Tuesday, March 19

Opinion

Pitiful Prison
Opinion

Pitiful Prison

By Molina Smalley, Contributing Writer Pictures by Molina Smalley The following article represents the author's opinion about a specific topic. The information is backed up and was proofread by our editors. Freedom of speech is part of the First Amendment of the US Constitution and therefore every writer has the right to share his or her opinion. Feel free to email your editors about any issues with the article or leave your comment here. The infamous St. Louis Zoo is voted one of America’s top free attractions, dedicated to connecting people with animals. It prides itself on being the "leading zoo in animal management, research, conservation, and education." With many attractions and highlights, the St. Louis Zoo is "home" to over 17,000 animals of 600 different species. All these anima...
The War on Drugs
Opinion

The War on Drugs

By Kyle Shahenian, Contributing Writer Pictures provided by google.com The following article represents the author's opinion about a specific topic. The information is backed up and was proofread by our editors. Freedom of speech is part of the First Amendment of the US Constitution and therefore every writer has the right to share his or her opinion. Feel free to email your editors about any issues with the article or leave your comment here. Before I forget, I do not promote the use of any of the illegal substances mentioned in this article. My purpose here is to educate. In 1971, United States President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse "public enemy number one." The War on Drugs has resulted in a wide array of consequences, most notably, billions of wasted taxpayer dollars, racial inj...
The Big Mysteries of Financial Aid
Campus News, Local News, News, Opinion

The Big Mysteries of Financial Aid

By Landon Cole, Contributing Writer Like many college students, I fall into a category that can make the financial aid process difficult. The Federal Student Aid office grossly overestimates my family’s contribution to my education when, in reality, I paid out-of-pocket for my associate’s degree from a community college, and I’m relying on loans to pay for my bachelor’s degree. The EFC (estimated family contribution) is calculated using parents’ combined household income to estimate a student’s eligibility for federal direct subsidized and unsubsidized student loans. These EFCs are often tied up in mortgages and car payments and are not accurate estimates of parents’ ability or willingness to pay for their child’s education. In my case, because the Department of Education estimates that my...
When Eating Becomes a Struggle
Advice, Campus News, Opinion

When Eating Becomes a Struggle

By Alec Deyong, Contributing Writer Love it or hate it, Ames dining hall is ground zero for a great deal of the complaints that students lob at McKendree University. Between the variety, the quality, the staff, and the hours, it is hard for a small campus to make everyone happy. For some, however, it goes beyond mere inconvenience. Whether it be by choice or by way of genetic lottery, there are students among us that have varying dietary restrictions—from vegetarians to students with severe allergies. These restrictions can make everyday life for students much more complicated. Taking into account all the factors that stress out the average college student, the last thing anyone wants to add to the concoction is a lack of fuel. One person who is anxious to face this reality is senior Mad...
Why You Should Try Sea of Thieves
Advice, Opinion

Why You Should Try Sea of Thieves

By Andrew Gardewine, Contributing Writer The video game industry has been constantly changing for the last fifty years starting off with the first ever and very simple game, Pong, to more recent, complex games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Fortnite, Overwatch and League of Legends. The most popular genre of games nowadays is multiplayer shooters with linear gameplay: Kill the enemy teams, win the game. Now, I’m not saying these games are bad, I play and enjoy many of these games regularly. However, there is one game like very few others that goes against the fad and popularity today. Released in 2018 on March 20th, Sea of Thieves is considered an action-adventure game. At face value the game is just a simple pirate game dropping you into a tropical world as a simple sailor to go out and sear...
MSOT vs. OTD: OMG
Opinion

MSOT vs. OTD: OMG

By Caylin Dean, Contributing Writer McKendree University is one of the few schools in the area that offers a pre-professional program for occupational therapy; therefore, attracting much attention from prospective students who are interested in the career. Occupational therapy (OT) is a form of rehabilitation that examines a patient holistically and assists them in recovering from an injury, living with a disability, or participating in everyday meaningful activities that help them lead a life of meaning and purpose. OT is a great field that is very diverse in opportunities and is growing in popularity. Due to some upcoming changes, those interested in the profession may want to consider their options before they commit. Just as physical therapy mandated in 2015, those achieving a degree...
How Students are Sabotaging One Another at McKendree
Campus News, Opinion

How Students are Sabotaging One Another at McKendree

By Loren Terveer, Contributing Writer You are laying in bed after a long day of classes and activities. Your eyes slowly shut and your mind wanders. You begin to drift into sleep as the warm blankets cocoon you in comfort. Just as your breathing falls into a sleepy rhythmic beat you hear it. SLAM! Your neighbor comes home and slams their front door. THUMP! THUMP! The students who live upstairs begin to move their furniture into a new feng shui. CLICK! The light claws at your eyelids as your roommate comes into the room and switches on the overhead lamps. The distractions pile up, flooding your ears, and the mere idea of sleep eludes you. You are officially awake for the night. For many McKendree students, this situation is too familiar. One of the biggest frustrations in regards to liv...
Campus Connectivity Crisis: Students Take on the McKendree Wi-Fi
Campus News, Local News, News, Opinion

Campus Connectivity Crisis: Students Take on the McKendree Wi-Fi

By Madeline Cade, Contributing Writer In 2016, McKendree gave up cable in order to enhance our Wi-Fi connectivity. Fast forward to 2019 and we have more Wi-Fi problems than before the fix. There seem to be daily complications when completing or turning in online assignments. Ironically, even as I sat writing this piece, there were three times over the course of a few days where I had to stop due to little to no connectivity. I was genuinely interested in hearing what other students had to say about the McKendree Wi-Fi crisis. I first took to my Instagram to get input directly from students. I set up polls on my story to see what the Bearcats thought about the Wi-Fi. I started my survey by asking if they had ever had a problem with the Wi-Fi. I had 293 McKendree students answer this one.  ...
“McKendree” Rec Plex
Opinion

“McKendree” Rec Plex

By Jordan Heberg, Contributing Writer Pictures by Jordan Heberg The following article represents the author's opinion about a specific topic. The information is backed up and was proof read by our editors. Freedom of speech is part of the First Amendment of the US Constitution and therefore has every writer the right to share his or her opinion. Feel free to email your editors about any issues with the article or leave your comment here. Realistically, there are many problems at McKendree University. There is limited parking, the awful housing process, Ames food, and horrendous Wi-Fi, but the issue that sticks out the most to me is how students do not have a free membership to the Rec Plex. Being a student athlete, not having a free membership to the Rec Plex doesn’t seem to make sense. ...
Bryce Vine – The Ready Room
Entertainment, Opinion

Bryce Vine – The Ready Room

By Jordan Heberg, Contributing Writer Photo credits: Jordan Heberg On the night of the Bryce Vine concert, the Ready Room was packed with many people ready to listen to the fun music Bryce was about to play. Bryce Vine was giving me Fresh Prince swag at Ready Room. Clocking a constant smirk that said, “I got this,” Vine proved that the humblest move you can make is to believe in yourself. While some may categorize him as a “new artist,” for a decade he hustled and worked on creating “the star” he is today. If someone told me that there are a million hours of concert footage from every great performer in Bryce’s basement, I would say, “Of course.” He understands that it’s not simply about meeting or manipulating your audience’s energy; it is about surpassing it. Nobody in that room was ...