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Show THE CAMPUS Holiday plans vary Some students go home, some stay here By BECKY GILES JOURN AL STA FF WRITER The ho li day seasons are days fill ed w ith traditions and plans fo r the C hristmas break. Many student s like Jud y Carman, a sen io r from Salt Lake City majoring in elem entary education, are pl anning to go home to vis it their relatives and wo rk to ea rn a littl e extra cash. Some of her family's traditions in clude having a big Chri stmas dinn er with the entire fam il y before Christmas and on Christmas morn ing, no one can go in th e front roo m until her father goes in to check if San ta is gone and turn on the tree lights. Christmas da y is t hen fill ed with opening present s, eat ing Christmas breakfast and visiting relatives. "Even though we arc all grown up, my dad still loves to keep us out of the room until he checks to sec if Santa is gone yet. It 's still fun to pretend," sa id Carman. Camille Durrant, an undec ided freshman from Pleasant Grove, is planning to go home and pass out beef sticks for Hickory Farm s, as well as going ice skating. Durrant said, "I have even been practicing saying 'Would yo u like so me beef st ick I Would you like t o try some beef stick? Have some bed stick'." Jodi Lee, another undecided freshman from St. George, is also planning on returning home to work at Red Cliffs Mall and hang out with her fri ends. "I am also looking forward to eat ing real food for a change. " Cyn thia Plcwc, a senior from St. George majoring in dance, said she is looking forward to going home and relaxing. "I will probably go home and make my gifts, maybe relax a little," said Plewe. "On C hristmas, my family has the tradition of acti ng out the nativity scene. It is pretty interesting now that we are all older, but we still ha ve to do it . It's tradition. " However, there are also many students who must stay here to While we all know 'there's no place like home for the holidays,' some SUU students work during the have to stay here during the Christmas break due to jobs. These students usually try holidays. to decorate th eir apartments the best they can to compensate. Stephanie and Olivia Scott Larsen, a Edwards and Brittani Olson, all of Heber City, Utah , get ready for the holidays here. computer Kristin and Scott Havell said they are also staying information systems major from Parowan, said he for the holiday season to work. Kristin is a has to stay here to work. "Some of the traditions computer information systems major from Sandy we have is that we grilled ham and cheese and her husband Scott is majoring in business sandwiches and made hot chocolate on Christmas administration. Eve, then we unwrap our new pajamas, " said "We are probably going up to Salt Lake for three Larsen . days around Christmas time, but we will be staying "Also on Christmas Eve, we get a horse-drawn here to work for most of the break," said Krist in. carriage and ride th rough Parowan singing Whatever the situation, the season will be filled Christmas carols and seeing the lights on the with holiday spirit for everyone. houses," said Larsen. Proper study habits reduce stress Movie offers parents relief By JODI BEVAN JO URNAL STAFF WRITER With finals just around the corn er, students are findin g that time is running out . Time is being spent solely fo r the purpose of stud ying. What better time to learn proper study habits than the present? "Don' t procrastinate," said Learning Specialist Jill Wilks. She said the best studying process is to "study a littl e bit every day so the information has more time to get into long term memory." Efficient studying is defined as getting the most amount of information absorbed into long-term m emory in the least amount of time, she added. Wilks said she recommends setting a pattern of combining class reading and lecture notes onto three by fiv e index cards and reviewing the cards for five to 15 minutes every day. Repetition will be more effective than studying in large time blocks, according to Wilks. The three by five index cards work for all subjects; it's just a matter of getting past the heavy duty concentration and getting the information condensed into a review mode, she said. "If you have to cram," said Wilks, "it's best to take five minutes to make a plan." A plan she suggests students follow is to decide what to study and set time limits. Some important points to remember are to look for general, overriding ideas. "Don't get caught up in specifics," Wilks said. Wilks said she recommends reviewing the materials for a test the night before an exam, but "do not study it. Relaxing, getting a good night's sleep and even exercising the morning of the exam are also important. Learn some relaxation techniques to practice before going into the final." Wilks suggests breathing and imagining yourself in a safe place. Before a test and while studying for it, it is important to reduce any tension with these kinds of techniques. "Don't 'should' yourself-guilt stops our ability t o learn, " said Wilks. She also said she stresses the importance of not placing undue guilt on yo urself. Other effective study habits are studying in groups and taking study breaks. "Study groups are a great way to study for finals," said Wilks. She added that study groups offer socializing about the subject material with your peers. Studying with other students makes it easier and keeps students motivated, according t o Wilks. It is also important to take breaks, to get up and walk around during study periods. After one hour of continual studying without a break, the information is no longer being processed; "it is ineffective," said Wilks. SUU offers many sources for counseling about studying for finals. Student Support Services in South Hall, the Learning Center in the basement of Technopolis and the Student Development Center located in the Administration Building all offer support before and during finals. Wilks teaches classes in effective studying each quarter at SUU. Next quarter, three sections of the class are offered. "The best thing is to take the class," said Wilks, "because most students have good study skills, but don't have good study habits. " The class is two hours per week and Wilks recommends taking a relatively difficult "sister class" so the techniques learned can be applied to other classes. Using the techniques offered by Wilks should make the upcoming finals less stressful and more successful. Wilks said she is happy to help students in any way; she can be reached on campus at 586-7847. •. , . •.• Finals are coming, and most students feel the stress long after the last test has been taken. Non-traditional students have additional stress during finals, though, because they have to take care of children and spouses. That is why Charlie and Sarah Kerr, this year's SUUSA non-traditional representatives, have decided to continue a tradition that began last year. Most non-traditional students may remember the Christmas party and movie from last year. The movie this year is Space /am, and will be shown on Dec. 13. The showing is at 4 p.m . at the Campus Theatre. All non-traditional students and their children are invited, and tickets are free. However, seats are limited, so any non-traditional student who wishes to attend should call the Student Activities Office at 586-7762. Seating is available on a first come, first serve basis. Tickets will be held until five minutes before show time. The Kerrs said they hope all nontraditional students will attend the event, helping to keep the tradition alive. "We want to help non-traditional students to be able to spend time with their children at this busy time of the year," said Sarah Kerr. The two said they would welcome any comments and suggestions by nontraditional students throughout the year. |