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Show AggieScene Monday, Nov. 12, 2007 Page 7 Stress that drives students down ByTONNIEDIXON staff writer EVEN T H O U G H T H E R E IS N O T a medical diagnosis for student burnout, Dr. Jim Davis from the Health and Wellness Center said he can see students increase in stress and decrease production. DEBRA HAWKINS photo Stress can be good, as it motivates students to do and accomplish daily tasks of living, said Dr. Jim Davis, director of the Student Health and Wellness Center. "From a doctor's point of view, student burnout doesn't exist," Davis said. "There isn't a diagnosis of burnout. It's not that we don't see it, and it's not that we don't recognize it as burnout. What we do see is an increase in stress and a decrease in performance." USU staff psychologist Mark Nafziger said the body is like a bank account. Students are constantly spending and not putting money back into their bank accounts. Davis said personality characteristics are related to the tendency to burn out. People with type A personalities - the driven, hard, obsessed individuals - tend to burn out faster than laid-back individuals, Davis said. Depression, stress, adjustment disorder and acute anxiety disorder are some of the diagnoses seen in the Student Health and Wellness Center that can cause burnout, Davis said. "Most times we're talking about things that are psychological rather than physical," he said. "Certainly physical symptoms will occur, such as fatigue, restlessness, insomnia, appetite changes, weight loss and maybe eating disorders. "Anxiety disorder is our number eight diagnosis (at the Student Health and Wellness Center). Depression is our number one." Nafziger said burnout can lead to depression or depression can lead to burnout. The number one reason nationally that students miss class, Davis said, is because of stress. Cramming for a test the night before doesn't help, he said. It doesn't help short-term or longterm memory. Jade Knowles, senior majoring in operations management, said he hadn't attended classes for six days because he had lost all interest. "I'm running out of fuel," Knowles said. One of the ways Knowles said he has learned to cope with stress is to reward himself every once in a while. "You work hard, you play hard," he said. Natalie Archibald, senior in public relations, said she always over-schedules herself in her daily activities. "I never have enough time to do what 1 schedule," Archibald said. Visualizing, meditating and writing down what stresses her out are a few ways Archibald said this class has broadened her outlook on the many ways to deal with stress and avoid burning out. "Eating the right foods and getting enough sleep can keep your stress level down too," she said. "Everything intuitively would tell you that the more you attend class and the more you study, the better you ought to do, but the opposite is true," Davis said. "Having a social life is actually important so that you don't bum out." Nafziger said students can save themselves grief by thinking realistically so they can perform the way they want to academically and have time for other parts in life. "I think where people really get themselves into trouble sometimes is they just think, 'Well these are all good things to do. These are all things I wanna do, so I'm not going to prioritize and I'm not going to choose. I'm just gonna try to do everything,'" Nafziger said. "We have stopped teaching students how to prioritize," Davis said. "Some things are more important than others. Being able to look at a series of things and decide which one has the most inherent importance. The number one stressor of college students nationally is relationship issues." The key, Davis said, is to keep healthy - be well-fed, well-rested, well-hydrated and in peak performance, like an athlete. Exercise is a de-stressor, Davis said. Also, brain foods, such as fruit or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, are good complex carbohydrates for a diet, he said. Preparation, meeting deadlines and breaking assignments into small success prone packets will also eliminate stress, Davis said. - T.Dixon@aggiemaiI.usu.cdu Male group raises awareness about rape By COURTNIE PACKER senior writer STEPHAN KIM, SAID HIS parents went with him on his honeymoon. DEBRA HAWKINS photo Korean student believes in ghosts By BR1TTNY GOODSELL JONES Aggies assistant features editor World Utah Statesman: Where are you from? around the Stephan Kim South Korea Senior Civil Engineering Stephan Kim: South Korea. But I was actually born in the United States, but I moved back to South Korea and live there for awhile. other guys around here. I had a chance to make a lot of friends. US: How long did you live there? US: What is one thing you dislike about USU? SK: Fourteen years, about half my life. SK: I wish it was, I guess it was a little bigger, the campus. I like everything, but I think it's too relaxed. Everything is just kind of slow. I wish there was something more to do. I mean, I love outdoors and I play lots of sports, but other than that, don't know, every weekend is the same, pretty much. US: How did you end up coming back? SK: Pretty much right after I was born in D.C. we moved back to Korea, and when I was about 15 years old, my dad had a chance to come back and come here and do some kind of research with the civil engineering department, and that is why we came to Logan. I started to go to Logan High and I figured why not just stay here? US: What is one thing you like about USU? SK: Everyone is really nice. If you go to other schools' Web site you can find there are so many different kind of minorities. For example, University of California in Irvine has 50 percent of Asian students, and I guess I just prefer an environment around here because there are not a lot of international students. There are a lot, but I eet a lot of chances to talk to US: What are your hobbies? SK: I play golf and soccer. US: Do you like going to USU hockey games? SK: Oh yeah, it's fun. I think that's one of my favorite teams, either hockey or basketball. I went to football once and I didn't really, yeah. US: Do you believe in ghosts? SK: Yeah, I guess somewhat. Actually, in Korea there are so many ghost stories so you have to believe in it, I guess. I heard, \1 See KM, page 8 One in four college women have been victims of rape or attempted rape in their lifetime. With such a high statistic, some college males are trying to make a stand and put a stop to the act. One in Four is an all-male, sexual assault prevention program aimed at reducing sexual violence against women. According to the organization's Web site, www.oneinfourusa. org, One in Four's mission is to eventually end rape and sexual assault in the United States through groundbreaking research and superior educational programming. Rachel Brighton, Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information coordinator, said USU is one of 30 chapters that concentrates on preventing rape and sexual assault. Members of One in Four educate students on campus about rape, how to prevent it, and how it is harmful to those involved. Derek Marrelli, membership vice president of the organization, said educating young men on campus is an important step in preventing rape and sexual assault. "We try to make the point that we are someone that a girl can go to for help or just for someone to talk to," Marrelli said. "We focus mainly on talking to the young men on our campus by presenting to them a presentation called 'The Men's Program.' This presentation helps men know how women truly feel after being raped." One in Four's Web site reported that 'The Men's Program' has been shown to significantly decrease men's belief in rape myths and significantly lower men's self-reported likelihood of raping. Among "high risk" men, 75 percent of them report a lower likelihood of raping after seeing the program, the Web site states. Brighton, said she describes The Men's Program as a way men can distinguish themselves as friends to those who have been victimized of a sexual assault. "Essentially, as the organization goes out to present, they go as helpers," she said. "Most men are good guys, and research shows that most of them will be very respectful in sexual situations." The men's program contains a 55-minute multimedia presentation in which many objectives are covered, Brighton said. At the beginning of the presentation, rape and sexual assault are defined, she said. Following the basics, a short video presentation is shown, describing a maleon-male rape situation. Brighton said what happens in this video is a unique circumstance of a sexually assaulted victim. "The video we show is of a police officer relaying the story of another officer who was assaulted by some criminals," she said. "What you get out of the video is a unique scenario of what is going on from the point of view of a sexually assaulted victim." Marrelli said watching the video is beneficial because it can really trigger a guy's emotions. "By showing the male-on-male rape," he said, "it is one of the only ways a guy can truly know how it feels for the woman who is raped." Following the video, parallels are drawn between the video and experiences a survivor may encounter, Brighton said. "It makes it easier to relate to victims if you can see yourself as a victim of sexual assault," she said. "This video is a great example because it gives a parallel between the police officer and women who are often sexually assaulted." The final stages of the presentation, she said, suggest other ways men can help rape victims and allow them the opportunity to discuss any questions they may have regarding rape and sexual assault. "We talk about what these men can do when a friend or a loved one comes to them after being a victim of a sexual assault," Brighton said. "The police are not the first person they go to after being victimized. It will be someone they consider a friend." USU's chapter has already done two of these presentations this semester, but Marrelli said he hopes many more will want to hear their presentation. "We will be doing a presentation to both the hockey team and the basketball team," he said. "Basically though, we will go to any group that wants to hear the presentation." Marrelli said any guy interested in preventing rape and sexual violence is encouraged to join One in Four. "This is a really touchy subject that many guys do not like to talk about," he said. But Marrelli said if someone is interested, especially if they are good at public speaking, they should contact him or Brighton. For more information on the program, contact the SAAVI Office, located in the Health and Wellness Center, or call Rachel Brighton at 797-1510. "Sexual violence is not such a common thing," Brighton said. "We're working in hopes that one day it will go away all together." -courtnie.packer@aggieinail.usu. edu MEMBERS OF ONE-IN-FOUR GATHER A N D DISCUSS RAPE. The mission of the group is to eventually end rape and sexual assault in the United States. TYLER LARSON photo THE DIAMOND GALLERY CELEBRATION Une Diamond Wallera MS* 30% OFF For USU Students 435.753.4870 • 45 North Mainjfcogan (Nc\l in lYr-i in IVMLIMJ. & ;tuiiv. (ruin T.il'an n M •.' Visit our other Locations in Pocatello, Idaho Falls, & Rexburg ID |