How To Keep Your Head Above Water During Finals Week

Final exams have officially started at the University of South Dakota. This means students are pulling all-nighters at the library and residence halls to finish up those final projects, papers, and last-minute study sessions.

For most students, finals week is simultaneous with stress. Although some of this can be positive in keeping individuals focused and awake, continued stress without relief or relaxation leads to negative stress. For example, this happens when a student is studying for a challenging test for five hours without a break. According to WebMD, stress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping.

Click here to read more about stress-related health issues.

To avoid these complications, there are several tips students can implement to relieve stress at the end of the semester.

1. Find a Quiet, Distraction-Free Place to Study

Although the booths in the MUC next to the 16-screen television wall are comfortable and close to all of your friends, it's best to avoid places like this when studying for finals. By finding a secluded table in the library, you're separating yourself from the distractions that come from television, loud friend groups, and more. Most students find they get more done in this setting.

2. Put. The Phone. Down

In today's technologically advanced world, a large majority of people own smart phones. These handy little devices have the ability to hold hundreds of thousand of apps, including Candy Crush, Words With Friends, Yik Yak, Fade, and Trivia Crack. Although these applications can be entertaining, they can also be addicting. Using Snap Chat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even texting can be equally distracting. Make an effort to stow your phone away in your backpack or bag, and focus on studying. On that note, avoid distractions on the Internet as well. The requests to play Trivia Crack will still be there when you take a break from studying.

3. Take Breaks

Contrary to popular belief, it's recommended to take breaks while dealing with high-stress situations, such as studying for finals. It's OK to take 15-20 minutes to read a magazine, talk to someone on the phone, or simply browse through Facebook and take your mind off of studying.

4. Treat Yourself

Just as it's OK to take breaks, it's OK to treat yourself during finals week as well. This isn't to say that eating four Big Macs and three large fries from McDonald's is acceptable just because you're stressed, (in fact, that's highly discouraged), but don't feel bad to reward yourself after a long day of studying with some popcorn, or even a soft drink.

5. SLEEP.

You might be saying to yourself, "How in the world can I sleep? I have 4 tests, 3 papers, and 3 projects to complete before next week! There's no TIME for sleep!" Before you reach for that next Red Bull, take a step back and listen. Sleep is vital to several skills you absolutely need during finals, including cognitive ability, memorization skills, information retention, and focus. Without a sufficient amount of sleep, your energy and motivation levels will be low, and keeping your eyes open on your chemistry notes will be that much harder. Strive to get at least seven to eight hours each night. Your grades will thank you later.

6. Manage Your Time Efficiently

Although everyone goes about time management differently, it's extra important to use this skill during finals week. Use whatever method you'd prefer, making lists, time blocks, etc. Just make sure you're managing your time wisely and getting to the things you need to do. For example, don't spend 18 hours studying for one test and only 2 studying for another, just because you allocated too much time to the first exam. The key is to plan, plan, plan.

By following these simple steps, you can relieve stress and make it through finals week without pulling all of your hair out.

To read more tips about how college students can reduce stress, click the links below.

How to Reduce Stress During Finals Week
7 Time Management Tips for Finals Week

This I Believe

I believe that whether good, bad, rich, poor, or dysfunctional, family is one of the most important aspects of a person's life.

The world is full of choices. What cereal should I eat for breakfast? Should I walk or drive to class? Should I finish my homework now or watch an episode of Game of Thrones first? When you think about it, there are a lot of things we have control over. However, family is not one of those things. Despite what some people may like to believe, you cannot choose your biological family. This means that whether you like it or not, this random group of people plays an instrumental role in how you shape up as a human being.

Luckily, I've been blessed with four of the most extraordinary human beings on this crazy planet that just so happen to share my last name. During my 21 years on this Earth, I believe my family has taught me more life lessons than I can even begin to write down. 

My older brother, Daniel, is the smartest person I know. In high school, he used to read our old, dusty set of encyclopedias... for fun. And no, I cannot make this stuff up. He taught me the true worth and value of knowledge, and that it's always best to think before you speak.

My older sister, Teresa, is the strongest person I've ever met, or ever will meet. For purposes of this class, I'm going to spare the rather gruesome and emotional details of various things that have happened to, things beyond her control. But I will say this. She is kind, generous, faithful, and hilarious. She taught me what it's like to have a best friend. 

My father, Paul, grew up on a very poor farm of 12 children with an alcoholic father. Despite living in southwestern Minnesota town of less than 1,000 people, he gained a college degree. He taught me what it means to truly work for something. 

My mother, Sue, lost her mother in a car accident at age 17, four days before Christmas. She was the one driving the car. Even though this event has followed my mother through her adult life, she transferred the tragedy into something she's excelled at ever since: love. My mother used to read me bedtime stories and sang me to sleep each night. She nursed me through the chicken pox, dealt with me during those impossible high school years, and has talked me through countless mental breakdowns. She taught me what it truly means to love someone unconditionally.

My sister just got married in Rapid City a couple of weeks ago. The weekend was perfect, but, like all good things, it eventually came to an end, and it was time for me to make the 6 hour journey back to Vermillion. As I hugged each of them goodbye, I started to choke up, to the point where I could barely speak. I cherish being around each of them so much, that the thought of saying goodbye was too much to take. I think this is when I realized just how important my family is to me.  I believe that I wouldn't be the person I am today without this loud, dysfunctional, caring, loving group of people. And I wouldn't have it any other way.                                           

Qualitative vs. Quantitative Data

The Basics

Last Tuesday, Dr. Brandon Nutting, a professor with the University of South Dakota's Media and Journalism Department spoke to Dr. Janet Davison's Intro to Multiplatform  Storytelling class, also known as MCOM 325.

Nutting spoke about the psychological / physiological lab in the basement of the Al Neuharth Media Center, also known as the COMPARE Lab. This stands for communication, media psychology and related effects. 

Nutting is one of two professors involved with the lab. A handful of graduate and undergraduate students assist in the process of collecting physiological and psychological responses to different forms of media. The room where all of this happens is located in a basement, however, Nutting says the space is "perfect" for their current needs. 

First, the administrators of the tests hook the subject up to sensors, which can monitor heart rate, skin conductors, and other involuntary responses.

“When it comes to physiological responses, your body cannot lie,” Nutting said.

The subject is then placed in a large, brown chair, and is exposed to various forms of media, and the results are compiled, and eventually published in academic journals. 

The Difference

Even though Nutting's passion lies with research, there's one particular kind he isn't particularly fond of: qualitative. Qualitative research tends to involve data collection that's more anecdotal, without a hard set of numbers and facts. This type of research also involves typically smaller sample sizes. With qualitative research, subjects are able to alter their decisions based on what other people think, and other outside sources, which has the potential to skew results. 

On the other hand, quantitative research puts numbers to everything, meaning a concrete calculation is never far from reach. This type of research tends to deal with larger sample sizes. With this type of data collection, everything is measurable, and there is no denying the numbers that manifest from the research. These numbers are counting things like heart rate and visual perception. 

“I like to count things. I don’t see the value in five people telling me they were traumatized,” Nutting said. 

For example, if Nutting conducted research by asking 20 people if they were scared of a horror movie, this would be qualitative research. Conversely, if Nutting were to individually test 100 people by making them watch a horror movie while hooked up to the COMPARE Lab's sensors, he could physically see the subjects' change in heart rate and other factors to determine if they were affected at all. This would be an example of quantitative research. 

Although his interests reside with strictly quantitative data collection, Nutting does believe that qualitative data has its place. For instance, Nutting says creating focus groups and using that information to conduct quantitative research is beneficial. 

The 2014 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media

On Thursday, October 9th, Peter Prichard received the 2014 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media. The ceremony was held in the Al Neuharth Media Center on the campus of the University of South Dakota. Faculty, students, alumni, and members of the community attended the event, which included a social hour before the award was presented.

Students from the university's media and journalism department recorded and directed the event, which will be broadcast on South Dakota Public Television later this fall. Chief Operating Officer of the Newseum Institute, Gene Policinski delivered the welcome. He mentioned that Neuharth would've enjoyed that students from the university were a vital part of the award ceremony.

USD President James Abbott made the opening remarks, and he stressed the importance of tradition.

"The older I get, the more I believe that tradition means something," President Abbott said. 

Abbott continued his address by saying we need to be reminded of those who make things happen, and how glad he is that the Neuharth award is a continued tradition on USD's campus. Neuharth was an alumni of the university, and former editor of The Volante. In the closing of his remarks, Abbott said, "Neuharth's spirit will always be here at USD."

Following a video showcasing Prichard's life and successes, Jane Neuharth, son of Al and Chair of the Freedom Forum Board of Trustees, introduced and presented the award.

This was the first year the award has been presented without its namesake, Al Neuharth, in attendance. Although the ceremony was held to honor Prichard, he remained very humble in his acceptance of the award.

During his journalism career, Prichard was a copy editor, a police reporter, an investigative/projects reporter, a media critic, a political editor, and a TV producer. Prichard was also a founding editor of USA Today from 1988-1995. During this time, the newspaper became the most circulated newspaper, printing 2.3 million copies each year.

Prichard began his remarks by remembering his time with Al Neuharth.

"Al was one of the most magnetic human beings I have ever met," Prichard said. 

He said every experience he had with Neuharth was an adventure, and he used to always ask, "What did you do for me yesterday?" Prichard also recalled the extravagant nature of Neuharth. He said that whenever Neuharth would stay at a hotel, he requested fresh fruit with no grapes, an expensive bottle of champagne, and a full stack of the day's newspapers outside his door before 6am.

After this, Prichard started talking about his thoughts on today's world of media and journalism. He said his feelings toward the industry can be summed up with one phrase:

It's the best of times, and the worst of times.

He cited the wide availability of news as being a positive aspect of the digital age, but the loss of journalistic value as a negative trait. Prichard gave several statistics citing the decline of journalism, including 31% of news consumers have stopped reading a favorite newspaper or watching a favorite newscast, and 29% of Americans can’t name a single freedom guaranteed to American’s by the first amendment. He also presented examples of celebrity or "fluff" news taking precedent over journalism. Prichard said when he went to sites like Buzzfeed or Mashable, there were several articles with a "must-read" tag that didn't include anything about news that matters. 

Another troubling issue Prichard presented was misinformation and manipulation in the media, citing journalists that don't present fair and accurate news reports. He said 60% of respondents to a recent Newseum survey think the news media are biased.      

On the other hand, Prichard said it's the responsibility of everyone in the country to be smarter consumers of media, and to be more critical of what they read, especially on the Internet.

Prichard ended his address on a positive note by saying the media protects the country against production, and that every day as a journalist is fresh and new. 

“Every day is a new day, every day is a new story, and you meet all types of interesting people,” Prichard said. 

Obama's Proposed Actions Against ISIS

Last week, the nation listened as President Barack Obama delivered his address about the rising situation of ISIS, also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. 

As the New York Times states in an article posted on the day of the address, Obama has essentially proposed to expand a military campaign in the Middle East against Sunni militants. This will be done by deploying 475 American military advisers to Iraq to train Syrian rebel militants. President Obama is also suggesting selective air strikes, but assures the public that these actions will not lead to another war in Iraq. 

The Times quotes Obama's promise to keep United States soldiers away from a ground battle overseas.

"These American forces will not have a combat mission; we will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq," Obama said, adding that the mission "will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; it will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil."

Obama is also forming allies to assist the United States in the fight against ISIS. However, a CNN article reports that although some 40 nations have agreed to help in the efforts, the exact names and roles of these countries aren't quite clear at this time. 

At this point, ISIS has shown sweeping brutality in their movements through Iraq, including the videotaped beheading of two American journalists. The map below is from the above-mentioned Times article, and depicts the geographical control ISIS holds in Iraq.

Recent threats by ISIS members are bringing back memories of the 9/11 attacks, but not everyone is unanimous about what should be done with ISIS. 

Although some members from both Republican and Democratic parties disagree with President Obama's call to action, majority opinion for each affiliation seems to fall under two categories. 

1. Republicans generally support Obama's decision to take military action against ISIS.

2. Democrats are more wary of the militaristic implications Obama's proposal may invoke. I.e. another ground war in Iraq. 

A recent Fox News online article reports that even Rand Paul, a usual skeptic of hasty war actions, is taking a stronger stance against ISIS. A recent statement by Paul illustrates this point.

"If I were president, I would call a joint session 

of Congress. I would lay out the reasoning of why ISIS is a threat to our national security and seek congressional authorization to destroy ISIS militarily."

Conversely, an article published on The Wire highlights the reversed opinions of several Democratic party leaders, including Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.). Udall issued a statement on his campaign website, stating "As we have seen in the past, American boots on the ground cannot stamp out an extreme ideology and the Iraqis must take responsibility for defending their own people." 

Courtesy: Google Images

The United States has no shortage of history with Iraq. According to an article on the Origins website, the conflict reaches back to the Gulf War in 1990 (and even before) when Iraq invaded Kuwait, and the United States employed Operation Desert Shield to keep Iraqi militants from further infiltrating the country. 

Although the conflict continued, it wasn't until 2003 that the United States engaged in a full ground war with Iraq. This decision came after the 9/11 attacks, when President George W. Bush sought to end Saddam Hussein's reign. In the "surge" of 2006, U.S. troops and Sunni allies defeated Islamic terrorist group Al Qaeda. In December of 2011, the final troops withdrew from the country after nearly nine years of overseas conflict. After this, ISIS slowly rebooted, and even joined forces with Al Qaeda before splitting up in early 2014. 

The same story of history holds true for the United State's and with Syria. During the Cold War, Syria strengthened relations with Russia, which put them at odds with NATO and its allies. U.S. relations with the country continued to decline as Syria and Egypt went to war with Israel in 1973, and the U.S. strongly supported Israel in the second-phase of conflict. The Gulf War brought the two countries together on a limited basis in agreement for dislike of Saddam Hussein, but relations worsened during the Iraq war in 2003. The United States didn't approve of the Syrian government allowing the country to become a major transit point for foreign militants entering Iraq.

In 2011, the government started acting brutally toward the public's desire for freedom, launching a nearly three-year-long internal conflict. The U.S. Department of State's website states that the United States supports the Syrian rebels in their fight for freedom and democracy.