Stress has become a very widely talked about topic in the education community. What causes it? Can some stress be good? Who is responsible for reducing stress? Many people feel that colleges and universities should try to reduce stress or provide resources that encourage students to de-stress on their own. However there are many factors that can detract from colleges creating stress free areas or implementing programs to help students suffering due to stress. Even so, after doing our in class deliberations, researching stress and hearing from other students I think that it can be more beneficial to students to have a place to go when they are feeling stressed than to not.
Currently at Penn State this place is CAPS, Counseling and Psychological Services. I think that the idea of CAPS is good but the promotion of its services has led to them not being used. I also think that there is a sort of social stigma associated with counseling and psychological services that may hinder students looking for help with stress from going to a “shrink” or the building that has all the “shrinks”. Funding, again, is a big part of the conversation when it comes to CAPS providing services and I think that one easy fix to this would be to utilize the students on campus. Having them run de-stress zones, meet with less severe situation students, and running other aspects of CAPS that might not require a degree could drastically cut their costs. Stress can be a very over looked problem on college campuses, and although Penn State CAPS has done their best to assist I believe restructuring CAPS by decentralizing it, implementing graduate or undergraduate psychological studies degree programs and publicizing it more, could all lead to a more successful service.
PUBLICIZING CAPS
For anything to be successful people need to know about it. The first improvement I think should be implemented at CAPS would be to publicize it more. By more thoroughly publicizing CAPS, Penn State would be able to provide more students information about their services and therefore more of those services would be taken advantage of. I asked a group of 12 girls, of various ages, if they were aware of some of the more unique service CAPS offers (deferred grades, excused absences from classes for emergencies, landlord issues etc;). Out of those 12 girls only one of them was aware that CAPS handled things other than sexual assault and drugs and alcohol. On top of that this girl was a sophomore so she had two years to learn about CAPS. I also asked the group of girls on my floor if they were aware of the extent of CAPS programs. Similarly to the other survey out of the thirty three that responded only four were aware of the services.
In order to ensure more people were aware of the service CAPS has they should publicize the program more. One way CAPS could do this is by creating an online module all incoming students would be required to view. Currently in coming students are required to complete the SAFE and AWARE modules that focus on sexual misconduct and alcohol and drugs. Creating a module about CAPS programs would be a good way to give every new student information about the program, just like the receive information about drugs, alcohol and sexual assault. It could be more expensive to produce another module so to diminish the effects of a new module it would be beneficial to combine the sexual assault module and drug/alcohol module into one. Sexual assault, drugs and alcohol are all topics that CAPS deals with so combining them into one more concise module would give incoming students the main points. Then providing them with the CAPS module would give them information on how to handle these situations as well as other more common situations like stress.
ELIMINATING THE SOCIAL STIGMA
Another thing that CAPS struggles with is avoiding the social stigma of psychological services being for people with a mental illness. This viewed problem can cause people who might benefit from some assistance to avoid places labeled as a providing psychological service for fear of judgment. According to American psychologist, Patrick Corrigan “Many people who would benefit from mental health services opt not to pursue them or fail to fully participate once they have begun. One of the reasons for this disconnect is stigma; namely, to avoid the label of mental illness and the harm it brings, people decide not to seek or fully participate in care.” For this reason some Penn State students may avoid CAPS services or not think of them as a solution at all. So in order for them to think of CAPS as a solution rather than a problem to avoid Penn State should try to eliminate the social stigma as much as possible.
One way Penn State can eliminate the negative view associated with CAPS is by decentralizing it. Right now when a student thinks of going to CAPS they think of going the fifth floor of the University Health Center. By keeping CAPS in the University Health Center it does nothing but further support the social stigma of mental illnesses. If CAPS was spread out across campus it would help eliminate the social stigma. For instance, having a room in the HUB, a place most students go by or in every day, run by CAPS would help them have a more positive connotation. This room could be used as an area within the HUB that is a designated quiet area with a more comfortable setting than say the library. Filling it with couches or something fun like bean bag chairs might help students have a place to relax and read or do some work for short periods between classes. Having this area in the HUB and even having a few areas similar to it with different purposes in areas throughout campus would help students view CAPS with a more positive light.
IMPLEMENTING STUDENTS
In many classes at Penn State undergraduate or graduate students are used to help in classes or in the Penn State community. For example many classes that are typically deemed difficult, the professors will implement teaching assistants that will assist the students in the course. They can be graduate or undergraduate students and typically receive academic credit for helping. This could also be implemented with CAPS.
At Penn State there over forty variations of psychology majors. Ranging from at the molecular level to applied psychology there are ample students that are interested in psychology. These students should be implemented at CAPS. By creating a program where students in their final year would be able to run group sessions or de-stressing zones for credit would benefit both students and the community. Since these students would be doing this for academic or research credits CAPS wouldn’t need to fund them. They could run the sessions for students who might not require a degree to help out. This would reserve the licensed psychologists for people in sever situations and therefore conserve resources. Also, by interacting with peers who, since they would be in their final year, would most likely be older than the people seeking the attention it could create more of a mentor relationship rather than a doctor/patient relationship. This interaction would also benefit the students who serve as the mentors. According to American Psychological Association, a common method in training many specialties of therapies is the Case Method. The Case Method encourages the students to problem solve in new ways by letting them run student facilitated groups as well as shadowing specific cases or working with closed cases, but still nonetheless real situations. By allowing the students to use this Case Method through CAPS would also help prepare them to enter graduate schools and become better psychologists.
Works Cited
AJOT. “Using the Case Method to Develop Clinical Reasoning in Problem Based Learning.” AJOT (n.d.): n. pag. Apr. 1995. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
“Awareness of CAPS Programs.” Telephone interview. 16 Nov. 2015.
Corrigan, Patrick. “How Stigma Interferes with Mental Healthcare.” PsycNET. American Psychological Association, Oct. 2004. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
As the weather gets colder less and less owners can be seen walking their furry friends around campus. So for my final blog post although I couldn’t find a dog around campus to talk about I thought I would talk about the best dogs breeds for the cold weather.
The list I’m using comes from “Outside” magazine. They compiled a list of twenty dogs that are the most suitable mans best friends for the man that prefers colder climates. I’ll go through each dog on this list and give a little more background on them.
The first dog is the Akita- The Akita is relative of the Shiba Inu written about in a previous blog post. The pup hails from Japan and is a very loyal dog. They can be temperamental so it is crucial that they are socialized at a young age in order for them to be good family dogs. What makes them so good in cold weather is their extremely thick coat. Its undercoat is extremely dense to conserve heat while the outer coat is thicker to be more resistant to rain prevents moisture from getting captured in the undercoat.
Alaskan Malamute- As the name might suggest the Alaskan Malamute comes from Alaska where it was bred to carry heavy loads and haul supplies. They have an extremely thick and coarse coat that keeps them warm and protects them against the elements.
American Eskimo Dog- This dog looks like an overgrown Pomeranian however this dog is built for the cold water. It’s thick coat is designed to resist soaking and its ears are thick which prevent them from getting cold in low temperatures. It originated from Germany, and contrary to its name has no relationship with Eskimos.
Anatolian Shepherd- This mountain dog is large enough to haul supplies and muscle through most terrains while still being agile enough to maneuver through snow. Originally used as a flock guard dog for Turkey now is a very common companion for the adventurous owner. It is known to be extremely cautious but will welcome strangers the owner introduces it to.
Bernese Mountain Dog- Coming from Switzerland where it was used as a driving dog in the snow, it is now a fairly common household dog. It has an extremely friendly demeanor similar to that of the Golden or Labrador Retriever.
CHOW CHOW- I just feel like you can’t not put that name in all caps. This dog is an extremely quirky dog who are extremely happy anytime they are around people. They are most recognized by their puff ball figure and unique black tongues which both contribute to them being good in the snow.
German Shepherd- This talk was talked about in a previous blog so please look there for more information on German Shepherds 🙂
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog- Commonly confused with Bernese Mountain Dogs, for their similar markings, these pups used to be known as a “poor man’s horse” for their size. These dogs can range up to about 140 pounds on average (in perspective that’s about two times the size as my full grown black lab). They are gentle dogs and love a good hike.
Great Pyrenees- Hailing from France these dogs were once used to herd sheep and on the mountainsides. They have a very good temperament and out of the Giant Breeds (Great Danes, Irish Wolfhounds, St. Bernards etc;) they live the longest. They prosper in winter with their thick double coats.
Karakachan Bear Dog- Made famous by Vladimir Putin (see image) this dog gets up to about 120 pounds and was known as a cattle herd guard dog. They prefer to sleep outside and wont seek shelter in rain or snow.
Keeshond- Another dog resembling a Pomeranian, this dog is great for the snow. Its coat mirrors the effects of down feathers, keeping it very warm in cold temperatures. It was first used in Holland as a riverboat watch dog. Owners should be forewarned that they require quite a bit of exercise.
Kuvasz- Kuvasz’s have very strict requirements to be considered a full bred Kuvasz. One including it must have strictly white fur. Coming from Tibet originally as a guard dog it is most commonly used now for hunting and herding. Although they are friendly they have been known to be a bit destructive.
Newfoundland- One of my favorite breeds this massive and extremely lovable dog is built for the winter weather. It’s thick coat keep it warm and protected from the elements while it sheer size and strength help in plow through snow and hauling supplies. At max weight they are around 150 pounds.
Norwegian Elk Hound- From Scandinavia this dog is commonly confused with its relative the Husky. Its thick coat helps keep it warm and dry and they are known for their extreme endurance.
Saint Bernard- Made famous by the Beethoven movie franchise, the St. Bernard is not as destructive as portrayed. However, the breed can range up to around 200 pounds. This makes them rather un-playful dogs however they are very affectionate dogs and are common mountain rescue dogs in snowy areas.
Smoyed- Bred first in Siberia, the Samoyed was used for herding Reindeer, hunting and hauling sleighs. It is an extremely happy go lucky dog that loves to please. Like most other dogs on this list its thick coat is what makes it ideal for cold temperatures.
Shib Inu- See previous blog post 🙂
Siberian Husky- My brothers favorite dog breed, this is the quintessential sled dog and are known for being very vocal. Something about a huskies playful howl just makes it too hard to yell at them. They require a lot of activity which makes working in the snow for them all the more beneficial.
Tibetan Mastiff- Big dogs are truly the best dogs and the only thing that makes them better is making them bigger with fur. The Mastiff in general is already a massive dog (one of the bigger in the Giant Breeds) and the Tibetan breed has a unique “puffy” coat that makes them appear even larger. Their coat protects them against the elements while their strength and size help them be mobile in the snow.
Tibetan Terrier- On the other hand we have the Tibetan Terrier. about an eighth the size of the Tibetan Mastiff this dog is still very good in the snow. Their paws are large for their size, flat and round which gives them good traction in the snow. They also have a protective double coat. They are also unique in that they are extremely good climbers. Many superstitious snow sledders will even keep the Tibetan Terrier as a good luck charm.
The list and (most) of the pictures were taken from : http://www.outsideonline.com/1859446/20-best-cold-weather-dog-breeds#slide-21
2) undergrad/grad students- save professionals for most serious cases, undergrad/grad students run the group sessions/ anonymous sessions, low maintenance issues
3) decentralizing- small rooms inHUB, library and other places on campus (eliminate the social stigma)
I’m going to discuss the effects of stress and how the most beneficial way to reduce stress would be to enhance the CAPS program. Some of the things I plan on talking about enhancing is publicizing caps more, implementing grad or undergrad students interested in becoming psychologists to run group sessions/less severe cases to preserve resources and money, as well as decentralizing caps.
This week has been incredibly hectic so again I have failed to find a dog to ‘interview’. I have however noticed a large amount of one particular breed of dog on campus this week, and that is the German Shepherd.
The origins of the German Shepherd come from a general breed of farm and herding dogs that eventually split into many different breeds as time went on. Stemming from Germany in 1899 the German Shepherd became a distinct breed. However, it wasn’t until around 1914 when the breed began to spread throughout the rest of the world. In the United State the German Shepherd has gained so much popularity it has it’s own club, The German Shepherd Dog Club of America.
The German Shepherd is known for being extremely intelligent and its desire to please its owner makes it very train-able. This makes them extremely valuable as service dogs and military/police dogs. German Shepherds were actually believed to be some of the first service dogs, where they were used after World War 1 to assist blinded veterans. A German Shepherd named Buddy was the first Seeing Eye Dog in the United States. Between 2 to 6 months of age is the ideal time to begin training for a German Shepherd to become a service dog.
However, the German Shepherd’s found on Penn State are not service dogs. German Shepherds are also very popular as family dogs. The are 3rd in popularity behind Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers. They are extremely loyal dogs and are known for being good with children and other pets. For a little while German Shepherds got a bad reputation as aggressive dogs. As mentioned earlier, they are extremely loyal dogs which can make them very protective. They also are able to remember very well and if they are mistreated at a young age they can be hard to retrain. The breed as a whole can be a very good edition to the family as long as they are dedicated to giving the right environment for the German Shepherd.
German Shepherds can also have a variety of markings. The common two i’ve seen around campus is one all white and one all black. However, they come in a variety of markings. Most familiar are the black and tan variations but they also come in liver, sable and blue which are some of the more unique coats.
Liver
Sable
and Blue
German Shepherd’s are also known for being very popular at dog shows. The German Shepherd is a part of the Herding group of dogs in dog shows. The Herding group was formed in 1983 and constitutes a group of dogs previously a part of the Working Group of dogs. The Herding group broke off from the Working Group as their particular skills were recognized in controlling the movement of other animals. The breeds that constitute the Working group range from the low-set Corgi and all the way up to the massive German Shepherd. The Old English Sheepdog mentioned in an earlier blog post is also a part of the Working Group.
Personally, I do believe that colleges should try to eliminate the stress that students face due to the workload of college. All colleges want their students to be successful and part of that is getting to your end goal in the healthiest way possible. Excessive stress can have really detrimental effects on students performance as well as mental health. This should be a concern for colleges and they should do whatever they can to alleviate the stress induced by college. I think that a combination of all of the three options discussed on the issue guide would be the best solution. Stress is caused by more than one thing it is the response to a culmination of stresses, therefore there is not one easy solution.
First things first, no this is not a misspelled version of Oktoberfest. Dachstoberfest is a common fundraiser held around the country to support Dachshund rescue organizations mainly Coast to Coast Dachshund rescue. I was first introduced to Dachstoberfest while I was working at a dog kennel in high school. The Dachstoberfest for our area was held at the kennel I worked at so I got to see the whole thing first hand. It is a day long event where people can bring their dogs and vendors come out and set up stands (dog and not dog related) to help the organization raise money. There are also contests for the dogs and raffles. Penn State, unfortunately doesn’t have any Dachstoberfest activities so I will tell you a little bit more about the Dachshund (pronounced Doxin if anyone hasn’t figured out what breed of dog i’m talking about.
The earliest records of the Dachshund dates back to the 15th century where it is believed they were used to hunt badgers. By the early 17th century the Dachshund was recognized as a distinct breed and it got its name, the Dachshund (badger-dog). The Dachshund also is presently recognized as having 3 varieties as well: the wire hair, smooth coat and long-haired. They were continued to be used as hunting dogs where the dogs on the smaller side would hunt hares and foxes while the larger Dachshunds would hunt wild boar or badgers. The first documented Dachshunds were imported to America in 1885 and have been a part of the American Kennel Club since 1895 and were added to field trials in 1935.
Dachshunds are now a relatively well known breed mostly because they are fun to look at. This sometimes causes people in the market for a dog to forget to look at the personality of Dachshunds. Luckily, they are typically very friendly dogs however they have been known to be aggressive when they get intimidated and can be very stubborn. As cute as they are, they do not have the best reputation with children or other pets. They can be very hard to train and do not do well being alone. They are very unique in the fact that they come in a very large assortment of colors and markings. From “black and cream” to “wild boar” colored the standard colors list of Dachshunds are very diverse. However there has also been a large portion of registered Dachshunds that come in colors like chocolate and fawn. The Dachshunds markings are also very unique and can range from brindle to double dapple and piebald.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter I am sure you are a very busy man with the upcoming presidential election. First let me introduce myself, my name is Abby Seeley a current freshman college student. Growing up I was told I could be whatever I wanted to be. After many phases of wanting to be a doctor, ballerina or lawyer I decided to go to The Pennsylvania State University to study Veterinary and Biomedical Science in the hopes of one day becoming a veterinarian. However, in light of some of your recent campaign trail moments I have decided against such outlandish aspirations.
In an interview where you were discussing welfare for women you came up with a remarkable solution that is so simple it’s amazing that no one had thought of it before. Your solution, find a husband! Even amongst all the different circumstances of why those particular women were on welfare your solution is truly a cure all. One of the most common reasons for people in general to end up on welfare is that the cost of education is much higher than the salaries they earn after they graduate. But the brevity of your solution to women living in poverty suggests that it can be a solution for people in poverty for even the most genuine of circumstances (ie the cost of going to college). So in order to save myself and make the most use of my time I have decided to withdraw my registration at Penn State and focus all of my efforts into finding the husband who will take care of me.
Another issue of yours I have recently been enlightened on is what happens if I don’t end up in poverty or don’t find myself a successful man to take care of my unfortunate self. Say against all odds I don’t end up on welfare and am able to support myself on my own (a girl can dream right!) and I go to apply for a job. Your stance says that companies should not be required to hire an allotted amount of each gender and minorities. This solution is completely reasonable, it is truly a wonder that people disagree! Throughout history this country has shown to be extremely fair on all issues especially in the work place. This outcry over companies not hiring women, based purely on the fact of their gender and this infamous “pay gap” must surely be a hoax created just to further support the laziness of the female population. Companies should not be required to hire within certain parameters as that could hurt the overall masculinity of the working world!
Many of you have probably noticed adorable puppies walking around campus with vests on. These dog are service dogs in training and are most commonly Labradors at Penn State. Service dogs are dogs that are trained to be extremely well tempered and docile at minimum but can also be trained to retrieve things or do other tasks for more severely disabled persons. Their uses can go from visiting a hospital or school and just being friendly enough to play with patients or students to relieve stress or as advanced as providing one person with more specific skills such as seeing eye dogs and autism companions.
There is actually a club on campus that is dedicated to continuing the use of service dogs in every day society; this club is called Roar for More. It is a non-profit organization associated with Susquehanna Service Dogs. Puppies who will eventually become service dogs are sent to live with a college student who is to take them to classes and other places with them and the puppy will live with the student for a period of time until they are old enough to begin training. This allows the puppies to begin getting socialized which in turn makes training more successful and typically accelerates the time period of the training.
What makes this club unique from Susquehanna Service Dogs is that it is a completely student run organization that works in collaboration with Susquehanna Service Dogs. It was founded in 2014 so it is a fairly new club however they have been very successful. In their first year alone they had 5 puppies in training and it has doubled in its second year at Penn State. The 1 to 1 ratio of puppy raiser to puppy allows for one on one time while still allowing the puppy to become socialized due to the fact the puppy will attend classes with the puppy raiser. Puppy raisers can apply and then are given multiple training sessions to make sure they are qualified to care for the puppies. Most of the puppies will go on to advanced training for more specific cases of service because they are so successful in the normal training period.
At Penn State the dogs involved with Roar for More are all Labradors which I did a post on earlier but here’s a recap. Labs are known for their extremely good temperament which makes them ideal candidates to become service dogs. They originated from New Foundland and became valuable to hunters for their retrieval skills, hence the name Labrador Retriever. This also comes in handy for being a service dog as they can be trained to get things for their blind owners or pick up things that their owners may drop and may be to incapacitated to get it on their own.
Golden Retrievers a close cousin of the Lab is also known for being a common breed among service dogs, followed closely by German Shepherds. German Shepherds are also common among military and police dogs while standard poodles are gaining traction in the service dog world.
A strong rhetorical analysis of satire should include:
1. An argumentative thesis claim and strong topic sentences
Going to include how he takes trumps own words a twists them and how he words his questions to mock trumps views as well as the different fallacies, figures and strategies he employs
2. A convincing analysis of the satirists’ rhetorical tactics
Analyze the devices outlined in the thesis to expose how stephen colbert uses the fallacies and figures to mock trumps views and what his real views actually are
3. A compelling introduction and interesting conclusion
Focus on the issue and how stephen colbert actually feels about it underneath the satire
4. Strong organizational principles
Going to organize it in chronological order with whichever clip I decide on
Double Dapple
