breakaway spring 2012
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Vol. 21 Issue 2TRANSCRIPT
HOW GREEN ARE YOU?: Quizzes | Compare | UnderstandGarden City | 1810 E. Kansas Ave | 620.805.6990
Hours:mon - ThURS10:30 AM - 10 PMFri - Sat10:30 AM - 11 PM
LittleCaesars
Green With Envy
Thrift store junkies share their secrets for “thrifting” like pros
BREAK
Reduce, reuse & abuse? Are we playing nice with our environment?
awayFREE
SPRING 2012
Urban Renewal
#STOP
Your
MYCA BUNCH 620.276.6862 ext. 219 [email protected]
ERICA SARMIENTO 620.276.6862 ext. 224 [email protected]
ROBIN PHELAN 620.276.6862 ext. 225 [email protected]
TIFFANY BRYANT 620.276.6862 ext. 218 [email protected]
NATE COLCHER 620.276.6862 ext. 217 [email protected]
Advertising & Marketing GraphicDesign
MarketingConsulting
LogoDesign
StrategicPlanning
DirectMail
BrochuresandOther
MarketingMaterial
WritingEditing
Websites
SocialMediaThe Garden City Telegram 310 N. Seventh St. Garden City, KS www.GCTelegram.com 800.475.7600
Marketing Solution.
# Print. Web.
in southwest kansas
MARKETINGfor all your
iceBREAKER
theWORKS
theSIDELINES
BREAKINGcharacter
BREAKdown
24 One For All Distance is no obstacle when it comes to these students
helping children across the globe.
08 More Trees, Less Paper Have you ever realized how much paper you use everyday?
10 Dollar Dates Treat your date, keep it on the cheap! Shhh... no one has to know!
12 Save Your Dinero Want to save cash? How about a few hundred or a couple
thousand?
18 Creative Writing Students express their creativity through the creative writing
course here on campus.
04 Green People Learn how these individuals make being “eco-friendly” part of their daily routines.
06 Conserving Energy Fast facts on how to save energy and your money.
14 Green With Envy Reduce, Reuse And Abuse, GCCC doesn’t play nice with Mother
Nature.
22 Urban Renewal Ditch the designer duds and express yourself with a guilt-free
wardrobe.
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Garden City Community College
Cover By Harley Torres
Vol.21|Issue2|2012Cont
ents
away
ONcover
Editor’sLetter
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from this magazine, it’s not to be judgmental of others. When I first came to Garden City Community College, it wasn’t the campus that won me over. The people are what intrigued me.
Fast forward a semester and I’m still awestruck by the people of this campus. When planning this issue, we as a magazine staff struggled with the various definitions of ‘green’. We talked a lot about organic, environmentally friendly and recycling in an attempt to get a grip on what exactly each term meant. Were they interchangable? What did it mean to be “green” or “organic.” We then worried whether our read-ers would care. Was the issue too complex?
However, the college community once again surprised me. Not only did we find ways to define these rather vague terms, we also found-deeply caring individuals who feel the need to do something about the college’s environment. It is to them that we dedicate this magazine. {Harley Torres
Staff
2012 KACP SILVER MEDALIST2011 KACP SILVER MEDALIST2010 KACP ALL-KANSAS AWARD2008 KACP ALL-KANSAS AWARD2007 KACP ALL-KANSAS AWARD2006 CMA BEST OF COLLEGIATE DESIGN • 1ST PLACE TABLE
OF CONTENTS • 3RD PLACE
FEATURE SPREAD2006 KACP GOLD MEDALIST2005 KACP ALL-KANSAS AWARD2005 SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS • 2ND, REGION 7 MARK
OF EXCELLENCE
Funding for Breakaway magazine comes from student fees. Content published in the magazine does not neces-sarily represent the views of the college or college per-sonnel. The Breakaway magazine is a designated public forum. It is not to be construed as a promotional item published by college personnel. Student editors make all content decisions. Faculty adviser is Laura York Guy. Letters to the editor are welcome and may be sent to Breakaway magazine, 801 Campus Drive, Garden City, KS 67846 or via e-mail to [email protected]. Volume 21, Issue 2 of the Breakaway was produced by Garden City Community College’s Breakaway staff and printed by GCCC Printing Services. The magazine was designed on Macintosh computers using Adobe Creative Suites 5.
Samantha TrejoThis issue has really opened my eyes and made me want to do my part to be ecofriendly. I was excited to combine my love of fashion and design to help my Urban Renewal story come alive.
Margarita Arreola
Rosaura Martinez Boomer Pauda
Thomas Mendoza
Jacqueline MajalcaThis issue has changed my lifestyle by teaching me the importance of recycling. With my story More Trees Less Paper I hope to inspire readers to take initiative to recycle.
In my first year working on the Breakaway magazine, I have
gained experience that I would not have obtained anywhere
else. My story Save Your Dinero made me realize that money
comes and goes, but where we live stays the same.
Being part of the Breakaway staff for the first time has taught
me valuable lessons. My story Green People made me realize
that some people on campus do care about the environment.
As part of the staff at Break-away, my role is advertising sales. More importantly, my role as a member of the Earth goes far beyond my needs. Thanks to my experiences in this maga zine, I will make sure to be less wasteful and be more thrifty.
Working on my spread for Conserving Energy has helped me learn how to save energy
by turning off the lights when leaving a room. It definitely gives
me a new found respect for the environment.
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Take a moment and answer this question. When you hear the term “eco-friendly,” what
do you think about? It is as the term suggests, being “friendly” or “nice to the planet.”
This requires caring about the planet. Green activists help their en-vironment by recycling items that can be reused. They also maximize their use of products by printing on both sides of paper or reading online assignments on their screens rather than printing on paper. They also pick up trash and serve as an exam-ple for others how to be “green.”
Jeanie Ferguson, English as a Sec-ond Language instructor, said she
considers herself to be an eco-friend-ly person. Ferguson said she likes to recycle everything that can be recy-cled. For example, she recycles plastic, glass, aluminum, and tins cans.
“I even buy some products so I can make my own food,” Ferguson explains. Ferguson, as well as several other people on campus, would love to see more recycling bins in all en-trances and hallways around Garden City Community College.
ESL instructor Jeanie Ferguson said she makes recycling a regular part of daily routine.
STORY, PHOTO & DESIGN BY ROSAURA MARTINEZGRAPHICS BY ROSAURA MARTINEZ & JESUS LOZOYA
Learn how these individuals make being “eco-friendly” part of their daily routines.
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How eco-friendly are you? Take our quiz to find out if your daily habits land you in the ‘green’ or in the wasteful category.
While education requires sharing information, there are eco-friendly ways this can be done that reduces paper and ink use.
“One important thing that stu-dents, instructors, and faculty should do is try to print on both sides of paper,” says Kurt Peterson, Student Support Service Advisor.
Garden City Community College’s online learning system, eCollege, provides students with access to as-signments that their instructors have given them, rather than having to rely on hard copy handouts. However, not all instructors use this online resource as a part of their course.
“I think instructors should put more assignments in eCollege,” English in-structor Shauna Carpenter says.
Some instructors serve as role mod-
els for students who are learning to be eco-friendly. For example, Kyle Chaput, 2-dimensional art instructor says, “I try to be a role model to my students, so whenever I see trash on campus, I pick it up.”
Thuy Cao, a GCCC freshman says, “I think teachers should show students more about being eco-friend-ly, so students will be more informed about the topic.”
Since 2008, Garden City Commu-nity College has been taking steps to become an eco-friendly environment.
These steps include the addition of recycling bins at the library and at the front office of the Academic Building.
In addition to full-sized recycling bins, many instructors have their own bins located in their offices and class-rooms.
STARTHERE YES
YESYES
YESNO
NONO
NO
NO
NO
NONONO
NO
NO
NO
NO
Do you walk to places that are close to your house/dorm?
Do you know your gas mileage?
Do you throw away unwanted clothing?
Do you buy organic products?
Do you care about the environment and would you help clean-up the city?
Green= Eco-friendly
Trying to be Green
You are wasteful
Do you sleep with your radio, TV or computer on?
It costs the USA $11.5 billion per year to clean up after people who litter.
The average shower for a man lasts 12 minutes; add 2 minutes more for a woman [it’s the hair].
Organic agriculture helps fight global warming.
53 percent of car owners wash their cars less than once a month and 16 percent never wash their cars at all.
Today the most common products in city recycling programs are: paper, plastic, glass, cardboard and alumi-num.
Do you waste a lot of paper?(Do you kill trees?)
Do you take longer than 15 minute showers?
Do you sometimes pick up trash?
Do you wash your car every weekend?
Do you reuse water bottles or school supplies?
Do you turn off the lights when you leave an empty room?
Do you separate plastics, papers and glass to be recycled?
Do you leave the water running while you brush your teeth or shave?
YESYES
YES YES YES
YES
YES
YESYESYES
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Green Facts
How ‘green’ are you?
Sources: Environmental Protection Agency, Shine, Simply Organic, Route 41, and Keep America Beautiful Inc.
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Conser ving EnergyElectronics • Change the power setting on your
computer to “energy saver” to help you reduce the use of electricity.
• Using a power strip to plug your devices into makes it easier when it comes to shutting them off.
Water • Only wash laundry when you have a full load;
this saves on both water and electricity.• Wash your clothes in cold water,believe it or not
cold water cleans clothes.• Turn the faucet off when brushing teeth or
shaving. • While waiting for the water to heat up use the
cold water to water your plants.
Driving• Drive without speeding or excessive acceleration. • Planning your errands ahead of time so you
can use the least amount of gas possible.• Car-pooling with friends to the store
is a good way to save fuel.• Get rid of any unnecessary weight in
your car or truck like backpacks or un-necessary books and materials.
Lighting• Turn off lights when you leave a room saves
electricity.• Use fluorescent energy efficient bulbs, they last
10 times longer regular light bulbs.• Don’t set the thermostat higher than you actually
want it.
How energy conscientious are you when it comes to charging your cell phone? Do you unplug your charger when you’re done using it? Chances are, if you don’t pay for utilities, then you may not be
aware of how much money or thermal units you are wasting. But soon will come the day when you will have to pay. Learn how to adjust your habits to save your money and your environment.
Fast facts on how to save energy and your money.
SOURCE: SAVEWITHCES.COM
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Conser ving Energy illustration & design by Thomas Mendoza
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Michael SanJuan and Mariana Hernadez take their studies outside on the Garden City Community College campus.
Throwing paper away makes Ibel Omar feel bad.“I know how important recycling is,” said
Omar, a Garden City student. “I at least try to use both sides of the paper.”
Paper is a valuable commodity within the college community.
Vice President of Finance and Operations Dee Wigner said nearly 399,000 sheets of paper went through the copy machines that are located in each building during the 2011 fall semester.
Printing Services and Publication manager Tif-fany Heit estimates the college spent nearly $11,200 for white text paper used over the course of an a year. She stressed that this did not include the paper that was used in the copy center/print shop, which serves the college’s high-volume printing needs.
“I think that we use a lot of paper,” said Mariana Hernandez, Garden City.
The college environment promotes paper use for tak-ing notes, completing assignments and maintaining re-cords. With so much on our mind, sometimes recycling is the last thing we think about. Paper is essential and while we can’t stop using it, we can learn how to reduce and use it more efficiently.
The college campus provides several paper recycling bins. One is located in the Saffell library, another is in the GC3 Media newsroom and two more are located in the Academic building suite of offices.
For some students, these locations aren’t enough. Mi-chael SanJuan, Lakin, said it would be more convenient to have recycling bins in every building. He said if they were more accessible, students might be more motivat-ed to use them.
Besides recycling paper, we can take advantage of computer technology such as the college’s online learn-ing system, eCollege. Instructors can do their part by giving students the option of printing handouts or load-
More TreesLessPaper
STORY, ILLUSTRATION, PHOTOS & DESIGN BY JACQUELINE MAJALCA
Have you considered how much paper you use on a daily basis?
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Michael SanJuan and Mariana Hernadez take their studies outside on the Garden City Community College campus.
ing them on eCollege. They can also help by not printing excessive amount of paper.
“If instructors can use the technology then they should be using it,” Omar said.
Norma Montano, Garden City, said she likes do-ing her math homework online because it provides examples and she doesn’t have to waste paper. And Dawnnel Francis, math instructor, said the college will be using eBooks in the near future.
MON WEDTUEIt’s the bellybutton of the week, make use of this day to be wise about your use of energy while incorporating your studies. Instead of staying up late doing homework with the lights on, go to the park during the day, and do your studying in the daylight. You will be able to enjoy the fresh air and focus on your studies.
Twist up your boring Tuesday by having a sparkling juice tasting day. Look around the house, and gather fruity tastes you desire! Mix the sweet nectars and create a cheap, thirst quench-ing juice. Pair it with an easy snack for a satisfying combo!
When you are craving a delicious treat, think “green” and make your own ice cream. Visit the local farmers market to purchase fresh produce. Your ice cream will taste better by not containing preservatives.
After a long weekend cramming for tests, get your skin ready for the coming week. Detoxify your face with an exfoliating mask. Open up your pores steam your worries away!
Stefanie Laudick begins her pampering session by apply-
ing a DIY exfoliating mask.
Daisy Reyes like making time to study at Lee Richardson Zoo.
Dollar Date$theWORKS
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wTHU FRI SAT
Campus events can also be dates! Get in touch with your friends and decide on what event fits with all of your schedules. SGA has free student events each week. Take advantage: have a free weekly date!
Go thrift store shopping, and put together as many vintage out-fits as you want and click away! Set up different backgrounds for your photo shoot with bed sheets, or take pictures outdoors.
Dedicate this day to your signifi-cant other. Watch your favorite movies that you already own or perhaps borrow movies from friends. You won’t have to spend on buying a new movie. Before watching the movie take time to make snacks together. Or better yet you can cap-ture your own memories by making short videos with each other.
Design by Margarita Arreola & Thomas MendozaPhotos by Rosaura Martinez, Jacqueline Majalca, & Harley Torres
Treat your date while keeping it on the cheap! Shhh... no one has to know!
Stefanie Laudick and Jesse Rodriguez cud-dle as they enjoy a movie date at home.
Shelby Honstead, Wendy Waechter, RJ Altman, and Rico Stallworth pose while Moises Mora takes a picture with his cell phone.
Rosalee Amante gets ready to bowl during SGA-sponsored BowlMania at Hard Rock Lanes.
Dollar Date$
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12_Spring 2012 breakaway
Story by Margarita Arreola | Photos by Rosaura MartinezDesign and Illustration by Samantha TrejoStudents develop crafty ways to stay within their
budget. Not only do these students save money, but they also take steps to protect the environ-
ment while they’re at it. Saving money may not always be the most fun or
stylish decision, but it sure does pay off in the end. Moises Mora, Garden City, says, “With the FAFSA
check, I learned my first time that I did waste my money really fast…now I give $1,000 to my dad each semester to save for my emergencies only.”
Although it is a struggle to save money, once Mora has his money, he feels accomplished and ready for what may come in the future.
Saving green does not only have to include put-ting away money in case of emergencies. Being a wise
spender can help, too. “If I want to spend it on something…I think about
how I will use that item and if I am going to use it for a long time, then finally I will decide to buy it or not,” Moises said.
Take a tip from him and don’t be an impulsive buyer. You might end up with unwanted possessions in the end and a zero balance.
The latest trend students have followed in saving money is thrift store shopping. You don’t need to buy new stuff, like furniture, especially if you are in college and nobody really cares.
“I thrift store shop for furniture and pieces that go
Find out what these students are doing to reduce their expenses!
DINERO
While sitting outside the campus book store, Moises Mora stares into his empty wallet wishing gas prices were still $2 per gallon.
SAVE YOUR
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good with my decorations,” Mora says “I have bought seats, candles, center pieces, things like that.”
Thrift shopping helps the environment by reusing items. This is essential in going green. Another less di-rect route to saving money is to not spend it.
“I don’t spend money. I avoid going to stores whose purpose is to sell a product,” said Joshua Welch, Gar-den City. If more students took this approach toward their money, they would be in charge of their future and less stressed in the present.
Although Welch will splurge every once in a while on his hobby, reading books, he purchases books and keeps them to put in his collection. He is kind to the
environment by re-reading those books, “especially if it is a good book,” Welch says.
A big chunk of money students spend money on is gasoline. Welch suggests consolidating trips.
“Instead of going to the store, home, then somewhere else, I will do it all at once,” Welch said. He helps the environment by not distributing as much pollutants as he would if he made many trips in one day.
With an unsure economy we may worry about what our world will look like in the future. However, you can follow Moises Mora’s and Joshua Welch’s few simple tips on planning, preparation, conservation and habits that can help you worry less and enjoy more.
Major Money Burners
Food 38%
Bills 21%
Clothes 12%
Other 12%
Gas17%
We polled 100 students on campus to find out what they spend the most money on.
Instead of buying new books, Joshua Welch peruses the Saffell library for good reads.
16_Fall 2011 BREAKaway
EnvyGreen With
Story and Photos by Harley Torres
?
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Reduce, reuse and abuse? Are we playing nice with our environment? Does this lone, haphazardly designated “recycle bin” sitting in the academic building invite recycling? With its grungy red lettering and trash can characteristics, is it any wonder why it’s easily over looked?
16_Spring 2012 breakaway
For several years, since the days of flower power and groovy vibes, the idea of leaving the environment better then you found it has been absorbed through the normal con-ventions of our culture. But has that spirit been kept alive?
On campus there really is no one more investing in fighting for the environment than Micah Kasriel, Student Center activities director and SGA sponsor.
“I wouldn’t call myself passion-ate, but I’m defiantly well involved with any green movements on cam-pus.”
Using her resources and the number of students involved in the Student Government, Kasriel helps promote environmental issues as a part of everyday campus living.
SGA organized the April Earth Day celebration where student or-
ganizations united to help clean up campus. With groups doing vari-ous recycling projects like making lamps out of old CDs and piñatas from recycled newspaper, there was a lot to get excited about.
Along with Kasriel, many stu-dents said they feel that being eco-friendly is a good cause. Bryan Lun-zmann, Garden City, also stands for the green issues.
“As far as the environment goes, I’m all for recycling,” he said.
Many of the students on campus have taken to this mind set and even a few are being rewarded for it.
“Our coach likes to have us re-cycle when we can to help build character; it helps with our determi-nation,” said Manny Ultreras III, Dodge City.
Unfortunately, the flip side of the issue involves a different kind of
green — money. “It’s probably the most wide-
spread and best example of legal false advertising in modern mar-kets,” Lunzmann said.
The actual buying price of these so called eco-friendly products is astronomical. With as much gusto as avoiding road kill on the ditch: these extra costs are enough to deter most students from being green.
“After all college is tough with the expenses,” says Abel Amador; Ulysses, Kan. “Having to pay for that extra efficiency with those curly light bulbs helps, but it’s so much more, I’d rather buy four nor-mal light bulbs for the price of one.”
A good example of buying your way into good favors is organic foods. This clever term is added to foods to make them appear healthier and more nutritious. This can be called
Student Activities Coordinator Micah Kasriel proudly displays her “green” philosophy on a decorative plaque she’s placed strategi-cally in her office window.
the greatest scam ever created. “Yes, I believe labeling food as or-
ganic is a marketing gimmick.” Cindy Venjohn, agriculture instructor said.
She explained that organic foods are often produced at “farms of the future” where the crop is harvest without need of pesticides or chemi-cals and everything just works.
“There’s always chemicals put on some products, it’s just how farming works,” she said.
Not all organic farms are mis-leading, it has more to do with the companies that market the food.
Lunzmann adds, “Organic foods are a really novel idea that’s never been applied well. There’s no stan-dardization of what exactly counts as organic.”
Packaging that says recycled ma-terials and foods that contain noth-ing as if they were hand-picked and thrown from the field to the grocery store is highly unlikely.
Not only are these products no different than the other foods, they are far more expensive.
In this day and age, everything is fast paced and must be done yes-terday, no one has the time to shop with an eco-friendly conscience un-til it’s the main stay.
“Car companies are doing this the best, with high gas mileage.” Amador says. “A lot of people love that from a money standpoint, but they forget it helps a lot with emis-sion control.”
Many student-run organizations on campus once made recycling their top priority, however, in the last few years their efforts have fiz-zled out. Where there were once a thriving and clean campus, there is now evidence of apathy.
“College, as a whole, is a time to live. But really, pick up after your-selves.” says Ultreras
Much of the eco-friendly move-ments that have stemmed on cam-pus are withered shells of them-selves.
“This one leadership class was offered here once, they were in charge of doing several community
improvement projects” Kasriel re-members, “Actually that’s where the green help came from on campus, but it’s no longer offered which is a sad deal.”
Growing up in the “iPod genera-tion” has made the act of recycling more of a chore than a civil respon-sibility.
As time goes on over the school year, things begin to pile up on stu-dents.
What was once a valiant effort or crusade for the planet, became something to do in ones free time.
“When I first came here, I was big into trying to recycle, but with classes and my schedule I just got too lazy to keep recycling“ Shelby Lee Honstead, Healy, admits.
While the concept, the ethos of eco-friendliness cannot be touched or hampered, there are those who simply do not place much impor-tance on recycling.
Even there are those who don’t care, the spirit of eco friendly phi-losophy lives on.
Leaving litter on campus not only harms the Earth, it also harms GCCC’s reputation.
18_Spring 2012 breakaway
theSIDELINES
One college course hones students’ skills as they learn how to express themselves through writing fiction, poetry and nonfiction. Design By Jacqueline Majalca
LIFE STRUGGLES
At a young age he learned to hate. Unfortu-nately, that had to be the lesson for the day.
He also learned that he could only love very few people in his lifetime. The only escape he had, had come from school. There he learned the ways of the world: the flaws of society that could make police want to have you locked up, friends want to have you put down, and family that wants you to get out.
While looking for a way out of the lifestyle that had been birthright, an outcast to both worlds, he often thought to himself: how could this world be so cold to such a warm heart? In all this he decided that the best option for him was to keep his head about him, so that he could keep his name above the dirt.
The only thing this boy knew in life that was fact was that “knowledge is power,” and that he had bloodlines of a king. Never knowing his father, while his mother was never around, he was a child of the state, but by God’s graces he was able to stay with his family.
The only people he grew to trust were the same people that he had swordfights with in the mornings before his escape. These same boys were the same boys that he had ended up shar-ing the same room with for 13 years.
These 4 boys were the only ones like him in the family; they knew each other’s struggle better than anyone else in the house. He was only a young boy with a dream and a reason for chasing it. He knew that if there was anything
Story By Devo’n Davis
creat ivewr i t ing
creat ivewr i t ing
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Devo’n Davis letting his creativity out in a the quietest place of the campus: the Saffell Library.
in life that he wanted done, he had to be the one to go out and do it.
With his wit and skills he began working. He was working as hard as he could in and out of the class-room; bathroom, football field, and even the streets.
The boy’s grandmother knew that a change had come about her Baby boy. She could feel it in his pres-ence, see it in his eyes. She could feel and understand the boys’ anger for the world, but the worst part of it all was that she could do nothing about such hate or the way the boy perceived the world.
Once he had seen that the way he had changed his attitude had affected his grand-mother, the boy made a promise to him-self, as well as his grandmother. Stat-ing that he would never let the reason she is not smiling be his name, even if that meant telling her the truth or telling her to stay out of it so that she doesn’t have to have her heart broken more than it has been already in the years prior to his birth.
The boy is now a young man now, and he is still reaching for the goals that he had instilled in his soul at a young age. He has even beaten the statistics that were opposing him while growing up. He has never been to jail and isn’t on the front of a shirt, which to most isn’t a hard feat at all.
But until you know this young man personally, you will never know how hard it is to actually accomplish. He has even set himself up for the success that he has always dreamed of since his first visit to the state cor-rectional facility to see the woman that should have been there for him all along.
writ ingwr i t ing
20_Fall 2011 breakaway
theSIDELINES
The
Photos & Design By Jacqueline MajalcaStory By Joshua Welch
DeathofLoyalty
One of the most overlooked and unappreciat-ed characteristic in today’s society is that of
true loyalty. In this consumer driven society, we quickly discard possessions and people that we perceive as no longer having any value to us. Loyalty is, if anything, a distant afterthought.
Today’s society teaches us that everything and every-one is expendable. We are taught that once something or someone ceases to be of value to us, we should forget or distance ourselves and quickly move on to the next
latest and greatest thing or person. Item no longer cool and new? Get the newer model. Family pet no longer fun and cute? Get rid of it. Best friend cramping your style? Find another, much cooler friend with which you can waste away the hours.
With MySpace and Facebook there are literally thousands of people to choose from and they are easily accessible with only a few clicks of the mouse. True loy-alty can be defined as standing by someone no matter the inconvenience or heartache it may cause.
Joshua Welch making the last adjustments on his paper at the Saffell Library on GCCC Campus.
eGC3Media.com_ 21
It is important to understand true loyalty because to-day it is often overlooked or forgotten about entirely. Moreover, it seems that our consumer driven society is not happy with just making people forget about loy-alty. No, only the complete eradication of true loyalty will appease this man-made monstrosity we call con-sumerism. Out with the old and in with the new is the credo of today’s society. By the time an item reaches the shelves, it is already outdated.
In our quest to be on the cutting edge of society, we quickly discard the once esteemed item in favor of the newer, much better model. Another tragic example of what happens when society forgets about true loyalty is in the case of neglected pets. Everyone loves puppies and kittens.
When these animals grow older however, some own-ers lose interest in them because they are no longer cute.For a while the troublesome pet is tolerated but, when it becomes more trouble than it is worth in the eyes of the pet owner any feelings of loyalty are quickly cast aside.
Some owners deal with the problem by leaving their once beloved pets in the streets to fend for themselves. Those pet owners with a little more humanity take their castoff pets to the local animal shelter where the animal is left, abandoned, confused, and soon forgotten.
This vicious cycle of out with old and in with the new has not only infected the way we buy products and treat pets, but also the way we treat our fellow man. When we have outgrown or become bored with our best friend, we believe that it is perfectly acceptable to ignore him or give him the cold shoulder. After all, it was never meant to last.
Our consumer driven society teaches us that we mustn’t become too attached to our friends or soon, we may fall behind and run the risk of becoming irrelevant and useless as well. Without a feeling of true loyalty, it is easy for us to get rid of items, pets, and people that no longer have value in our eyes.
What about the loyalty that is spoken of today? Is it still the same loyalty of ages long ago? No! Loyalty today is an empty shell of what it used to be. Loyalty today is extended as long as the relationship is benefi-
cial to the person. Once the relationship’s usefulness has run its course it is time to cut the ties. It is just good sense in today’s society. After all, the purpose of a rela-tionship is to benefit you not the other person. Clearly loyalty’s definition has changed over time.
True loyalty is completely selfless. Loyalty is standing by a person when there is nothing to be gained. More-over, true loyalty is sticking by the person through all the highs and lows. It is a willingness to work through the arguments and bitter fights. It is compromise and commitment. Loyalty is knowing full well that you may never be repaid and still doing all these things with joy in your heart.
True loyalty goes further still. True loyalty is about sacrificing what may be best for you to help that other person. It is sticking up for that person despite the ridi-cule that you may incur upon yourself. True loyalty can simply be summed up as thinking about the other per-son before yourself. A relationship that is built on true loyalty should be treasured above all else.
Ironically, one of the greatest examples of true loy-alty can be seen in man’s lovable and often mistreated companion, the dog. While the dog may not be the smartest creature on earth, it is one of the most loyal. The dog does not care if his master is rich or poor, royal or common; the dog loves his master the same.
If the dog senses that his master is in danger, he will do whatever it takes to keep his master safe; even if he has to give up his life in the process. The dog is loyal to his master to his last breath no matter how bad his master treats him. If we would exhibit the same loyalty as the dog does, the world would be a better place.
In our quest as a society for newer and better things and people, have we lost that characteristic that con-nects us to our fellow man? Instead of causing us to grow closer, our consumer driven society has caused us to hurt those who care about us. Without true loyalty, the world becomes a dark and lonely place to live. No longer will there be people to rely on for help. Once we become irrelevant, we will be cast aside, just like we once cast those individuals aside whom we deemed worthless to us. Will true loyalty continue to live in our consumer driven society? The choice is up to all of us.
DeathLoyalty
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With a college student’s budget similar to one of a homeless man, it can be hard to find the money to go out and eat; let alone go shopping.
So where is a student supposed to shop when the average cost of a shirt is twenty dollars and jeans averaging fifty dollars and up...? Why not go to your local thrift store?
Believe it or not thrift store shopping has become popular among students and this is an awesome way to be eco-friendly while staying on trend.
“I first heard about thrift store shop-ping through my parents,” current student and longtime thrift store shopper, Mae Lin Young recalls.
After being introduced to the world of thrift shopping, Young would go out and take shopping trips with her friends.
“I hated what everybody was wearing at my high school,” Young jokes, “They all wore the same old stuff from the mall, it was an easy way to stand out a little bit.”
Being unique and standing out aren’t the only rea-sons for thrifting, it’s also inexpensive.
“You can save a lot of money and find good quality stuff”, says Young.
Sure, some cringe at the thought of shopping at Goodwill and The Salvation Army, but the experience
is definitely rewarding. Once you go thrifting you will never go back!
“There’s cute clothes. People just don’t go but it’s re-ally cheap and saves you money.” Exclaimed student Ana Guevara.
Guevara discovered her passion for thrifting from youtube. Watching fashion blogs, she became inspired by their vintage style. Instantly, Guevara began to learn the tricks of the trade and found a one of a kind Calvin Klein dress.
“It’s really long and gray. It’s so pretty, and I just don’t
Ditch the designer duds and express yourself with a guilt free wardrobe.
Story and Design by Samantha TrejoPhotos by Jacqueline Majalca and Harley Torres
Urban Renewal
Student Ana Guevara posing in a vintage styled dress and blazer.
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know where to wear it to but it was like three bucks and it’s new,” she gushed.
Unlike Guevara, Art instructor Kyle Chaput first heard about thrift shopping through his family.
“My grandmother would always go to garage sales and would always purchase various items.” Chaput adds, “It got me thinking that when I started to go into college that I needed to buy clothes that I could ruin…So I decided to purchase thrift store used clothes, espe-cially T-shirts.”
What first began as a necessity then became a hobby that he continues today “I pretty much look for sports coats and really like 1940’s and 50’s inspired ties, I actu-ally collect those,” Chaput commented.
Thrifting is not only a great way to be fashionable but also a way to let your creativity run wild. Don’t be afraid to take a pair of scissors and make something
new out of different fabrics that you find!Design your own outfits and never waste another
penny on expensive clothes again, you can even make a business doing what you love.
“I did know somebody in graduate school who would buy unique and interesting patterns on clothes and would disassemble them and would sew her own clothes. So she had her own unique style and she actu-ally dressed rather well.”
Clothing stores like Urban Outfitters have hundreds of one-of-a kind pieces made out of overstocked mate-rial. You can find funky tank tops to scarves and ties made out of quirky materials. This is a great for inspi-ration when looking for ideas of how to put your fabrics together!
“Look for good fabrics,” advises Young, “If you buy cashmere or silk stuff new, its super expensive, but if
you find it at a thrift store then you’ve got good quality items for cheap.”
Pieces without tags are items that she likes to shop for. Dress-es someone had once made for themselves of their daughters are also a favorite of hers.
Once you have productively saved yourself from spending your cash for the month there is one thing that you should do before wearing your new out-fit.
“ You might want to smell what you’re looking at, wash it,” joked Young.
Go out, grab a couple friends and plan a weekend shopping at your local thrift store. Who knows there might be a Calvin Klein dress out there waiting for you!
“I first heard about thrift store shopping through my parents because I would go with them.” - Mae Lin Young
Kyle Chaput, art instructor, tries on many hats at Jackalop’s flea market in Santa Fe, N. M.. In the end, he decided on a fedora that suits his inner Indiana Jones style.
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When students Kelsey Keosengphet and Katelyn Symmonds first heard about TOMS shoes they never knew how easy it could be to make a difference in some-body life.
“I took a trip in California and they have a TOMS store, its downtown and I thought I’d visit.”, Said Ke-osengphet about her first encounter with the brand.
After first stepping foot into the store, it was fate. She learned about the famous “One for One Movement” that TOMS bases their purchase on and was convinced that these were the shoes for her.
Keosengphet is now one of the millions of people who have helped a child in need receive a brand new pair of shoes with the help of her purchase.
”It was a store I saw downtown and I bought a pair because I like the movement and good cause.”
Student Katelyn Symmonds on the other hand, heard about the shoes from a friend and has been a strong supporter ever since.
“I found out about them through a friend; then did some research on the internet and it all snowballed from there.”
After doing her own research, Symmonds was hooked and made her purchase helping a child in need.
“When I looked online, that’s when I found out about the “One for One Movement” and bought my first pair!” She added.
Since her first purchase Symmonds has since been a
Distance is nothing when it comes to these students helping children across the globe
Story and Design by Samantha TrejoPhotograph by Jacqueline Majalca
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huge supporter of the brand and has invested in four pairs of TOMS!
You might be asking yourself, why shoes? What children do they help out? Well, the “One for One Movement” helps children in vil-lages that have no access to shoes by giving them a pair of TOMS after a customer buys a pair of their own.
The shoes help protect the chil-dren from receiving injuries and soil-transmitted diseases. Many vil-lages require children to wear shoes to school, and without them they are not able to gain an education. With the shoes they receive from TOMS they are able continue their education and keeping chasing after their dreams.
So who is the person that created this movement? Blake Mycoskie is the creator and master mind behind the “One for One Movement”. The movement has sky-rocketed since the day TOMS began back in 2006. Currently giving shoes in 23 countries, TOMS has giv-en over one million shoes.
Not only are the shoes life changers, they are ex-tremely comfortable as well. This is a breath of fresh air for busy college students who are always on the go!
“They’re good walk around shoes and they’re just comfy all around so that’s why I like them.” Praised Keosengphet.
Instead of wasting your money on McDonalds for a week, go out and make a difference in somebody’s life because as a student it is our job to make a change.
Photo courtesy of TOMS Blog.A child in Haiti happily receives their first pair of TOMS shoes.
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