The College Perspective by Lindsey

Students cram into a white, two-story house, rap music blaring from the speakers. In the kitchen there’s an intense beer pong match, people are crammed onto couches nearby, talking and drinking. Downstairs the music is even louder. A girl carrying a bottle of Jägermeister yells “Shots? Shots?” at anyone who comes near her. A group of very drunk girls tries their hardest to take a picture with their arms around each other’s waists while all of them lean dangerously close to falling on top of each other. One girl chugs an entire bottle of Smirnoff surrounded by people cheering her on.

Sound familiar?

According to recent reports, around 4 out of 5 college students abuse alcohol. Students arrested each year for alcohol-related violations can reach up to 110,000. Besides that, 1,825 students on average die each year from alcohol-related injuries.

For most students, especially in small towns across Iowa where there isn’t much else to do, drinking starts in high school. Even though binge drinking is on the decline, many middle to lower class students still struggle with excessive drinking versus their wealthier counterparts. It becomes more and more common once they go on to college.

For people like Austin Norton, college is the first time they come into contact with alcohol at all. He says, “I really wasn’t against drinking, I just never had the opportunity in high school. I was a nerd. People just had booze and I went for it.”

It’s unclear why heavy drinking is so common for college students, but Norton believes it has to do with social interaction. He says, “Some people are just alcoholics, but I would say it’s mostly trying to fit in and it’s a social crutch essentially, though it’s a lot less common nowadays. There’s just a general better understanding. As a culture, we’re more appreciative of the detrimental effect of alcohol and drugs. And as far as social crutches go we have our phones now so I’m sure that helps.”

On the other hand, even students at larger schools don’t even drink, despite ample opportunities. Lauryn Feauto is one such student who attends Iowa State University. She says, “I personally just don’t have any interest in drinking and possibly not being in control of myself. Plus, I have an underlying feeling that I could quickly become an alcoholic due to an addictive personality.”

Feauto also believes that people who drink excessively often do because they are free from the control of their parents.

No matter what the current drinking trends are, one thing is certain: binge drinking diminishes for most people after college.

Norton believes it’s simply because of the change in lifestyle. He says, “It’s partly getting older. It’s hard to keep up with that lifestyle. There isn’t room in your life for it with family and work.”

Feauto agrees, saying “We get busy and it gets expensive.”

Whether we get better with social interaction or there’s simply no time in the “adult” world, drinking will probably always be a facet of college culture in America.

Hog Fever by Richard La Plante is a fun 269-page ride for motorcyclists and non-riders alike.

Published in 1995, this narrative nonfiction follows the life of a motorcycle obsessed writer in the late 1980s/early 1990s.

La Plante himself is a very relatable character and admits many times that he is not a macho man hardened by the road. He simply loves to ride. This shows in his open admittance to overdraft fees while in the clutches of hog fever, desperate to have that next new model of Harley or custom part. To add to this, his several run-ins with the law as a young adult and in his mid-life adventures give the reader nostalgia of their own childhood and adventures.

The author takes you through many of the challenges of riding in a personal way. He isn’t afraid to put his personal shortcomings in the bike world on the page for all to see. He even admits to being fully pantsed after a crash in England before he had his motorcycle license which left him more cautious for future rides. He hides riding magazines from his wife like most people hide porn.

Later on, he describes his long-distance trip to Spain in such vivid detail you can almost envisage La Plante wiping the rain off his goggles every two seconds during the rain storms, covered in water and mud from head to toe.

Admittedly there are some issues with the book for those of us who don’t yet possess hog fever. To accurately write about riding, La Plante obviously has to use the correct technical terms for bike parts, but at times it can feel a bit overloaded for the reader who has no idea what different models of bikes and their parts consist of. The pictures sprinkled throughout the book help a little with the look and feel of different bikes that La Plante describes, but I still have no idea what the different engines look like or how one Harley looks too different from another.

Before reading this book, I was only vaguely aware of two brands of motorcycles and motorcycle gangs, so coming into this world took a little bit of adjusting. In the end, I think La Plante’s charm and genuine openness about the struggles and joys of riding a motorcycle will encourage any reader to read the book if not also buy a hog for themselves.

The fluorescent lights suck the life out of workers and customers that walk along the dusty concrete floor, looking at racks of power tools, lumber, screws, appliances, paint, and cleaning supplies.

Meanwhile, red plastic carts squeak along, one rusty wheel struggling to catch up with the others while customers rush to get into my line.

I wear the tacky mesh red vest with the blue house logo for Lowe’s, the mecca for home improvement junkies and contractors alike. Like most retail jobs, there are a lot of aspects that suck, but one, in particular, stands out to me: sexual harassment.

As recently as May of 2018, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported that out of 85,000 charges, over 13.4 percent were made in the retail industry, second only to accommodation and food services.

Because of my age and gender, I am susceptible to a variety of sexual comments that plague many of my fellow female coworkers in the retail business. Men of all ages and occasionally women find it appropriate to comment on my looks, inferring things about me because of how I look on the outside.

One day, an older male coworker tells me, standing maybe two inches away, “Your pants look pretty tight. Are they hard to get into?” Thinking himself funny, he laughs as my face turns red and I do my best to defend my clothes. Another day he proclaims he can see certain “things” because my pants are so tight, continuing to say that I’m flaunting it in my jean capris and t-shirt. Several other women my age have filed complaints against this man for similar comments, but nothing has happened as of yet.

A male customer comes through my line, seemingly ordinary. He’s older, dressed in a button-down shirt and khakis. The kind of man you would see at church or next to you in line at the grocery store. After asking my age he loudly proclaims, “Well you’re certainly old enough. You know I’m not a cheap date but I am pretty easy. What time do you get off work?” Also finding himself the funniest man alive, he laughs and looks for confirmation from his friend beside him. I laugh along to avoid the awkward alternative.

Another male coworker considers himself a nice guy but does not take no for an answer. Every new female hired at Lowe’s is told the same thing: Don’t talk to this man, or tell him you have a boyfriend, even if you don’t. He will try to hit on you no matter what.

I was hired over a year ago, but have yet to find an end to the not-at-all subtle attempts from this man to try to get me to go out with him. He will fake depressive episodes. He will ask me to movies. He will invite me to go to the mall with him. Even though I have often and loudly proclaimed I have a boyfriend, this does nothing for him.

He has no concept of personal space as well, often trying to high five me, pull on a strand of my hair, and hug me, once going so far as to trap me into a corner with no explanation as he moved closer.

Female coworkers call me a dick magnet because of all of this attention like I’ve asked for it or wanted it in some way. I think it’s easy to tell that I just want to get my paycheck and leave.

This is the growing problem in many retail stores across the country. Women are often subject to awkward interactions where they feel they cannot report or are not heard when they do. Several of my female coworkers feel disempowered when they take a problem like a sexual comment to the HR department, only to see their harasser return to work the next day without a reprimand or punishment of any kind.

In fact, all employers are held liable for creating or allowing a hostile work environment for their employees, especially in the case of sexual harassment. Every employer is required to have not only a written policy against such treatment but also physical evidence of educating employees of the policy.

Employers are also expected to reasonably protect their employees from harassment by supervisors and customers in particular. If they have any knowledge of such treatment, they are expected to respond with appropriate measures. Employers must thoroughly investigate all complaints of sexual harassment whether it is through in-person interviews, witness reports, or video footage of the incident.

In any case, according to the law, employers are liable for any sexual harassment by supervisors or customers/clients and are expected to handle it fairly. In reality, many companies have loopholes that protect them from liability, including the loose definition of supervisor in business settings. Harassment by fellow employees is not held to the same scrutiny as those in elevated positions.

Some people may say the abundance of this problem is simply evidence of a victim mentality, that women have to be louder and demand a better workplace, yet it equally affects the verbal women, the ones who aren’t quiet, who don’t try to take up less space to please others.

Sydnee Schnell, a fellow coworker, is only 22 years old but is very vocal about fair treatment. Recently, after a new hire called her “fat” and a “bad trainer” for simply directing him in how to accomplish a task, she took the issue straight to HR. The offending employee returned to the floor later with a reprimand but no punishment.

This issue doesn’t even disappear when you’ve worked at the store for over ten years and have a management level position. Beth Vandiver, a head cashier at Lowe’s, angrily recounted the time a man felt like he could comment on her appearance. “He said I must be either brave or crazy to let my gray show through. I didn’t know how to respond. Who the hell says that?”

Some might say, maybe correctly, that women are overreacting to these comments. Maybe these men are kidding, they grew up in a different time with different standards, or this is just the world we live in. Women should take it as a compliment.

If you think about it though, how many times do you hear comments of that nature directed at men, in a retail position or otherwise? You just don’t.

I may just be young and working in a retail position and should accept these comments as part of the job and move on, but I feel like society should be called to a higher standard. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, women are finding a voice for the problems they’ve been dealing with for years, and maybe it shouldn’t stop with celebrities or political figures. Maybe we should hold regular people to the regular old standards of respect and decency. But that’s just me. A 21-year old “pretty” college student. Maybe in the next life, I’ll be a man.

If you’re looking for a nice date night movie, steer clear of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Directed by Michel Gondry and released in 2004, Eternal Sunshine is a science fiction/drama/romance focusing on a failed relationship between two average people. Rated R for language, sex, and drug content, the movie stars Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, and Kirsten Dunst.

Clementine, played by Kate Winslet, eventually decides to go through a procedure to erase her memory of Jim Carrey’s character, Joel after their relationship falls apart. When Joel learns of this, he is devastated but wants to go through the procedure as well. What happens next is pure chaos.

After the first twenty minutes, the movie becomes a confusing jumble of fast-paced hysteria until the very end a little under two hours later. Between the mumbled dialogue and the emotionally stunted performance unlike Jim Carrey’s other work, it’s a mess with a philosophical message.

Jim Carrey works hard to mumble his way through the script, stopping to say such brilliant lines as “I hate sand. It’s just tiny little rocks.” Because of the passive nature of his character, Joel and Clementine’s arguments seem forced, random, and absolutely fake. It’s hard to understand why they became a couple in the first place.

Unfortunately, the plot focus shift in the middle of the movie to another couple throws a wrench in caring about what happens to Joel. We are forced to acknowledge the second relationship while Joel’s memories fly faster and faster on the screen, almost too fast to comprehend what’s really going on.

To add to the mess, the documentary style, fast-paced, shaky camera work makes a person dizzy and constantly confused. Every time the camera switches to a new scene you have to work to adjust to the new reality, further adding to the confusion of the two story arcs and their consequences. This is likely intentional but ends with a confused, nauseous viewer.

There are some affectionate and well-done scenes, like the time Joel and Clementine lay on the ice and bond for the first time. It has the classic elements of a romantic movie and intrigue for the relationship to come.

Despite this, the dialogue doesn’t do much to bring the story forward, instead used as a plot device to bring attention to the title of the movie. Kirsten Dunst’s character Mary mentions several philosophers and their works during the film to bring people’s attention to the message of the film, hitting us over the head in the final ten minutes with her moral dilemmas.

Even if you are a die-hard science fiction fan, you’ll want to erase all memory of this movie. Do yourself a favor and skip it altogether.

The fluorescent lights suck the life out of workers and customers that walk along the dusty concrete floor, looking at racks of power tools, lumber, screws, assorted light bulbs, and other varieties of handy home decorations and necessary objects.

Meanwhile, red plastic carts squeak along, one rusty wheel struggling to catch up with the others while customers rush to get into my line.

I wear the tacky mesh red vest with the blue house logo for Lowe’s, the mecca for home improvement junkies and contractors alike. Like most retail jobs, there are a lot of aspects that suck, but one, in particular, stands out to me: sexual harassment.

As recently as May of 2018, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported that out of 85,000 charges, over 13.4% were made in the retail industry, second only to accommodation and food services.

Because of my age and gender, I am susceptible to a variety of sexual comments that plague many of my fellow female coworkers in the retail business. Men of all ages and occasionally women find it appropriate to comment on my looks, inferring things about me because of how I look on the outside.

One day, an older male coworker tells me, standing maybe two inches away, “Your pants look pretty tight. Are they hard to get into?” Finding himself funny, he giggles as my face turns red and I do my best to defend my clothes. Another day he proclaims he can see certain “things” because my pants are so tight, continuing to say that I’m flaunting it in my jean capris and t-shirt. Several other women my age have filed complaints against this man for similar comments, but nothing has happened as of yet.

A male customer comes through my line, seemingly ordinary. He’s older, dressed in a button-down shirt and khakis. The kind of man you would see at a church or next to you in line at the grocery store. After asking my age he loudly proclaims, “Well you’re certainly old enough. You know I’m not a cheap date but I am pretty easy. What time do you get off work?” Also finding himself the funniest man alive, he laughs and looks for confirmation from his friend beside him. I laugh along to avoid the awkward alternative.

Another male coworker considers himself a nice guy but does not take no for an answer. Every new female hired at Lowe’s is told the same thing: Don’t talk to this man or tell him you have a boyfriend, even if you don’t. He will try to hit on you no matter what.

I was hired over a year ago, but have yet to find an end to the not-at-all subtle attempts from this man to try to get me to go out with him. He will fake depressive episodes, he will ask me to movies, he will ask me to go to the mall with him. Even though I have often and loudly proclaimed I have a boyfriend, this does nothing for him.

He has no concept of personal space as well, often trying to high five me, pull on a strand of my hair, and hug me, once going so far as to trap me into a corner with no explanation as he moved closer to get a full body hug.

Other male coworkers who find my contact information send me unsolicited dick pics, propose threesomes with other female coworkers, and ask if they can slap my ass when no one is looking.

Female coworkers call me a dick magnet because of all of this attention; like I’ve asked for it or wanted it in some way. I think it’s easy to tell that I just want to get my paycheck and leave.

This is the growing problem in many retail stores across America. Women are often subject to awkward interactions where they feel they cannot report or are not heard when they do. Several of my female coworkers feel disempowered when they take a problem like a sexual comment to the HR department, only to see their harasser return to work the next day without a reprimand or punishment of any kind.

Some people may say this is simply a victim mentality, that women have to be louder and demand a better workplace, yet it equally affects the verbal women, the ones who aren’t quiet, who don’t try to take up less space to please others.

Sydnee Schnell, a fellow coworker, is only 22 years old but is as verbal as they come. She will voice her opinion when she feels like something is unfair. Recently, after a new hire called her “fat” and a “bad trainer” for simply directing him in how to accomplish a task she took the issue straight to HR. He returned to the floor later with a reprimand but nothing else. A male customer also commented on her hair, which is purple, green, and blue mixed, saying, “Well that sure is a wild hair color,” then turning to our male coworker to explain how awful it is that everyone is coloring their hair such unnatural colors these days.

The issue doesn’t disappear when you’ve worked at the store for over ten years and have a management level position. Beth Vandiver, a head cashier at Lowe’s, angrily recounted the time a man felt like he could comment on her appearance. “He said I must be either brave or crazy to let my gray show through. I didn’t know how to respond. Who the hell says that?”

Now some might say, maybe correctly, that women are overreacting to these comments. Maybe these men are kidding, they grew up in a different time with different standards, or this is just the world we live in. Women should take it as a compliment.

If you think about it though, how many times do you hear comments of that nature directed at men, in a retail position or otherwise? You just don’t.

I may just be young and working in a retail position and should accept these comments so as not to stir up controversy or to continue that illusion of great customer service, but I feel like society should be called to a higher standard. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, women are finding a voice for the problems they’ve been dealing with for years, and maybe it shouldn’t stop with celebrities or political figures. Maybe we should hold regular people to the regular old standards of respect and decency. But that’s just me. A 21-year old “pretty” college student. Maybe in the next life, I’ll be a man.