UW offers many different options to help all students. Some of these options include alternative formats for reading assignments, test taking and note taking accommodations, real time captioning, interpreter services and extended time for test taking and assignments.

Chris Primus, the associate director of Student Educational Opportunity, said, “UDSS also has an assistive technology lab with software designed to make use of computers more efficient and possible for students with different disabilities.  For example, we have a program called Dragon Naturally Speaking, a voice recognition program designed to respond to voice commands.  Students who express themselves better orally than they do when they type may find DNS handy, as will students with hand function limitations.

“We have software that will read back what is written on the screen, a handy tool for students with low vision or blindness, or those with learning disabilities affecting reading.”

UW’s disability program also ensures that every student is evaluated on a case-to-case basis.

Amanda Hearne, a coordinator for the University Disability Support Services, said, “We gather self report information and documentation to decide what accommodations will be most efficient for them and most effective for their academics. So, just because we offer things like alternative format doesn’t mean that every student that comes to UDSS is eligible for that.

“It really depends on their documentation and their self-report says. And we look at that every semester for every class for every student. So, it is very much personalized to each student.”

While these services are readily available, students with disabilities still need to seek the help themselves. “In high school or elementary school, students are sought out with disabilities and they have [Individual Education Plans] created, or 504 plans, and they have a team working with them. Students who come to the University have to self identify. That is the difference between high school and college,” Hearne said.

IEPs are a set of goals a student sets for a year in school. A 504 plan refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act and helps make sure students are involved to a certain extent with the normal activities of a school day.

A lot of the services that UDSS offers pertain to students with emotional or learning disabilities, but Hearne said that UW is fortunate to have good facilities for those with disabilities.

“With all the construction on our campus, we’ve seen a lot of increase in accessibility in our buildings, which is really cool. We have a very accessible campus for small town Wyoming,” Hearne said.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

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Fourteen black football players were dismissed from the football team for planning to protest a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints practice regarding black priests. After UW’s head coach Lloyd Eaton told these players that they could not protest during the game against BYU, the nation’s attitudes toward college athletes changed forever.

Kevin McKinney, senior associate athletic director of external affairs at the University of Wyoming, and radio announcer for Cowboy basketball, was working for UW Athletics during the Black 14 incident and, in the 41 years since, has seen the entire landscape of college athletics more forward.

“At the time, players were not only barred from protesting but from any self-expression. It was not explicitly a matter of race. Athletes couldn’t have earrings or tattoos at the time let alone protest,” McKinney said. “It wasn’t right, but it was what it was.”

For McKinney, the change was one that was ready to happen. The Black 14 represented the token moment in which the culture of college athletics changed.

“It has to start somewhere. The first person who went to an all-white school or this [the Black 14 protest] had to happen to accelerate the change to where we are now,” McKinney said.

That change was one that pushed the nation towards a sports culture more aware of individuals and of differences in identity.

“I think the value of it was that it made coaches more aware that every player has value,” McKinney said.

The current athletics program is now the most diverse place on campus, according to athletics director Tom Burman.

“The whole point to me of college athletics is to bring these diverse people together and make them play as one and feel as one. That [being diverse] is what college is all about. Bringing together people from everywhere. Then [1969], we had 14 black athletes. Now we have French kids playing with kids from Cody, Wyoming,” McKinney said.

The Black 14 represented a monumental change for UW and for sports in general. The freedom for athletes to protest now seems commonplace and individuality in sports is higher than ever. For McKinney, the change that Wyoming went through was important for all of college sports.

“It was a bad thing for Wyoming at the time. No doubt. But it was a good thing for accelerating the change,” he said.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

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Yet, I am not alone. Untold numbers of students all across campus are now in the end-of-the-semester homestretch. Many will spend the next week trying to complete a half of a semester’s worth of studying and coursework.

The library and computer labs that dot campus are filled with student’s rushing to complete their work on the final papers of the semester.

Yesterday afternoon, I saw one young woman who had to be typing at 90-words-a-minute, rushing to complete her research. What surprised me was the stress that was evident on her face did not deter her from banging out what had to be three pages in 20 minutes.

I suppose stress and procrastination can bring the best out of some people. If I could use pressure as motivation to produce work so fast, I would have had the rest of my assigned writing done last week.

Then there are the students who are trying to complete the reading of multiple chapters, if not books, right before they are to be tested on the material.

Some will be able to break the work load down into chunks, which they will be able to complete over the next week.

Others will surely have to finish the bulk of their reading the night before the work is due. Yet this is not really what can be considered reading; it’s more like scanning.

For some, covering such a large amount of material will not have much if any effect on their grades. For others, trying to do so much with so little time will turn out to be disastrous for their GPA this semester.

And of course, there will surely be those students who, besides just having to rush to complete the last of their reading and projects, will also cram overnight for their final the next day. They will take to their notes, reading them over and over for hours until its test time.

Once again, this may work to some students’ advantage. But for others, such studying techniques will have a devastating effect on the grades they receive on their finals. Surely they would have done better had they kept looking studying their notes over the past few weeks.

Some will fret and strain over whether they put up a strong enough effort towards their classes. Some will wish they had more time to prepare. But we will all know soon enough whether our efforts were enough.

It is what it is. Finals are here, whether you like it or not.

codyconnor

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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

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Blizzards and scanners and familial obligations, oh my!

It’s no joke, and it certainly isn’t news, that traveling during the holidays can feel like an exercise in surviving your own private zombie apocalypse. Staring down the barrels of family pressure, a nationwide body scanner boycott and a regional blizzard to beat the band, any girl could get down, and this columnist is no exception.

Preparing for my trip to DIA, trying desperately to appease the looming ghost of dread and paralyzing anticipation, I have only my single, perennial panoply of psychological fortitude: fashion. And while I know that looking absolutely fabulous is the only way I’ll survive the lumbering hordes of emotional refugees, flying out of DIA from Laramie presents some significant problems for the concerned fashionista.

First, there’s the life-threatening conditions one must endure to simply reach the airport. What’s more, once you get your glamorous self to the terminal, there’s every fashionable traveler’s bête-noir: security, with its shoe doffing, belt loosening, jacket crinkling policies. When one factors in the nightmare and expense of checking a bag, the natural tendency is to sacrifice glamour, don the sweats, and compromise. Fashionistas persevere!  In winter, there is every reason that style and utility can be synonymous.

To wit: First, in spite of snowmageddon, you have to get to the airport with a pair of shoes that won’t wreck your style for the next week. The danger, of course, is that an otherwise well coordinated fashionisto might ruin a perfectly good outfit with some perfectly hideous boots (ladies, I know big boots are in style, so you should be fine, but clunky boots with a suit or other masculine ensemble is just a disaster). Some nice loafers will be fine for the car, and a breeze at security, but an emergency pair of boots is essential on the interstate, even in the nicest weather. Put the boots in the trunk and forget about them, you’ll be glad you packed them when you bust a flat 30 miles south of Cheyenne.  

Second, once you get to the airport, the situation with security and luggage is manageable if you layer your foundational outfit and pack your other essentials in a carry-on. Layering, while functional, gives you the chance to look totally gorgeous. Go for broke with your basic outfit; this will enhance your glamour while in-transit, and give you the flexibility for the appearance of several outfits once you reach your destination. For guys, a nice wool three-piece and overcoat should get you through the holiday, providing the sort of formality some families may encourage for a Christmas feast, while at the same time providing the warmth and versatility for a night on the town. This ensemble might not let you breeze through a body scanner, but it will let you avoid checking a bag, and a heavy wool jacket will tolerate the abuses of the x-ray machine. Ladies, you can avoid checking a bag, while at the same time securing warmth and versatility, by looking absolutely fabulous when you hit security. Consider leggings, leg warmers, and slippers with a cable-knit sweater and wool coat. Stuff a pair of jeans, a dress, and a change of undergarments in a carry-on and voila!  If all of this sounds too drab, you’re forgetting the accessories. There’s no time like winter for scarves, hats and sunglasses, essential accoutrements for the wind, snow, and sun. Doesn’t anyone else get emotional just thinking about the possibilities!?!?

Good luck out there, true believers, and just remember, by getting extravagant with your primary ensemble, you’ll not only turn heads when you descend on Podunk, USA, but you’ll cut a dashing figure through our nation’s ever-frantic transportation hubs. Here’s wishing you ‘Happy Holidays,’ fashionistas of Laramie. 

Email: Steven Norton 

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The first panelist to speak to the audience was foreign affairs analyist with the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Min Suh Son. 

Son explained much of the history of the divide between North and South Korea. She said Korea was originally colonized by Japan and then “liberated” by the United States with the bombing of Japan during World War II. 

After the bombing, the country was divided by spheres of influence from the U.S. in the south and Russia, which shares a small border with North Korea. 

When the countries were entirely separated after a civil war, Kim Il Sung became the first president of North Korea, she said.

Though the civil war never technically ended because of the refusal of South Korea to sign a peace treaty, relations between the two countries were steadily developing along a positive path. 

In 2000, the leaders met for the first time since the countries had split and, in 2007, the first train crossed the demilitarized zone between the  countries. 

All of that changed, however, when North Korea decided to test nuclear weapons, Son said.

After Son spoke, Nicole Finnemann, director of Research and Academic Affairs at the Korea Economic Institute spoke about her time in the country.

Finnemann told students that it is notoriously difficult to be able to visit North Korea and to do so one has to go through many legal channels and must be invited by the government of the country. 

codyconnor

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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

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We spend a lot of time talking about how to spend as little money as possible or how to save in the most effective way, but rarely do we talk about giving money away. Here I have been writing about financial wellness and saving; (what does giving have to do with this?) Besides, college students don’t exactly have a lot of money to give. While this might be true in comparison to what we will all be able to give in the coming decades, it’s important to establish charitable habits now.

It’s important to realize that there are three things we can do with our money: spend, save or give. Each is a requirement of being responsible. Yet rarely do we ever think about giving. While we may not have thousands of dollars to give, remember that small things can make a big difference. Take your $40 ASUW student fee for example. You may not be happy about having to pay this, but it really isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things.  

Your lifestyle is not drastically reduced because of this one expenditure. Based on the budgeted 9,250 students multiplied by two semesters, that total is nearly $750,000! So, on a micro level, $40 per semester isn’t that big of a deal. When the whole-dollar amount is banded together, great things happen. This includes the popular (and potentially lifesaving) program SafeRide, student radio, the RSO Funding Board and the Student Attorney Program, just to name a few services.

That being said, I challenge you to think of a creative or worthy cause for which to give $40.  Maybe decide that you are going to sacrifice one evening of entertainment.  

Invite your friends over to play a board game instead of going out. 

This one-time gift can make a huge difference. If everyone on campus did this once, we could contribute $1 million quite handily.  

Giving is important during these tough economic times. Most charities are suffering. This is because when corporations and individuals cut back, charitable giving is often the first to go.  

Doing this once (giving $40) may not change the world, but it could do a lot. Think about how your life would be if when your income goes up (very likely after graduation), and your spending habits (percentage toward entertainment etc) didn’t change. Would you be happy with the lifestyle you lead? This is the season of giving; spend some time researching an organization or cause that you can associate with. Some organizations include Salvation Army, Red Cross, March of Dimes, Make-A-Wish, Habitat for Humanity and the Cathedral Home for Children.  

While I’m tempted to let you off the hook by saying “If you don’t have any spare cash, consider volunteering,” I don’t want to let you off the hook. 

Volunteering is incredibly important as well, but consider doing more. 

Make a sacrifice and send some dollars to a worthy cause! 

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The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

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“We hope this training will help women on campus understand how to make a difference and hopefully inspire them to run for positions in ASUW student government for this coming year,” Liz Brown, ASUW vice president, said. Brown will be the training coordinator for the event.

The event was developed by the American Association of University Women, assisted by Running Start, a program that strives to show young women the importance of running for student government leadership positions, and also by ASUW.

According to the ASUW website, the goal of “Elect Her” is “to encourage and train young women to run for the student government on their campuses.”

Registration for this event will open in January and the training will be in February 2011. 

The event will be paid for by the university, and approximately forty people, both men and women, will be able to attend the all-day event. There are no requirements to attend, but there are a limited number of spots available.

Matt Caires, assistant dean of students and ASUW advisor, said he hopes that programs like “Elect Her” will inspire the female leaders on campus to do more with their time here at UW.

He also said he is proud that UW was chosen for this event along with schools like Northern Illinois University, Duke University, Wright State University and the University of Alabama. 

 “It is time to take the nervousness away from these women and help them make this university, as well as ASUW, even better,” he said. 

The conference was set to take place during February during ASUW student applications, which become available the first week of February and end the first week of March 2011.

Other options for leadership incentives include a four-part workshop about ASUW hosted by Matt Caires in the early spring semester and the National Conference of Women’s Student Leaders.

For more information on this event and the other leadership programs on campus, students can contact Caires at caires@uwyo.edu, or Brown at asuwvp@uwyo.edu.

Email: Cali Cravens 

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

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Redundancy works in advertising, education and hygiene, but when you are only allowed to have five things, you had better diversify — such is the case in basketball.

There is a fundamental flaw with the make-up of the Heat right now. I emphasize ‘right now’ because it could change. When Dwayne Wade and Lebron James are on the floor, one of them becomes dead weight for the benefit of the other.

It’s not to say that either is selfish. It’s just to say that what the Miami Heat are currently doing would be like putting Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson in the same backfield at the same time. Only one can be effective at a time and their talents cannot be utilized fully, unless one of them has the ball in their hands at a time.

This isn’t “Ocean’s Eleven.” You can’t just toss some stars together and hope it works. “Ocean’s Eleven” worked because the roles of the characters were well defined and there was no repetition of parts. In American Airlines Arena, Erik Spoelstra is trying to star two George Clooney’s.

The game is played with only one ball. The Miami Heat has two guys, who, for seven years, have been conditioned to believe that the ball is theirs for the taking. They have modeled their game to fit. It’s not selfishness. It’s what worked.

All top perimeter players are built into basketball offenses in such a way that the game flows through them and their ability to create off the dribble. When is the last time you saw a non-alley-oop highlight of Lebron James or Dwayne Wade scoring without putting the ball on the floor?

The offense of the Miami Heat is at an impasse when it comes to incorporating Lebron and Wade at the same time. The situation is only worsened by the lack of a true point guard on the team. Lebron has yet to show that he cannot run the point-forward position.  

Wade has now transformed into a more talented, but less effective J.R. Smith. He can score at will and he provides great energy, but because another player supplies the brunt of the offense, Smith must take a back seat and play a more limited role. 

The problem is that Smith is in a situation where he can come off the bench and provide excellent sixth-man services. The Heat don’t have that luxury. Smith backs up a defensive stopper in Arron Afflalo. The Miami Heat don’t have that because they have no bench. So Wade must be on the floor as a starter. 

The Heat must look for either Wade or Lebron to step down in their roll. During the summer, every player voiced how Lebron would channel his inner Magic Johnson and become the NBA’s best facilitator. James can’t do that. He won’t. The man spent seven years scoring at will and it is unreasonable for us to believe that Lebron has it in his DNA to quit doing that which had us calling him the best player on the planet. 

However, can Wade change? Wade won a championship by taking the ball to the basket in a one man show that had “Die Hard” enthusiasts saying, “One man can’t do all that!”

Dwayne Wade is one of the best talents the game has ever seen at getting to the basket. He carried teams and isn’t half the passer Lebron is. Wade is a scorer. Far more so than Lebron. Still, however, the onus is on Wade to change, not Lebron. From a strategic perspective, Miami Heat’s best chance to win is if Lebron carries the scoring load. 

Wade is older and more banged up. Wade’s style of play takes a lot of hits. A transition in Wade’s game would lend itself to elongating his career and helping the Heat win. No one can match up with Lebron, which is why it makes sense for him to be a scorer first and a facilitator second. Wade must adapt a roll as a Kobe-stopper (he’s not), a sure-fire second scoring option (he is) and an option for Lebron on the fast break. 

The true answer is that both players must change because neither can be expected to accept a new roll. They’re not young anymore. Their game is their game. Each must tweak one way or the other.

 Dwayne must become a defensive force who moves better with the ball than anyone in the league. He has the talent to do so. Lebron must facilitate through his scoring and Chris Bosh, needs to play defense, rebound and try not to embarrass Wade and James when they’re at the club. 

The Miami Heat team that started the 2010 season cannot win a championship. Can they change in time to do so? 

I don’t know. Seven years of tape and inkling as to how basketball works says they won’t. 

 Email the author: thesse@uwyo.edu 

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