OVER 190 NIGERIAN GIRLS STILL MISSING

On Monday, a week ago from today, in Abuja, Nigeria, militants stormed a girls dormitory in the middle of the night, where they gathered over 200 girls on to their vehicles and took them to a location still not yet known.

Approximately 190 of the 230 students are still missing, according to a recent report, announced by Principal Asabe Kwambura.

No one seems to know where the girls are, nor have any trace of their whereabouts. This is seemingly not a surprise for Nigerians.

Due to Abuja's location, tucked away near the border with Cameroon, where it's considered a "poor corner" of Nigeria, violent acts such as this is very likely.

It was stated in CNN's article, In Nigeria, the mass abduction of school girls isn't shocking, that "for 11 months, the provinces of borno, Yobe, and Adamawa have been under a state of emergency, due to relentless assaults blamed on Boko Haram."

Nigerians are becoming more upset at the fact that Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, has yet to visit the affected region.

Jonathan is said to be from the "Christian South", which not only separates him from this corner of Nigeria  geographically, but also culturally, since the north is more muslim-dominated.

Due to the lack of support from the North, it's believed that Jonathan won't be expressing or showing much interest in the discovery of the girls.


This treatment comes as no surprise to me at all. The absence of a country's leader at a time like this will never be excusable. Regardless of geographic and cultural differences, Nigeria is still one country, ran under one presidency. Situations such as this, only proves the under development of third world countries such as this one.

The separation based on religious preferences, has nothing to do with the girls that were abducted and at this point, finding those girls are suppose to be the only focus of the entire country.

However, if the leader refuses to stress the important and severity of this tragedy, of course the people of Nigeria won't put as much importance on it; especially those who share the same "southern"mentality.

All in all, my heart and prayers go out to the families suffering the loss of their loved ones. No one deserves to endure the pain of not knowing where their daughter is and if she is safe. It would be unfair to them.

The country in it's entirety, need to come together, join forces and put all efforts into looking for these girls. They are innocent and don't need to suffer for the lack of integrity of the supposed leaders of the country.

RELATIONSHIPS VS TRANSCRIPT by Nyah Abdala

We all look forward to love, but most of us hate our desire for it. I think it’s safe to say that we all need it, whether it’s being experienced romantically, or platonically. Our entire being revolves around it and the feeling of which it gives to us. 

Many of us, if not all, have experienced romantic relationships, a lot of which would vouch for its role as a huge

distraction while in college. One’s involvement in a romantic relationship while also trying to focus on academics, can be exhausting and can easily drive a wedge between the balancing of our studies and the actual effort that we put towards it. It’s inevitable that our focus can become a little blurred when trying to adapt to the lifestyle of being in a relation. 

For the majority of the students that I encounter on a daily basis, they all seem to share the same attitude; “…relationships aren’t necessary in college, college is about having fun and getting your degree, not settling down.” Quite often however, our words don’t correlate with our actions, hence the reason we always seem to find ourselves in situationships, trying so hard to avoid a real one.

Fortunately, for some, relationships are more like a breath of fresh air, a new start, a helping hand, and motivation for when needed the most. For these reasons, it’s so crucial to involve ourselves in healthy ones, with people who want to share their journey with you, just as much as you would like to share yours with them.

Truth is however,  that no matter the level of productivity that we may achieve, a relationship robs you of time that you can be spent on building or working on your craft. Finding a way to correlate the two is the most challenging, which leads a lot of us to make a choice; a relationship or a better transcript?

When I asked Emily Wright,  a 22-year-old graduating senior at Florida State University, from Denver, CO., what her personal experiences in relationships were while in college, and the effect it had on her academics, she voiced:

“They have always affected me negatively, during the relationship, but it’s different for everyone. It really depends on how you are as a person; if you are more strong-minded or vulnerable. If you are in a healthy one that doesn’t alter your priorities, then you will more than likely benefit from it, rather than it being detrimental.”

 I truly do believe the negative impact of a relationship is rooted in the altering of our priorities, to satisfy our partners; even when our academic responsibilities may suffer.

For 22-year-old Koscha McIntosh, a senior at FAMU, from West Palm Beach, Fla.,she believes the success or failure of the relationship is solely based on the two people and their personal views on relationships:

“It just depends on the two people in the relationship”,Koscha says. “If the relationship focuses on making the other a better person, they will have study dates instead of just hanging around, or they’ll encourage each other to get involved in the community or on campus, but if the relationship doesn’t have a positive foundation and it only consist of sex, drugs and the consumption of all of each others time, then that could easily affect your academics in a negative way.”

I followed up by asking McIntosh if she would vote for or against college relationships, and she votes against it:

“I wouldn’t encourage college relationships because most people don’t find out who they truly are until after college, when they have had enough life lessons and experiences. Knowing who you are is important when engaging in a relationship”

As Koscha stated, it is key to any good relationship, that we know ourselves first before attempting to know someone else and possibly sharing a life with them. 

While trying to maintain a social life and studies, it can be challenging enough, but is the inclusion of a relationship in that puzzle ideal? 

Martha Jaimes, a graduating senior at Florida State University, from Belle Glade, Fla., believes relationships while in school might be a good move, if shared with the right person:

“Instead of focusing on a social life, or getting the attention of a guy or girl, your focus is more defined because you already have a partner. In my experience, being in a relationship while in college actually helped me focus a lot more on my studies. I maintained a good GPA and although my social life suffered, I think I benefited more from that experience, than I lost.”

Though relationships can be a bit tricky, if done right, it can be one of the best growing experiences of a lifetime. With every person we meet and share our journey with, is another opportunity to learn about someone else, to grow and to embrace life’s experiences and lessons. We tend to focus too much on the success or failure of these relationships, which sometimes can put a strain on not only us, but the other person as well. 

By focusing on becoming a better person, you can also inspire your partner to do the same. It’s not my intention to deem a negative light on college relationships, because there are plenty of couples that I have met, who just work for each other. 

Just focus on you and you’ll attract the right person, whether you’re still in college or well after.

OBESITY RATES RISE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSEs

By Nyah Abdala

College students in the U.S. need to put down the pizza and pick up a salad.

The rising rate of obesity on college campuses is too big to ignore. Over the past few years, the rate of obesity has made a shift in the wrong direction.

According to a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in 1991, no state in the U.S. had an obesity rate of 20 percent or more. The report also states that as of 2013, no state in the U.S. has an obesity rate of 25 percent or less.

So why is the rate of obese college students continuing to rise?

For many students, the No. 1 excuse is simply not having enough time to exercise, or not being able to afford a healthier diet.

A huge factor in weight gain, especially in college, is a result of the excessive consumption of alcohol and the lack of sleep, according to Pablo Abdala, a personal fitness trainer from Kingston, Jamaica. ^[a]

Many college students condone these practices and label these habits as “normal.”

A crucial fact that many young adults overlook is that their fast metabolisms will not stick with them forever.

If these young adults don’t become more active and start consuming more healthy and fat-burning foods, then their metabolism will slow down, which then leads to weight gain.

These bad lifestyle choices not only paint a gloomy picture for the body’s outer appearance, but it causes internal harm as well. Poor lifestyle choices contribute to obesity related disorders such asdiabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia. ^[b]

Graduating SBI student, Koscha McIntosh, from West Palm Beach, Fla., said her No. 1 reason for not working out consistently is the lack of a gym membership.

“I don’t have a gym membership and don’t want to come out of pocket on a monthly basis for one,” McIntosh said. “As a college student, my goal is to save as much as possible and unhealthy food choices just happen to be less expensive.”

McIntosh’s case supports the theory of why students opt for unhealthier lifestyles; because, it is more convenient and less costly.

Jamal Sims, a third year biology student from Bowie, Md., said he wasn’t raised to make healthy eating decisions, because he was involved in sports.

“I was never raised to have the healthiest eating habits so it was never really as important to me, especially because I played sports my entire life,” Sims said. “As I got older and became less involved in sports, due to the tearing of my ACL, I have tried to adapt a more healthier diet because I fell short in that area.”

It’s important to keep in mind that as people get older, the likeliness of gaining weight increases.

^[c]

Daniel Higgins, a fourth year psychology major from Tampa, Fla. said she allows herself a few cheat days, but always make it a point to stay in the gym.

“I always keep my health in mind,” Higgins said. “Even though I may cheat on a few meals or skip the gym a few times per week, I always find the time to visit the gym and stay as active as possible. I was raised…to always remain active, so having those thoughts instilled in me at such a young age, has only allowed the easy transition into my adult life.”

Making healthier lifestyle changes is a start to the journey of a healthier and a better body—both physically and mentally.

Cutting off old habits can be a bit challenging, but by considering the benefits in the long run, they will be well worth the sacrifices.