Stereotypes in sports

In today’s society more and more people are judging other by their activities such as sports or other extra curricular activities. Why is that non-athletic people look at others and seem to have a negative perception of these regular people? They think that sports are a waste of time and can distract them from their schoolwork. Sports can have a positive impact on your life due to some of the attributes you gain from it. Things like discipline, teamwork, cohesiveness and cooperation can all be learned through sports and those who don’t participate might be lacking in that department. These lessons are used in later life obstacles and having a step up on someone can give you the edge in anything. Teachers and professors will tell you that most of the students in their office hours are athletes because they need extra one on one time and are eventually the ones who grasp the subject better. Just because they are splitting their times with schoolwork and practice doesn’t mean they aren’t focused like others. Stereotypes are what most people based their information on and that is why there is that judgment.

”” Hector Casillas
Fresno State student

Compulsive buying

What many people in our community don’t realize is that having shopaholics need more attention to help them stop their addiction quickly to prevent further financial damage in their lives. Not only is it creating financial problems but it is also causing family problems as well. It is very important that our community understands why we should focus on trying to help shopaholics slow down and eventually put an end to their shopping addiction. Speaking from experience from my own life, I’ve realized that once being in a serious addiction is what drew me away from friends and sadly but truly, even some of my family members. Once I realized that I was slowly losing people out of my life, and they weren’t just random people they were people who meant the world to me. They meant so much to me that I had to just slow down on my addiction to have more time to spend with them rather than spending literally all my time with my addiction. Seeking help was one of the hardest things to do, so I believe that it is important that we as a community try and help our fellow shopaholics who are in need of serious compelling help. It may not seem as a big deal, but if it is your spouse, sister, brother, or even if it is yourself you may not realize it, then you’ll notice how big of a deal it is to try and help this person slowly end their addiction.

”” Angelina Alarcon
Pre-nursing major

The Baha’i faith persecution

Here is a story that needs to be told and a situation that everyone needs to be aware of. I have found, during my research, that not a single person I’ve talked to at Fresno State about my topic has even heard of this religion or the genocide and persecution against its followers. This research was for an essay project in one of my classes, and I chose this topic specifically because I already knew no one would even know what the Baha’i Faith religion is, or about the Baha’is situation in Iran. Below is a very brief and condensed version of my nine page research paper, consisting of about 204 words. I have also attached a Word Document as well.

Many people in America have never heard of the Baha’i Faith religion, or even of the genocide and persecution. In the 19th century, 20,000 Baha’i followers were massacred in Iran, and still today the Iranian government continues to allow persecutions against Baha’is, and even organizes waves of persecution, violence, and killings of Baha’is. Today, Baha’is are denied college education, kidnapped and held captive by the government and often executed with their families wondering what happened to them, their sacred and personal possessions and places are confiscated, vandalized, and destroyed. Their marriages are not recognized, they are deprived of employment, pensions, businesses, and family inheritance, children and women are physically and psychologically abused and are executed when they don’t surrender to Islamic beliefs, and are subjected to random home searches and desecration. There are more than 300,000 Baha’is in Iran today. The Baha’i Faith has always been deeply hated in the Middle East for believing in religious tolerance, world peace, unity between the races, equal rights for women and the pursuit of knowledge, and the fact that it is not Islam and thus threatens the popularity and dominance of Islam. The Iranian government has been trying to destroy and bury this religion since its first appearance.

”” Alana Garner
Fresno State student

The stress of college

I’m a first year college student at Fresno State University and I’ve had firsthand experience of the stress and the negative effects freshman experience in college. For my English class we were required to write a community research paper and the community that I felt close to was stress among college students. I feel like most college students who are stressed out don’t fully understand what the consequences are and thus go untreated. The various of people that I interviewed, most of them said that during their freshmen year, they experienced stress that had terrible effects to their body. Over time, stress can affect your immune system causing you to get sick more, heart, muscles, stomach, reproductive organs, lungs, skin and could lead to depression. People who are constantly stressed can try various things to relax their state of mind and body. Things to do to try to relax someone’s mind can write about the things that are bothering them or let their feelings out, do something they enjoy or meditate. The things to do to relax one’s body can exercise, try techniques to relax which consists of breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, or yoga, Tai Chi or Qigong.

”” Connor Sumrell
Fresno State student

It’s more than soccer

Some people may think that soccer is just an activity where people run around and chase a ball. But in fact, soccer is not that at all. It is a sport where the players try to beat each other for the top outcome, a win. Of course soccer is a very back and forth sport to watch, I can see where at sometimes it could be quite dull to watch if you are not part of the match. However that is not what is happening on the field, is much more intense.
Almost all the time you are either running, jogging or sprinting around. Depending on field position, you may be only handling the ball only half the game. The other half you are thinking, anticipating and reacting. Like the old saying goes, “There is no I in team.” And that is exactly what soccer is, a team sport. No one person can just run around and do it all. It takes 11 players to get the job done.
No matter who you are, you can always share soccer with somebody. It is known all around the world and is very competitive. When playing the match, soccer is not just about the win, it is about the respect gained. Basically, I will use the words on the back of one of my soccer shirts that I own to sum up what it really means to a true player, “Glory comes when you lie exhausted on the field of victory.”

”” Alex Raiskup
Criminology major