Spring Break Hustle

Spring break 2019 is quickly approaching, and not a moment too soon. If you're a college student like myself, you're likely feeling pretty overwhelmed with papers, projects, and exams. The week before spring break is typically an uphill battle, with relief only coming after the last class on Friday. However, some students may find themselves with projects they have to do over break, whether it be extensions on papers, upcoming projects, or books that they need to read for when they return.

While some of you guys may wait till the last minute to finish up any homework you have, I would encourage you to get it done as soon as possible. I know that one of my classes offered an extension on a paper that we have due before break. While it may be tempting to take the extension so that you can lighten your load for the week, I would advise you not to do so. I think it's safe to say that most of us tend to procrastinate quite a bit. If you really are swamped and need the extension, then feel free to take it! However, you should really ask yourself some important questions before you do...

• Do I really need extra time to complete this assignment? 
• Is this extra time going to allow me to improve my assignment? 
• Am I gonna be motivated enough to finish it when spring break rolls around? 

If you answered 'no' for any of these questions, then I would suggest pushing through and getting them done before break. You'll thank yourself for doing it later! Hopefully you guys don't have too much to finish up this week! Good luck and have a great break!

11 Grizzly Bear Tips

As a creative writing major, I find myself writing a lot of different types of stories, though I tend to write more fiction stories. This gives me a lot of freedom when it comes to deciding what I want to write and how I want to write it. However, sometimes, when I'm writing more realistic fiction, it requires me to do a bit of research on subjects I may not be particularly knowledgeable about. I recently had to write a workshop piece for one of my creative writing classes, which had me researching some interesting topics. In my story, two of my protagonists are attacked by a grizzly bear. Since I'm not a grizzly bear expert, I had to do a bit of research to uncover some of the dos and don'ts when it comes to grizzly bear attacks. I thought I would share some of this information with you guys just in case you ever find yourself in a situation like this.

PBS wrote an article on what you should do if you ever encounter a grizzly bear.

Here’s what the experts say to do:

1. If you encounter a grizzly, do not run.
2. Avoid direct eye contact.
3. Walk away slowly, if the bear is not approaching.
4. If the bear charges, stand your ground (You cannot outrun it. They can run up to 40 mph).
5. Don’t scream or yell. Speak in a soft monotone voice and wave your arms to let the animal know you are human.
6. If you have pepper spray, prepare to use it.
7. If the grizzly charges to within 25 feet of where you’re standing, use the spray.
8. If the animal makes contact, curl up into a ball on your side, or lie flat on your stomach.
9. Try not to panic; remain as quiet as possible until the attack ends.
10. While in bear country, be aware that you may encounter a bear at any time.
11. Be sure the bear has left the area before getting up to seek help.

I really hope you guys never have to use any of these tips, but it can't hurt to spread the knowledge!

ONU Mock Trial Team

Last weekend on Feb. 16 and 17, Ohio Northern University's Mock Trial team went to our regional competition at Eastern Michigan State University. My team had been working with this year's case since early Sept. of 2018, with the regional competition being our very last tournament of the season. We won several of our ballots while in Michigan and we also won two individual awards. Kyla Gray, a graduating senior, won an award for best attorney while I won an award for best witness. For this Mock Trial season, we received a civil case about negligence. The case summary, provided by the American Mock Trial Association, was this, "On June 29, 2017, Defendant Danny Kosack was scheduled to appear on the highly-rated show Midlands After Dark with Alex Grace (produced by Plaintiff, Midlands Television Studios, Inc.) with Elias, Kosack's chimpanzee.  But a rehearsal before the show went terribly wrong when Elias attacked the people in the room.  Plaintiff's writer, Chris Villafana, was killed during the attack, and Plaintiff and Defendant have sued each other for negligence."

For the trial, I played as Remy Hollis. Remy was the band manager for the band that was supposed to preform that day on Midlands Television Studios. Remy witnessed the attack as well as some of the events leading up to it. Since Remy was a 'swing witness', either side could call this character to testify. Remy ultimately saw negligence from both Danny Kosack and MTS but, in cases like these, the party that is found to be liable by preponderance of the evidence is found to be guilty. Preponderance of the evidence simply means 'more likely than not'. So, if it is found that Danny Kosack is 51 percent negligent while MTS is 49 percent negligent, then the court must rule in favor of MTS. Since Remy is a swing witness, I played this character on both sides all weekend. Overall, ONU did a good job and placed decently among the teams that were there at the tournament.

Two Dollar Radio

On Feb. 9, 2019, Polaris, Ohio Northern University's literary magazine, went on a trip to visit the Two Dollar Radio Headquarters. Two Dollar Radio is an independent family-owned publisher based in Columbus, Ohio. The company was founded in 2005 and specializes in literary fiction. We were lucky enough to get to speak with one of the owners, Eric Obenauf, who gave us all some interesting insight into the publishing company. Eric talked to us about why they had originally founded Two Dollar Radio, one of the reasons being that Eric was struggling to find books that intrigued him and had bold voices. Eric explained to us that most of the larger publishing companies are looking for books that they think will make them lots of money. They want books that are marketable. They aren't necessarily looking for something new or bold. Eric told us that he liked reading quirky books with interesting stories or bold new ideas that haven't really been seen before. He noticed there wasn't really a huge market for this, so they started Two Dollar Radio to give these writers a voice.

Two Dollar Radio also has a small cafe at their headquarters in Columbus, Ohio where people can buy some of the books they've published or enjoy a nice vegan meal. They host numerous activities in their cafe every week. When asked why they decided to open the cafe, Eric explained that it was a way for them to further connect with their community. I really enjoyed Two Dollar Radio because of what the company stands for. They support writers that they feel are underrepresented by larger publishers, which I believe is something that is very important. I also think it's important to support these smaller publishing companies. If you're looking for a good book to read, check out their website and take a look at some of the writers they've published. There is something there for everyone!