| OCR Text |
Show do you fhin'i if moans o bo a nerd? Tweet us your view VJI: n? BkibSunllews using fits liasiitag tfVcfceofBixie. u u WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 DIXIESUNNEWS.COM fi become known for helping NICK ANDERSON n'ckv f J . s"h anderson iY.i , Say goodbye to ashtrays, cigarette butts and lighters, and say hello to USB battery chargers and clouds of smoke that smell like fruit because the future of smoking has arrived. Or rather, it arrived sometime in the and has steadily increased in popularity since then. Im talking about and vaporizers (or vapes, as they are more commonly known). These eleptronic alternatives to smoking use a small battery connected mid-200- i 0s to a heating element called an atomizer that heats up i 3 I and turns flavored liquid into vapor that can be inhaled. The liquid in vapes can contain varying amounts of nicotine or none at all, depending on the users preference, and come in a multitude of flavors, which is why the vapor can have ' such a distinct and pleasant scent or taste. Vapes simulate the sensa- of smoking, cost far than buying cartons of cigarettes and can still give users the nicotine they desire. They have tion less people kick their cigarettesmoking habit, but vapes are popular even among people who havent smoked before. I can understand why. After school last week, I drove to Cloud 9 Vapor at 1055 West Red Cliffs Drive in Washington to see what vaping was all about. I was surprised by how unintimidated I was by the store. Upon entering your average smoke shop, you are usually greeted by shelves of tobacco products, a variety of glass smoking apparatuses and a number of things that would likely count as drug paraphernalia if a police officer found them in your car paired with the wrong substance. It can be an uncomfortable environment for people who havent been intro- duced to that world. Cloud 9 Vapor had a much different vibe. A few glass cases and shelves with vaping products took up one corner of the store while a few customers casually sat on some couches in the other corner. Braxton Hafen, one of the owners of the store, helped me pick out my first vaporizer and personally walked me through everything I needed to know to start vaping. A few minutes after I walked in, I walked out th 1' ! i i I I 1 I ; i D X Opinion Editor Nick Anderson tries vaping for this weeks Trending Now. Anderson said vapings low cost appeals to college students. we had in our youth, but so far the concerns havent slowed its rise in popularity. I cant say vaping held Fewer students care Weirdly about marijuana use ddg my interest for very long, so you probably wont spot me contributing to the clouds of vapor at the Red Rock Ridge hot tub or ds BY AARON PALMER aepalmer find out you partake in the sticky-ick- y. Thats somewhat un- derstandable since a few people who start using marijuana get sucked into d the stereotype. become They d and unambitious. But, its absurd to think that the stereotype is a of marijuana itself or that it destines the user to an unproductive life with a reggae soundtrack. Everyone knows someone who uses, but many people would find it surprising to learn which of their friends are using marijuana. It is often the case that you dont know who uses until they have told you. When former President Bill Clinton admitted to smoking marijuana, he unknowingly uttered one of the most memorable phrases in history when he said he didnt inhale. In contrast, when President Barack Obama admitted to using as a kid, he said pot-hea- laid-bac- k, long-haire- University have expressed their support for marijuana use as a civil liberty. There may be more acceptance on campus than expected, but there is a minority of students who feel it is a morally corrupt habit. I tend to not like the idea of marijuana, said Chase Burch, a freshman communication major from Visalia, California. Its a drug, so it seems wrong. The consensus has shifted dramatically in this generation. Many DSU students dont mind if people use Marijuana as long as its done responsibly and They see it as a Personal choice. Although most dont care what you do on your own time, some students at DSU ight unfriend you if they side-effe- marijuana he inhaled frequently. Marijuana use is now accepted as juvenile ex ct perimentation. The same students who find its use to be morally corrupt say their vote would be influenced by a candidates past use of marijuana. However, most students say they couldnt care less if their leaders have used marijuana. Any leader that is willing to tell the truth is refreshing, and that is one less layer I have to dig through to find out what their real motives are, said Arma-deu- s Davidson, a freshman general education major from Seattle. Americans dont want to be told what to do or where to do it. Thats why marijuana is such a issue even with nonusers. We should accept that none of us are infallible, we all make mistakes and we all experiment. Respect other peoples liberties. If your friends choose to use an intoxicant around you, that affects you, so give them an ear full. But, if they are using responsibly in a controlled environment, respect their ability to make that choice and try not to judge them. hot-butt- Utah could be the first state where people talk more nerdy than dirty. According to recent study on Estately Blog, Utah came in No. 1 as the state with the most nerds per capita. The stereotypical definition of a nerd is someone who is overly smart, partially gangly and whose obscure pastimes include activities influenced heavily by fiction or fantasy. This definition may seem to fit perfectly, even like pens in a pocket protector, but its too specific and dated. In my mind, all nerds are created differently. For example, its entirely possible to be a nerd without being smart; just take a look at my GPA. But how identifiable is the term nerd? People dont think of themselves as nerds, said Desiree Chavez, a sophomore art major from St. the UtoGn oetq BY CODY SMITH casweekly 3- mairoy blowing Skittles-flavore- d smoke rings. This could be the easiest habit Ive ever tried to pick up. Theres no coughing, no learning curve and it costs less than a visit to Texas Roadhouse. I imagine the ease of participating has been a factor in making vaping a big trend. Ultimately, vaping is a tobacco-fre- e way to blow uul smoke, occupy your hands and get a little buzz, which is alluring to many students. Hafen said near the beginning of the semester when students get their school money, he had many come in and buy their first vapes. There could be downsides, however. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a rapidly rising number of calls about nicotine poisoning from children ingesting, inhaling or absorbing the vape liquid through the skin or eyes. The Food and Drug Administration has started some regulation of vaping but has not done studies. This many means that for now, we just dont know how harmful certain brands of vaping liquids, or the habit itself, might be. This can be concerning. Theres always the possibility that somewhere down the road we may pay dearly for the vaping habits -- George and president of the Sci-Fantasy Club. Some students say they really like Marvel, DC and video games, but dont want to call themselves a nerd. Why? Chavez then explained that the main reason people dont identify as nerds is because the label is distorted. Society misunderstands nerds as the weirdos at the back of the classroom, Chavez said. But nerds have passion. They like what they like: pop culture, TV shows, video games, board games, card games, etcetera. People stereotype nerds, but they need to do more research. They can come to the club and see that everyone is different. Chavez encourages all students interested in pop culture to come to the Sci-Fantasy Club. The club meets on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. in the Gardner Center Conference Room D. e Trust me: has walking around with my vaporizer on a lanyard, but I wont complain about the people who do. Vape on, friends. DIXIE SUN NEWS Payton Davis, Editor-in-Chi- Emily Havens, News Editor N ick Anderson, Opinion Editor Karli Kuhn, Sports Editor fi Keshara Bjorkman, Features Editor Tom Hender, Photo Editor Cody Eckman, Multimedia Editor Taylor Forbes, Ad Manager Haylie Anderson J C Collier Lauren Collier Alex Cox Haley Hazen Preston Hunt Porter Larsen Aaron Palmer Spencer Ricks Cody Smith Mykell Swapp Ben Wright Rhiannon Bent, Achnser HOWTO REACH US Dixie State University Jennings Bldg 225 South 700 East St George, UT 84770 8 Phone. (435) Fax: (435)6564019 dixiesundixie edu fi Nerd-imag- leveled-u- p. Today, nerds are seen as a hip social group whose interests are becoming more mainstream every day. But see NERDY page 4 www dixiesunnews com Ads dixiesunadsdixie or (435) edu 6 The Dixie Sun News is distributed each Wednesday during Fall and Spring semesters as a publication of Dixie State University the communication department, and Dixie State University Student Activities The unsigned editorial on the opinion page represents the position of Dixie Sun News as determined by its editorial the views and board Otherwise opinions expressed in Dixie Sun News are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dixie Sun News or any entity of the college |
