Along with Friday Night Fever’s De-Stresser events, Amnesty International will be hosting a letter writing event tonight in the Union Gardens at 9 p.m.

Writing letters to governments and other authorities that abuse human rights is how Amnesty International began their campaign, Conor Mullen, president of UW’s chapter of Amnesty International, said. “It’s such a simple act that really anyone, anywhere can do it. Overloading the post offices and mailboxes of the tyrannical influences can, and do, help free prisoners of conscious.” 

Amnesty International is a worldwide movement with 2.8 million supporters in more than 150 countries who work to end severe human rights abuse. 

“Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards,” Mullen said.

Tonight’s event will be a “hot cocoa social of sorts,” Mullen said. “Paired with some on-the-spot activism.” Members of Amnesty International will be writing letters on behalf of prisoners of conscious and advocating Amnesty International’s mission—human rights for all—while they sip their hot cocoa. 

With this event, Amnesty International is hoping to meet new people, introduce them to the group and promote the organization’s mission of protecting human rights for everyone. 

The group promotes human rights for everyone by targeting specific instances where some rights are not being observed at all. 

Amnesty International is not connected to any form of government, political ideology, economic interest or religion. Their funding mostly comes from their membership and public donations. 

Currently, Amnesty International is working on a specific campaign on campus in which they are attempting to gain a guarantee from a third party monitor that apparel displaying UW’s name, or logo is made while practicing fair labor.

Amnesty International is working to guarantee that no UW clothes are made in sweatshops. 

“We are not saying that UW clothes are made in sweatshops,” Mullen said. As of now, UW is signed on with the Fair Labor Association, which has some strong ties to the very companies it is overseeing, Mullen said. 

He said that this can create a conflict of interest. 

“[There is] a need for a stronger, more independent type of oversight,” he said.

In the past, Amnesty International has organized film festivals, music festivals called Jamnesty and teach-ins, which are workshops where people learn about specific issues. 

On campus, Amnesty International is a small group that is usually run by four or five people, and Amnesty International is always looking for new members.

Mullen said Amnesty International would like to have dedicated volunteers, who would help keep the group and its projects going. To get involved, anyone can drop by the group’s information table on Mondays in the Union breezeway, or contact Mullen at cmullen@uwyo.edu.

Email: Jamie Magrum

codyconnor

More Posts

Recent shakeups within the ASUW executive branch have led to the resignations of two executives. 

Unrelated to the executive resignations, Michael Pule, coordinator of SafeRide, also resigned last week. Pule was not available for comment on his reason for leaving.RECENT 

Tyler Neasloney, a senior marketing major who served as the director of public relations and marketing during the 2009-2010 school year and again this fall, and CJ Young, a senior in criminal justice who also served in both this year’s and last year’s executive cabinet, both resigned last week. 

Neither could be reached for comment regarding the resignations, ASUW president Cameron Nazminia cited, “Basic fundamental, philosophical differences between the two executives and the administration about what student government should and should not be focusing on.” 

“We are simply going in a different direction,” Nazminia said. 

ASUW vice president Liz Brown also commented on the resignations, saying that they were voluntary, and that the contributions that both Young and Nealsoney provided to ASUW were appreciated, and that they will be missed. 

Brown said issues including “independent motivation”, and “production output levels” were factors involved in Young and Nealsoney’s decisions to resign.

While the former executives reportedly resigned out of their own volition, a number of ASUW senators and volunteers have expressed concerns regarding the circumstances surrounding the matter. 

Chief among these concerns has been a question as to whether Young and Nealsoney were given the choice to resign or face termination.

Brown said that these were only rumors. 

Although a number of ASUW senators did comment off the record to the BI regarding the resignations, none were willing to provide further details.

ASUW has struggled with maintaining a consistent executive branch this semester, with the resignation of former director of diversity and student outreach Paul Weaver earlier this year, as well as the resignations of many senators in the legislative branch. 

Email: Bob Kubichek 

codyconnor

More Posts

Laramie fireman John Poulos and UWPD officer Jay Peyton talk after yesterday’s false alarm at the College of Business building. According to Poulos, false fire alarms are common in new buildings. 

codyconnor

More Posts

It’s the week before finals and most of us would agree that it is the one that strains our sanity more than finals week itself. Writing 20 pages of text, roughly making up some 16,000 words? Check. Fumbling with PowerPoint to make graphs look interesting in that grand presentation? Check. Taking the time to breathe? We’ll see about that.

While students have given this week the endearing name of “Dead Week,” the stress most students experience is nothing to trifle with. More assignments and scholastic pressure, as well as the seasonal change, can have severe effects on the mental health of students.

Unless you are a semiprofessional procrastinator, you should take the time to cope with that stressful class, problems with the significant other or whatever else might be freaking you out. The university offers a few options for that.

One of these is the “End of Semester De-Stresser” Friday. 

For the adventure seeker, there will be a mechanical bull to shake tense muscles—by making you hold onto a wildly rocking mechanical monster, whose only purpose is to throw you to the ground. 

However, if you prefer actual relaxation, massages will be available as well. Other de-stressors will range from video games to cotton candy. If any of this sounds like your kind of coping, make sure to go by the lower level of the Union at 9 p.m.

 Tips for Coping

- Develop a support group on campus

- Stay active

- Stick to a sleep schedule; avoid all-nighters

- Avoid stimulants like nicotine and caffeine

- Provide support; communicate and listen

Courtesy: Center for Disease Control

Another campus option is to pay the UW Counseling Center a visit. 

The center offers individual, couple and group sessions and you can set a time for treatment for the whole semester if you would like. The service is free and you definitely don’t have to be a nut-job to use it.

But when you look for support, you might not even need professional help. It can be as easy as talking to your family or a close friend. The Center for Disease Control lists suicide and depression as one of the greatest health risks to college students. 

One way to prevent this is to seek out the support one finds when talking about issues such as poor grades, dissatisfaction with oneself or perhaps too many expectations set by parents with someone they can trust.

Whatever the issues are you might be facing, find the coping mechanisms that help you the most. Studies have shown that something like watching TV can be a good break to take your mind off of things. 

However, studies also show that engaging in avoidance coping too often will not help you with chronic stress. By avoiding a big issue, more stress will build up over time, which will leave you feeling drained.

Just remember, this week and finals week are just two weeks of your life. Now that’s something not worth stressing about.

codyconnor

More Posts

The Student Senate voted on three pieces of legislation at Tuesday night’s meeting, with one bill awarding $7,500 from the general reserve to sponsor a spring break trip to Washington D.C. for 12 students.

The Student Senate voted on three pieces of legislation at Tuesday night’s meeting, with one bill awarding $7,500 from the general reserve to sponsor a spring break trip to Washington D.C. for 12 students.

Along with the spring break trip, there was a bill to require senators to volunteer for SafeRide once per semester and two bills were proposed to change some of the internal structure of ASUW in an elections reform act and committee reform act. 

On the spring break trip, the students will be given the opportunity to meet and interact with a federal congressional delegation as well as sight see in the nation’s capital.

Although ASUW is sponsoring the trip and the coordinators are looking for outside funding, students would be required to pay about $400 for the weeklong trip. 

However, some senators felt the bill was an inappropriate use of the general reserve fund.

“I see it as a PR trip where 12 students will have a phenomenal trip with ASUW footing part of the bill, and I don’t think that’s right,” said one senator. 

The coordinators of the trip said they would like to see it become an annual event that ASUW sponsors. 

The bill passed by a vote of 24-2. 

The senate also discussed, and once again voted down, a bill that would require senators to volunteer for SafeRide once per semester during their term. 

This is the third time in three years that a similar bill has come before senate and each time the bill has failed. 

“I like this bill because I realize SafeRide has a lot of issues finding volunteers,” Sen. Noah Hull said. 

yes on the bill and said he thought the only way to fix the problems with the program is go to and see what those problems are by volunteering. 

Senator for the College of Business Katie Cusack disagreed.

“I think we all come into a job with a job description and this was not in the one we had, it’s not fair to change a description half way through,” she said. 

Senator for the College of Health Sciences Bryan Dugas responded to her comments.

“I don’t think our description is changing, our job is to help and serve students its not changing at all,” said Dugas.

Senator Phil Abernathy, said that he didn’t feel volunteering for SafeRide guaranteed that he would talk with any of his constituents from the College of Business.

After the meeting, Senator Alex Sullivan-Brink, who also voted no, said he didn’t think ASUW should force senators to do the things they should already be doing. 

During the meeting senate also awarded $3,750 to the Chinese Students and Scholars association for its Chinese New Year celebration to take place next semester. 

Email: Erin Jarnagin 

codyconnor

More Posts

A 9-ball tournament will be held Friday in the billiards hall at 6:00 p.m. and will run until completion.

Sign-ups are open until 9 p.m. today for students in the billiards hall in the basement of the Union.

There is a men’s division and women’s division, with winners advancing to the Association of College Unions International Regional Recreational Tourney in Tucson, Arizona Feb. 3-5. 

The trip is paid for by the Union, according to tournament coordinator John Jenkins.

Jenkins also said that the participation has generally been low in recent tournaments, but there have been more people signing up for this year’s tournament.

There will also be a table tennis tournament following the billiards tournament Saturday, with the time still to be determined. 

There is no cost to participate in the event, and students are invited to watch the tournament if they do not want to participate

Students with questions or those interested in signing up should go to the billiards hall for more information.

Email: Sean Miller 

codyconnor

More Posts

Facebook is currently the most preferred service for sharing accounts for 78 percent of social network usage, according to socialnetworkingwatch.com. However, the evolution of social networks did not begin with Facebook; rather, the site’s popularity is the result of extensive attempts by various networking outlets that have all contributed to the progress social networking has made.

The internet has always been a medium for social activity. A Digitaltrends.com page titled The History of Social Networking states that long before Facebook was the now-archaic Bulletin Board System, which allowed users to share files and post messages to other users. Though the technology of the 80s and 90s restricted the potential of BBS sites, the concept resonated with the public and became popular. In the same era was CompuServe–a system that began to thrive in the 80s. Like BBS, it allowed users to share files and access events but it also provided the first true interaction between users and email. CompuServe didn’t invent email, but it was the first to offer email to the public. According to the Digitaltrends.com page, users could also join any of CompuServe’s thousands of discussion forums any time of day. Those forums proved to be incredibly popular and marked a big milestone in the evolution of social networking.

Many social networking sites existed throughout the 90s, but the next network that marked a major milestone was Friendster. A Social-networking.com page on the history of Friendster explained it is viewed as the original social networking site. It operated on the principle that an online community can only thrive between people that have common bonds and that there were plenty of ways to discover those bonds. This concept is what paved the way for subsequent online dating and business-oriented networks. LinkedIn arrived next on the scene and offered business people a way to connect with other professionals. Users on LinkedIn were referred to as ‘connections’ to emphasize the professional nature of the site.

MySpace arrived in 2003 and quickly became more popular than Friendster. It enabled members to access a wide array of media (predominantly music and music videos) through more intimate connections with artist’s actual profiles. Furthermore, it allowed members to create a unique space via funky, creative profile layouts and the ability to decorate with icons. With these new innovations, MySpace quickly garnered a membership three times the size of Friendster, reports a consumeraffairs.com page titled What’s Inside Myspace.com?

Facebook was launched in 2004 by Harvard students and existed as a campus-oriented network for two years before it opened to the public in 2006. The site has since garnered more than 500 million members and is leading social networking. According to a report released by techcrunch.com that details the top 50 websites in September, other leading networks of this year include Youtube, Blogspot, MySpace, and Twitter. The data by Techcrunch.com ranks the networks by the number of unique visitors each received throughout the entire month of September.

Social networking continues to evolve. In order to remain a leader of the social networking pack, Facebook needs to constantly work to propel itself forward. Its founders recently announced the launch of Facebook’s own email service, specifying that the network will provide an @facebook.com email address to any user that wants one.

While many might find it hard to remember what life was life prior to Facebook, it is important to give credit where credit is due and to recognize that social networking is process that continues to evolve. Facebook may be the front of social networks today, but one should always be excited for the next networking milestone that technology brings us.

Email: Davis Bonner 

codyconnor

More Posts

The International Student Association will be hosting their annual Etiquette Dinner from 6 p.m. to midnight this Saturday in the Union Ballroom.

“[The] Etiquette Dinner is an effort to introduce and promote the culture of different countries to the campus community,” Vagaban Subedi, events coordinator for ISA said.

Each year, this formal dinner is given a different theme based on countries or regions that are represented at UW. Speakers from the represented areas are invited to speak on their cultures and etiquette, which is usually accompanied with a short visual presentation.

“There is a dinner right after the informative speeches in which the food from the represented region is served,” Subedi said.

East Asia is this year’s theme. Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Mongolia and China will be represented, Subedi said.

There will be a speaker from China, South Korea, Malaysia and one from Indonesia.

Following the dinner, a dance will feature international and English music.

“It is a great opportunity to learn about East Asia, their culture and their etiquettes, [and] how they represent themselves. And it is also a great opportunity to taste the food from different countries at once, which is a rare opportunity,” Subedi said.

With the dinner, ISA hopes to increase interaction between students. 

“We consider the term international as ‘inter-national,’ which includes American students as well,” Subedi said. 

The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Tickets are required and were given out Wednesday and Thursday. ISA works to introduce the culture from all countries on campus. 

“Etiquette Dinner is probably the biggest effort in [the direction of] this goal. We basically represent the countries turn-by-turn based on the student representation. Availability of the interested students, vendors who can provide the food from the selected countries is the main factors,” Subedi said.

In past years, themes have included South Asian and Middle Eastern cultures. Next year another part of the world will be showcased.

“ISA is looking to see the diverse university community come to the event. A lot of times American students do not show interest in the events organized by the international students. We are expecting to see the American students as well. How much do the American students know about East Asia? Again since it is “International Etiquette Dinner” we want to welcome Inter-national community,” said Subedi. ISA believes cultures enhance if shared with others. 

During Friday Night Fever tonight ISA will be set up in the Union Ballroom. This event is free and open to students (no tickets required). Tables representing various countries will be present so students can learn about different cultures.

International Pizza and deserts will be served. Students can and learn how to write their names in different languages, get henna tattoos, and experience wearing dresses from different countries.  “ISA believes cultures enhance if shared to others,” said Subedi. 

Email the author: lkottenstette@uwyo.edu 

codyconnor

More Posts

My favorite photo assignments aren’t athletic events, nor are they large events put on by campus organizations. My favorite photo assignments are the ones that allow me to document the everyday lives of college students. 

I like them because we have the most unique lives—and I enjoy capturing them. The life that is the college life isn’t found in classrooms or lecture halls. It’s found in the cheap apartments around Laramie. It’s found in the students ranting outside of the Union. 

After a year and a half at UW, I am completely convinced that only those in our age group could live our lifestyles and get out alive. 

Many students, myself included, live substantially unhealthy lifestyles largely due to the very fact that we’re college students. 

On a good day, I’m able to make it to McDonald’s just in time to get a McGriddle (sausage egg and cheese) and a coffee (crude oil black) and make it to my 8 a.m. class. On a bad day, I’m on my third cup of coffee and shaking due to high levels of caffeine and a lack of food by the time my political philosophy class rolls around. 

Many college students have stories similar to mine. We stay busy procrastinating (yes, procrastinating is an activity which keeps many college students quite busy), writing papers (often in a very short period of time) or studying. 

Most college students survive off booze, caffeine—and in some cases—illicit drugs and cigarettes. It’s an interesting lifestyle to say the least. 

Then, of course, there are the financial troubles that come with being a college student. I have woken up many times to find less than a dollar left in my checking account—and this isn’t unusual or surprising to me at all. In fact, I simply dismiss it as being just another part of the socioeconomic status of being a college student. 

I don’t even flinch when I hear stories of my friends pulling consecutive all-nighters because they were up writing a paper or studying for an exam. Again, this is completely normal and to be expected. 

I recently found myself preparing for an exam in Coe Library. There’s just something about the environment in libraries that is conducive to studying, or for those like me, procrastination. I had my laptop screen split into two screens: On one screen was my Facebook page, and on the other I was watching “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.” It just wouldn’t feel right for me to sit down and actually begin my assignment in a timely manner. 

This is simply apart of the American college experience: getting drunk on the weekends, living off caffeine and Burger King, and being forced to get a Buck Double because you can’t afford anything else. The American college experience is poverty and decadence packed into a caffeine-filled and, for some, a pharmaceutically-driven rite of passage. 

I wouldn’t have it any other way. We only get this experience once, so why not live off caffeine and Burger King and four hours of sleep (on a good night)? 

So have another Buck Double or coffee. Smoke another cigarette, if that’s your thing, and enjoy the American college experience. 

Email: Zach Spadt 

codyconnor

More Posts

My friends and I were having a discussion the other day about being harassed by the cops at parties. It seems they always want to ask questions and we were debating about whether or not we actually have to respond to their questions.  

So my question for you is, if the cops come to a party that I happen to be at and want to ask me questions, do I actually have to answer questions asked by them, or can I just keep my big mouth shut?

Sincerely,

Big Mouth

Dear Big Mouth,

The quick answer is no, you do not have to answer questions asked by the law enforcement officers. You have the constitutional right to remain silent.  

In general, you do not have to talk to law enforcement officers (or anyone else), even if you do not feel free to walk away from the officer, if you are arrested or if you are in jail. You cannot be punished for refusing to answer a question.  

In fact, it is a good idea to talk to a lawyer before agreeing to answer questions and ultimately, only a judge can order you to answer questions. 

This, however, is only general information and if you should have a more specific question we invite you to come and talk to us by making an appointment with the UW Students’ Attorney by stopping by Room 128, Knight Hall or by calling (307) 766-6347.

Thanks for your question!

SAP

Branding Iron

More Posts - Facebook - YouTube