THE HERALD
October 30, 2013
Opportunities Lead to Valuable Experiences For Students
Cody Jeffery, assistant editor
After midterms finally end and
spring advising begins, many students
consider their options for internships
and study abroad programs. Accord
ing to meredith.edu, 15 percent of Mer
edith students complete at least one
internship, sipercent study abroad
and gipercent are employed or purs
ing graduate studies within six months
of becoming Meredith Alumna. This
data shows a strong correlation be
tween culturally experienced students
with real world job skills and graduates
finding jobs.
Many current Meredith stu
dents have completed highly com
petitive internships and study abroad
programs. One such student is Senior
Emily Hawkins. Hawkins spent her
summer interning in the White House
Presidential Personnel Office (PPO),
which oversees the selection process
for presidential appointments. In or
der to obtain high-end internships,
Hawkins advises other students to
“start out small. My first internship
was an unpaid social media intern
ship. I will graduate having worked as
an intern for political campaigns, the
executive branch, the state legislative
branch service [and] the private sec
tor/non-profit companies which gives
my degree much more credibility.”
Ms. Kristy Dixon, Assistant
Professor in the Meredith College
School of Business, also recommends
students to complete multiple intern
ships to find out what they like and
don’t like about the industry or career
field. “By completing internships, stu
dents learn valuable skills that cannot
be learned in academic settings. Inter
personal skills, communication skills
and self-confidence are all gained by
the experience,” said Dixon.
Other students strive to com
plete both an internship and a study
abroad program, but worry that they
won’t have enough time or find the
right programs to suit their individual
goals. Senior, Caitlin Davis, found a
way to uniquely combine many of her
ambitions into one program. While in
dependently studying abroad through
the IFSA-Butler Program in Australia,
Davis also obtained an internship at a
public relations company called Liquid
Ideas, and joined an Australian Rules
Football (AFL) team. As a player on a
semi-professional rugby team in the
United States called Venom, Davis was
used to balancing sports, academics
and work, but encountered an entirely
new level of time management while
abroad, “as tempting as it may be,
you really have to be able to tell your
friends that you can’t go out with them
tonight because you have to work on
a paper that isn’t due for another two
weeks.”
Although Davis chose an in
dependent program, Meredith offers
a variety of semester long and sum
mer long study abroad programs that
interest many students. Senior Hillary
Stone studied abroad in Italy through
one of the Meredith programs. Stone
loved her experience so much that she
now works in the Meredith Office of In
ternational Programs. “I learned how
to be independent in a place where I
can barely speak the language, have
confidence in my ability to travel and
making crucial decisions and make
friends with people from all over the
world along the way. And in the end...
I came out with 11 sisters that I didn’t
have going in.”
Internships and study abroad
programs are valuable experiences that
every student should consider partici
pating in. Not only do both opportuni
ties add to student resumes, they have
the potential to change and/or redirect
a student’s career goals and have a pos
itive impact on a student’s life. As Davis
simply said, “it was the experience of a
lifetime and [it] allowed me to see and
experience so many new things.” For
more information on how to start ap
plying for internships or study abroad
programs, contact your faculty advisor
and/or the Office of International Pro
grams.
The Power of “Slutoween”
Alyssa Mathewson, staff writer
In the high school, college and post
college worlds, Halloween is sometimes
called “Slutoween,” articulating a trend
where many of the costumes women wear
are considered provocative. Women’s Hal
loween costumes in major stores often have
the word “sexy” in their descriptions. While
many people don’t have an issue with the
current standard of Halloween costumes,
some are wary of “Slutoween.” For women,
Halloween presents the question of whether
or not they feel empowered by their cos
tumes.
Assistant professor of Religious &
Ethical Studies and Prism director. Dr. Ste
ven Benko says the term “Slutoween” refers
to how Halloween “has become an occasion
for women to perform their sexuality.” He
suggests that the expectation created by sex-
ualizing women’s roles on Halloween could
be felt as a burden on them. There are es
sentially two types of women’s Halloween
costumes: sexy and naughty. “There is a
world of difference between them,” says Dr.
Benko. Sexy, he explains, is empowering, but
naughty implies women are “transgressing”
against something. Some women, such as
sophomore LeslieRose Brant, think that the
point of Halloween may be to get attention,
but not necessarily to be provocative. “The
point of Halloween is to dress up as a por
trayed character. It should be something you
“The point of
Halloween is to dress up
as a portrayed charac
ter. It should be some
thing you desire or ap
preciate [...] some girls
apparently respect
playboy bunies.”
desire or appreciate,” says Brant. She feels
that some “girls apparently respect playboy
bunnies.”
Many feel that Halloween is a time
women can use to empower themselves, to
inspire attention that makes them feel good.
If “Slutoween” feels like a burden, women’s
history specialist Suzanne Scoggins wants
women to know they have other options.
Her website, called Take Back Halloween:
A Costume Guide for Women with Imagi
nation, at http://takebackhalloween.org,
is not a site that sells costumes, but rather
a resource guide for creating a unique cos
tume. Ultimately, women will wear a variety
of costumes. While some women will be sexy
Alice in Wonderland, others will be Captain
Underpants.
via hngn.com
STAFF
Editors: Jessica Feltner, Editor in Chief. Julia Dent, Managing Editor. Cody Jeffrey, Assistant Editor. Lucia Rynka-Estevez, Layout Editor.
Monique Kreisman, News Editor. Maitlyn Healy, A&E and Sports Editor. Rachel Pratl, Editorial Editor
Staff Writers: Hannah Nielsen, Katy Koop, Livi Burke, Alyssa Mathewson, Marlena Brown, Mollie Schrull, Isabel Benson, Kristin Hight
The Meredith Herald is produced by students throughout the academic year and is printed by Hinton Press. The paper is funded by the College and through inde
pendent advertising. The opinions expressed in the editorial columns do not necessarily reflect those of the college administration, faculty, or student body.
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