Private First Class John Eugene Cooper in his military uniform. Photo courtesy of Loren Pennington.

Private First Class John Eugene Cooper, an Emporian whose death led to the founding of Veterans Day, was an unlikely hero.

“He had not been in some heroic action – he was just one of the casualties of the battle,” said Loren Pennington, ESU emeritus professor of history who runs the Veterans Roundtable each year.

Pennington said Cooper was a happy and easygoing guy. Because he looked like Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, Cooper was commonly known as “Bull” Cooper.

Cooper was born in Emporia in 1916, according Aaron Bura, a military order of the Purple Heart chaplain. When he was 2 years old, Cooper’s mother died, and he went to live with his grandmother and worked at the shoe repair shop of his uncle Alvin King.

In the 1930s, according to Bura, Cooper volunteered for Emporia’s National Guard Company B of the 137th Infantry, 35th Infantry Division, as the oldest member. He and the other 121 members of Company B were called to active duty on Dec. 23, 1940.

They took part in several maneuvers in central Tenn., and went to West Virginia for three weeks of mountain training. The training seemed to indicate that they were headed for the Italian front, but they were not.

By July 1944, they landed in France and were almost immediately involved in the hedgerow fighting, Normandy breakout and the advance across France, according to Bura. Soon after their landing, Cooper was wounded, and for this he received his first Purple Heart.

When Company B was near the German border, the German forces started to fight back, leading to the Battle of the Bulge. On Dec. 20, the 1st Battalion was repeatedly attacked, and Company B had two German S.S. companies infiltrate its positions. The attack was held off by one squad of Company B until a friendly tank was brought up and the combined fire of the infantry and tank drove the enemy from the position.

“During the fighting, Private Cooper (was in a foxhole),” Bura said. “A German artillery shell came over, struck a tree branch directly over Private Cooper’s head, exploded, and Private Cooper was killed by the shrapnel.”

But it was not until mid-March the next year that his family learned of his death, Bura said. His uncle, Alvin King, was particularly devastated by the news.

“Some people think Alvin King was a shoe repairman, so he was a humble citizen,” Pennington said. “No, he was more than that. He was kind of a leader in the community, and he did all kinds of things.”

King took a special interest in Company B and its reunions, and in the early 1950s he conceived the idea of changing Armistice Day, Nov. 11, which honored America’s veterans of World War I, to Veterans Day, to honor the veterans of all America’s wars.

On Nov. 11, 1953, while the rest of America observed Armistice Day, Emporia held the first Veterans Day.

In 1954, Congressman Reece of Emporia introduced a bill into the House of Representatives to change Armistice Day to Veterans Day. The bill passed the House and Senate and was signed by President Dwight Eisenhower. On Nov. 11, 1954, America observed its first national Veterans Day, and Emporia has since been recognized by Congress as the Founding City of Veterans Day in the United States.

King died in 1960.

At the roundtable in 2008, Cooper was posthumously awarded his second Purple Heart. The medal was given to Cooper’s surviving nephews.

“John Eugene Cooper was a single American serviceman,” said Vice Commander Edward L. Van Vickle during the presentation, “but let him stand for all American servicemen and servicewomen who have served the nation in America’s wars and who are honored each year on Veterans Day.”

Tianhai Jiang

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Interim President H. Edward Flentje prepares for the open lunch that will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Monday in the Flint Hills Room. Flentje said faculty will have the opportunity to ask questions of himself and the vice presidents. Jenny Pendarvis/The Bulletin

On a request by the Faculty Senate, interim President H. Edward Flentje will hold an open forum brown bag luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on next Monday in the Flint Hills Room in the Memorial Union.

“I am just going to walk in and wing it,” Flentje said. “I am going to bring three vice presidents with me so if the questions get hard we can just make adjustments.”

During the lunch, faculty members will be able to direct questions to Flentje, along with Ray Hauke. vice president of administration and fiscal affairs; Jim Williams, associate provost for enrollment and vice president of strategic partnerships; and Tes Mehring, provost and vice president of academic affairs.

“It was a suggestion of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee last spring,” Flentje said. “It is simply an opportunity to connect with faculty, (and) it is an open session and a way to communicate with the faculty.”

Dwight Moore, associate professor of biology and chair of the academic affairs committee for Faculty Senate, said he would expect most of the questions to be aimed at the vice presidents because Flentje is still new on campus and he may not be familiar with all the details of ongoing programs.

“Generally, budget and how it is being handled is always an issue,” Moore said. “I expect there will be some questions on how the search for a president is going. We also have an interim dean in the college of liberal arts and sciences and I expect to hear some questions on how the search for a new dean is going.”

“I have regularly scheduled meetings with the president and vice president of the senate,” Flentje said. “This is more of a direct contact with general faculty as opposed to filtering through the hierarchy.”

Flentje was unsure about what topics would be brought up during the forum, but said some may be related to topics discussed when his office conducted a listening tour with academic departments. Flentje discussed issues dealing with politics, policy and the Kansas Board of Regents.

“The questions could go from soup to nuts,” Flentje said. “It could go from really practical, down to earth topics that affect a particular unit to more global or future campus issues.”

Gwen Larson, assistant director of marketing and media relations, said Faculty Senate President Kevin Johnson will likely be a moderator for the event. Faculty members are encouraged to send questions to Johnson ahead of time to eliminate the stigma of who is actually asking the question.

“There is no sort of RSVP for it,” Larson said. “I suspect most of the faculty will stay the entire time, but of course we have some faculty who teach during that time so they may send a question in and ask a buddy to listen to the answer for them or something like that.”

The lunch is not catered, but free cookies will be provided.

Rocky Robinson

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Courtesy photo from ESU athletic department.

Although this year marks Garin Higgins’ fifth season as head football coach, he has been a Hornet for more than 20 years, and he was even a four-year letterman under former Emporia State football coach Larry Kramer.

“(Kramer) taught me about being tough and how to handle adversity,” Higgins said. “I always thought that if you could play for Coach Kramer and make it through four years, I could handle any obstacle in life.”

In his first four seasons as the Hornet’s head coach, Higgins compiled a record of 14-30. He is confident that the team is in the process of reversing the trend.

“It’s truly a blessing to come back home,” Higgins said. “It is a big challenge because expectations are high. We are doing everything in our power, the things we can control, to get the program headed in the right direction.”

When Higgins played football for ESU, he helped lead the 1989 Hornets to a national runner-up finish. He has been a part of four teams that have played for or won national championships as a player, head coach or as a coordinator.

“He is a player’s coach,” said junior quarterback Tyler Eckenrode. “He cares about us as more than just players and helps us to succeed in not only football but life as well.”

His first head coaching position was at Northwestern Oklahoma State University where he amassed a record of 51-9 over five seasons. All five of those seasons, he coached his team to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics playoffs, with two national runner-up finishes.

“I have known all of my life that I wanted to coach football,” Higgins said. “Some people grow up wanting to be firemen or police officers, but I always knew I wanted to coach football.”

Higgins said he grew up in what he calls a “coaching family.”

“My dad coached for 30 years and I was a field rat,” Higgins said. “I followed him around everywhere just trying to be around football.”

The rest of the coaching staff said they are confident in Higgins’ ability to bring back the “winning tradition” of ESU football.

“Coach brings composure,” said defensive line assistant coach and former MIAA all-conference linebacker Nathan Linsey. “He gets the most out of his players (and) he is a hard worker… the players know that if they listen to Coach Higgins that the desired results will come.”

The Hornets will face the Fort Hays State Tigers in the first game of the season at 7 p.m. tonight in Hays.

Marcus Hix

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Breaking a lease can be a difficult process.

Breaking a lease can be a difficult process. But if you are living in poor circumstances, Patty Gilligan, the Human Relations director for Emporia, has advice.

“Know your options for breaking your lease, and come talk to me, or use the legal services offered by ESU, you won’t find a cheaper way to talk to lawyers,” Gilligan said.

There are many options to break a lease but most are under bad circumstances. If you are simply having a problem with your roommate or just need more space, the best option is to ask for allowance to sublease. Subleasing is a transfer of your current lease to another individual.

The most common reason people need to break lease is a lack of maintenance by landlords. Gilligan said that if repairs don’t get completed to inform the landlord they have 14 days to repair them. If the repairs are not completed you can give 30 day notice and legally void the lease.

Another option if you are not having issues is to buy out your lease. This method involves paying out what you still owe to the landlord. It is the most expensive option but can allow for recouping the money because if the property is rented by someone else the landlord cannot take your rent as well as the new tenants.

“If you got an apartment that was in good repair when you got it you’re probably looking at a good landlord, if you’re looking at a property that needs repairs and they say they’ll get it done don’t sign that lease,” said Gilligan.

Gilligan said it was important for renters to know their rights so they can defend themselves from inefficient landlords. Carlos Pringle, graduate student in history, has lived under multiple landlords here in Emporia and has generally had good experiences.

“I did have a slum lord but a change in management kept me from needing to break my lease,” Pringle said.

The dorms are not covered by the city but rather Residential Life on campus. Cass Coughlin, director of Residential Life, provided some options for breaking the dorm leases. There are six methods to leave the dorms without incurring penalties. In order to break the housing agreement you must submit your reason to Residential Life.

The options include marriage, leaving the college by method of transfer, graduation or withdrawal, or with written approval by the director of Residential Life. Being called into military service as well as sponsored learning activities off campus and significant medical problems are also options.

If the housing agreement is broken for any other reason multiple penalties are incurred. They include the forfeiture of the $145 payment and you must pay 40 percent of your remaining total for the semester.

All of this information is available on ESU’s website under Residential Life.

Charlie Heptas

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Senior accounting major Nicole Skala and her roommate Meghan Clark, senior elementary education major, do their homework Wednesday afternoon in their apartment. The two girls have been roommates since their freshman year living in the dorms. Alissa Miller/ The Bulletin

Toward the end of spring semester, freshmen living on campus or students whose roommates graduate this summer might consider looking for a new roommate.

But students who are in need of new roommates have to consider who will make a good roommate for them and how to maintain a good relationship with their roommate.

“(Before looking for a roommate), you need to have a list of things that are important to you and ask the other person about those things…but people have to agree or disagree…sometimes you should look for compromise,” said Susan Zuber-Chall, instructor in sociology, anthropology, and crime and delinquency studies.

Megan Clark, senior elementary education major, and Nicole Skala, senior accounting major, have been roommates since their freshmen year. When they were looking for a roommate, they both had specific requirements that had to be met by a potential cotenant.

“I just wanted somebody who wouldn’t go out and party all the time, wouldn’t keep me up really late – someone who is quiet like me,” Clark said.

Skala had her own expectations and requirements.

“I just wanted to get a roommate I didn’t know, so I could make a new friend in college,” Skala said.

Clark said the ideal roommate is someone who she feels comfortable around.

“A good roommate is someone you can trust and get along with and you’re not worried about offending them,” Clark said.

Zuber-Chall said that communication is key to maintaining a good roommate relationship.

“It’s little things that get you upset and if you don’t say something about the little things, they will build up and become bigger and bigger, until one more thing happens and it will just explode, so it’s important to ask about the little things as soon as you have a problem with it,” Zuber-Chall said.

Remaining calm during arguments also makes the roommate relationship easier to maintain.

“If you get mad at that person, don’t attack them, but instead approach it like you are asking for help to understand why they did something,” Zuber-Chall said.

Skala said if she something bothered her, she tended to bring it up and not dance around it very much, while Clark said she was more subtle in her approach of roommate problems.

Two people arguing makes it very difficult to solve problems because the two are just yelling at each other and not hearing each other, Zuber-Chall said,

“Arguments should be productive and should be a way to learn about the other person,” she said.

Having different extracurricular activities and hobbies allows roommates to spend some time away from each other, said Skala.

“Don’t room with someone that your life is so intertwined, because differences make it easier to live with each other and maintain a relationship…and don’t think that moving off-campus is going to make everything better. If you have problems when you lived with them on-campus there will be more stresses off-campus and more trust issues,” Skala said.

Living off-campus can also cause different problems for roommates than living on-campus does.

“I think people need to realize their responsibility while living off-campus, because so much is done for you in the dorm, not having to make your own food, not worry about paying rent or bills…all of a sudden, all these things pile up,” Clark said.

Zuber-Chall said to maintain a good roommate relationship, we should be polite and honest to each other and ask them what they like and don’t like.

Developing a friendship between roommates has also been helpful in maintaining a healthy roommate relationship between Clark and Skala.

“We are both seniors and we are busy with our classes and something that we are involved in, but we still have time spending together…watch TV shows together or just sit and talk for a while,” Clark said.

Huibing Lu

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Around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, the fourth floor of Abigail Morse Hall found itself with one extra resident. A bat had somehow found a way into the dormitory and was flying up and down the hallway. A resident noticed the animal around 11:15 p.m. and informed a resident assistant, who then contacted Police and Safety.

“There was a bat in the hall…I heard panic and ruckus then lots of swatting like they were beating the little guy,” said Miriam Gray, sophomore political science major.

Two officers responded to the bat by capturing it and releasing it back outside without harming it. Donald Shafer, university police sergeant, was one of the two officers who responded.

“Basically, they get scared if they can’t get out, and he was in a closed hallway in Abigail, so he had no way out,” Shafer said.

Shafer went on to explain how animal related incidents in the dorms were nothing new or uncommon, citing an incident in the past where a deer had jumped through the windows of the Bamboo Room on the ground floor of Morse Hall. He’s also dealt with snakes on previous occasions.

“It won’t be the first one and it won’t be the last,” Shafer said.

It is still unclear as to how the bat managed to get into the hallway.

“I don’t know how he got in here. He may have been here first or maybe he thought this ancient heap of a building was a cave,” Gray said.

Shafer was also unsure as to how the animal had managed to gain access to the building.

“We don’t know. They’re like mice, they can get in through an itty-bitty hole anywhere,” Shafer said.

The Towers complex has also had incidents with critters this year. Residents in North Tower have reported encounters with cockroaches. Mallory Waln, a freshman elementary education major detailed her encounter with one of the insects.

“I went in to take a shower…and just as I was shutting off the water to the shower I looked down and saw this giant cockroach,” Waln said. When asked to define “giant” she said that it was “half of a Twinkie-sized” in reference to earlier stories she’d heard from other residents about “Twinkie-sized” cockroaches.

Waln continued on to explain how she’d enlisted her roommate to help her move her belongings out of the restroom and away from the cockroach.

“It makes you wonder about how little the people clean there for cockroaches to be there,” Waln said.

Luke Bohannon

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Patty Jo "Yoga Mama" Thompson. Photo by Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.

At age 70, Patty Jo Thompson, or ‘Yoga Mama,’ no longer has a heart murmur, a condition that runs in her family which she has suffered from her whole life.

“When you do yoga, you just kind of have a healing wisdom that goes on inside of you, and you don’t know what it’s going to do for you – I didn’t do yoga to heal my heart murmur,” Thompson said.

Although Thompson began doing yoga for different reasons, after practicing the discipline for 11 years, becoming the director of the Ancient Yoga Institute and giving up sugar, she is healthier now than she has ever been.

“I haven’t had any sugar in my body (since 2000)… I don’t miss it, and I actually used to be a gourmet dessert maker,” Thompson said.

Thompson said that today she is doing everything that she can to “feel good,” which includes practicing yoga and drinking plenty of water.

“When you do yoga you detoxify and purify all your nerves, so when you have all that happen, you don’t want those (toxins) to stay in your body, you want to get it out, so you want to drink water,” Thompson said.

As the director of the Ancient Yoga Institute, Thompson is able to certify others to teach yoga. Thompson was certified in Texas to teach ancient yoga.

Thompson said there are many different forms of yoga, but all styles are essentially ancient yoga, the very first form, with specific additions like props and aerobics. Ancient yoga is the most basic.

“I really like this (ancient yoga) because it’s just really gentle stretched just like the animals do – it’s pure,” Thompson said.

Thompson has been teaching ancient yoga in Emporia for about seven and a half years. She began teaching at the Emporia Recreation Center in 2003, and then K-4 grade school students along with ESU. Her grade school students dubbed her “Yoga Mama” about four years ago.

“Age doesn’t matter,” Thompson said. “You’re as young as your spine is supple.”

Thompson said the benefits of yoga include an increase in flexibility and strength, lubrication of one’s joints, ligaments and tendons, an increase in coordination and ability to balance and yoga massages the internal organs and strengthens the immune system.

The overall aim of yoga is “to be bendy and flexible and have a flexible spine, so that when you’re spine is flexible… you don’t get old and stiff,” Thompson said.

Joshua East, senior music education major, plays the piano, violin and sings. He said that yoga has both toned his muscles to aid in his playing and improved his breathing techniques.

“The class itself helps me relax after a long day… it’s nice to unwind and let go for an hour,” East said.

Myles Louderback, graduate student in psychology, has been in Thompson’s class since the spring semester of his freshman year. For five years, he has stayed behind after his evening classes to help Thompson gather up her equipment and escort her to her car. Louderback said that he and Thompson have developed a good friendship.

“Out of all of the wonderful professors that I have, she has been the one that will go above and beyond to do anything she possibly can to help you with any problem. If you are sick or you have problems at home, she will listen to you or give you advice, and she will always be there for you if you want her,” Louderback said.

Charlie Heptas/Kenzie Templeton

Video by Kellen Jenkins

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Freshmen biology majors Caroline Murray and Meghan Murray stand in the dorm room they have shared for the past five months. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The spring semester is well under way and the fresh beginnings of fall are nothing but a distant memory now. Some students are preparing to graduate, but for freshmen, it is a time of settling into what is now the more familiar experience of going to college.

There are many things running through the minds of freshmen at this time. They wonder if this is the school for them, what they are going to do after graduation and some are praying that they will make it through the semester. Whatever the case may be, it is a certainty that much has changed since they first came to ESU.

Yet again, we take a look at the lives of four freshmen, Meghan Murray, Caroline Murray, Will Smith and Lei Zhang, as they trudge forward toward the end of their freshman year.

…

Caroline and Meghan Murray, twin sisters from Olpe, are still working hard to pursue biology degrees. Caroline seems confident in this semester, but Meghan is nervous because she is taking difficult classes.

“It will be harder than last semester,” Meghan said. “I’ve got (chemistry), biology and zoology. It’s awesome, but I just have to study, study, study.”

For winter break, they spent time with family and friends they hadn’t seen in a while and visited Grandby Ranch at Sol Vista Basin, Colo., where they went snowboarding. It was Caroline’s first time.

“It was fun,” Caroline said. “By the second day, I was fine. The first day, I was trying to figure it out, but then it was fun. It was a blast… we actually drove back on the 24th, Christmas Eve. I didn’t want to do that, but we celebrated Christmas the next day.”

The sisters are still a part of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority and plan to move into the house next year. This semester, they have also taken up the responsibility of being ESU Ambassadors.

“I think the more involved you are, the more fun you have,” Meghan said. “It can be stressful sometimes, but overall it’s fun because you can meet a lot of new people.”

The sisters also said that they are excited for spring break, when they may go to Florida, and for summer, when they will travel to Arizona with their best friend and Meghan will get her Certified Nurse’s Assistant license.

…

Although Will Smith, criminology major from Wylie, Texas, had a good time last semester, it was more difficult than he expected.

“It was a lot tougher school-wise and with time management,” Smith said. “I’ve enjoyed living in the dorms. I can’t wait to have my own apartment though, more privacy. But I get along with pretty much everyone in the dorms.”

Smith has continued to practice middle-distance with the cross country team, even throughout the cold of winter. He practices every day, except for the weekends, and has been going to morning practices on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. For winter break, he went back home to Texas.

“My break was really good,” Smith said. “I hung out with family a lot, hung out with some friends I haven’t seen in a while, of course hung out with my girlfriend and I worked a little bit, trying to get a little money before I came back,” Smith said.

Smith’s classes are divided fairly equally between general education courses and major courses. Some classes he is taking are Psychology, Intimate relationships, Community Corrections and Anthropology.

“I feel great about this semester,” Smith said. “I’ve got good classes and I feel like I can do a lot better this semester, grade-wise and practicing, you know… I enjoy all of my classes, it’s a lot better than last semester. They seem pretty interesting. I would say Community Corrections is probably my favorite one overall,” Smith said.

…

Although Smith may be from Texas, Lei Zhang, accounting major, has him beat when it comes to distance away from home. Zhang is a Chinese student who is planning to go to school here for four years before graduation.

“At summer, I will go back to China for three months, then come back to ESU,” Zhang said. “Just like the American students, I will stay until we graduate, then I will go back to China.”

Zhang explained that she wishes to live in China because there is more job availability there. For winter break, Zhang stayed at a friend’s apartment and she visited Chicago for Thanksgiving.

“Someone told me that Chicago was the second biggest city in America, so I wanted to go there,” Zhang said. “When I went there, it rained and was very cold, so the first and second day weren’t that good, but the last day was good. It was very big and the buildings were tall, it’s just like Shanghai in China – it’s very lovely.”

Last semester, she only took three Intensive English Program courses and Composition I, and she is feeling anxious about this semester because she is taking a larger variety of classes – 17 hours total. On top of that, Zhang still feels the difficulties of living so far from home.

“I think it’s very hard because it’s a different life,” Zhang said. “The biggest difficulty is language and customs…I think the biggest difficulty is that I’m homesick. I miss my pare

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Senior political science major Armando Pinon speaks about his experiences in the U.S. Army that eventually led to his Citizenship in the United States Tuesday afternoon in the Memorial Union. Alissa Miller/ The Bulletin

After the Twin Towers in New York City fell on Sept. 11, 2001, senior political science major Armando Pinon decided to enlist in the U.S. Army.

“I got my green card in 2003 so that I could enlist… before I that, I wasn’t able to join the army,” Pinon said.

Pinon, then 22, had been living in the U.S. for most of his life after his parents emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico shortly after he was born. He began attending ESU in 2001 but left his schooling after signing a three-year active duty contract as an infantryman in Iraq.

“I didn’t know much about the war when I went in – all I knew was that we were attacked,” Pinon said.

But it wasn’t until a sergeant approached him in 2005 while still on tour in Iraq that Pinon began to consider the possibility of being a permanent U.S. citizen.

“I actually had no idea (that I could gain my citizenship) and at the time, I was fresh in the army so I was just excited to be overseas… the whole citizenship thing was sort of in the back seat, it didn’t really register with me at the time,” Pinon said.

According to the website FindLaw.com, citizenship in the U.S. is based on two fundamental principles – jus soli (right of birthplace), in which a person is granted citizenship by actually being born within the U.S., and jus sanguinis (right of blood), which is given to someone with at least one parent who is already an American, regardless of his or her birthplace. One who does not fit into one of these categories can apply for citizenship through the process of naturalization.

Pinon said that the naturalization process usually takes a very long time, but former President Bush made it possible for non-citizens serving in the armed forces to gain their citizenship at an accelerated pace.

Although it took him approximately a year to gain his citizenship, Pinon had to complete the same process that everyone undergoes. This included getting an I.D., having his fingerprints taken and traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina, to complete the interview and testing portion before finally being sworn in as a legal citizen of the U.S. along with other military members.

In 2006, Pinon’s tour ended and when he returned the states, he joined the army reserves where he currently serves a noncombatant military fire fighter and resumed his attendance at ESU.

“I decided to come to ESU because it just seemed to make sense to start here, I feel like I found the right area of study and I’ve met a lot of great teachers – it’s been really great,” Pinon said.

Pinon said that the army pays for all of his tuition and about half of his books. He recently got involved with ESU’s yearbook, The Sunflower, where he works as a staff photographer.

Although he has had no formal training, Pinon picked up photography while completing a project for a political science class. He ran across pictures by war photographers like James Natchwey.

Alaina Young, sophomore elementary education major and Editor-In-Chief of the Sunflower, said that Pinon does all of the photo editing and that he is dependable and easy-going.

“Armando is very passionate about his photography. He’s constantly looking up new ways to do things and new techniques – he’s just really interested in learning to do all that he can,” Young said.

Pinon said he has been buying a lot of photography gear in hopes of starting his own business of doing some freelance work in the future and has a particular interest in war photography.

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Fall break has come and gone, midterms have been taken and students are back at the books again. For sophomores, juniors and seniors, it means that they are one step closer to their goal of graduation.

Fall break has come and gone, midterms have been taken and students are back at the books again. For sophomores, juniors and seniors, it means that they are one step closer to their goal of graduation.

But for freshmen, it is the half-way point for their first semester of college.

Some may be stressed with the strain of too much schoolwork and others may be empowered by finding out that they are on top of things. Whatever situation students find themselves in, many lives are different from when they first came to Emporia State. We continue to follow three freshmen, Meghan Murray, Caroline Murray and Will Smith, as they forge onward to finish their first semester.

***

Meghan and Caroline Murray, twin sisters from Olpe, are finding that they are enjoying their college experience so far. They are happy with the independence of living in Emporia and the campus itself.

“I like how it’s big enough to where you don’t see everyone every day, but it’s small enough to where you don’t know where everything is,” Meghan said.

“And you can get to class in, like, three minutes,” Caroline said.

“Not really, like, four depending – ”

“Depending on the classes.”

“Yeah,” Meghan said. “The library is really far away from the dorms, that’s the only bad thing.”

Meghan is still pursuing a biology major and Caroline is also working for a biology degree before she pursues a career in speech pathology and, so far, they are well on their ways.

The sisters were very happy with their midterms, as they didn’t have very many and those that they did, they received high grades in. For fall break, the sisters went back to their home in Olpe.

“We went home for a night then we went shopping in Lawrence with our mom,” Caroline said. “Some of our friends came back from community college or whatever schools they were out, so we went back to Olpe for a while.”

Both of the girls want to become ambassadors for next semester’s incoming students and they also recently joined the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority.

“A lot of the girls in our sorority live on our dorm floor,” Meghan said. “And we met some girls through the LEAD institute that we’re still friends with.” Caroline said.

“They actually joined the same sorority we did, so that was kind of cool,” Meghan said.

***

Will Smith, criminal sciences major, is also having a good freshman year so far. He has been taking plenty of general education courses, training with the cross country team and competing in a few track meets as a walk-on member.

“(I will run) at places like K-State and some of the Emporia ones we have here,” Smith said. “I’ve ran at two cross country meets so far…I think I was satisfied, it was the best I’ve ever done long-distance wise.”

For fall break, Smith went back to his home state of Texas to visit family, friends and his girlfriend, who goes to school at Tarleton State University in Texas.

“It’s been kind of hard,” Smith said. “We argue here and there, but it’s not that bad. We’ll make it through.”

Smith has met “a ton” of friends during his time here at ESU and seems to enjoy living in the dorms, where he has a co-ed floor.

“My floor is pretty fun to be around,” Smith said. “We’re all in active living so everyone is awake until two in the morning just talking. It’s a good floor, the dorms are a pretty good way to make friends.”

Alex Pederson

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Freshmen Meghan and Caroline Murray hang decorations on their dorm room door with the help of their friend Brooke Schmidt (far left) during Move-In Day Saturday afternoon at the Towers Complex. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin.

Part I: A Freshmentality

The dawn of a new year is upon us once again. For the returning students, seeing the old sights of places like Silent Joe, the Memorial Union and William Allen White Library can bring a rush of nostalgia, sometimes followed by high levels of stress.

But freshmen have a different kind of stress. Their stress does not stem from realizing that the toils of another school year are here, but from the fact that most of them are in a very unfamiliar place. They are separated from their parents, tossed into the sea of college and are forced to either sink or swim.

Four such freshmen are Lei Zhang, Will Smith, Meghan Murray and Caroline Murray.

Meghan and Caroline Murray are two twin sisters who hail from down the road in Olpe. They decided to come to Emporia State because it is close to home, and like Olpe, is small enough to have a down-home atmosphere.

“I liked that it was one of the smaller universities because that’s what we’re used to,” Meghan said. “It would be an easier adjustment.”

Between the two of them, they participated in just about every activity their high school had to offer: Student Council, forensics, theater, volleyball, track and cheerleading, just to name a few.

“I’m excited to meet a lot more people,” Caroline said. “In Olpe, we never really met anyone, we just got really close to them. I think it will be fun to meet people and have a large group of friends so that you don’t always have to be with the same people every single weekend.”

Meghan and Caroline are no strangers to ESU. Their mother is Jacquelyn Murray, an instructor for Newman Division of Nursing. They also plan to go into different fields. Meghan is studying biology, while Caroline is working toward a degree in secondary education.

“I wanted to do speech language pathology, it’s like speech therapy,” Caroline said. “I’ll have to transfer to K-State, but I can get a degree here in education. You have to have four years and then you go apply to the school.”

The twins are also already used to their roommates, because they are rooming together. Even their room at home is approximately the same size, so they are very comfortable with their new surroundings.

“I would rather be together,” Meghan said. “I think it will make school easier. We can still meet people, we can meet everyone on the floor, but it’s nice to go somewhere that you know is private to you and comfortable.”

The girls are jumping straight into school, with Meghan taking some of her biology and chemistry courses and Caroline trying to get some general education classes out of the way. One thing that they are nervous for, however, is the trouble they will have in finding their independence from each other.

“It’s kind of the same because we’re still the twins,” Meghan said. “We’re not really separate, which kind of stinks sometimes. You want to be your own person, have someone actually know your name… We’ve already had some people say, ‘alright, we’re just going to call you the twins.’”

Another new name to ESU is Will Smith. No, not the famous Hollywood actor, but the freshman from Wylie, Texas.

“It’s a big change, coming from Texas to here, with a lot of flat land,” Smith said. “To be honest with you, I thought it would have been boring, because it’s out in the middle of nowhere. That’s not the reason why I came here though – I just want to get an education.”

Smith is studying criminology and his ultimate goal is to be a U.S. Marshall. He is cousins with Kameron Gee, a football player here at ESU, and lives in the co-ed dorms of South Towers, which he finds to be a very friendly experience.

“It’s real tight, everyone comes up to our floor, even North Tower comes up to our floor,” Smith said. “I think we have the best floor out of all of the floors there, so I’m lucky out on that part… there was a room with probably 10 people, girls and guys, just chilling.”

Smith lives about six or seven hours away and, like many freshmen who live a long distance away, he said he feels homesick. Although he gets along excellently with his new roommate, he still misses his old room and his parents.

“They’re actually really happy for me,” Smith said. “It’s saddening, but they’re really happy that I’m out and going to school, so it doesn’t matter… They actually called me today and yesterday. My mom and my dad (were crying.) I was crying, too. I’m not going to lie. I’m from Texas, it’s so far away. Maybe if I lived in Topeka or something, it wouldn’t be bad.”

For all four years of high school, Smith ran track and currently trains with the ESU Cross Country Team. He is considering doing track here, but has much higher expectations for himself after his college experience.

“I expect for me to become a man, I guess,” Smith said. “I’m not going to be babied by my parents anymore, so after college I’ll be a man, really… I’m excited. I’m ready to grow up and become a young man, living on my own, you know?”

ESU is known for its large international student population, of which Lei Zhang is a new member. Zhang is a Chinese student who attended Polytechnic University, but now must complete the Intensive English Program before she can start taking classes for her business studies.

“I hope I can start my start my major classes and get my diploma,” Zhang said. “I also hope I can enrich my life and make some new friends.”

Zhang came here with her roommate, Ziwei Li, on Aug. 9. Since then, they have moved from their temporary dorm room in the Towers to their more permanent residence in Trusler. She plans to be in Emporia for three or four years and has already met new friends.

“I met a lot of new friends, and not just Americans,” Zhang said. “I’ve met Japanese, Korean, and some from Indonesia… I think it is real interesting and I think we can get some things that are new that I would never get otherwise,” Zhang said.

As is common with many freshmen, Zhang has found that it is not very easy to be so far from home.

“It is very hard without my friends and parents because if I had some problems, I could tell them,” Zhang said. “But instead, I must solve this problem myself and not with them. So I think it will be better for me than there, but I think I can adapt to this and do my best.”

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