Meal plans & the point system

My brother attends Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Until this year students had to pay specific prices for food. For example, a trip to the salad bar would cost x-amount and a hamburger and fries would cost y-amount. Not many schools are like this anymore. Most use a meal-system where a meal is whatever you get in the dining hall, no matter how large or small. I can see the pros and cons of both methods. 

The pricing system ensures that one who eats a small amount is not paying the same as someone who eats three plates full of food at every meal. My brother doesn't understand why I should be paying the same amount for food as, say, a football player. The meal system lessens any anxiety people get from seeing a price on a meal. And let me tell you, it can get expensive. On a college visit to Augie I overheard a guy say he paid $7 for his meal, and it was a normal-sized meal, too. The meal system also creates more of a routine. We know how many times we have to eat in the Mensa (or with a meal transfer) and how many times an outside meal is needed. If you're on the pricing system, the number of meals you can afford can vary (I can't remember if it's measured per week or per semester). The former system mentioned requires a lot more control. Workers have to dole out certain portions and many other products are in packaging. And seconds? Those are quite rare. 

I personally prefer the meal system because I don't have to worry about seeing a price tag on every meal I have. I have major buying anxiety, so I would eat less if there was a dollar amount associated with my bowl of cereal. It allows more freedom and variety in eating, too. And we all know that creativity in the Mensa will end up becoming necessary after a while. 

Now to move on to the point system. I like having that extra money, so I can go grab a latte at the Konditerei, a quesadilla at the Den, or a smoothie at the Zesty Orange! There's so many options! There are some changes that I wish would come about, though. The points do roll over for the semester, but it concerns me that unused points just disappear at the end of the academic year. I paid for them, I should be able to reap the benefit by having it added to next year's balance, or, if I was graduating, reimbursed to me in some way. I am on the Pick 15 meal plan, so over the course of the year I have $250 in points to spend. I think so far I've spent about $5 of that (Remember: buying anxiety). I also wish that points could be used toward things other than food. If I run out of my $30 of printing money, why can't points be used toward that? Or I could buy something from the Wartburg store with my abundance of points. 

I really haven't bought any meals outside of the Mensa yet, which is very strange because I have been eating three meals a day and then some. I think the reason I haven't been using my points elsewhere is because I have a loving mother who likes to send me oodles of food in the mail, so I don't have to use my points at other places. 

Having a combination of meals and points is a rad idea, and I'm glad Wartburg uses it. However, there are some changes that could be made that I think a lot of students might like as well. 

White Man's Burden

It's not often you see a movie about a society where the upper class of society is made up of African Americans and the white men live in the slums. This movie did just that, and I'm not so sure I like it. 

I fully understand what the movie is trying to accomplish. It's trying to show us the injustices that exist between races, but it could have been accomplished in a much more effective way. Not only were the roles reversed (which was kind of weird in itself), but every stereotypical clash between the races is brought up. I was okay with John Travolta's character losing his job and house. That happens, whatever. But when he went to Thaddeus's house and took him hostage without explaining--I think he deserved an explanation!--I started to feel that this movie was weird. Throwing in Thaddeus's son with his white girlfriend didn't help much. It just isn't necessary to get the point across. The movie is a perfect display of reverse racism which is just as bad as racism itself. 

Travolta's character had too much pride to do the right thing: take a job! Sure, it might not be the greatest job, but anything will help keep his family together. But, no. Instead, he leaves, jobless, and doesn't let his wife get a job either. He loses his job, and the rest we already know. 

Travolta blames Thaddeus for his troubles, but he is to blame as well. He is too full of himself to see what he actually needs to do. Providing for his family may not be the easiest thing for him, but it is the most satisfactory. 

I am curious as to what is in store for the characters, since we aren't finishing the movie. What lesson is learned and who learns it? 

I think that Thaddeus should be less ignorant to those less fortunate than him. When they were driving around the slums Thaddeus had a look of wonder, as if he had never known this existed before. I hope Travolta's character learns that Thaddeus is not the enemy, and maybe even get a job and eventually his family back. 

Money can't buy me love, but it's still nice to have.

I'm studying to be a music therapist. 

Why?

Because I love music and I love to help people. It's a profession I've looked into quite a bit, and I'm confident it's the career path I want to choose. 

When I came into Wartburg, I was majoring in music education and music therapy. The education major was there only for job security. I don't want to graduate and be poor because music therapy jobs aren't available or they aren't paying well enough. However, I dropped that during the second week of school because I was getting too stressed thinking about it. I also decided to stick with music therapy alone because I didn't feel passionate about teaching music. Especially instrumental music which is required in Iowa. 

My roommate is a music education major, and one night she was telling me how excited she gets in theory class when she realizes she will some day teach someone else about music theory. Me? I just get excited to apply the concepts into a therapy session. I was majoring in something I didn't love only because I thought it would help me out in life more because I will get paid more. 

It's great that a lot of people attending Wartburg are majoring in biology with the intent to become a successful doctor or surgeon or what-have-you, but I don't have that. And yes, I chose my major. I'm not complaining about that. I love what I'm learning, and I'm going to love what I'm doing. What I am saying is that I'm not as confident as others are about paying off my student debt earlier on in life. Music therapy is valuable, but it's not as valued by society and, therefore, not paid as highly. 

I'm fine with that as long as I can live comfortably with whatever salary I will get in four to five years. 

But for now Iam concerned about college tuition and scholarships. Thinking about the inflation of tuition frightens me. I'm not one of the lucky few that got a full ride or even pays less than $20,000 for my whole college career. I worked hard in high school, I went to scholarship days, I tried out for a Meistersinger scholarship. Yes, I am receiving plenty of financial aid. But it's not enough for me to not care about money while I'm here. 

Yet getting paid a lot of money to do work I hate won't make me happy. Doing work I love and not getting paid so much will make me happier than the former option. I hope in my future I have the opportunity to do what I love and have a comfortable income. Substance is number one in my life. This is the passion for a job, the happiness, etc. All the other adornments, such as money, are necessary in this day and age, but not of the utmost importance in my mind. Perhaps as I grow older it will become more important because it will be constantly hammered in my head that money=success. 

There will always be those rich people that are unhappy and envious of those who are not as rich and happy, and then there will be those who are happy with what they are doing, but not making so much money. And then there are those who are super duper lucky and are making a lot of money doing what they love. The key is to not compare and despair. Choices are made in life, and we must live with them. 

So, in conclusion, let us go out in the world and do what we love. Money is just an added bonus, not a foundation to living. 

Opinionated or pushy?

Upon receiving the results from the SOAR test I was a bit confused. 

Not about the sociability thing, though. For real, I am that anti-social sometimes. 

I was more surprised about the "tolerance of opinions" score. I got a 17. 

Being surrounded by an opinionated family and even more opinionated peers I never thought of myself as intolerant of other people's opinions. I think I am pretty understanding of others' opinions. 

I feel pretty hypocritical now since I kept preaching in the first days of Scholars class that we should be more open-minded to others' ideas and everything. 

But like Professor Birgen and Dr. Earl said, this test isn't always very accurate. 

This got me to thinking about how I feel about people that have opposing ideas to my own. I listen to them. I digest them. I question the person to learn more about the beginnings of the opinions. I don't think I attack their beliefs in any way. At least not outwardly. I am perfectly fine being around others with differing thoughts as long as they don't try to convert me to their opinions, too. 

I guess this makes me a pacifist, eh?

I do enjoy debating in classes or even just in conversations. I love hearing about another point of view on a topic. Perhaps I'll adopt some of the ideas of another person. But if I don't, does that make me intolerant?

No. It doesn't. It makes me someone who is set in their beliefs. Going into college, I was proud to know what I believed in and even more proud to know how set in my beliefs I am. 

Next time we differ on opinions, you can speak your mind and I'll speak mine. I'll politely listen and let the points settle into my brain. But don't expect me to change my beliefs; I don't expect you to change yours. 

WIC: Should the child suffer because the mother can't learn from her mistakes?

It always breaks my heart to see a single mother trucking around three young children with another clearly on the way. It's clearly a struggle to keep rowdy children in line, especially in a public place. 

But then I wonder whether I should feel bad. I mean, it is her fault for having the children. She could have stopped after the first or second or third or even not had children at all. If she's struggling to get by with one child, she should know better than to have another, right?

I did quite enjoy Ella's statement yesterday that "you can't always anticipate babies." This is true somewhat. There are ways to prevent children though. I believe that children should be properly provided for. If a mother can't provide for more children, she shouldn't have one. It's plain and simple. 

Mothers who have been a part of the WIC program since child number 1 should know by now that it's not something to be proud of. I don't think we should take benefits away from the children though because it's not their fault the mother had another child and can't provide for him/her either. There's no way for WIC to punish the mother only, since it's a child-based welfare program. 

It's not fair to limit the benefits received from WIC based on the number of children. Each of the children is still a young human being, and should therefore be provided for by WIC. 

The Myths of Organic Food

                Natural Foods: a fad that is sweeping the nation!

                But are we getting all the true facts from big-name organic producers?

                Should the push in America be for organic foods sold in a chain grocery store or for local produce?

                What does the “organic” label even mean?

                These are all questions with answers unknown by many Americans who are bowing down to the organic food industry just because it claims to be healthier. I will admit it: I am one of the people that automatically turned to the organic section of a grocery store to find healthier alternatives to my diet. It wasn’t until I started actually looking into the organic industry that I found out many of my pre-conceived notions of the organic label could be false. How could it be that so many Americans are being tricked by this industry?

                One of the reasons many of us are falling into the trap of the organic label is that the terms “organic” and “all-natural” are not officially defined. This is how so many companies in the food industry are able to jump on the bandwagon and label their foods “100% natural.” The FDA defined what “natural” is: "nothing artificial or synthetic...is included in, or has been added to, the product that would not normally be expected to be there." However, some of the differences between natural, synthetic, and artificial are not so clear. Efforts have been made to restrict the label from foods that don’t live up to the true organic standard, but somehow companies have still been able to find their way around it.

                Perhaps the reason for this is that big name companies, such as Kellogg’s, own some of the “natural” companies as well, such as Morningstar Farms. Every corporation wants a piece of the organic industry, even if it means slyly stepping around the rules. I suppose these companies cannot be completely to blame for tricking us. The regulations put down for organic food are easily stepped around.

                When people picture an organic farm they probably imagine big green pastures and thriving fields in a secluded area, tended by dedicated and experienced farmers and their families. At least, that’s what I tended to believe for a while. After reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma I found out that this image in my mind is completely and utterly untrue. I suppose I should have been able to figure this out on my own. How else would these organic “farms” be able to sell their goods in so many different places? Pollan feels so passionate about the quality of food that he in fact has a blog about it on the New York Times website. One blog I find especially interesting is his letter to Whole Foods, a chain organic grocery store. Whole Foods claims to support “local, artisanal, and grass-based agriculture,” yet Pollan found when touring one of the locations that the emphasis was more about advertising their support than actually supporting the local food culture.

                It is a shame that organic food has become so industrialized over time. Cascadian Farms, for example, did start out as a small family farm run by Gene Kahn. The Omnivore’s Dilemma covered the story of the farm’s humble beginnings in Washington. He was eventually bought out by General Mills. He wasn’t as successful in organic farming in the 1990s because the fad had not hit yet. Kahn went on to work with the USDA and helped create organic frozen dinners and other processed organic foods.

                Sounds like an oxymoron, right?

                It is sad to think that companies have veered so far away from what is truly natural just to be successful. Most of the organic foods these industries sell are priced higher than they need to be. People believe that organic foods will always cost more because they have to be tended more carefully than conventional foods due to the lack of chemicals. However, the chemicals aren’t even necessary unless the foods are being shipped across the country or around the world! Local foods are priced much more reasonably because there aren’t shipping costs or the additives.

                The organic industry claims to be something it’s not a lot of the time. Promoting all natural, local foods may be the claim, but not the reality. If we are truly looking for what is all-natural, look no further than your own back yard or community Farmer’s Market. The produce is fresher and more nutritious, pesticide-free, and all-around better for you. Also, nothing beats good conversation with the farmers that personally tilled the land themselves. You can get straight to the source by becoming more of a “locavore.” Not only are local foods better for you, but they’re better for the environment, too!

Works Cited

Jones, Ashby. "Is Your Dinner 'all Natural'?" Wall Street Journal: B.1. Sep 20 2011. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 7 Sep. 2013 <http://sks.sirs.com>.

Kindy, Kimberly,and Lyndsey Layton. "Purity of Federal 'Organic' Label is Questioned." Washington Post (Washington, DC): A.1. Jul 03 2009.SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 7 Sep. 2013 <http://sks.sirs.com>.

Pollan, Michael. “My Letter to Whole Foods.” On the Table. New York Times, 14 Jun. 2006. Web. 7 Sep. 2013.

P.S. Interested in information like this? Read The Omnivore's Dilemma. You won't regret it.

"An Inconvenient Truth"
The documentary starring Vice President Al Gore reiterated many of the facts I had already known, since the movie was released eight years ago. I was interested in the information, but I feel like he was very extreme in his claims. The one that especially got to me was his assignment for us to reduce our carbon emissions to zero. That is definitely impossible because we exhale. Sure, we could plant some trees to make up for the emissions, but still it is a little ridiculous. I understand why he went to one end of the spectrum though. His intention was to scare us into making some changes. I am unaware of any environmental research of his since the movie to show the results of his lecturing, but I think our small steps may be making a small difference! I think the world has been so focused on the environment lately that it's hard NOT to make some kind of effort, whether it be to recycle or use those fancy light bulbs. The one thing about the movie I didn't enjoy very much were all of the personal stories. I could have done without those.

Back to the Future: A Dream

It's not every day you think about what your future holds. Okay, as incoming college freshmen I guess it is. Everyone always asks "What are you majoring in?", and then "What do you want to do with that?" Of course, not everything is set in stone, but it's kind of fun to think of a hypothetical future. So let's travel forward in time and see how I'm doing, shall we?

I'm a 29 year-old a music therapist at St. Jude's children hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. I work with children, singing to them and making their lives more comfortable. It is difficult seeing terminally ill children every day, and it's even harder when I see them pass. I love seeing their faces light up when I hand them an instrument for them to play or when I play one of their favorite songs. It's such a rewarding profession. I have an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Wartburg and a Master's degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, which I acquired after taking a 2 year break from Wartburg.  

I only work part-time during the day because I have a family. I take care of my kids at home and actually acting in the housewife-like role. I love to bake and clean our quaint cottage outside of the city and take care of the family. My husband helps me as well, but I don't mind that I do most of the work because I enjoy it. I also try to garden as much as possible. I grow my own tomatoes and cucumbers and squash in the back yard. I guess you could say I'm very old-fashioned. Reading is still one of my passions, as it always has been. I read books to my children before they go to bed, and then read some literature before I fall asleep, too. It helps keep my focus and concentration sharp!

Because of my music education background, I help direct my church's choir. Spirituality is still very important in my life. It helps me get through the losses I experience. Without Him, I probably wouldn't have returned to work after one of my patients died for the first time. I know He has a plan for me to continue touching people's lives with music. He's set this path out for me, and I intend to follow it, no matter the hardships. 

My mom and dad live in Tacoma, Washington and my brother lives in Colorado. I try to visit him every summer and I visit my parents for Christmas. We trade off places for Christmas and Easter. We try to take a conjoined vacation in the summer every once and a while to Door County, Wisconsin just like I used to in high school. I'm glad I have a good relationship with my family still. I don't know what I would do without their support and love. 

I am living a dream-like life. Of course, there are times when it's hard. There are times when my family has a bad day and I have to comfort them, there are times when I feel like I can't continue putting myself through seeing these suffering children. However, what is a life without challenges? How do we grow if we're too content in our lives? I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I love who I have become, and that's all I can ask for.