By Stephanie SeRine

The snow white tiger ran down the path towards me as if it were chasing a rainbow.  The rider, skinny, pretty makeup, and ocean blue hair, laughed as she instructed her animal with her keyboard to run around me in circles.  I then controlled my priest to turn towards her hunter and typed in, “Your ride is awesome.” 
She wrote, “I know.  lol.”

As I looked at her character, accessorized and equipped for wicked battle, I realized that she had sold her soul to World of Warcraft; hope still within my grasp and only 1/24th of my time being torn by a breach - I considered myself lucky.  My friend, “Natalie” was gone.  The same girl who I used to commute on the train with everyday to class, now got high, immersing herself in an alternate reality that for some, makes real life lame.

It’s a simple concept: you can be whatever kind of mythical character you want that the game provides including: druids, hunters, mages, paladins, priests, rogues, shamans, warlocks, and warriors.  The players have to complete quests and kill creatures to level their characters (in WOW lingo, this is called grinding).  The goal is to get to level 70 and once accomplished, the real fun begins.  Players no longer have to worry about leveling or completing quests to get the next great weapon or clothing item, but join guilds and battle monsters as a group.

Natalie’s characters, always level twenty or above, depending on how much time she put into them, resembled her alternate personalities.  Her hunter, her main character, gave her a reason to act out in an aggressive manner towards a giant, green, venomous spider in the game – an undesirable college professor in real life, even though her inability to show up on class on time, or at all, sparked his passive-aggressiveness.  Sometimes I lied to him.  “She is having car problems.” And then I got the look.

Natalie’s priest, eventually got her cast off by her guild because leveling it was becoming a problem, resembling her need to heal the drug-induced undesirables in her life, however, following in their frightening footsteps.  “Don’t worry about my habits.  I only smoke once a day,” she would say to me.

She started to smoke weed while she played the game.  She said it made the experience even more pleasurable.  Her addiction to the game, shrouded her new addiction to weed, and induced it further with each new level, quest, or whatever you want to call it.  Gradually, her absences from class increased, and my excuses to our teacher turned into sarcastic comments.  “She says she can’t drive in the snow.”

After she dropped the class, Natalie and I lost touch.  Her laziness drove me crazy, as she showed signs of stereo-typical college student syndrome, and I was stuck taking antigens in the form of a slow dial-up internet connection.  If not for this immunity, well, I’d be the one stuck in my fifth year at college, commuting on the train an hour and a half each way, instead of working and making money.  However high my advantages sail above Natalie’s, (the money, my own place, a car that works), she chose an addicting path.  This one leads to more regular consumption of the hellish herb.  Whether a druid, hunter, mage, paladin, priest, rogue, shaman, warlock, or warrior: eventually, one gets to the point of no challenges, or competitions left to conquer; it looks back on its chosen trail, sees what it missed, and sighs.  Virtual reality resulted in cold organs and stiff fingers.

Written by Chad Fukuoka

In the professional or business world, proper attire is important for employees. After all, they do need to promote a positive, successful and intelligent appearance towards their clients. But is a dress code really needed for NBA players and how is it relevant to their jobs? I’m a basketball fan and always will be but I think this is completely ridiculous and may even reveal subtle, but negative stereotypes. 

 In 2005, the NBA implemented a dress code that must be followed by every player and member from each basketball organization. Under this rule, appropriate attire is limited to suits, sport coats, or other casual business clothing. During games, players that are injured or not going to play must wear appropriate clothing, and during press conferences and other basketball-related public appearances, players and staff members must follow the dress code. I don’t think this will improve the image of professional basketball. Fans and supporters care about the games or their favorite player’s performance, not how well they dress. Basketball is a form of entertainment for fans and the general public. Yes, there have been a few examples of bad publicity for the NBA, such as the Kobe Bryant rape case and fights during several games. These incidents do occur and it is up to the individual player to restore their image. The league will move on and the fans will continue to follow the sport.

 More importantly, the dress code may promote superficial and biased stereotypes towards players and fans. The message is that nice attire will deter crime, negative looks or appearances and trouble from NBA players. Basically, the NBA doesn’t want to have a dangerous image. Many players have merchandise or product deals with companies that have strong hip-hop connections. By dressing in hip-hop or street clothes, the league feels it would show inappropriate behavior and set bad examples for kids and adults. This is a stereotype and offensive to certain ethnicities, cultures, and music and entertainment supporters. It’s saying all members of these groups are negative influences and people shouldn’t be like them. Why does the NBA take this stance when they use hip-hop to promote their own events, like the All-Star game? Being hypocritical doesn’t prove anything and only causes more trouble. Better attire doesn’t mean better performances for players, so why not just let them do their jobs. If the NBA wants to improve its image, then that is fine, but do it in a way that has a lasting and productive effect.

Written by Chad Fukuoka

It was my third day of college and I had just about adjusted to my classes, the campus and its atmosphere. The cool breeze, trees, exciting atmosphere and diverse student population had made my first few days fun and memorable. I had already made some friends while seeing a few from high school. My freedom and relaxed class schedule was amazing. I could pretty much do anything I wanted.

On this day, I was walking to the basketball court, when I recognized this girl in front of me. She was in my Ethnic Studies class. I introduced myself and asked if I could walk with her. She was real friendly and agreed. We started to talk and everything clicked. We had a lot of similar interests (basketball, favorite foods, etc). I asked her if we could hang out or just walk together since she goes to the parking lot to drive home and I go to the basketball courts, and they are right next to each other. She said okay and now two months later, we are close friends.

We see each other everyday that we have class and always have something to talk about. I remember walking to the courts, playing basketball, eating lunch, and studying for exams with her. If it wasn’t for me asking to walk together, I wouldn’t have made as many friends, participated in campus activities such as Tetris or basketball competitions, or gotten a possible summer internship. This all happened in the first two months of college. If you are ever unsure about talking to someone, just try and see what happens. You might make an unexpected friend.

After some careful consideration we decided to rework the look of the site.  We wanted to make it a bit easier on the eyes.  We have made a couple of changes and hope that everyone approves.  If there are any further suggestions, don’t hesitate to let us know!

-Ian and Chris