NEKUDA

Garrett Nekuda, sophomore secondary education chemistry and physics major, is known to many Emporia State students simply as the guy that wears crazy hats.

“Yeah I’ve seen that dude walking around campus before,” said Ryan Anthony, senior communications major. “He was wearing a pirate hat or something, but he seemed like he was pretty friendly I guess.”

Nekuda said that, the last time he checked, he had over fifty hats in his collection. He said that the strangest hat he owns is the one shaped like a dinosaur. Although some of his hats are for practical uses, like keeping his head warm, most are just for fun.

“It’s just something that I do because I’ve seen people look at my hats and get a chuckle for the day,” Nekuda said. “And that makes the world a brighter place.”

But Nekuda doesn’t spend all of his energy picking out unique hats. He is also the president of the ESU Fencing Club and will compete in a national fencing tournament at the end of this month in Atlanta, GA.

“I was walking (through the student recreation center) for one of the activity days at the beginning of the semester last year and one of the members, the current vice president, had a sword and I was like ‘wow, a sword,’” Nekuda said. “I’ve been to almost every meeting since.”

Off campus, Nekuda is actively involved in boy scouts. Nekuda is involved with three Boy Scout troops right now and also works at a Boy Scout camp over the summer. Nekuda teaches the younger Boy Scouts different knots, widdling techniques, emergency preparation and swimming. Nekuda also enjoys keeping a busy schedule.

“I enjoy the ideals and I enjoy teaching,” Nekuda said. “Plus it fits. You’re a teacher during the fall, winter, spring, and then you teach at a Boy Scout camp during the summer –you’ve got your whole year booked.”

Nekuda said that, ultimately, he enjoys helping people. This is what he credits for his desire to teach as well as being involved in boy scouts.

“Helping other people is the best way to help yourself,” Nekuda said.

Nekuda feels that simply acknowledging someone is something people don’t do enough.

“I like to say hi to people,” Nekuda said. “Half of the times I don’t get a response because people have those I-pods in their ears or whatever else. It’s slightly depressing. I don’t do it out of spite or anything it’s just a way for each person I know to feel appreciated.”

Other students on campus are aware of Nekuda’s outgoing personality.

“I’m not really sure what the guy’s name is, but I walk by him at like the same time every day when I get outside of Plumb Hall,” said Brett McBride, senior secondary education social sciences major. “He always says hi. He seems like he’s pretty high on life.”

Nekuda also tries to cheer up his close friends each day.

“I have a group of friends I send a daily random text message to, just for fun,” Nekuda said.

Nekuda said that he would like to work in a smaller school once he graduates and begins teaching, but the specific location isn’t important to him. He said he plans to continue wearing his unusual hats to help brighten the lives of those around him.

Brett Mize

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David Milford, assistant director of Career Services, sits at his desk Friday afternoon in the Morse Hall Complex. Milford helps alumni and other companies develop internship programs for ESU and works to connect ESU students with these opportunities. ANDREW DORPINGHAUS/THE BULLETIN

In today’s weakened economy, jobs have become more competitive for those entering the workforce. According to David Milford, assistant director of Career Services, internships are growing in popularity as a result.

“Now with our economy the way it is, average no longer works, you can no longer be average and get the job that you’re wanting to get,” Milford said. “You can get what’s left over, but you can’t go after the one you really want. You have to be above average, and I’m not talking about GPA with that. I mean above average in your volunteer work experience, your community involvement, the professional associations you belong to on campus and your internship experience.”

That doesn’t mean that having a strong GPA isn’t important, Milford said.

Some of the skills learned in the classroom were surprisingly useful, said Scott Hogan, a business administration graduate student who took part in an internship in Emporia.         Hogan interned with American General Financial Services from September 2007 to October 2008.

“There were actually a few things that I learned in class like in financial management or sales skills that I never thought I would use,” Hogan said. “And it kind of gave me a chance to see that those things are actually used in the real world.”

Milford explained the importance of gaining career oriented work experience rather than maintaining a dead end job during college to make some extra money.

“I often tell juniors and seniors that come in for a resume review that it is time to stop working jobs that just pay the bills and start working jobs that will build on your education,” Milford said. “Students tend to live in the ‘here and now,’ forgetting that a professional career is just around the corner.”

Hogan said that his internship helped him better understand the expectations of the workforce.

“It was a great experience, the people I worked with were really cool,” Hogan said. “It wasn’t like a paper pushing internship – they expected everything out of me that they did the other people that worked there.”

One of the most valuable experiences of his internship was working with others, Hogan said.

“I got a lot of experience working with people, the whole customer-relationship thing,” Hogan said. “That was probably the biggest thing I took away from it.”

After speaking with recruiters, Milford understands the expectations and concerns that they have with younger workers.

“The number one thing that all the recruiters in all fields tell us when they come here is the problem young people have working with other people,” Milford said. “They want to know that you have someone that is easy to get along with and takes instruction well, and that is what experience tells me about you.”

Milford said that not all interns can expect full time jobs at the end of their internship. Despite that, Milford said, internships are a great way to network and also create other  potential benefits.

“Internships, I think, are one of the best ways for networking to begin,” Milford said. “Maybe you won’t get the job with that company, but that company is your network to the rest of the state to Kansas – and trust me, if you’re an exceptional employee, that word is going to get out.”

ESU students interested in interning should first go through their academic adviser. Internships through a student’s academic department will usually earn the student three credit hours toward his or her major requirements. Typically, students must have maintained a 3.0 GPA and be a junior or senior to be eligible.

Internships can also be obtained through Career Services, Milford said. The difference would be that academic credits acquired would be applied as elective hours.      Milford said that at career services, he likes to shape internships around the student, not the other way around.

“I get students that come in here and I think they think I have a whole list of internships I’m waiting to fill them with students, but it doesn’t work that way here,” Milford said. “What I do is I like to have students come in and tell me what their needs are and what experience they’re wanting to get. Then I go out and talk to employers and see if I can talk the employer into doing an internship.”

The Career Center is located on the fourth floor of South Morse Hall. Besides helping students with internships, the career center focuses on helping students with resume development, interviewing skills, hire-a-hornet and other services.

ESU is now a member of www.internships.com, Milford said. The internships.com Web site said they have information on nearly four million potential employers. Those interested must get password information from the Career Center.

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The Emporia State Philosophy Club met last Thursday to discuss upcoming events and future plans. Several students were present at the meeting that lasted about an hour. President Emily Thomas, senior secondary education with an emphasis in theater, led the meeting.

Club members discussed whether to petition ASG for allocation money in the future. The group also talked about the possibility of a speaker coming in to lecture on the philosophy of Islam. In the past, Ryan David-Pickens, junior secondary education social sciences major, said that the group has not always worked as a group to get allocation money and to bring in speakers. David-Pickens said they had been putting too much responsibility on one or two members.

“The problem before was the fact that we relied on certain people to get stuff done for us and it didn’t get done,” David-Pickens said. “Hopefully we can work together and get stuff done, that’s the idea… so hopefully we can get this done and then I’m sure we’re going to try and make this something we do at least once a semester or so.”

During the meeting, the members discussed future community service projects, including ideas like reading to children, working in a soup kitchen, or working for a blood drive.

After each meeting, the members usually attend a movie as a group. The group tries to pick movies that have philosophical meaning. Last week, they decided to go to member’s home and watch “The Lives of Others.”

Thomas remembers how she became involved with the philosophy club. She said she is glad that she ended up becoming a member.

“I was actually dragged here last year on my birthday, I was offered dinner,” Thomas said. “Now I’m glad I’m here. I enjoy it and now I’m the president.”

Ed Emmer, assistant professor of social sciences, has been the club adviser since he arrived at ESU in fall 2005. Emmer said they are always looking for new members to join the club. The best way, Emmer said, is to attend one of the discussions the club hosts at the Java Cat.

“The most fun way for somebody to enter in is to come to one of the Socrates café discussions,” Emmer said. “It’s very welcoming, very open, and then if they’re interested in supporting that or coming up with new ideas then they can come to the club meetings.”

The philosophy club is open to students and community members alike.

“It’s an open discussion, anyone that wants to come and come-whether they’re an ESU student or not,” Emmer said. “Anyone that can walk into the door can walk into the conversation.”

The club meets every other Thursday at 5:15 p.m. to organize priorities and upcoming events. The Thursdays that the club does not meet, they host open discussions at Java Cat Café. The next discussion is on American mythology and will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Java Cat on Commercial St. The next club meeting on campus will be at 5:15 p.m. Feb. 12.

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According to a recent report issued by the Government Accountability Office, nearly 1.7 million American college students are without health insurance. Most of those students are part time, nontraditional, or come from lower income families.

Mary McDaniel, assistant director of health services, believes most students are unaware of the policies associated with their own health insurance.

“I think that for the traditional… student, most do not know what their insurance will pay for and what it will not,” McDaniel said. McDaniel also said that the lack of knowledge is due to most students’ reliance on their parents to take care of healthcare matters.

While health insurance policies vary from one to another, according to McDaniel, most insurance plans allow students to remain on their parents’ policies until they are in their twenties.

“Most major insurance companies will allow a full-time student to remain on their insurance until the age of 23- some of them more, some of them less, but that seems typical,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel strongly encourages students to carry a health insurance card with them in their wallet or purse. To find out what one’s insurance will and will not cover, McDaniel suggested simply calling insurance providers.

“Usually on the back of your insurance card there is contact information like the Web site and 1-800 numbers where you can call and get specific information,” McDaniel said. “Sometimes I think it’s helpful to sort through the terminology because the insurance industry can use confusing (terminology).”

Emporia State offers student healthcare insurance and 82 percent of four-year colleges offer student healthcare insurance, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Students without current healthcare insurance have options. The Kansas Board of Regents offers a student injury and sickness insurance plan. The program is designed especially for undergraduate, international, health science and other graduate students. A student must be taking classes on campus to be eligible. The spring 2009 rate is $409. Brochures can be picked up in the Student Health Center.

In today’s suffering economy, many companies have been cutting back on healthcare benefits. As a result, more students are not able to rely on their parents for healthcare.

“There are more and more people whose parents have lost their job which means they have lost their insurance,” McDaniel said.

Despite the services provided by the Student Health Center, many students are unaware of its benefits.

“I know there’s a health center, but I’m not really sure what they do,” said Haley Brown, sophomore marketing major. “As a transfer student, I wasn’t really filled in.”

While the Student Health Center has been trying to reach out through attending SWARM and providing lectures for student health, students themselves are often the best at informing their fellow classmates.

“I think it’s the same with a lot of the services the school provides that don’t get fully utilized,” said Keith Spreckles, junior physical education major. “The easiest way to spread the word is for students to tell each other about them.”

The Student Health Center is funded almost entirely by student fees and will provide services for students even if they don’t have insurance. Nearly half of ESU students use the Student Health Center, McDaniel said.

“We see a lot of students,” McDaniel said. “Any given year we see about 50 percent of the student population that attend classes on campus.”

The Student Health Center can provide a variety of services from the treatment of acute illnesses like colds, flu and sprains to male or female sexual health exams, HIV testing, flu shots and other services.

Some pharmaceuticals are also available through the Student Health Center, of which birth control is the most popular. McDaniel said that the Student Health Center will also conduct lab work for students.

The National Coalition on Healthcare reports on their Web site that nearly 46 million Americans are without health insurance. Newly elected President Barack Obama has pledged to expand healthcare to cover all of those uninsured. On the campaign trail, Obama guaranteed access through a mix of government and private plans.

Government Accountability Office Director David Walker reported in 2007 that existing federal commitments like social security and Medicare are already breaking the federal bank. GAO research concluded from 2000 to 2006 federal liabilities have climbed 150 percent, peaking at $50 trillion in 2006.

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Matt Peek, a furbearer biologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, speaks to a crowded classroom about mountain lions and their dispersal through the Midwest Wednesday afternoon in Cram Hall. After suffering from the predator control campaign of the 1890’s, Peek said that the mountain lion population is growing again in the Midwest after nearly 100 years. ANDREW DORPINGHAUS/THE BULLETIN

The Emporia State chapter of the Wildlife Society hosted speaker Matt Peek on Wednesday afternoon. About 30 people listened as Peek, a furbearer biologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, gave a seminar on the status and investigations of mountain lions in Kansas.

Peek used maps, pictures and charts to show mountain lion habitats and dispersal patterns. Peek also assured those in the audience that mountain lions are not abundant in Kansas.

Mountain lions fell victim to the predator control campaign during the 1890s, Peek said.

“By the turn of the century, they had been eliminated from the eastern and most of the mid-western states,” Peek said.

Mountain lion population only recently began reemerging in the Midwest because of policy changes by state and federal governments in the 1960s and ‘70s. A growing population of mountain lions began appearing in the Midwest in the 1990s for the first time in nearly 100 years.

A large majority of mountain lions in the area come from the Black Hills region, Peek said. These mountain lions disperse through the river systems, namely the Niobrara and Platte rivers.

“Everybody knows that they use river systems,” Peek said. “This is well documented. You don’t have to be a wildlife biologist to know that.”

These rivers merge into the Missouri River. The Missouri River runs east of Kansas, making it more unlikely that mountain lions from the Black Hills will disperse to Kansas.

“The Black Hills – that’s where most of the mountain lions are coming out of when we look at the Midwest as a whole,” Peek said. “We are certainly within a distance in which they could end up in Kansas, it’s just the topography is working against us.”

Peek cites the lack of evidence as the most telling sign that mountain lions are not abundant in Kansas. Dead mountain lions are an important piece of evidence that Kansas is lacking, Peek said.

“Based on this lack of evidence, and when I say evidence I mean dead lions, we do believe they are rare in Kansas,” Peek said.

In the second part of his lecture, Peek spoke to the idea that mountain lions are going undetected and said that it is extremely unlikely.

Mountain lions leave behind certain tracks that wildlife biologists can distinguish, Peek said. In states where mountain lions are present they are photographed by bystanders and also found dead on the road. This isn’t happening in Kansas, Peek said, and trail cams set up to track wildlife provide some of the best evidence.

“Deer hunters have trail cameras up statewide,” Peek said. “Some of them are up year-round in the best dear habitats in the state, which is obviously the primary prey of the mountain lion – yet we don’t have a single verified trail cam picture.”

Lack of knowledge is the primary culprit in false mountain lion sightings. Peek said most people who think they see mountain lion tracks are actually looking at dog tracks and that this type of false information travels quickly.

“The ability to fake e-mails is a big part of it,” said Nick Wolfe, senior crime and delinquency studies major. “I remember not too long ago I got an e-mail from a friend of a (picture of a) mountain lion taken from a trail cam. I forwarded it to my dad and he told me it was the fifth time he’d gotten it in the past week.”

The ESU chapter of the Wildlife Society is looking to host more activities in the future. Lucas Cramer, senior wildlife biology major, said he enjoyed Peek’s seminar.

“The existence of mountain lions in the state of Kansas is a controversial topic,” Cramer said. “Mr. Peek gave an informative speech to clarify things for the public eye.”

The next meeting will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14.

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Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are incredibly popular among college students. In recent years, however, employers have begun searching prospective employees’ profile pages.

“The latest estimates that I have found show that employers seeking personal information about potential candidates has now reached more than 30 percent,” said David Milford, assistant director of career services.

According to Facebook, there are more than 150 million users on the site. Facebook estimates that nearly half of that number is made up of college students.

Some students don’t think it should matter to future employers what they do in their personal lives. Other students don’t like it, but understand why it occurs.

“I don’t think it is really an employer’s business to care what I do in my spare time,” said Brody McCullough, senior marketing major. “But I guess it’s just a reality so you have to be aware of it and just deal with it.”

Most businesses are interested in learning more about their potential employees because they are investing a lot of time and money into those individuals.

“In my opinion, students are often unaware of the amount of time and money a company must invest in bringing someone onboard,” Milford said. “Some estimates I have seen are in excess of $10,000 investment by the time you include advertising, all the paper work for signing up for insurance, taxes, etc… The point is, once you’re hired, they don’t want you to leave.”

Employers are looking at students’ sites to gain more information on what kind of person they are considering hiring. Some students’ pages contain pictures and videos that would not serve them well to be seen by potential employers.

“If employers are looking at Facebook pages, what impression are you giving?” said Carmen Leeds, associate director of athletics. “I would think you would want that page to reflect a student who uses the page to connect and network with others and stay connected to family, not to brag about how much you can drink and the crazy things you’ve done.”

Student athletes should be particularly aware of possible dangers of inappropriate use of social networking sites. The Emporia State Athletic Department’s student handbook urges students to use good judgment when posting on the internet. There is also potential for punishment if good judgment is not used.

Section 3A in the handbook states that “any depiction or posting of or by a student athlete wherein alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, contraband substance, provocative poses, political rhetoric, profanity, harassment or the facsimile thereof is depicted may result in Departmental disciplinary action.” No age limit is listed for those students over the drinking age.

Students who want to find out how postings on the internet can affect their status in other campus organizations should speak with their sponsors, Leeds said.

There are ways to make social sites appear more professional. Milford suggests several ways to clean up your page.

“My advice would be to post memberships in relevant groups, post your birthday but leave off the year, don’t have 15 albums with 100 pictures in each one, instead have pictures of yourself dressed up,” Milford said. “Avoid pictures of bar scenes and be sure to edit the postings on your wall.”

Another solution that Facebook offers is setting your page settings to private. According to Facebook’s Web site, every user has the ability to customize his or her privacy settings. This allows users to limit who can view their profile to include everyone in their networks, some people in their networks, or only their friends. They can also choose who can see specific parts of their profile like their contact information, their personal favorites and their education and work history.

Most advisers think it is a good idea to set your page to private.

“I think you should keep your site closed and not open to everyone,” Leeds said. “Women in particular need to be careful of this.”

Facebook was created by Mark Zukerberg while he was attending Harvard University in 2004. Users can join networks organized by city, school, workplace and region to connect with other people. There are over 55,000 networks. Facebook reports an average of 250,000 registrations per day since January 2007.

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BAK

Brice Obermeyer, professor of anthropology, has been teaching at Emporia State since 2004. Obermeyer holds a doctorate in anthropology with a focus in cultural anthropology from the University of Oklahoma and became interested in Native Americans as a young child.

“Growing up on a farm, you find cow bones and rocks and different things and you wonder where they come from,” Obermeyer said. “Being from Eastern Nebraska, you live in counties like Otoe and Nemaha and you learn in school that these are Indian Tribes but these are Indian Tribes that are no longer here – a general curiosity kind of builds from that.”

Obermeyer began his undergraduate work studying archeology. He said he was studying both archeology as well as ethnography. In the end, Obermeyer’s desire to teach led him to focus more on ethnography.

“The reality is ethnography, if you want an academic job, ethnography is more marketable,” Obermeyer said. “I wanted to teach and I wanted to go in that direction, so I do both but I’m primarily interested in ethnography…. I would say as an ethnographer one of the things that we do is taped interviews. It is interesting to be on this side of the tape recorder.”

Obermeyer is the only anthropologist at ESU. While ESU does not offer anthropology as a major, it is offered as a minor. Obermeyer teaches a variety of classes in anthropology at ESU, including forensic anthropology, native peoples of North America, magic witchcraft and religion, human evolution and civilization and an introduction to cultural anthropology class. Obermeyer is currently teaching a course titled “folklore and urban legend.”

“He’s always been a well prepared instructor and he always makes class interesting,” said James Morrison, junior social science major. “It’s a unique class and it’s fun studying something different like urban legends compared to like a biology class.”

In addition to teaching classes, Obermeyer sponsors the Anthropology Club and is also offering a field school over the summer. The field school will run from May 17-25 at the Delaware Pow-wow in Bartlesville, Okla. and the Wichita Mountains.

“If you are interested in cultural anthropology, you must do an ethnographic field school,” Obermeyer said. “For the practical reason, graduate schools are going to want you to have that experience. The more personal reason is that during that experience you really decide if this is what you want to do.”

Outside of teaching, Obermeyer has spent many years working closely with the Delaware Tribe in Oklahoma through helping them to become federally recognized. An agreement signed in 1867 has prevented the Delaware Tribe from being distinguished from the Cherokee Nation, despite having an independent culture of its own.

“The Cherokees claim that even though the Delaware are separate and identifiable, they signed this agreement that says they are Cherokee citizens and thus we have jurisdiction over the Delaware citizenship,” Obermeyer said. “The Delaware counter that we have may have signed it but we have remained separate and we now deserve federal recognition. It’s been a debate that’s been going for 140 years.”

Obermeyer’s most recent accomplishment is a book that is being published by the University of Nebraska Press about the Delaware and Cherokee conflict. The book is entitled “Delaware Tribe in a Cherokee Nation,” and will come out this fall.

Students of his say that his experience in the field has enhanced their experiences in the classroom.

“It was interesting how he could tie in his work with the Delaware tribe with the material we covered in class,” said Evan Janzen, senior biochemistry, molecular biology and history major who has taken two classes with Obermeyer. “Knowing that he has actually had experiences in anthropology makes it easier to learn.”

Obermeyer is also the Delaware Tribe’s representative to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Obermeyer helps document and repatriate Delaware human remains and funerary objects held by museums throughout North America. He is currently working on a project in Pennsylvania. No longer on the payroll of the Delaware Tribe, Obermeyer agreed to work as a volunteer representative.

In his personal life, Obermeyer enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids. He also enjoys camping, hiking and the outdoors in general.

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Erin Foster, sophomore social science education major and Amy Niehues, sophomore elementary education major, welcome students to the Kansas National Education Association pizza party Thursday afternoon in Visser Hall. KNEA hosts events year round to encourage and support future educators. Andrew Dorpinghaus/THE BULLETIN

Emporia Kansas National Education Association held a pizza party last Thursday in the Visser Hall Atrium.

Tes Mehring, provost/vice president of academic affairs and president of KNEA in Emporia, was on hand to lead a discussion about teachers as leaders. Around 50 people attended the informal gathering.

“Every single day a teacher is a leader in the classroom,” Mehring said.

Mehring passed out handouts that included questions about what being a leader means. Mehring debated with students about the characteristics of effective leaders and emphasized two models for developing leadership skills.

The two models were the “Covey Model: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and “Maxwell’s 21 Laws of Leadership.” One of the most discussed leadership tips was what Mehring referred to as “building an emotional bank account.”

Mehring said this can be accomplished through treating others with values like trust, respect, keeping commitments and listening, along with other qualities. By creating an “emotional bank account,” a person is able to increase the number of people they influence, Mehring said.

KNEA Emporia hosts events like this one for the hopeful benefit of ESU students.

“In order for us to become teachers in the future we get an excellent education from ESU,” said Alexandra Weiss, senior elementary education major and president of Emporia KNEA. “But we also like to provide speakers, workshops and events like that to benefit us for our future.”

Both elementary education majors and secondary education majors attended the pizza party.

“The speaker was really good,” said Simeon DeGraaf, junior secondary education major. “The things she talked about, like how to be a highly effective leader, are essential not only for teachers, but for everyone in life.”

According to KNEA’s Web site, their mission is to “advocate for education professionals and to unite our members, Kansans, and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world.”

KNEA members include public education teachers from preschool up to higher education professors. Other members include prospective teachers in preparation programs, administrators and retired educators.

According to KNEA, the organization’s priorities are to promote quality public schools, strengthen the teaching profession and improve the well being of its members.

KNEA Emporia members do more than help themselves become better teachers. Weiss said that KNEA Emporia members recently conducted a community service project at Peter Pan Park where they picked up trash and raked leaves. She said the project was done in honor of President Obama’s recent inauguration.

The next Emporia KNEA meeting will take place Feb. 5.

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BAK

Juhye Bak, sophomore graphic design major, completed a world of traveling prior to attending Emporia State.

Bak is known to most on campus as Nicki, the American name that she chose while attending high school in Louisiana as an exchange student. Born in South Korea, Bak moved to Atlanta, Ga. when she was three years old. When she was six, she moved to Canada, only to move back to South Korea three years later.

Bak returned to the United States as an exchange student in 2005. She attended high school in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina. Bak then returned to South Korea for one year of school at an art college. After one year there, her father suggested that Bak study abroad at ESU because of the low tuition rate and ESU’s Art Department. Bak said she spent “about a day” considering the opportunity.

Bak said she believes that students from Korea can gain valuable experience studying in the West.

“I think when you’re from Korea or outside the U.S. or Europe, you should study abroad if you are an art or music student,” Bak said.

At ESU, Bak is an active member of the Korean Club. When not studying or working on her art, Bak enjoys doing different things like cooking. “In Korea I would eat a lot of western food, but now I look cooking eastern food,” Bak said. “Even foods I have never made before I enjoy trying.”

Others also seem to enjoy Bak’s cooking.

“She is a very funny person and very active,” said Sushi K, freshman business major. “She’s the queen of cooking and sometimes she’ll cook for me.”

Many students recognize Bak as a generous person, with a unique experience who tries to help others.

“She’s nice and very outgoing,” said Hojoong Ki, freshman undecided major. “She’s very good at English which helps with lectures and notes.”

With advanced English speaking skills and experience with American culture, Bak helps smooth the transition for other exchange students.

“I’m kind of a special case of a Korean student, so I try to teach or help friends with American culture,” Bak said. “Sometimes there is a culture shock and I try and help make it easier.”

Bak says that ESU is getting better at helping exchange students when they arrive at ESU.

“When I first came here, it was almost like ‘you’re on your own,’” Bak said. “But now, they have International Swarm, so it’s getting much better.”

Foreign exchange students go through many adjustments when they come to the U.S. Along with having to create a whole new social network, Bak said that the food is one of the hardest adjustments.

“They miss it, the food changes so radically,” Bak said.

Another obstacle exchange students have to overcome is transportation. Most don’t have a vehicle, which makes it important to meet people and find rides to places to shop or sightsee.

“One of the biggest issues with foreign exchange students is getting rides,” Bak said. “Exchange students like to travel because most of the time they’re only here for a semester or a year.”

Bak said she hopes to get a job in the United States, possibly working in movie advertisement, but she says there are many other things she seeks to accomplish. Seattle and Chicago are two cities that intrigue Bak for life after ESU. She said she hopes that in the future, everyone will reach out and be social with each other.

Bak suggested that American students and foreign exchange students are more similar than one would think.

“I would suggest exchange students to hang out with American people,” Bak said. “Americans and foreign exchange students are the same – they are kind of scared or shy to talk to each other. I hope we can all try and break those comfort zones. That’s what I want to see.”

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Vicki Brickell, community counseling secretary at ESU and a co-owner of Blue Fox Inc., welcomes students and faculty at the grand opening of the DVD Kiosk in the Memorial Union. The Kiosk will provide an on-campus source of movie rentals for students that live on campus and 10 percent of the profits will be given back the Memorial Union each month. KAITHI WALKER/THE BULLETIN

Blue Fox Inc., a locally owned business, held a ribbon cutting ceremony last Friday for the new DVD Kiosk in the Memorial Union. The kiosk, located next to the south doors of the cafeteria, is available for students, staff and faculty to rent DVDs. The kiosk is very similar to Red Box kiosks at Wal-Mart and McDonald’s.

Many students reacted positively to the recent addition to the Memorial Union, especially for last minute rentals.

“I would use it,” said sophomore Matt Boswell. “It’s better to go to the (kiosk) if you want a movie for just one night.”

The new kiosk could be an attractive alternative to driving around town for a video rental for students living in the residence halls.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said junior Alexa Rindt. “If I were a freshman living in the dorms, I would think it would be a good idea because it’s within walking distance. It makes it easier for those who don’t have cars.”

One night rentals are $1.99 with extra nights for 99 cents. Current DVDs available include Pineapple Express, Traitor, Step Brothers, Righteous Kill, Hancock and The Dark Knight, among others.

Blue Fox, Inc. is a home operated business in Emporia owned by Vicky and Terri Brickell along with their daughter and her husband. Vicky Brickell worked part time at Emporia State’s Community Council Services for about 10 years.

This is Blue Fox’s first DVD Kiosk, but Brickell said they hope to add more around the Emporia area in the next few months. It took about six months to complete the contract with the Memorial Union for the kiosk. Blue Fox conducts an array of other business including selling spas, hot tubs and smoker grills.

Student fees were not used for the installation of the kiosk and there will be no additional fees or charges for students, said Dave Hendricks, director of the Memorial Union. Blue Fox approached management at the Memorial Union and a contract was eventually settled upon by the business and the university.

According to Hendricks, 10 percent of all profits will go back to the Memorial Union. These profits, which will be collected monthly, will be used for operation throughout the union and help fund other activities and organizations.

Brett Mize/The Bulletin

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Sodexo has pulled all peanut butter products from dining services on the Emporia State campus after more salmonella outbreaks caused by peanut butter and peanut butter products.

Jeff McCullough, general manager of Sodexo-Marriott Dining Services at ESU, said that as the situation has changed within the last week, Sodexo has taken the safety precaution by removing all peanut butter products.

Sodexo operates in different regions throughout the U.S. and McCullough said that inspections will be made at each vendor. Until ESU’s vendor is cleared after inspection, there will be no peanut butter products served in the cafeteria.

According to the Food and Drug Administration Web site, the source of this outbreak is peanut butter and peanut paste produced by Peanut Corporation of America at the Blakely, Ga. processing plant. The peanut butter containers that have been recalled are in bulk sizes, ranging from five to 1,700 pounds. The list of recalled products expanded on Jan. 20 to include other peanut butter products in addition to King Nut and Parnell’s Pride peanut butter.

Some products that have been recalled include Nature’s Path Organic Foods’ Optimum Energy Bars Peanut Butter flavor, Premier Nutrition’s “Twisted” and “Titan” Branded Bars and Nutri Systems’ peanut butter granola bars. Pet food is also being recalled, including PetSmart’s Grreat Choice Dog Biscuits. As of Wednesday, no major brands of jarred peanut butter have been recalled.

Brett Mize/The Bulletin

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