Hello and welcome to Never Again News. I’m your host C3 and here are today’s top stories.

As November swiftly passes, many students may be counting the days to Thanksgiving break. However, Thanksgiving marks not only the closing of the first semester, but also the end of the “red zone”: when risk of sexual assault on a college campus is the highest. 

According to USAtoday, half of college sexual assaults occur between the beginning of the school year and November.

College women from ages 18 to 24 are three times more like to experience sexual violence.

So, as November begins, do the women on Morningside’s campus feel safe?

Jolene Horn said: “I feel safe walking around campus, but I know I have teammates and friends who are not safe because of suspicious vehicles or just the conditions of the sidewalks and stuff like that.”

Marissa Herll, added: “No, I don’t feel safe on campus at all. It’s dim lit and there’s been lots of break-ins and creepy things happening around campus.”

If you witness something suspicious or don’t feel safe, call Campus Security at 712-274-5234.

Our second story today highlights how a little goes a long way when it comes to respecting another person’s identity.

Using someone’s correct pronouns is a simple way to show respect. Yet, when it comes to the acceptance of singular “they”, people tend to express doubt.

Often, gripes about the use of they/them pronouns are rooted in grammar. However, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one definition of “they” is, “Used to refer to a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary.”

Here on Morningside’s campus, you can visit the student group, Gender Undone. The group discusses gender identity along with other topics.  

Dr. Valerie Hennings, faculty advisor for the group, says when referring to another person: “What’s important is trying to be respectful of using the pronouns an individual requests, simply because it’s who they are. The name and the pronouns that we use, that’s something that we should be able to determine.”

So, if you find yourself questioning someone’s identity, ask yourself: Are your feelings of being “correct” more important than respect?

Finally, with the winter season approaching fast, so is the festive concert Christmas at Morningside.

With a pinnacle concert looming closer, it begs the questions: how does music impact Morningside’s students?

Kelsey Toomey, a sophomore, describes music as: “It allows me to make a lot of new friends and it provides a space in time away from my classes, where I have to actually think about what I’m doing, where music I can just…be and it’s nice to just be sometimes.”

Josie Meads, another sophomore, provides a different angle: “I think some days it’s enjoyable, and other days it makes me stress out because I have to memorize a lot of stuff and I don’t have time for it.”

Music can reduce stress while also adding to it. It’s an individual experience. So, whether you’re participating in music or just popping headphones in, music is resounding part of student life at Morningside College.  

I’m C3 and this is Never Again. Tune in after the break to hear a breathtaking story about crabs running mazes. But, for now I leave you, with the weather.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2019/08/26/rape-college-back-to-school-sexual-assault-safety/1930485001/

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/aug/05/he-she-or-gender-neutral-pronouns-reduce-biases-study