Month: November 2012

Imagine a regular routine life gone in a matter of seconds.

Dixie State College students brainstormed strategies as if the end of the world was coming tomorrow.

Lila Nelson, a sophomore biology major from Santa Clara, Calif,. said she doesn’t think an apocalypse is going to happen anytime soon, but if it did, she knows exactly what she’s going to do.

“If I found myself in the middle of an apocalypse, I would probably freak out and say a prayer,” she said.

With or without a prayer, Nelson really does have a plan if the end of the world were to come.

Nelson’s dad is an Eagle Scout and has taught her how to prepare for emergencies by using a 72-hour emergency kit called a “bug-out bag.” She would grab her bug-out bag that contains a fold-up tent, purifying water tablets, fire starter, emergency food, and two 16-ounce bottles of water, and make her way to her grandparents’ home in Toquerville.

“I think it’s important to have the necessary goods handy in case of emergencies, and that’s why I have my bag loaded and ready to go,” she said. “My dad taught me very well.”

In a time of chaos and destruction, some people plan to turn toward those they trust most.

Kylie and Griff Robles are a young married couple who have a 2-year-old boy and one more child on the way.

Kylie Robles, a senior communication major from Spanish Fork, is confident that her plan will work. Her first thought is to stay away from heavily-populated areas.

“I would stay away from downtown St. George, Costco and Wal-Mart because that’s where everyone else is going to go, and that’s just going to be full of chaos and danger,” she said.

Kylie Robles wouldn’t only be looking out for her 2-year-old and husband, but also her unborn baby.

“It’s scary to think about being pregnant because if I were to go out and try to fight the chaos, I would be putting two lives at risk: my unborn baby and myself,” she said.

Some may hurry and conquer while others may wait it out. The Robles believe it’s best to wait for the initial frenzy to pass, live off what they have, and then head out for survival when suitable.

Griff Robles, a junior business major from Spanish Fork, said he would be ready for the apocalypse. His first concern is to keep his family protected and sheltered.

“I would board up the windows of our home and make it as safe as possible,” he said.

He would make sure his guns were ready with plenty of ammo, and he would also find anything he can get his hands on to plant, harvest and eat.

“I would do everything I could to make our home safe and supplied with food, even if that includes leaving the house to provide,” he said. “Any animals that cross my path would be shot, killed and eaten.”

Whether it’s eluding town with a bug-out bag or surviving from home, DSC students have their plans for the apocalypse—if it ever comes.

As the Christmas season approaches, building gingerbread homes are a must.

The edible and decorative gingerbread is both fun and challenging to build. 

Whether it is snacked on immediately after its creation or displayed as a monument to holiday cheer, no Christmas season is complete without a gingerbread house.

Here are some simple steps to get the gingerbread house started.

Important questions to ask yourself before building a gingerbread house are as follows:

How big will it be? What will it be made of? What is going to happen to it afterward? Can this be done on a date instead of alone?

It’s important to know what you want the house to look like, so if you don’t already have a vision, you need to find one. A quick Google search of gingerbread houses can be inspiring.

If a gingerbread house is created to be eaten, focus on taste and don’t worry about appearance. If a house is created for display, focus on appearance and don’t worry about taste.

Once you know the intended size and look of the gingerbread house, you should sketch it out on paper. Then, with a vision in hand, you are ready to choose the materials.

You will need a platter or plate—something on which to build the house. The sturdier this is the better because any warping of the platter will disturb the walls and alignment of the house, maybe toppling it.

To make a small gingerbread house, a box of graham crackers should suffice. If a bigger gingerbread house is desired, baking real gingerbread is required.

I’ve only used graham crackers, and they work just fine. A well-planned graham cracker house can be a square foot, while gingerbread houses may be bigger based on the size of baking pans used.

Icing is also required. Store-bought frosting will work, but many people like to make their own, so they can customize the color with food coloring.

When piecing the house together, keep the vision in mind and plan ahead. Look at the plans and lay out the gingerbread pieces for each part of the house. Try to piece the parts together preliminarily, and make sure that everything will fit. Cutting down and re-shaping the gingerbread may be necessary to make things fit properly.

If you tend to create haphazardly like I do, fight the impulse. Rushing this process leads to unstable gingerbread homes whose looks reflect how poorly they were planned.

After everything has been planned out, it is time to use the icing.

The key with the icing is a minimalistic approach. The thinner the layer of frosting, the quicker it is to dry and adhere. 

Apply a thin layer on the edge of a corner piece and let it sit for a minute or two. Once it is tacky, stick it to the adjacent gingerbread piece and hold them together. Repeat this until the entire house is standing.

I am a long-time convert to the notion of if less is good, then more is better. Unfortunately, this principle doesn’t apply well to frosting. On my first attempt this year, I used far too much frosting and my house collapsed. I had to start all over again.

After you have the bricks and mortar, so to speak, you must decide how to decorate the house.

The smaller the decorations, the easier they are to manage. Peppermints, Skittles, Red Hots, Tootsie Rolls, etc., can be used to create a cute little cottage look. Of course, you are only limited by your imagination. 

On my second attempt, I created a long, rectangular house with a porch.    

Instead of Greek columns, my masterpiece had candy canes. I used blue frosting and some gold fish crackers to create a pond in the back and then lined the pond with Skittles. I used marshmallows to create a polar bear raiding the pond. Some gingerbread people tried to run off the bear, armed only with pretzel sticks. 

While gingerbread houses are fun to make by yourself, they are even more fun to do on a date. Create a competition and give awards for the best gingerbread house.

Share pictures from your creation on the Dixie Sun News Facebook page and let us know how your gingerbread house turned out.

Macklemore’s catchy songs about golden days and thrift store shopping are helping him gain popularity in the music industry and among the students of Dixie State College.

Though he may not be as commonly known as Yellowcard, last spring’s performance choice, the Dixie State College Student Association, as well as many students, are confident his concert will be a success.

Student Body President Brody Mikesell was the first to suggest Macklemore as the entertainer of choice. After some discussion, he and the rest of the executive council decided to take a poll on Facebook.

“We put out a survey asking students yes or no to Macklemore,” said Sami Warninck, DSCSA vice president of student life and a senior business major from Wanship. “We only received positive feedback and decided to move forward.”

Because Macklemore is not as mainstream as some of the other performers who have attended Dixie, like Yellowcard or Andy Grammar, there was some speculation as to why the DSCSA decided to have him come perform. 

But Warnick said bringing Macklemore to the college was based on what the students wanted, and not on his price tag. 

“Funding is always a consideration, but was not the deciding factor,” Warnick said. “His growing popularity with students on campus was what prompted us to bring him.”

So why is Macklemore such a hit with the college demographic?

“I like how real he is,” said Paul Stevenson, a junior integrated studies major from St. George. “He doesn’t just rap about provocative or dirty things. They are all things you can relate to or listen to and think about; it’s poetry in music.”

For some students, Macklemore’s style is what appeals to them.

“His style is more underground,” said Jeremy Garcia, a freshman CIT major from St. George. “It’s more intelligent rap and intelligent music, where most of the music that is more mainstream isn’t very intelligent.”

Holden Thatcher, a freshman business major from St. George, said Macklemore’s music brings more to listeners than just catchy tunes.

“The way that he writes his music is definitely different,” Thatcher said. “But I feel like as people pay closer attention to what music is saying they are catching on to and appreciating more of the message than just the sound and the beats.” 

Macklemore will be here to perform with his producer, Ryan Lewis, on March 8 of next year. The performance is scheduled on the Friday before Spring Break.

“We have had many students from Dixie and other schools already express interest in the concert,” Warnick said. “The concert will be a great Spring Break kickoff for students.”

So if you need an incentive to stay and attend your Friday classes before Spring Break, or don’t have any money to go on vacation, grab tickets and go see Macklemore.

College is a reason to break your bank; it shouldn’t be a reason to break your back.

Students around campus heave their heavy backpacks to and fro on a daily basis. But some students may be carrying more than the necessities, making achy backs and long-term difficulties a reality they may not be aware of.

It’s not all textbooks and calculators weighing Dixie State College students down. Some students unveiled what excess belongings—dull and exciting—they bring to campus with them, some realizing maybe it was more than they need.

Jordon Polatis, a junior accounting major from St. George, opened his loaded backpack, revealing a set of gym clothes, two packs of gum, and an empty Gatorade bottle in addition to his school essentials.

“I don’t really notice the extra weight,” Polatis said. “I guess it’s there, but it seems like the stuff I do need (books) are the majority of the weight.”

Haley Jeffery, a freshman general education major from Delta, unzipped her backpack to find a few things she didn’t even realize she was carrying: some candy wrappers, old birthday invitations, a half empty bottle of water, an old notebook, and her iPod touch.

“My backpack is normally not very heavy or exciting,” Jeffery said. “A few times I have considered those backpacks that roll, but I just don’t think I would ever buy one of those. But it probably would make it so I could carry more stuff.”

Backpacks that roll may not be the best solution for all, but some students are in constant pursuit of a way to lighten their necessary load.

Maddy Harmon, a junior health-science major from Mesa, Ariz., packs only the items needed for her daily class schedule and still finds the weight on her shoulders hard to manage.

“Books, notebooks, pens, highlighters, stethoscope and cuff are the only things I normally carry,” Harmon said. “It’s unreal how much it all weighs, but I need it all, and it’s easier to have everything with me instead of needing something and not having it.” 

Harmon said she tried leaving a few items in her car to lighten the load, but after too many forgotten essentials, she went back to her ways of carrying it all—all the time.

Gym clothes, stethoscopes and candy may seem like a priority now and not a significant amount of added weight. However, Scott Jeppson, director of nursing at Sterling Court Assisted Living Facility, said students tend to think short-term instead of long-term when it comes to packing around extra weight on a day-to-day basis.

“Students need to be careful and really think about what excess weight they choose to carry,” Jeppson said. “They may not feel the effects of it immediately, but just because they don’t notice it, doesn’t mean the damage is not being done.”

There are a number of things that may add to back pain, and carrying a heavy backpack should not be one of them.

“Trust me, just because you don’t notice it now doesn’t mean you won’t be kicking yourself when you’re 80 years old, wishing you’d left the extra stuff at home,” Jeppson said.