Eat, Sleep, or Study: Redefining Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for the College Student

Gregory Micek

As college freshmen begin their lives away from home, they learn to live on their own. They learn to deal with academic pressures in their own ways, while at the same time they are exposed to many distractions that prevent them from being efficient with their schoolwork. According to USA Today, “all-nighters have become a habit in higher education.” Students spend all night working on academic work because they try to fit in both time for social events during the evening while still finishing all their work at night. In doing so, they sacrifice the amount of sleep they obtain, in some cases staying awake all night to work.

According to Janet A. Simons, et al., from the University of Hawaii, Abraham Maslow was a humanistic psychologist that created a theory of personality that set up a hierarchy of the “five levels of basic [human] needs.” The first level of the hierarchy is physiological needs, which includes eating, sleeping, breathing, and necessary bodily functions like those. After the first level is achieved, an individual seeks the second level, which is safety of a person’s body. The third is the need of love, affection, and belongingness, the fourth is the need for self-esteem and the need for others, and the fifth is the need for self-actualization, such as achieving what that person was “born-to-do.”

College students that pull all-nighters neglect sleep because they consider their social lives and academic work more important. Thus, they deem academics and social lives as more important than sleep and, in some cases, eating well. This level of priorities goes against Maslow’s hierarchic theory of needs, and therefore students who pull all-nighters are acting abnormally in reference to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. These students seek academic needs and social needs before they seek certain basic physiological needs such as enough sleep.

Therefore, students that pull all-nighters act against basic human needs according to Maslow. By acting against the basic hierarchy of needs, students suffer consequences such as not working efficiently, lower immune levels, and emotional issues. Overall, students need to sleep the required amount of time, not pull all-nighters, eat appropriately, and keep in mind that their physiological needs are a greater priority than other parts of their lives.

Financal Issues facing Full-Time Professors

By Rohan Gupta

In undergraduate education, some full-time professors are responsible for teaching introductory courses with large groups of students. These individuals are most likely junior members of college faculty and probably have very little tenure. They are among, if not the most, hard working members of the college faculty and the current recession severely increased the inequality between the amount of hours they invest into academics and their income and benefits. Though one would expect universities to provide these professors with reasonable earnings that reflect their hard work and education, the amount of aid that they receive is so little that they are reconsidering their future.

In contrast to full-time faculty members, part-time college professors or adjuncts usually do not receive the same salary and benefits and also do not work for building credentials or tenure like them. The current recession has brought the two groups on the same financial level. Usually part-time individuals have to suffice with low pay, no security, and the mere fact that they do not have a full time job. Many full-time professors now cope with similar problems even though they are not in their situation.

Professors who teach freshman English Composition at the University of Illinois in Chicago are currently notorious for their large efforts and little compensation. They are suffering from these problems and are trying to find better options to survive in the current economic climate. Such professors may go back to school and earn a different or more specialized degree in English in order to obtain a better lifestyle. The new education may be doctorate level training or a different type of degree that mandates teaching English to non-native speakers. It will not be surprising if full-time professors in other fields who are in similar financial turmoil resort to these measures in order make decent earnings. Such a shift in education may create a new level of training that is required to live well; degrees that were thought to provide an individual with a basis to survive will now only be stepping stones to a higher level of training.

Mascots

by Amber Lee

The roster for college teams changes every year as players are admitted to and graduate from college. But at every college there is one team player that never leaves and is loved by all. The Mascot.

Although mascots can range from historical figures to inanimate objects, many of them are usually some sort of predatory animal. But even though there are seemingly so many types of mascots to choose from, with thousands of colleges in the United States it is sometimes hard to find an original mascot. For example, Georgia Tech, West Virginia State, Wisconsin–Superior, and at least eight other colleges have a yellow jacket as their mascot. But some schools attempt to break up the monotony with by using odd animal like those at University of California-Santa Cruz and Evergreen State College.

But mascots are more important than they at first seem. Because mascots are essentially the face of the school, it is important that they send the right message. A lot of colleges that use Native Americans as their mascot are being asked to change them by the NAACP. One school decided to change its mascot that resembled a plantation owner though they say it was because they wanted their mascot to be more athletic.

What a mascot does is also a reflection upon the school and though they seem to be able to get away with anything during ball games, there are limits. For example, one mascot was in trouble for mocking an opposing player who was praying. Ultimately, once you attend a college you represent the school in whatever you do - whether lovable, furry, and can dance around during half-time shows or not.

Skipping Class

Scott Zadig

To some students, skipping class once in a while is no big deal to them when they are in college, but others take it seriously. The new found freedom that college gives students allows them to make their own decision concerning their schedule, how long they sleep, and whether or not they want to go to school one day or not. All students have their different reasons for skipping class or making sure they never skip class. Some students may skip class just because they are too lazy to get out of bed because of the crazy night they had before they went to bed. Some students like Larry Booker skip class in a studious approach. Booker states, “I'm skipping class to finish my homework." He claims that skipping class can be another way to educate yourself if you spend your time wisely during the classes you skip. A student named Pete Mendez finds no excuse for skipping class. He says, "It's not really about the grades. Every time I step into a classroom, I see it as an opportunity for knowledge." He goes further to say that it is a sign of immaturity to skip class as well.

Those were just two opinions out of the thousands of college students that toy with the decision to skip class one morning to sleep in or gut it out to make sure they don’t miss anything. Whether they are skipping to be lazy or get extra work done, there still exists a problem when students skip class and example of this problem exists in the state of Missouri. Recently, tuition for students to attend college increased in the state of the Missouri. When a in-state student or out-of-state student skips a class, they waste $30 and $70 per day respectively. This upsets taxpayers and parents who are providing financial support to these students who in the end take advantage of the money. Upsetting the taxpayers and financial providers for these students could lead to some repercussions for those students. If the issue becomes big enough of a problem for the public, students that skip could end up losing their financial support and struggle to stay in college.

Greek Life and Student Happiness

Kevin Corley

Many students attending Georgia Tech and various other high status schools can easily become overwhelmed by academics. It is important that students have a healthy balance between academics and social life to maintain happiness and reduce stress. Students who spend all of their time studying and little time in recreational activities are bound to be dissatisfied with their college experience. According to a survey at Colgate, students in Greek organizations are, as a group, more satisfied with their experience. Greek life is an excellent way for students to balance their social and academic needs. It provides a social environment for students which will inevitably make them happier.

Personally, upon entering college at Georgia Tech, I made joining a fraternity a top priority. It is no secret that many students are Georgia Tech are overwhelmed by schoolwork and miserable. I did not want to be one of these students so I set off to immediately prevent it. Greek life has helped me to make new friends, keep my grades up, and provide me with a way to relax when not doing schoolwork. Students who are in a Greek organization statistically have higher grades than non-Greek students. Of course being in a highly social environment can make it more difficult to focus on schoolwork. However, many Greek organizations have GPA requirements for members that creates a healthy pressure to keep grades up.

The expectations and opportunities of Greek life can at times be vast and overwhelming but they do not go without reward. Students looking to have an enjoyable college experience should certainly look into joining a Greek organization. They are bound to be happier as they can easily balance social activities and academics.

Freshman Weight Gain: The Freshman 15

Gregory Micek

The “Freshman 15” refers to the supposed fifteen pounds that a college freshman gains in his or her first year. Family members and friends alike warn the incoming college freshmen that they are likely to gain weight as they begin their lives away from home. There are a number of factors that contribute to the weight gain that many freshmen experience, as well as a number of consequences that negatively affect freshmen.

The thought of the infamous Freshman 15 may not come into the minds of undergraduate freshmen until they start to gain weight, and there are many causes for their increase in weight. The first cause for increased weight is, according to The Washington Post, “unlimited cafeteria food, late-night pizza binges and snacking that comes with irregular student schedules.” Students realize that they can suddenly eat as much as they want in cafeterias where they have already paid for an unlimited meal plan. Many students admit to going to the dining hall more than three times a day, while some have even claimed to go six times in one day. Another factor that contributes to the increased weight of college freshmen is the fact that many students participated in a number of sports and outdoor activities in high school, but may not continue those sports in college. The reduced physical activity also contributes to a common increase in weight. Finally, the change in environment may make some students anxious or nervous. They may increase their intake of food to cope with any feelings of anxiety. The all-you-can-eat buffets in the dining halls, the decreased physical activity, and becoming situated in a new environment all contribute to weight gain in college freshmen.

There are a number of problems with the weight freshmen often gain in their first year at college. The first issue is that an increased weight may negatively affect students’ views of themselves and in turn may affect their self-confidence or self-assurance. Lower self-confidence could affect their academics as they lose motivation to do well in school. Similarly, a decrease in physical activity could make students anxious and make focusing during class and study hours more difficult. Overall, the Freshmen 15 is an issue that affects many college freshmen as they change their lifestyles, and students must take care to prevent themselves from gaining too much weight or allowing any weight to negatively affect their academics.

Problems with the Post-9/11 GI Bill

By Rohan Gupta

The original GI Bill or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 provided college education for returning WWII veterans and a year of unemployment compensation. Over time, the bill was amended to accommodate economic and political changes. Most recently in 2008, Congress approved additional benefits for servicemen who had been in the military since September 11, 2009 and renamed the bill to the "Post-9/11 GI Bill." These benefits include: full coverage of tuition, allowances, and other "perks." Though veterans were keen to reap the benefits of the newly amended bill, there have been major issues during the 2009 fall semester concerning the allocation of the bill's benefits.

Since May, about 275,000 veterans applied for benefits and roughly 213,000 were eligible. Of those 213,000 veterans, roughly 82,500 actually enrolled in courses for the fall semester and only 52,500 received the bill's benefits. The veterans that did not receive payments appealed to the Veterans Affairs department which is responsible for the allocation of the benefits. The department states that there were several delays in getting help out to those that did not receive the benefits.

The department claims that it expected many veterans who applied for benefits to enroll at a college this fall and believes that publicity forced the veterans to apply for the bill's benefits even though they did not intend to enroll. The department states that another reason for the delay is the failure of colleges and universities to reveal tuition costs in a timely manner, but it affirms that its main reason is actually technological issues. The department claims that it has to process each appeal or claim by the veterans individually and therefore is overburdened with processing the thousands of claims.

This bill is a major source of aid if not the only source of aid that servicemen use to pay for school and many individuals join the military to receive an economical college education. These problems must be solved quickly in order to avoid allegations from veterans and other groups for not properly distributing funds.