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Show OPINION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27 8 - DIXIE SUN 2008 Key to success at DSC discovered!;. w BY BROCK BYBEE Dixie Sun Staff Writer So do you want to hear the secret of college? Yes, believe yt '"it or not, there is one that exists for the united students across the country looking to pursue higher education. What is it, you ask? Well, it isnt some enchanting secret that scientists have been stuck in laboratories for decades trying to unlock, and it also isnt some magic wish only a select few have received from a genie in a bottle. The true secret to college is a plain and simple phrase that isnt too hard to remember: Get involved! Thats it! Thats all it " takes to have a triumphant year at Dixie no matter what happens throughout the semesters; just get involved. It doesnt matter if its getting wrapped up in the math department, screaming your lungs out cheering at all the games, or finding some country music mandolin group that serenades every Friday that lands on an even date, just get involved in something, who cares what it is! I remember my freshman year here on campus, and it was the complete opposite of the definition of getting involved. I got up, went to class, came home, watched Seinfeld, and went to bed, repeating the same tedious schedule day after day, week after week, until I was hating life here in the south. I had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I love college no life, no friends, and in my view, girls still had too many cooties for me to ask them to go out. now, and I have only increased my cramming in Dixie activities year after year so when my head hits the pillow, Im already enormously unconscious. It rocks, and I cant express to you in this column how it will only benefit you to get involved as well. However, it is not all fun and games that keep college in order. Yes, you can attend every single concert, game and activity on campus, but we didnt all come to college to goof around and party. You still need to write those seven-pag- e essays and take those math tests to make college as beneficial for you as possible. Still, when getting Things changed my sophomore year, however, when I actually started crawling out of my Raintree caves to do something besides laughing at Kramer bursting into Jerrys apartment day in and day out. Girls didnt have cooties anymore as well, and I got up the courage to actually talk to one or two of them. I went to games, concerts, bonfires, parties, anything that had the initials DSC sponsoring it. And you know what it did? It made college the best thing that ever happened to me since the Try generic, fatten wallet BY ERIK DORN Dixie Sun Staff Writer With the economy in a downward spiral and gas priced at record highs, the easiest way to save money is switching to generic products. The days of having extra cash seem long gone, and shopping feels more like trying to survive a gauntlet than it does a casual hobby. The dollar doesnt travel as far as it once did, and saving a few dollars here and there can help a lot. Generic clothing, body products and food can significantly reduce the amount of money you spend without sacrificing too much in the process. I believe questions about the quality of the generic product is the largest reason name brand products are purchased. It gives you a feeling of security knowing you purchased the best quality product money can buy. However, allowing yourself to purchase generic items like cleaning products or shampoo are painless ways to fatten your wallet. The quality of generic and name brand items varies from product to product. Trying different products and testing out the quality is smart shopping. If you find the generic item inferior to the name brand product, then dont purchase the generic version of that item again. Getting over the need for that secure feeling can be difficult, but once you start buying generic it can become habit. Name brand products are probably sold primarily because people believe advertisements. Name recognition lends credibility to a product and helps it stand out from lesser-know- n brands. Because generic products dont advertise the prod uct will not be given the same credibility. Furthermore, when you pay for the name brand you are paying for the cost of the advertisement. Generic products do not advertise, resulting in lower prices for the consumer. You can usually find the generic version lurking near the name brand product hoping to be picked up for a fraction of the price. For some products it is really obvious that the generic version lacks the quality the name brand promises. However, when working at a grocery store in Minnesota, I stocked bread and other food products the company brought in for the day. The same company made the d bread as well as the version. It was the same loaf of generic bread just a different name and a cheaper ticket price. My manager could never understand why people trust the name brand. He would laugh at how many people wouldnt purchase the generic version even though it was half the Do not believe everything you see; try checking out the product for yourself. You may find the generic version tastes, feels or looks equal to that of the name brand version. It isn't who you are, it's what you have, or so it seems. Pressure to own the TV or being able to sport the clothing seems as important as national security. Having that moment when you show your friends your newly TV is one to purchased brand-nam- e behold, a feeling difficult to top. Although, that feeling seems to last only as long as the next credit-car- d statement. Go ahead and try it. Purchase the in what you generic version, and le Y S&V6. You may be surprised at the happiness that comes along with knowing you dont have to pick tip that extra shift to pay for your name brand purchase. With this being my senior year at Dixie I have tried to figure out what is the true secret to living a successful lifestyle as a college student. Its not the Top Ramen, its not not p" the Greys Anatomy marathons week in and week out. Its getting involved in anything and campus, anything! instead. movies on weekends, and its Anything besides sitting at home trying to increase your finger speed on the latest Guitar Hero or having an Office marathon, laughing at the same Dwight and Michael characters over and over again. Because if you do, then the girls really will have cooties. Or they will think you have them WITH A RESPONSE TO Tm FINALLY CAME UP NEGATIVE ADS. everything possible to make being a college student the best. I hope I have broadcast-e- as loudly as I can how important it is for all 0fUs to get involved on campus. If we dont then we will hate it here and be crawling back to our par-- . ents, begging for support ' and ideas to cradle our I sanity. Dixie State College is one of the finest institutions in the entire state, and actually getting involved here will only help us think that ft. -- way. Did you hear me, men? fresl ; ! IT IS NOW. DIRK RAIDER'S Stol imy sen htaFun i a in jicuflties whit: JJi tat ii Caution: Beware of Thrasher BY WHITNEY PHILLIPS Dixie Sun Opinion Editor careful! Wahoo! Anew friend! A inew comment! For online socialites, its a great feeling when you log on to your ( favorite networking Web site name-bran- price. the late midnight involved, it honestly doesnt matter what it is of. you become a part to look Sign up for clubs, athsupport our thrilling letic teams, get a job on cyberspace has something to say to you. Yet, that good feeling may deteriorate when you find out your new friend request is from Thrasher, who resides in the state currently penitentiary and says he likes your pictures. Although this scenario may never become reality for you, it is important to realize extreme caution in online communities is the only way to make the benefits of participating outweigh the potential costs. Social sites allow you to publish your beliefs, likes and dislikes to international audiences with little risk of criticism. This convenience may make socializing a breeze to those who otherwise find communication horrifying. Yet, when you display yourself and face-to-fa- your thoughts online, you invite poten- tially harmful consequences. You might compare having an online profile to throwing a party. You want the event to be exclusive, but if you dont hire bouncers and arent selective about who you invite, you could wind up with police at your door and one big mess to clean up. When it comes to online communities, the most widely discussed threats are predators. Most of the warnings are directed at parents who want to keep their children safe. For us big kids, the simple way to keep the creepers out is to set our profiles and pictures to private and only allow people we know in the real world to access our information. If you insist on using your online network to make new friends, dont make habit of meeting up with them in person. Since your online identity doesnt have to match your real one, neither a does theirs Tf , , 77 your new online buddy, take a friend and your Rottweiler, and only meet him or her m a well-larea in the middle of the day in plain view of a police officer and a security camera while wearing full body armor. You can never be too it Sun losomf hesumn is soon Also, keep in mind you might be allowing access to your profile without even knowing it. In his Aug. 7 article Online social networking sites are hacker playgrounds found at Labor http:news.yahoo.eomsafp20080808tc afesday e sadym Da afpusitintemetcrimesocial, Glenn avstui Chapman explains that by allowing appli- - L'v, cations on sites like Facebook, you are tile c granting strangers the rights to your and who knows how they intend t it. use In order to keep your computer Kalreai healthy, be very selective when granting dsan applications access to your site. Just at are restricting your profile still may not be enough action for you to avoid all the downsides on social sites. Just because iSe your profile is restricted does not mean yoi should bare all literally or metaphorical!; In Kristen Stanberrys 2006 article When Kids Network Online: The Benefits and Risks, located at http:www.schwableaming.orgarticle' aspx?r1120, she warns that anything you post on your site is permanently available to others. Once its out there, theres no taking it back. That is something to consider when posting pictures. Once you upload that picture of you mooning your friends camera dm ing a lapse in judgment, con sider your tooshie eternally publicized Not only should you watch the images you display, you should watch your late-nig- Dixie For iinth hingi ht words as well. Just because Jenny is being a butthead right now doesnt mean you should post a blog about the belly ring shes hiding from her parents. When youre ready be friends with her again, that will be a tough one for her to forget. Its also wise to keep negative com- brar telle to ments about your boss to yourself. Evnent if you dont care if he or she fires yoU Serv nanit future employer may Google your find what you had to say about your ptf vious employer, then refuse to give the job for fear youll do the same to me or her. There goes your dream job Displaying your likeness on a social network is risky. If you are careless, yol! are vulnerable to danger and drama. Watch what you publish about yourself online in order to be a safe and happy ttSl resident in your online community. he? y011 |