Video Game Addiction
by Les Cockrell news editor
Video games have come quite a long way in the last few decades. From the cheesy music and graphics of “Pong” to the breathtaking scenery and elaborately orchestrated tunes in games like “World of Warcraft” or “Halo,” video games have been a great source of entertainment for people of all walks of life. Americans, in general, seem to have an addiction to entertainment, and these games offer an experience that cannot be replicated in any book or movie.
What is appealing with video games, mainly of the online role-playing variety, is that they offer an environment where individuals who may not have many friends or be talented in sports have an opportunity to be “great” in the game. Also, with Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) the game developers are constantly updating their content, offering users more environments to explore, more fiends to vanquish. In some of the more extreme cases, a fictitious world can become more engaging than real life.
Mom & Dad Are Right:
Good Health Equals Better Grades
JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY mct campus
Quit smoking. Turn off the computer. Go to bed. It could improve your grades. Of course, parents have always known that. Now, in the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of Minnesota have proved it. They matched grade point averages with the typical health problems such as smoking, drinking and stress reported by nearly 10,000 Minnesota college students. They found a clear connection between student health and academic success. “Health is important,” even for young adults who seem to be in the prime of their lives, said Dr. Ed Ehlinger, director of Boynton Health Services at the University of Minnesota and a lead author of the study. Both parents and college administrators “need to make sure that students have access to health care.”
What affects grades the most? Stress (lots of it), excessive screen time, binge drinking and gambling. Students who reported eight or more emotional stresses-anything from failing a class to credit card debt to a conflict with parents, had an average GPA of 2.72. Those who said they had no significant stress reported an average GPA of 3.3. “Stress is one of the biggest factors,” said Marcus De La Garza, a senior from Duluth, Minn. A year ago, just before finals, he had to go home to take care of family members with serious health problems, and it showed in his grades, he said. “I was out of the game,” he said Friday. “Now I’m bouncing back.” His GPA is up to 3.5.
Economists:
Obama’s Plans Might Help, But Not Overnight
by Susan Tompor mct campus
We’ve witnessed a presidential election marked by history and hope. Now, one has to wonder when Wall Street might be able to ditch images of a fearful future, too.
We’re not going to avoid a recession. Many economists expect this recession to be longer than the past two recessions, which lasted eight months each. But can we regain confidence that eventually the credit crisis will end and the stock market will bounce back? Some theories:
President-elect Barack Obama has been upfront in saying that the economic troubles won’t be resolved within the next year. So he may avoid quick fixes and offer calm.
“Remember, it took many years to get here. This will not be a sitcom recovery, in which problems are resolved in a 30-minute segment,” said Anthony Chan, chief economist for JPMorgan’s Private Wealth Management in New York.
Depression Increasing Among College Students
by Jeanettes Carsdale reporter
As a campus with thousands of students, Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi is not excluded from the mental health statistics pertaining to college students across the country. Depression, alcoholism, and drug abuse are just some of the pressing issues that many young adults deal with today.
With the stress that adjusting to college presents, along with the stress of juggling several hours of courses, different homework assignments, papers, projects, jobs, and extra-curricular activities, the well-being and mental health of students is always under scrutiny.
“According to a 2004 survey by the American College Health Association, nearly half of all college students report feeling so depressed at some point in time that they have trouble functioning, and 14.9 percent meet the criteria for clinical depression,” healthminds.org said. “This marks an increase of 4.6 percent in the number of students who reported having ever been diagnosed with depression over a four-year time span.”
Depression has increased among young people because of stress, lack of coping skills, and because in some cases, parents prevented their ability to develop and maintain a healthy sense of self.
Softball Season:
Info, Updates, and What to Expect
by Eudolia Fuentes sports editor
Head coach Jake Schumann praises his team for their pitching rotation having depth and range that is an obvious strength for the team and for any softball team out there. Schumann also comments on the team being more balanced than last years, they have more athleticism that gives them better defense and they also have an impressive hitting average of eleven hits per game, giving them great offensive muscle.
After being the head coach at Texas A&M—University Kingsville for four years, Schumann came to Texas A&M—University Corpus Christi to be the head coach for women’s softball and has been here for two years. After applying two times with no notice or answer from A&M—Corpus Christi, he decided to apply one more time when he heard that his name was being mentioned around the athletic department. With that, Jake Schumann became the official softball coach for the Islanders.
Remember!
ENGLISH FICTION AND POETRY OPEN MIC
Thursday, November 13
University Center Lone Star 142
4:00pm-5:30pm
BALLROOM AND LATIN DANCE CLUB
Thursday, November 13
University Center Commons
7:00pm-9:00pm
UNIVERSITY THEATRE PRODUCTION-THE 1940s RADIO HOUR
Friday - Saturday November 14-15
Performing Arts Center
8:00pm
CULTUREFEST 2008
Saturday, November 15
University Center Tejas 106A
5:00pm-8:00pm
UNIVERSITY THEATRE PRODUCTION-THE 1940s RADIO HOUR
Sunday, November 16
Performing Arts Center
2:00pm
FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE
Tuesday, November 18
University Center Island Room 316
1:30pm-3:00pm
GREEK AWARDS BANQUET
Tuesday, November 18
University Center Lonestar 142 AB
7:00pm-9:00pm
