Month: November 2016

Now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas season is finally upon us. Or is it the holiday season? America is incredibly diverse, and appealing to everyone is tough. 

The name of the “holiday” or “Christmas” season we are in has become a topic of concern when it really should not be. This season is about spreading joy and cheer, not about making sure everyone who gets a cup of coffee at Starbucks is not offended.

At most stores and restaurants are festive decorations, and while looking at them I see a trend. Each year it seems more and more that the season now marketed is referred to as “holiday season” instead of “Christmas.” This is done in order to include more people, because the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as Christian is dropping and therefore the term “Christmas” cannot appeal to everyone.

Is saying “Merry Christmas” offensive to those who are not Christians? The answer to anything that is offensive is look at the intent. Happiness and joy are prevalent emotions this time of year, and what someone wishes me is meant to further those emotions, not evoke negative ones. 

Folks like me love Christmas because it is a great time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, and reflect on how I live my life and a reminder to be charitable, courteous and loving. So when I say “Merry Christmas, ” it is not intended to offend anyone, rather it is a way to express joy and compassion.

As a Christian, it is imperative for me to reflect the light of Christ to all those who I come in contact with, and therefore I cannot conform to the “Happy Holidays” that are becoming more prominent. However, I would not be offended either if someone who was Jewish told me “Happy Hanukkah.” This season should be about much more than what we call it.

Remember where Christmas came from. It was not always a time to buy, give and get gifts. It is not about Santa, reindeer or caroling. Christmas came about to celebrate the birth of Christ when Rome became converted to Christianity. Kwanzaa is also a celebrated holiday this time of year, along with Hanukkah and Boxing Day, among many others. Despite the rich Christian heritage of the United States of America, no one holiday is greater than the other.

I do not take offense when I hear or see something other than “Merry Christmas.” “Happy holidays” is not intended to offend me, it just gives non-Christians a reason to celebrate and commemorate this season. It is incredibly important to remember and respect the intent behind the words and celebrations this time of year.

Whatever ever our religion or belief, I think we all can agree that whatever this season is called, it is about giving. Offense should not be intended or taken regarding the name of this special time of year. Remember the reason for the season. 

I would like to address the lack of promotion for women’s athletic events on campus.

I am a member of the Dixie State University women’s basketball team. There have been multiple instances that the men and the women’s basketball teams play on the same night and posters around campus have only advertised for the men’s game. I think this is very disrespectful especially considering student government is who puts the posters together. I thought they were supposed to support all students. 

I understand the men’s team generates more supporters than the women’s team, but that does not mean they shouldn’t promote the games equally. I’m sure you can see why this would be frustrating. As a player on the team, I fully understand that the men’s team is going to have more supporters, but it is really terrible when your game isn’t even recognized on campus posters. The women work just as hard as the men do to play college sports so they should be supported by their fellow students just the same. 

I think that this issue needs to be brought to light especially because it’s our own student government who is failing to recognize and equally support all teams. Every team should get equal recognition for their sport regardless of what gender. Student athletes are a big part of the identity of Dixie State and they should be recognized for their hard work and dedication to education, their sport and this university. 

Ashlee Burge
Junior business major
From Riverton

When you are writing your goals down for 2017, don’t leave out the one that can have the biggest impact.

We’re in the midst of the holiday season and soon many people will be daydreaming, talking about and writing down their resolutions for 2017. Let’s not write down the worn-out resolutions we do every year, and make them a little more meaningful this time around. 

Since I can remember, the week before New Year’s my parents sat the kids down and had us write down our New Year’s resolutions. Mine were similar every year: get good grades, save money, and live healthier. As most stories like this end, my goals fell by the wayside, and I continued about my year not making any significant changes to accomplish my resolutions.

I’ve wondered about this cycle and have puzzled over why this happens. As I reflect on the resolutions I’ve made in the past, I realize that they’ve almost always been exclusively self-serving.

What if we made our resolutions about connecting with others and adding value to the world around us?

In the 75 year-long Grant Study done by Harvard University, it’s been shown that good relationships make us happier and healthier. The study followed the lives of hundreds of people from different backgrounds through their lives and concluded that human connection was the factor that connected people who described their lives as satisfying.

This year, cultivating quality relationships is at the top of my resolution list. Not only because it is sort of self-serving (who doesn’t want to be happier and healthier?), but it also involves helping the people I care about and the people I haven’t yet met.

Here are some things you can try if you have a similar resolution:

Put your phone down

My most meaningful moments, conversations and memorable nights happened when I either forgot my phone at home or decidedly left it in my purse.

I am a slave to my phone on most days and many people in my generation are as well. Whether it is checking work emails, scrolling through Instagram, or watching YouTube videos, our portable distraction devices put a wall between us and the people who actively want to be a part of our lives. The tool created as a utility to make our lives easier has simultaneously hindered our potential to be present and in the moment with the people closest to us.

Respect the relationships you have by resisting the urge to check your phone when you’re with the people you care about. You might be surprised how much more satisfying the interaction is.

Stop the small talk

Small talk is the death of meaningful human connection. Instead of talking about the weather, sports teams or celebrities, allow yourself to be genuinely curious about the person you’re interacting with. Everyone has a different background with a unique story to share.

Ask questions. Be curious. Not only will you form a deeper connection with the person, but you’ll probably end up learning something new. Don’t waste your time — or theirs — by talking about stuff that doesn’t really matter.

Provide help

In a world where so many people are afraid to ask for help when they really want or need it, being attentive can go a long way in forming a solid connection. Whether it is with a friend, co-worker, romantic partner or family member, being of service to the people we interact with adds value to the relationship. Not only will it improve the tone of the relationship, but you’ll also probably feel happy you were able to be of service to someone.

Not only should you look for ways to help the people around you, also learn how to accept help without a fuss. Put away your pride when someone reaches out to help — it is doing as much good for them as it is for you.

As much as we’d like to believe we can do it all on our own, we need quality human connection to be happy, healthy people. Let’s make 2017 a fulfilling, happy year.

If undergraduate students wait to get married until after they get a degree, their future and their wedding plans are more likely to be successful.

I am 19 years old and I feel like I have so much to accomplish before marriage, like traveling around the world and maintaining a steady job. So instead of worrying about school while planning a wedding, I’m going to wait until I graduate, and other students should do the same.

A marriage is more likely to succeed if the couple has graduated from college first, said Stephanie Sternberg in CNN article “Saying ‘I do’ while studying at the U.”

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 18 percent of undergraduate students choose to get married before getting a degree. Marriage is a good life decision, but it would be a better decision to be able to afford a nice wedding and not have to worry about schooling while living a married life.

Social environments change over the years, like teenagers getting married, or young adults working instead of earning a degree. It’s why students have come up with different perspectives about marriage, but what does not change is the financial opportunities that single students get, like the cost to rent a single dorm, which is about 250 dollars a month, compared an apartment for a married couple, which is about 600 to 800 dollars a month.

As a single student I save about 2000 dollars a semester by living at home. I can afford groceries and other personal expenses while working two minimum wage jobs. It would be hard to be working a minimum wage job, or one close to minimum wage, and trying to afford school and maintaining a household.

It’s financially more difficult for married students today than five years ago, said Kelly Roberts, a marriage and family therapist and clinical instructor at Oklahoma State University in the article “Saying ‘I do’ while studying at the U.” She cited in the article the decreasing number of student loans available and how married students are taking on more jobs to cover expenses.

I have two jobs and it is tough to keep up with a busy schedule and work at the same time, just taking care of myself, which would be more difficult for married couples.

When a couple graduates and they both have stable jobs, they are more likely to be able to afford a dream wedding with all of its perks like a high quality dress, venue, reception and all the details in between without having to pay for tuition, books and other bills. 

In a world saturated by fake news, conspiracy theories and speculation, objective journalism is in a rocky state.

The 2016 election was the tip of the iceberg for fake news. Some are even calling 2016 the year of “post-truth” because of this.

There was a broad range of fake news stories, from Trump winning the popular vote to Pope Francis endorsing Trump and many, many more. Our own president-elect has even had his fair share of jumping the gun on misinformation. An example of this is when Trump tweeted “Just out according to @CNN: ‘Utah officials report voting machine problems across entire country.'” CNN had to later correct his tweet and said it was just Washington County, not the country.

According to an article by BuzzFeed News, an analysis found 38 percent of the time three major right-wing Facebook pages published fake news, and nearly 20 percent of three big left-wing Facebook pages did the same.

As journalists, it’s our duty to be objective. We’ll admit that it’s nearly impossible to be objective 100 percent of the time, but good, honest journalists will always strive to be objective. Complete objectivity doesn’t exist because no person is completely objective. To compensate, journalists need to have good journalistic practices like double-checking facts, researching before-hand, and giving both sides to a story. As the Dixie Sun News staff, we strive for these things.

We live in a time where our president-elect has repeatedly called out the media for not being objective. So, as journalists, we need to strive to continue to be objective and make sure what we’re putting out there doesn’t add to the already large pile of fake news. 

Consumers may not know which media sources they can turn to in their time of finding news.

Facebook and Google have recently taken steps to assure that fake news doesn’t spread, but that is still not enough. Some consumers are taking these fake stories as fact, and that is not OK.

It’s very common for consumers to confuse fact with opinion, such as cable news network talk shows and opinion sections in newspapers.

Pause before pushing the share button on social media sites. Make sure what you’re putting out there is true and accurate. Even though consumers oftentimes don’t create the fake news, consumers are responsible for spreading it. Don’t just rely on one media site for your news, be aware of your own biases, and read beyond the headline. Headlines are meant to grab attention and can be exaggerated. 

Don’t be the bearer of fake news.

There’s a whole industry built on fake news and clickbait articles, and every click is a vote for what kind of journalism you’d like to see endure. Let’s make it the honest kind.