Brianna VanSchoelandt

The world has been mourning the tragedy that occurred in Haiti last week. Countries have been donating millions of dollars along with supplies and volunteers to help the earthquake victims.

Pat Robertson feels differently. The day after the quake, Robertson, a Conservative televangelist, said on his “700 Club” television show that the earthquake was “a blessing in disguise” because of all the money flooding in to help the victims.

This may seem like a mild statement, even a sincere one since the victims are receiving some care, but Robertson apparently has no apathy for the Haitians, according to his following quote:

“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French, you know Napoleon the Third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said, ‘We will serve you, if you will get us free from the Prince.’ True story. And so the Devil said, ‘OK it’s a deal.’ And they kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But, ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after another.”

Wow. “True story,” according to Robertson. Was he there, I wonder, when the “pact” was forged? Maybe he was waiting in line to strike his own television deal with the Prince of Darkness himself.  Instead of offering consolation and sympathy to the millions of people killed or hurt in the earthquake, Robertson seems more interested in insulting them while they are down.

On the show Robertson apparently tries to convince people that the deal in question was indeed made. He remarks that the neighboring Dominican Republic is flourishing financially with healthy citizens and resorts galore while Haiti’s residents are “in desperate poverty.” This is irrefutable evidence that Haiti did make the deal since they have been “cursed” while the Dominicans with whom they share the island are doing so well – according to Robertson’s thinking.

Chris Roslan, spokesman for the Christian Broadcasting Network, which airs Robertson’s show, said in a press release later in the same day as Robertson gave his history lesson on Haiti’s deal with the Devil, that the Haitian slave rebellion in 1791, combined with the recent earthquake, has “led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed.” Roslan also stated that Robertson’s compassion for the people of Haiti is clear – if you watch the entire video segment.

Man do I feel like a fool! How could I have missed the “compassion” in the video clip I watched? Perhaps I was too stunned with the entire Devil dealing discussion that I missed the prayer Robertson called in for the servants of Satan.

How is that a constructive way to deal with the situation? Saying those hurtful and inappropriate things is not going to fix the problems in Haiti. What the world needs right now is positive and proactive words to inspire others to get involved and help those who need it. Especially from a spiritual leader! We all look to them for guidance in times of crisis, and that’s what he has to say?

As a college student in the heart of Kansas, it is probably easy to feel that you we cannot make a difference in places as far away as Haiti. But we all can make the situation better, through small actions that take only moments to complete.

We just have to remember that the individual has a lot of power, whether we realize it or not. We all can do good, or in Robertson’s case, damage, in times of suffering. We must choose to do good for those who really need it.

There may be many more deaths to come, as the Haitians are still in distress because of the lack of food, water, medical attention and basic sanitary conditions. Donating help is quick and easy if you are interested. You can find all the information you need at www.redcross.org or simply text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross relief for Haiti.

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Brianna VanSchoelandt

I am sure most of us have done it. Answered a quick phone call or returned a short text while driving. I used to do it all the time. Even though I heard about cell phone-related accidents and even deaths, still for some reason I felt I was invincible – that something serious would never happen to me because I am a superb multi-tasker.

Well that feeling of security came crashing down – literally – this summer. There had a been a few close calls in the past where I almost rear-ended a car because I was distracted by texting, but luckily I have amazing brakes and an innate ability to know the precise when moment to swerve to avoid the bumper in front of me.

This summer, however, was another story. I was driving home from work one night, playing on my new phone (thanks, Facebook) when I looked up and all I saw was the pale green of a new Volkswagen. I stomped the brakes and my tires screeched as they had so many times before, but this time I did not have enough time to swerve or even stop (even though I was only going about 30 mph) to avoid a collision.

The Volkswagen in turn tapped the minivan in front of it. We all pulled into a Taco Bell parking lot to make sure everyone was okay. Minivan guy was fine and he left. Volkswagen and I exchanged phone numbers so we would not have to file a police report.

I though I was off the hook since there was not really any visible damage and Volkswagen and I agreed he would take his car in for some estimates and I would pay the cost out of pocket.

About 20 minutes later, everything began to snowball. He called me to say his hood would not open and something was leaking so we exchanged insurance information. This was my first time being in trouble with the insurance guys and I was terrified. My rate has yet to go up but I know it is only a matter of time and who knows how expensive it will be then.

According to a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study conducted this summer, people who are texting and driving are 23 times more likely to crash or be in a near-crash situation than undistracted drivers.

The study noted that the average time someone’s eyes are away from the road while texting is 4.6 seconds. This, they say, is essentially the same as traveling the distance of a football field at 55 mph blindfolded. I can not think of anyone who would drive with their eyes closed for nearly five seconds, which is basically the same thing, so why do people still text?

The study also noted that texting while driving is one of the most dangerous activities one can do behind the wheel and its dangers rival those of driving while drunk.

Steven Yantis is a cognitive psychologist and professor at John Hopkins University and is an expert in the area of multitasking. He states that when your attention shifts toward one thing (like texting) it shifts away from another (like the road).

Yantis states that most people think they are better at multitasking than they really are, and that’s because most of the time, errors have no consequences. But when you are operating a potentially deadly machine- like a car- one small error could end up disastrous.

I know it seems harmless to answer a text, but it is slightly safer to place a phone call if you have to. The ideal situation would be to wait until you are not driving to use your phone. Think about it – if you were in an accident – either a fender-bender or a car-totaler – is that text message worth it? I know if I could go back, I would have waited until I got home to play with my new phone.

Because of my accident, I do not text and drive anymore. If someone is in the car with me I simply ask them to type for me. If it is too important to wait, I make a call rather than text. No message could possibly be more important than my life, or the life of someone else.

Brianna VanSchoelandt/The Bulletin

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Brianna VanSchoelandt

I have many fond memories of my high school’s Homecoming and all the events during Spirit Week. From spray painting the sidewalk to spilling blood while working on the class float, I was dedicated, and I was excited. I dressed up every day of Spirit Week, watched all the parades, and cheered loudly at the games. My favorite part of Homecoming was dressing up for the dance and sharing moments with my friends.

It has been years since I attended a Homecoming game and I miss the feeling of unity I once felt among my fellow classmates. This year, the football players of ESU will just have to try and push through the game with the heavy knowledge of my absence weighing on their minds.

I just cannot get into the Homecoming spirit that I used to enjoy so much. There are many reasons for this conundrum. First of all, I do not feel as connected with my fellow Hornets as I did with my high school classmates. With varying schedules and a student body of 5,500 more people, it is harder to share the same experiences with my ESU classmates than it was with my old high schoolers.

Secondly, I will be missing the game and festivities this year because I do not spend my weekends in Emporia. Actually, because of my work schedule, I do not participate in any extracurricular activities, a situation I am sure many students face.

Another reason I am not excited about Homecoming is a seeming lack of advertisement. The only times I see anything related to Homecoming are the few signs posted around campus telling me to vote for royalty or when I get on the school’s Web site, where there is a Haunted Homecoming 2009 link.

The Web site does a great job of amping excitement for Homecoming. There is an agenda for Homecoming week, from when to vote for Homecoming royalty to when the parade is. There are actually a myriad of activities planned for Homecoming week. Students can purchase a Homecoming button and receive discounts at certain Emporia businesses, go on a tour of ESU to learn of its haunted history, attend a “Rocky Horror Picture Show” performance and dance in costume to the band “Sleepwalk, a Robot.”

Although there are so many activities going on, if I had not looked up the information on the Web site myself, I would have little knowledge of them. If the activities of Homecoming were advertised more I believe there would be more student involvement and excitement for what should be a fun and memorable time.

Another glaring discrepancy I notice between my cherished high school Homecomings and this year’s is the importance of Homecoming royalty. I do not feel as compelled as I once did to vote for king and queen. Probably because I have no idea who the candidates are and I do not have the time to get to know them during the Meet the Homecoming Royalty Candidates portion of the celebration.

There is only a four hour window for the meeting of the candidates, and it all happens in one day. What if I have class during that time? I, like many other students, would not get the chance to meet them and afterwards make an educated decision when it comes to voting for them.

Also, there does not seem to be the same kind of honor in winning royalty in college as there was in high school. Everybody is familiar with the high school Homecoming queen, but I have never heard a song about a college Homecoming queen.

Lastly, one huge reason for my decision to not attend Homecoming is its date. Although it might not have been purposefully planned, Homecoming lands on Halloween (hence the Haunted Homecoming). Perhaps if it were not on a holiday that I enjoy celebrating with friends I would be more apt to attend.

I know I will remember my high school’s Homecomings for years to come, but sadly I do not think I will be able to look back on my college years and say I went to any Homecoming activities.

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Brianna Van Schoelandt

Binge drinking is not a new problem to college campuses nationwide. In fact, four out of five college students drink. 1,700 students die each year and almost 600,000 are unintentionally injured from either alcohol poisoning or alcohol-related car accidents. Alcohol-related car accidents are the fifth leading cause of death in America.

Recently, a student at Kansas State suffered from severe alcohol poisoning while participating in a fraternity hazing. Luckily he did not die. Last year, a student from Coffeyville Community College died of acute alcohol poisoning. This past spring, two students from the University of Kansas died because of alcohol related reasons.  One died of alcohol poisoning, and the other from falling off a building while intoxicated.

KU has discussed initiating some policies to help prevent these kinds of tragedies from occurring, from random dorm room checks to making students under the age of twenty-two take an alcohol awareness class. While these steps are likely to help, it should be up to students to be responsible for their safety.

Typically the lethal amount of alcohol is .40% BAC (blood alcohol concentration). This means there are four parts alcohol for every 1,000 parts blood in your body. A lethal amount can be lower depending on the student’s weight or how quickly they are drinking. To reach a BAC of .40%, a person would need to have around nine to ten drinks per hour.

This may seem like a lot of drinks, but binge drinking is defined as five drinks in a row for men, and four drinks in a row for women. This can be easily achieved while at a party or out at a bar with friends. The more a person drinks, the less able they are to make good decisions, and the drinks may keep piling on.

According to madd.org (mothers against drunk driving), over two out of five college students are binge drinkers. In 2001, 44% of college students reported that they had participated in binge drinking, and this statistic has remained steady throughout this past decade.

Not only can heavy drinking be bad for your and others’ health, it can affect academic work as well. Approximately five drinks per occasion are associated with a GPA lower by half a grade according to madd.org. Binge drinkers also have higher statistics of missing class and being behind on schoolwork.

I personally have never been a big partier or drinker, but I know there are many students on campus who are. While I can see the appeal in letting loose and relaxing in a social environment, like at a party, I cannot see why so many students choose to drink to the point where they throw up or pass out. By the way, when you throw up from drinking too much it is not a free pass to drink more. This is your body’s way of telling you that you have already had too much.

So before you do that keg-stand or take that beer-bong, think about pacing yourself. Is the chance of being alcohol poisoned or ending up in a potentially deadly auto accident worth being black-out drunk?

Brianna Can Schoelandt/The Bulletin

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VanSchoelandt

Walking around in Wal-Mart the other day, I noticed dozens of magazines still mourning Michael Jackson’s death and flashing rumors about celebrity relationships. It seems I cannot pass through a grocery line or flip through the channels on my T.V. without hearing the latest celebrity gossip.

More and more it seems our society is concerned with celebrities’ private lives than what truly matters. Almost every magazine cover or pop culture television station is spattered with the intimate details of Hugh Heffner’s divorce or the uncertain future of Michael Jackson’s children.

Why it is so many Americans care more about the status of a strangers’ marriage rather than important issues that, in reality, have a bigger impact on them? The fact that our country is in the deepest recession since the Great Depression or that we are oil hogs and are using up our planet’s natural resources at an ever-increasing rate is pushed to the back burner if a movie starlet is found with drugs in her car, famous sisters are feuding, or a late-night talk show host passes away.

Although it is not unnatural for our country to mourn the loss of a familiar face or great entertainer, it is almost as though the nation forgets how to function with the loss of one person. The fact that the national debt is almost $11.8 trillion or the U.S. troop death toll in Iraq is over 4,000 almost goes unnoticed.

What about the soldiers overseas? Sure, a fatality may be mentioned on the evening news, or multiple deaths may even warrant brief national coverage, but are there day-long memorials for these individuals who are keeping this country safe and free? Do any of these soldiers get featured on the cover of multiple magazines? It is almost an insult to them when a news anchor offhandedly reads off the current death toll from a teleprompter only to quickly move on to the headlining story where some movie star’s child is having a birthday.

What is even more amazing is how short our attention spans are. Once some new drama pops up on the internet our attention is snatched away from one finite rumor to the next, while the whole time our economy is still suffering, and international pandemics are still affecting people worldwide.

Rumors from TMZ that Michael Jackson’s children were all born of surrogate mothers and donated sperm seem to be much more interesting to hear than the fact that 3,205 people globally have lost their lives to the Swine Flu so far.

It seems that not only are Americans addicted to oil, they are also addicted to gossip. Although there is nothing wrong with being interested in celebrities, our nation needs to stop revolving their lives around people they do not even really know, and start focusing on how to fix the issues that continue to plague our country.

-Brianna VanSchoelandt/The Bulletin.

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Brianna Van Schoelandt

Many clothes designers have vowed to go fur-free in their designs to help stop animal cruelty. According to Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, right now in China, dogs and cats are being kidnapped and sold at local animal markets to be used for their fur. Rabbits are also bred on fur farms for their fur as well. Although not many of us may be buying fur coats this year, animal fur is used for other things as well.

The trim on a coat hood, the insides of gloves and even toys one could buy at a pet store are made from animals. Shockingly, the fur is sometimes used for stuffed animals and baby clothes. Sometimes these items are mislabeled as fake to mislead consumers.

From German Shepherds to Chow Chows, dogs are being killed – sometimes by wire strangulation other times by having their throat cut – and skinned for their fur. Cats are being caught and suffer the same fate after they have endured being packed into crowded trucks and mistreated. Rabbits, which are known for having soft fur, are bred and killed on these farms. Rabbits are clean by nature, but in their tiny cages on the farms they are made to live in their own waste.

Recently, a PETA investigation revealed that rabbits on a fur farm are being shocked with handheld electrical devices and they scream like human babies when this happens. Sadly, these rabbits then have their throats cut while they are still conscious.

Thankfully, there are some people who are willing to help stop this animal abuse. Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle, Forever 21 and Tommy Hilfiger are just a few companies who have made the choice not to include fur in their lines.

What is it about fur that makes it so appealing? What is so attractive about wearing a dead animal’s skin? Although it may look nice, is it worth the suffering of an innocent animal to be in style? I admit I am guilty of owning leather shoes and belts, which seems to be a contradiction to what I feel about wearing fur.

But I often look for tennis shoes that are made of cloth and plastic rather than leather. As for the belts, there are many fake leather or cloth belts that will do the job without an animal having to be killed.

I admire the way fur looks and feels, but only on animals. If humans were meant to wear fur, they would have been born with it.

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Junior physics major Kiwamu Otsuka and freshman physics major Tetsuya Yamamoto, both former participants in the Sakae Institute of Study Abroad, talk to each other in the Memorial Union Tuesday. The Sakae Institute of Study Abroad is a special program that prepares Japanese students for their studies in the United States. JONATHAN ELLIOT/THE BULLETIN

Emporia State hosted 17 Japanese students from June 6- July 31 in an eight week program known as the Sakae Institute of Study Abroad.

The program was founded in 1972 by Yoko Sakae, who felt that international students needed a support system to help them through their transition into American schools.

The Sakae students start off with this program to ease their transition into American classrooms so they can obtain a degree from an American school. Sakae counselors visit the students three times throughout the program to ensure they are adjusting well and to offer advice if they are not.

Tetsuya Mihama, an undergrad in Music, said he was glad he came to the Sakae program.

“The program made it easy to enter the university,” Mihama said. It also prepared him to learn in American classrooms.

During the first three weeks, the students took intensive English classes based on their knowledge of English.

The last five weeks, the students take English classes along with other classes of their choice, from Economics and History to Interpersonal Communication and many others.

Shota Nojiri, an undergrad in History, said he liked how the program built up his basic English skills and that his English is gradually improving. He took a politics and a computer class as his electives during the eight-week program.

Nojiri said that his views are broadening since he came to the U.S. and the way he is interacting with people is changing. He transferred from Rikkyo University in Japan.

“The library (at ESU) is available much longer,” Nojiri said. “Libraries in Japan close early and the cafeteria and bookstore are easier to take advantage of.”

Overall, he said the Sakae program was a positive experience and he would recommend it to others.

The Institute is designed to help students find a college or university that meets their educational goals and help counsel them throughout the eight weeks to see that they are progressing smoothly.

There are also three program assistants who help the students adjust to college life by setting up activities, arranging transportation, and tutoring. These assistants are ESU students who have applied to help the international ones.

Harry Imbeau, the director of International Education, participated in the first year of the program in 2002 and served as the Program Assistant this summer. He believes the program “absolutely” benefits the students because of the great support it offers.

Sheryl Lidzy, who has taught in the program for the past three years and taught the Interpersonal Communications class this summer, also thinks the program is good for the international students.

“Students were forced to learn in an American class, in a safe environment,” she said. Lidzy also said that most of the students had a great experience, despite the culture shock.

When asked if she would teach during the program again next summer, she said she would because she enjoys it.

“It’s nice to feel like it counts, like it matters,” Lidzy said.

Of the 17 international students who participated in the Sakae program this year, five stayed at ESU to obtain degrees. Three more students who participated in the program at other schools transferred to ESU.

The Sakae Institute runs out of Japan, China, and Boston, Mass., and is also expanding into Thailand and Vietnam so more students have the opportunity to attend American schools.

Brianna VanSchoelandt/The Bulletin

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