OPINION
Student debt crisis wiii cast shreud en future ef US
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Maybe you know how much you owe.
Maybe you don't. Maybe you got an email
about a loan exit interview. Maybe you
opened it.
After all, you did agree
to this. You did sign those
stupid pieces of paper.
It's not like you're
avoiding talking about
your student debt. Maybe
you even Googled debt
consolidation once.
Maybe you meant to
Google it once.
And you've got three
10-page papers to write
anyway. You can't worry
about your debt. Not now.
You've got a couple more weeks.
Student debt almost tripled between 2004
and 2012, according to a study by The Federal
Reserve Bank of New York, and the average
graduate's debt has leaped to $27,000.
BY JOSH
BARKER
Staff WRim
The media is calling this a student debt
crisis. For students, particularly those about
to graduate, this is a very personal crisis.
It's a chain binding the recently released
graduate, adding more stress to the already
stressful entry into the job market.
$27,000 is a lot of money, particularly
for a 22-year-old. It's really almost an
unimaginable amount of money. But for
many students, including myself, it is also a
very real amount.
While there is certainly value in looking
at this student debt crisis on a large scale,
for those of us actually dealing with debt,
it can only be seen from a smaller, more
personal level. Otherwise, it would simply be
overwhelming. But, what can we as students
do to towards dealing with our debt?
"Pay it off as soon as possible, and don't
get any more," said Maia Dery, instructor
of art and experiential learning. "I find it
alarming that students make such a massive
decision without looking forward."
"I think that Guilford is a bargain for any student that shows
up with intention, integrity anrfenergy. It's amazing how many
students come to college without that."
Maia Dery, instructor of art, experiential learning
Looking forward is key. College was a good
investment, particularly if you went to the
right college for the right reasons. Investing
in a college education was like investing in a
car or a house. Pace yourself as you pay it off
and be aware of what you're doing.
"I think that Guilford is a bargain for
any student that shows up with intention,
integrity and energy," said Dery. "It's
amazing how many students come to college
without that. It's hard to fault people for
failing to imagine how powerful a liberal
arts education be when they come from a
secondary education system that discourages
imagination."
Maybe it's best to at least get a start
paying off your debt before taking on more
for graduate school. Be purposeful about
how you use loans. Sure, it would have been
easier if you were doing this all along, but
now is as good a time as any. The longer you
put it off, the harder it's going to hit.
Join an
THE
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Facebook addiction: is it
fact or fiction?
BY KEVIN
ENGLE
SiAffWwTa
ILD YOUR RESUME!
* Contact Jeff Jeske. jjeske@gunfordeki ♦
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I know you've got a dirty little secret.
You do it all the time.
When you wake up. Before you go to
sleep. During class. While you're studying.
_ _ It's starting to affect
your grades, yet you
can't bring yourself to
stop.
I'm here to tell you that
you are not alone.
There are plenty of
us who can help you.
Because — let's be
honest — we've all been
addicted to Facebook at
one time or another.
But, be careful to not let
it dictate your behavior.
Social media is a device meant to revolve
around your social life, not the other way
around.
Facebook addiction is not just a myth.
In April 2012, a report published in the
journal Psychological Reports created a
scale for measuring Facebook addiction.
The measure, referred to as the Bergen
Facebook Addiction Scale, is based on the
six core elements of addiction: salience,
mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal^
conflict and relapse.
"People who are anxious and socially
insecure use Facebook more than those
with lower scores on those traits, probably
because those who are anxious find it easier
to communicate via social media than face-
to-face, Dr. Cecilie Andreassen, leader of
Facebook addiction research at University
of Bergen in Norway, to Medical News
Today.
Even those who are not technically
addicted to social media websites like
Facebook tend to dedicate time out of their
day to check their news feed.
In his report "Mobile Marketing Statistics
2013 — Smart Insights," Danyl Bosomworth
claimed that a trend is beginning to develop,
in which people are beginning to access
Internet on their phone more often than on
the computer.
Bosomworth claims that by 2014, mobile
Internet users will surpass desktop Internet
users.
He also said that the average American
spends about 2.7 hours socializing on their
mobile phones.
"That's over twice the time they spend
eating and one-third of the time they spend
sleeping each day," said Bosomworth in his
interactive report.
Smartphones are taking over the world.
Of the 4 billion in use, over 1 billion
mobile phones are smartphones.
Just last Friday, April 12, AT&T released
the HTC First, otherwise known as the
Facebook Phone.
The phone's most noteworthy feature
is its home screen, which is dedicated to
showing Facebook — and only Facebook.
Its first attempt at a phone, the First
embodies Facebook's vision for mobile
devices and could be the first in a long line
of smartphones to do so.
As we begin relying on technology like
the smartphone more and more, let us not
forget about our fellow man.
Go out and hang out with your friends.
Don't just talk to them on Facebook.
If you're at a social event then socialize.
Don't take pictures of yourselves socializing
the whole time.
Don't worry about what your friends are
doing at all times.
Live your own life. It was given to you
for a reason.
In the wise words of Einstein, "I fear the
day when the technology overlaps with
our humanity. The world will only have a
generation of idiots."