I’d like to think I’ve done my fair share of travelling. In the last dozen years or so I’ve been to Chicago, Nashville, China, Disney World twice, New York City, Toronto three times, Colorado, Myrtle Beach, Las Vegas, and Miami twice. This year I will be heading to Las Vegas again, after a mini road trip to Indianapolis. As many of us are going to be travelling in the next week or so, I thought I would share some of my pointers to ensure you have a good experience.

Planning/Booking
If you don’t have something lined up by now, you may be in a world of hurt. Rooms may be getting scarce and airfare is through the roof, since most of March is marked as peak travelling. Some Web sites, like Expedia, have last minute deals, but if you are going to a spring break hotspot, you will most likely be paying a premium.

At the Airport
Show up to the airport well before your departure. You’ll want to show up at least two hours early for domestic flights and at least three hours early for international flights. (Keep in mind that these are only estimates and you should allow lots of extra time.)

Confirm your airline's checked baggage policies. A few years ago, most, if not all, airlines allowed two pieces of checked baggage. Now there are a handful that only allow one checked piece. For the sports enthusiasts out there, most airlines will allow you to take your gear in place of one checked bag but they all have their own variety of exactly how much you can bring. Check with your airline’s Web site.

Carry on luggage is usually limited to one piece and a personal item. For example, this means a small suitcase and a backpack. Prepare for everything to be checked at security. The strict rules are still in effect so that means no lights or liquids over three ounces in your carry-on.

Money
Money is probably the biggest determining factor in where you go and for how long. Sure, you can get a room in Hicksville, USA for practically nothing, but there’s nothing to do. Places like Miami, Vegas or Mexico are going to require a good sum of money if you want the best time.

In order to avoid coming back broke or in debt, plan a budget for your trip. Allocate a certain amount of cash for the duration of the trip and break it down into a daily budget. Go over that budget and you’re done for the day.

Furthermore, don’t carry all your cash on you all at once. It’s an easy way to not only go over your budget, but to lose it or have it stolen. Take traveler’s checks and cash them in as needed or use the same theory with an ATM. It never hurts to come back to school spending less than what you had planned.

You should avoid using credit cards too much as well. You might spend all of your money and start swiping like crazy, but then you are hit with a $500 bill the next month with no way to pay it off. Keep the plastic in your wallet except for emergency purposes.

Look to cut any unnecessary corners along the way.

Walk a dozen blocks instead of taking a taxi. Enjoy the nice weather you paid a premium to fly to see. The second time I went to Miami, we walked around 20 blocks a night. It saved us a ton of cash and allowed us to really enjoy the atmosphere of the city.

Take advantage of a continental breakfast at your hotel, or a dollarmenu here and there, to save on food expenses. Buy small meals to eat in your hotel room, like cereal or Lunchables. The biggest cost you can save on, if you’re of age, is drinks. We all know you’re there to let loose and go crazy, but have a couple in the hotel while you’re getting ready to go. The environment is lousy but it’s better than paying $9 for a brew at the club.

Common Sense
And finally, using common sense can save you time, money and maybe your life. Travel in groups at night. Watch your drink at all times. Make sure everyone has a cell phone. Know of the nearest hospital or Planned Parenthood for free protection. Plan your route to the toilet in the middle of the night in the dark. Check for a plunger.

Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.

A recent chat online got me thinking about customer service. I wasn’t talking to a friend that works at fast food or a department store; I was chatting with a representative from Apple.

If one surfs to apple.com and goes to the store, he or she can find the option to talk online with an ‘expert.’ I was looking up the Macbook Air and decided to see what a sales rep would say about it.

I explained that I don’t have wireless Internet at home (Air is only wireless), my external hard drive is fire wire (Air has no firewire), and that I was very concerned with the higher price and loss of functionality compared to a baseline Macbook.

I felt like I was talking to a robot. This robot would look for key words in my question and display an automated response.

The rep would tell me that “people like it because of its size. It is great for people on the go. You could just throw it in a back pack and go.”

The last time I checked, my current backpack holds my laptop just fine, which begs the question; is there someone out there that is shrinking backpacks? If so, I guess this new computer is for me.

So not only did the rep do a terrible job of easing my mind about the problems, he/ she asked about five times during the chat if I was ready to buy the computer. I was very let down by Apple to have such a poor representative talking to me.

An article in last month's Printing Impressions magazine talks about customer service. The owner of American Printing of Rhode Island (APRI) says that his company choose not to use an automated answering system. He states that those force “inconveniences on the customers and send exactly the wrong kind of message.”

A quick Web search shows that automated answering systems have ‘grown in popularity’ over the last few years, although that is from the side of the business rather than that of the customer.

Gethuman.com is a great Web site that explains how to get through to a real operator. In my case, by the time I’m calling the company, I have a question that can’t be answered by the Web site, and it’s highly unlikely that a restrictive answering system will be able to help me.

Life was never meant to be easy. It is a constant struggle that we all go through. We all hit hard spots. We all run into brick walls that seem to stop our progress dead in our tracks.

There are things in life that we think we need so bad. We work so hard to gain these things, but it just never seems good enough. After a while we begin to let this unattainable dream control our lives. No matter how hard we try, we can’t look past it. Happiness can only be had if we learn to look around the brick wall. Sometimes the wall simply can’t be worked through. Sometimes we just have to give up and walk around it.

If we stay behind that wall, constantly beating on it, life will always be a miserable footnote to what was waiting around the wall, down the other path. These walls block out the people that care for us. They block the other goals that we were working for. They block our ability to be happy.

Some of the best advice I’ve ever been given, is to just let go. It’s so hard, but sometimes it is what is best. To let go means to admit that all that work was for naught. To let go feels like admitting that the past five years of my life were wasted. If we don’t let go, the years will continue to go by, each year hurting more than the previous.

Once we learn to let go though, we can learn that those years weren’t wasted. The things that we learn about our selves through those years after letting go are so valuable. I would have never learned that there is more to my life then just caring for one other person. I learned that I can open up to people. I am learning that my friends are numerous. I’m learning that I have a God and a family that cares for me no matter what.

Robert Anthony, a prominent lawyer and member of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, said that, “Most people would rather be certain they’re miserable, than risk being happy.”

Why is it that it is so much easier to get caught up in selfloathing, persisting in something that we know is going to hurt us? God gave me a heart of love that loves unconditionally; a heart that refuses to break a commitment even though it doesn’t have a choice. I find myself lost in dreams of old memories. What I don’t realize is that those dreams are like a maze. Every time I walk through that forest, I run into a wall, having to retrace back through. It’s hard, but I need to let God lead me out of the maze. There is only one way out; I can’t keep walking back in, hoping that I’ll some how walk out the other side forging new memories. God doesn’t want me in that maze. No one should take their lives down a dead end trail. Too much time is wasted in turning around.

I once read an antithetical statement by a Russian academic named Leo Rosten. He said, “I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.”

I agree with him. I don’t think we were put here to be happy. I believe we were put here to serve. I believe that if there is ever a time in my life where my situation is hindering my service to my beliefs and goals, then my life is not worth living. That is why I have to let go. I can no longer let myself be distracted by my follies in life. I need to allow myself to grow and to serve so that I can feel like I am worth something. Yes, the purpose of life isn’t to be happy, but if I am living the will of God and making my life worth something bigger than my self, I will be happy.

Good morning readers. How are you feeling today? Are you well rested? I must tell you, I am not. And it’s my own fault. I did not manage my time wisely and ended up working until 3 a.m. on assignments that were due the next day. And I bet I’m not the only one. Would you like to know what our poor scheduling will cost us?

Let’s break it down. We’ll talk about the money first. The Ferris Web site states that tuition is $282 per credit hour, which means it costs $846 for a three-credit class. There are 76 actual class days in this semester, which means we pay $11.13 per day for that class. Four classes equal $44.52 per day.

If you’re not getting enough sleep at night, you may not be getting your money’s worth. It’s hard to pay attention when you can barely keep your eyes open.

Then there is the matter of your health. The Journal of American Medical Association links lack of sleep with weight gain, depression, cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The book, “Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep” adds the problems of short temperedness and loss of motivation.

None of that is good for grades. And there is that pesky problem of all those drivers who fall asleep at the wheel.

So we agree that not getting enough sleep is a bad thing. What’s the flip side of that pillow – I mean, coin?

The ever-popular Internet site WEBMD credits adequate sleep with a stronger immune system. Sleeping recharges your brain’s battery, resulting in, um, what was it they said? Oh yes, improved memory.

Nearly all of the sources I checked mentioned a correlation between sleep and stress. Better sleep habits equal lower stress levels. That, along with the strengthened immune system, translates into less illness during this cold and flu season. Cosmetic advantages, not that you need any, include clearer skin and prevention of dark circles under your eyes.

If you are able to get a good night’s sleep, you are among the lucky ones. Remedies for insomnia and other sleep disorders are a multimillion-dollar industry in this country. Over-the-counter and prescription drugs, psychological counseling, even sleepaid machines are being used to help people meet the sandman. (No, not Adam Sandler. I mean the fairy tale…oh, never mind.)

You may have heard of sleep apnea, the disorder where a person stops breathing literally hundreds of times per night. The person may be totally unaware of this sleep/wake cycle; all he/ she knows is how tired he/she is the next day.

Sleep apnea patients may be given a CPAP machine to aid in their breathing. It is basically an air pump and humidifier with a hose attached to a mask the patient wears via a nylon harness. The machine gently forces air into the nose, maintaining a steady flow of oxygen.

My husband uses a CPAP. It’s a little like sleeping with Darth Vader. (You remember, “Hoooo-haaaa…” well, maybe not.)

College students have some special challenges to getting enough rest. If you live in a dorm, you have all those dropin neighbors and their high-volume musical choices. Have you tried earplugs? Considering all the Walkmans and iPods I see around campus, you probably wouldn’t find them uncomfortable.

Even offcampus, it seems to be expected that you’ll just naturally want to stay up until the wee hours and sleep in as late as you can. There’s nothing natural about that. Your body would very much like it if you would go to bed at about the same time most nights and sleep for eight or nine hours. That’s not always possible, but it’s a good target to shoot for.

You may be interested to know that studies show a good night’s sleep is more effective in obtaining a better test grade than an all-night cramming session. That shouldn’t be a great surprise. We all know that being sleepy interferes with our ability to focus, concentrate and think clearly.

Those tests are important. Our being here puts us in a pretty special category. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the year 2000 only 24.4 percent of U.S. citizens ages 25 or over had a bachelor’s degree or higher. And we’re all going to get our degrees, right?

Well, maybe. Records show only 84 percent of us who are enrolled now will graduate. Getting enough rest will give us a better chance to achieve that goal and many others. So tonight, please get some sleep.

Your Facebook page is covered with quirky bumper stickers. Your top friends are in order and you just posted your latest pictures from this past weekend. You’re all set to do your homework, so you scroll down to your friends, click on your teachers page to see what your teacher has posted. Facebook, a social networking Web site, is expanding its borders to include new applications, but also may inspire a new way of teaching.

As new social networking sites become more popular and technology changes, teachers are finding new ways to reach out to students.

This semester I am in a capstone class that allows a group of six students to make a book from a concept to a finished piece. Facebook is helping our class by allowing all of our classmates, and even our teacher, to access and post comments, videos, and pictures to help communicate with each other.

So far, the group has been successful. It has allowed all of us to communicate and post ideas in a familiar environment. The group is set up to allow non-classmates to comment on our ideas, and give their input as well. The website also lets us keep track of progress, and document what went on during the class period. If somebody missed class, they could post their input or catch up on what they had missed. I think many teachers can benefit from this concept to allow students to check up and communicate within specific classes.

This year has also been the first year that I have watched videos on YouTube.com in class. Behind all the pointless videos YouTube.com offers, many educational videos that are current, short and accessible are offered on its Web site. It won’t be too long before entire lectures can be posted on YouTube.com for students to reference.

In addition to many teachers getting into Facebook, many companies now have their own pages. Companies like American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch and Target have Facebook pages that display new fashions. Many different users join their site as “fans,” and updates will be notified during the next login. This new way of communicating is bringing on a whole new way of advertising, and many brands and organizations are also using this process to gather fans as well.

Along with the countless applications, I came across a fake H&R Block Tax application. Any Facebook user can use the application to fill out a fake, but accurate tax form, and receive virtual money to spend on a Social Life Simulator. Many companies are now using Facebook’s networking ability to have customers interact with advertising almost like a game. I think that this will definitely hook more people into the product, even if it is related to taxes.

As you can see, Facebook is expanding its borders to include many new games and applications. Hidden under the applications you can find a new way to communicate in the classroom or in the industry. With the ever changing world, Facebook will definitely stick around.

If you’re still not sure what to do for spring break this year, you could try doing what almost one in 100 Americans is going to do: Stay in prison. According to a study from the Pew Center, one in every 99.1 men and women in the United States are in prison or jail. This means that prisons and jails will be among the most popular places to spend spring break this year.

And if you’re male, you’ll be in really good company. According to MSN Encarta, nearly 93 percent of all prisoners in the United States are male. In Canada, it’s 97 percent. (Female incarceration rates in the United States are higher because of harsh sentencing for illicit drugs.) This means that approximately 1 in 54 American males are in prison or jail. For females, it’s 1 in 714.

Sure, some people may consider these high imprisonment rates to be disturbing. Many people imprisoned for victimless crimes are needlessly kept away from their children, and children with parents in prison can suffer from a variety of problems that could make them more likely to commit serious crimes. A research summary from Public Safety Canada says that “Longer sentences were associated with a 3 percent increase in recidivism.” It also reported that findings suggest “support to the theory that prison may serve as a ‘school for crime’ for some offenders.”

Excessive imprisonment rates may cause increases in crime, but who cares? On washingtonpost. com, Ramesh Ponnuru wrote, “When I see a headline about a record incarceration rate, I’m glad. Aren’t you?” And why wouldn’t Ponnuru be glad? According to MSN Encarta, “Punishing those who violate society’s rules satisfies a desire for vengeance or retribution.”

But I don’t see any reason to call it punishment. I know of at least a few people who enjoyed their time in jail. One of them even tried getting sent back. Why wouldn’t you want to spend spring break in jail?

I’m not suggesting you do something illegal. That would be illegal. I’m just suggesting that you start reporting yourself every time you do something that you would have done anyway. If you’re under 21, just call the police and let them know next time you drink. If you drive after drinking, let the police know, regardless of your age. If you smoke marijuana, even casually, make sure the police know it. Keep your cell phone handy when you drive so you can phone the police every time you go over the speed limit. If you ever find yourself giving in to the temptation to get free music by violating copyright law, call the company that holds the copyrights. With any luck, they’ll call the police for you.

If you do enough of these things at the right times and places, you’ll almost certainly find yourself in prison or jail by the time spring break rolls around. I’m not personally going to do it this year because I already had planned to not be in prison or jail during spring break. But if you do it, give me a call to let me know if you found spring break to be sufficiently relaxing. Don’t forget to buy an incarceration- related souvenir for your mom!

Dear Mr. Editor,
As I considered this problem of violence towards women, my thoughts turned to the bigger picture of the state of our society and the families that form it.

Violence to women is a result of a broader problem - the breakdown of families, and of the principles that promote healthy families. We should remember that the One who designed families designed them to bring joy to all the members of the family, not grief as we see so much of today.

God’s design was that men should act with consideration and respect toward all women, and that a man should love his wife just as much as he loved himself. Women, naturally, would respond with respect, and a wife who was selflessly loved by her husband would respond with the selfless love and service that have shed a nearly hallowed glow over the role of a wife and mother through history.

Children, too have a place in God’s design - not as burdensome interruptions resulting from selfish behavior, but instead as one of God’s most precious gifts, treasured by its recipients. Raised with love and nurtured with care, children might be a joy and delight to their parents.

Some think it idealistic, yet there are still homes today whose happiness attests to its reality. I would like to propose that a return to this age-old design is what we need for today.
- Abigail Wagner

Dear Editor,
As a participant in the “Vagina Monologues,” it hurts me that there are people who feel this production is a disgrace to women. I have been in the production for four years now; I cannot imagine putting my time and effort towards a better cause than this. The fact that people are talking about it, no matter their opinion, is actually the point of all of this.

When The Vagina Monologues was first performed by Eve Ensler, the word vagina was met with controversy and discomfort, much like we still see today. This resistance however, creates the awareness that V-Day strives for. This mission of V-Day is to end violence against women and girls; to break the silence and to make people aware of the violence that affects one in three women throughout the world.

The cast of the show each year, the supporters and all those who help and contribute to this cause and this performance are part of the change. They want to see an end to violence and that is why we talk about it, and why we raise money.

I am proud that I am a woman and proud that I can stand up and speak out for other women. I too am one of those statistics, one that has experienced that violence and it is an honor to stand on stage with such supportive women and try to educate, advocate and empower others. It’s about hope for the future and the small successes that make the difference.
- Nichole Wheelock V-Day Student Coordinator

Dear Editor,
I personally am in favor of allowing concealed weapons on college campuses. Growing up in rural West Michigan, I learned that a gun is a tool similar to a hammer; it has the ability to inflict great harm in the wrong hands. To address the concern about concealed pistols, I will say that most perpetrators of these atrocities will not go to the trouble of obtaining a concealed weapons permit. The shooter at N.I.U. also smuggled a shotgun in a guitar case. This shows that it’s nearly impossible to stop somebody this determined to commit disaster. It is unfortunate that he chose that road. I believe the students of FSU, meeting the strict state requirements, should be able to take their protection into their own hands. Classes in Michigan require showing competency in handling, accuracy, and defusing a situation before resorting to violence. According to the state of Michigan there are thousands of legal citizens carrying every day. You probably haven’t thought to look twice at who might be carrying. I believe there should be obvious safe guards, such as registration with DPS, and a required single room policy for on-campus students wishing to carry to avoid the possibility of the gun falling into the hands of a roommate. The thing that most appeals is the idea that if such a thing were to ever happen here, somebody could stand up and do something before there is a death toll.
- Austin M. Turnes