, and I smile at her pleasantly, but rather than return the smile and walk away, the two girls approach me and say “hello.” I speak with them a little bit before they ask if I would mind taking a survey for them from their church. I agree, and get to know the girls as a result. Day Three: I finally build up my courage to say hello to a stranger today. Walking on the sidewalk along Lumpkin Street, I look up to find a girl making |
eye contact with me. We only exchange quick hellos, but once I have the initial stranger-encounter out of the way, acknowledging others becomes much easier. I choose not to startle the people passing me with their heads down, but I say hello to those who are looking up. I receive a lot of weird looks, many confused “hi”s, and the occasional “Hi, how are you?’”
Conclusion/Results: I realize that I am not going to change a social rule of not saying hello to strangers by myself, and that this shouldn’t be my goal; my aim is to re-live Georgia’s vigor for being friendly to those they encounter. At the time of the tradition, this took form in greeting other students. But times have changed, and therefore so should our methods. In a campus of 35,000 students, saying hello to the hundreds of people we pass every day is unrealistic, but looking up and occasionally smiling is not. I found that throughout the week, putting my phone away and smiling at people—even if they weren’t looking back at me—lifted my mood and allowed me to share a piece of joy with those who were willing to accept it. |
A Common Thread
by second-year, Maya Basu
The Lion King had it right when they stated, “It’s the circle of life... and it moves us all,” for all creatures– from massive beluga whales, miniscule ants, and sickening bacteria, to all the people on this earth, including you and me – are connected to all other living things! How astounding to think that if you go back far enough on the phylogenetic tree of life, you have a common DNA ancestor with every living thing – past and present.
Never static or uniform, all living things continue to evolve to sustain their lives and adapt. A 200-foot tree contributing to the canopy of the Amazon rain forest is the result of years of struggles and adversity, not to mention millions of years of evolution to reach its current spot in the sunshine. However, something ignored in science classes about evolution is that while each species continues to advance itself like the strong tree, the entire rain forest benefits from the added shade and water that the tree provides to the underbrush, thus enabling future growth of the rain forest as well. It makes you wonder that if this pattern of interconnectedness exists in the natural rain forest then surely the same underlying principle exists in the lives of human beings as well. |
We all wonder about the state of the world. War, poverty, and illness prevail while we pretend that we have no control over these issues. While choosing to turn a blind-eye to injustices that are happening in our own backyards, how many of us have complained about the current state of the world? We blame presidents, politicians and parents for the state of affairs often without choosing to involve ourselves in any attempt at a solution. We need to wake up! As we are all connected, we all have a responsibility for ourselves and our fellow people to maintain these lives we have and make the world a better place. My actions influence the lives of countless people around me – present and future – making it vital that I develop and act upon a social responsibility. The words of Sree Sree Thakur truly phrase it best: “Know this for certain: You are responsible for the present and future of yourself, your family, your environment and your country.” A challenge to each TCB reader: Try to be like the trees of the Amazon Rain forest Positively impact your society, actively serve the community, and experience your environment flourishing before your eyes!
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8 People to "Friend" in College
written by second-year, Catherine Warren
According to Urban Dictionary, to “friend” someone is “the act of including someone in your virtual/social sphere of reach, or accepting the request of someone who wishes to join your virtual/social sphere of influence.” College is the prime time for “friending” so here are eight people you should friend.
1. Friend someone who will nerd out with you over a common interest. Don’t let people make fun of you for something you’re interested in, instead find someone who will get as equally excited as you, or at least be excited for you in return. 2. Friend someone who will always have your best interest at heart. Someone who will catch you when you fall, or will help you up if they can’t make it to you in time. Someone who will constantly make sure you’re okay. Someone who will take you to the emergency room in the middle of the night when you think you have appendicitis, or will bring you soup and ginger ale when you’re too sick to leave your apartment. |
3. Friend someone who will never bother about you paying them back. Pay them back anyway of course, both in money and in love.
4. Friend someone who will pick you up from a party when you’re not having a good time and asks you, “Do you need anything?” over and over again, and will just drive you around with music blasting because you asked them. 5. Friend someone who will keep you grounded and doesn’t let you get too big of a head. Someone who will politely tell you that you have something in your teeth or on your shirt. But also someone who will tell you that you look good when you put in extra effort. 6. Friend someone who will encourage you to study, but will keep you calm despite the fact that you have three tests and a paper due over the next three days. Someone who will stop your freak out before a Spanish test by telling you, “I’m sure you’ll do great! You’re practically fluent.” |
7. Friend someone who will forgive you for being in a bad mood the entire day, or entire weekend. Someone who will let you sleep and spend time resting at home, instead of making you come hang out.
8. Friend someone who will tell you the truth no matter what. Someone who will take notes in class for you when you’re sick or finishing up a paper. Someone who brings you two birthday cakes on your birthday just because. |
Camp Kesem
by first-year, Kari Saunders
Since coming to the University of Georgia in the fall of last year, I’ve been inundated with opportunities to be a part of amazing organizations and activities that genuinely make a difference. UGA students facilitate so much good for others, and Camp Kesem is a perfect example of that good.
Camp Kesem is like any other summer camp for children, teeming with outdoor adventures and enrichment activities, but what sets it apart are the campers. Each child who attends the camp has a parent or caregiver who has been affected by cancer. Every camper attends the program absolutely free, which is made possible by substantial fundraising through special events and student volunteers. Jess Valle, a founder of the Georgia chapter of Camp Kesem, describes camp Kesem as, “not a bereavement camp; it is a place for kids affected by a parent’s cancer to get a chance to act like kids.” Camp Kesem as a national organization has 41 chapters across 24 states, run completely by |
college students. Jess Valle’s interest in beginning the UGA chapter was sparked in 2007 after hearing about the organization from a friend. The dream of a Camp Kesem in Georgia was finally realized in 2011 thanks to a generous grant from the Livestrong Foundation, so Jess and a new co-chair, Jenna Barnett, began efforts for the first camp!
The camp experience culminates with an empowerment ceremony where campers and counselors alike share how cancer has personally affected them as well as what the Camp Kesem experience means to them. For the kids at Camp Kesem, a week in the mountains of north Georgia isn’t just a time for carefree canoeing and zip-lining; this week is a time free of pressures and fears at home. They are surrounded by peers in the same circumstances and leaders who are there to comfort when it’s needed, and be inspirational rock stars when it isn’t. |
This year’s camp will take place from June 8-13, 2013 at Blue Ridge Camp in Mountain City, Georgia. The staff members hope to serve at least 40 campers and are currently recruiting them for Summer 2013. Summer staff is recruited in the fall and winter, but volunteers are taken year-round. Shaking the “college kid” stigma isn’t very difficult when individuals take incredible responsibility to make big impacts and opportunities around every corner. If you’d like to find out more, email [email protected]!
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