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Show Page4 1 HE FORUM . November 26, 2002 OPINION Savor Your Short College Years Kelli Coppens June. I curiously asked her how she likes being out in the real world. Its not all it was cracked up to be, was her surprising response. She explained she loves her job. wasnt being stimulated any- so I dont have to serve fast food for the rest of my life. My friends, who are seniors, told me they have never taken a class for fun because they are too busy. I thought this was sad. I think more college students need to focus on themselves mind and reduces stress. While we are waiting for tomorrow, we can be grateful for the opportunities in every But she terribly misses the atmosphere of college. She misses coming home to friends, getting to know professors, and most of all, she misses learning. I can easily relate to this. Before college, I worked for their college years, but I have years as a secretary. It was the noticed more students are only job I could do without a nearly killing themselves trycollege degree that I didnt it Is rush posing to mind too much and that paid through. sible to be satisfied with the well. However, I still hated it. we are or always present, Mosdy, it was the routine I looking forward to something didnt so much enjoy. Each else? day was the same, and every Recendy, I ran into an task I could do with my eyes old acquaintance who gradushut. After awhile, I hardly ated from Westminster last felt alive because my mind more. Now, in college, I love the challenge. Although at times I find myself complaining about stress, which is caused mostly by trying to rush through each packed semester so I can begin a new career. Life is too short. We more by taking yoga, guitar or need to slow down and try to any type of art class. Being in enjoy every moment. Of college is an opportunity. We course, not every moment in have the right to make the life will be enjoyable. I honmost of it. I am glad I ran into this estly dont enjoy serving hot dogs at my current part-tim- e acquaintance of mine. She caused me to reflect on what job. In a perfect world, students would be paid to attend many of us, including myself, college, so we could put more tend to do. We forget to live time into learning and less for today. Soon, our college time struggling to pay bills. years will be a part of our But I do enjoy knowing my past. During these times, we should preserve the memories job is temporary for me. I also enjoy knowing I made by taking pictures or writing the decision to earn a degree in a journal. It stimulates your Cloudy Night Foils Shower Chance of a lifetime in China : For many of us, graduation couldnt come soon enough. Earning that degree and diving into our careers is something we dream of. However, it seems many of us are constantly looking toward the future. Of course, this is a good thing. But how are we waiting for that day to come? Some are making the most of Kelli Coppens Staff Writer When the peak of the Leonid meteor shower hit early Tuesday morning, nearly a dozen Westminster students chose star gazing over sleep when they ventured to Emigration Canyon where other Utahn viewers hoped to catch a good view of the storm. With an estimate of 30 to 100 meteors per hour, the show promised to be worthwhile. Cloudy skies dampened this prediction when after more than an hour of standing in the frigid air, students said they only saw four or five meteors. Even though the constant cloud cover lasted throughout the night, around a hundred people stayed at the canyon site till the storms peak scheduled for 3:35 a.m. It was deceiving because it was clear in the valley, but then it got cloudy once we got up there, said senior Jennifer Gruz. She said it was still worth the trip because the Leonid meteor shower wont be seen again for another 50 years. Students seemed to make the best of the situation as friends socialized and cameras flashed for group pic tures. To pass the time by, one man chose to view a clearly visible Jupiter and its four moons through his telescope. Even though it was a disappointing show, there were some exciting moments when some of the few meteors seen were bright enough to leave glowing ionized trails that lasted several seconds. Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through a trail of dust left over from a comet. Tiny grains of dust, traveling at 158,000 mph, hit the upper atmosphere before being vaporized. This produces the streak of light that viewers call meteors or shooting stars. The Leonid meteor shower is named for the constellation Leo which marks the direction from where the meteors appear to arrive. Utah Valley State College history professor Boyd Bauer has been traveling to China since 1959; in fact, he spends part of every year in that country where he hones his already fluent Chinese. He has used this deep knowledge of China to put together an amazing May term opportunity, a trip that costs less than half of what it normally would because it relies on public transportation, such as trains and buses, and uses Bauers contacts with Chinese universities. The trip features all the sights and more of luxury tours, including the remarkable terra cotta warriors, a panda reserve, the Forbidden City, a visit to the largest dam construction project in the world, and a cruise down the Yangtze river. What makes this trip special is the interaction with Chinese students and faculty; some of the accommodations are on college campuses, and some of the entertainment features cultural exchange between Utah and Chinese students (Wanted: singers, dancers and musicians). Travelers (note: not tourists) will learn the real China, a place many Americans might not venture to on their own. However, China is a lot safer than southern California, says day. - Bauer, with a low crime rate and friendly (if pushy) people. English Professor Dave Stanley went last year and spoke enthusiastically about the trip as a bonding experience for the travelers; he notes that students and faculty have kept up the friendships made last May. Theres also plenty of free time for deadline for registration and a deposit is Dec. 6. The trip is a deal at $2495 which includes bargain shopping, for instance a $300 Northface mation: backpack purchased for $20, as well as the more traditional items such as silk and pearl and jade jewelry, to be had for a fraction of the U.S. cost. This year space is limited to a group of 20 Utah students (from BYU and UVSC as well as Westminster); the almost everything except personal expenses such as passport, water, and a few meals. Westminster students receive 4 credits (directed study in any field, English, History) for the trip; see Natasha Saje in the English Department for details and signup infor-- Students receiving federal aid may be eligible for a Freeman 832-237- 6. scholarship (www.iie.org rgmsfreeman-asia- ) to help cover the costs of this program. - submitted by Natasha Saje QUOTE OF THE WEEK cc Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful.5 Friedrich Nietzsche |