Butler Resources

Case Study #3 – Online Sexual Harassment

When a person is in danger and feels like they are being sexually harassed online the first thing they should do is tell someone about it. If they feel like the person could identify them in real life then they should create a new email address and only let people who they want to email them have it. If you feel like the stalker could identify you then you should talk with someone who can tell you whether or not to respond. Sometimes you can send a short email asking them to please leave you alone. This does not work in all situations though. Another thing to do is to keep the emails instead of deleting them so that you can show them to someone of authority. Find someone who knows a lot about computers and the internet and see if they can trace the emails to a sender. Also if you feel like you could be found in real life there is always security on campus, so use it. Even if you only have them walk you to your car after class, every little bit can help. Overall, there are many things a person can do if they are feeling alarmed. The most important thing though is to let someone know what is going on and do not keep it to yourself and think it will pass.

Websites
http://www.tinhat.com/harassment/cyberstalking_2.html
http://www.butlercc.edu/safety/index.cfm

Academic Honesty

By definition plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work. Most people who plagiarize create many excuses as for why they do it. They try to justify their actions. No matter what there excuse is though, it cannot be justified. People use excuses such as “I didn’t have time to write my own,” or “I’m not creative enough.” One issue that is caused by cheating and plagiarism is the students who cheat create a curve in the grading scale which causes people who actually work hard to get lower grades. Another issue is that people who cheat are not getting a real education. They leave college not knowing anything because they did not do any of their own work. These people have a degree but are not fit to be in the work force. Another issue is that college prepares you for the rest of your life in many ways and if a person doesn’t get the full experience then they will not be prepared for the many situations to come in life. They will constantly have to look to someone else to show them what to do.

A couple of suggestions for stopping all of the cheating are practicing good study habits, having effect time and stress management skills, and by using your available resources. A good thing to do is to have a counselor help you enroll so that they can inform you of the approximate work load you will have. Another positive thing to do is to work, but not work to many hours. Do not make work more important than your education, and be sure to leave enough time to do your studies. And a final way is to start punishing people who are caught cheating. It is illegal so action needs to be taken.

Websites
http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm#suggestions
http://web.grinnell.edu/writinglab/CitationGuides/achondiscuss.html
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html
http://www.sfu.ca/policies/teaching/t10-02.htmhttp://www.sfu.ca/policies/teaching/t10-02.htm

Academic Plan

As I have grown up I have changed my mind about what I want to be about a million times. I went through stages of wanting to be an actress, a real estate agent, an accountant, and of course a superstar. Through most of high school I planned on being a pediatrician. I have always loved kids so I thought a doctor would be a good option. Then I realized that I don’t like science, therefore being a doctor went out the window. For as long as I can remember I have said there is no way I’d be a teacher. It just didn’t sound appealing to me. But the more I started to think about it, the more I started to think it was a good idea. That is why my major now is elementary education.

I chose Butler for their vocal program. I auditioned and received a vocal scholarship which pays for books and tuition. That sounded like a pretty good deal to me. Another reason I chose Butler was because of their close ties with Emporia State. My original plan was to go to Emporia but once I found out how much I could get paid for by coming to Butler my mind was made up. I plan on graduating from Butler with an Associates Degree. I then plan to transfer to Emporia State to further my education and receive a degree.

Websites:
http://www.butlercc.edu/educationdiv/index.cfm
http://www.emporia.edu/teach/
http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/academics/education.asp
http://www.education.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education

Community Service

Three specific issues that bother me the most are child abuse, homelessness, and starving people. One issue that I have put a lot of time and effort into helping is starving people in Mozambique. In the past couple of years they have gone through a civil war where most of their male population was wiped out. The women and children have continued to suffer in the years that have followed. The women are working in the community along with running the homes. Children are working and have no schools to attend. Disease is spreading at alarming rates. One of their biggest issues is their diet. They lack nutrition of any kind in their diets.

My high school is attempting to make a difference to these people. We have started a non-for-profit organization called Grains For Hope. Grains For Hope’s goal is to build a factory in Mozambique to produce fortified rice for the people of Mozambique to have at all times. Right now we are at the point where we are getting ingredients donated by local businesses, having the rice extruded at K-State, and having it shipped over by freight. At this point we are only able to provide for one small community instead of all of Mozambique. It is a very slow process but every little bit helps. The people of Mozambique said that before they received this rice, they had no food to give their children. We are in need of anything that is offered to us. We have many contacts who donate ingredients and money. We even have some people working to get a factory built. But we will never be satisfied until all of Mozambique is being fed.

The information on Mozambique was taken from www.wikipedia.com. Information on Grains For Hope can be found at www.grainsforhope.org.

Coping with Change

There have been a lot of changes recently in my life and in my opinion I have coped very well. For 18 years I lived under my parents’ roof and have had to live according to their rules. Also, I was able to see my family friends every day, and now the people closest to me are three hours away. I am here all alone to cope. I have managed by talking on the phone, making extra trips home and opening up to my roommate. I have to make an extra effort to talk to people I don’t know because I’ve always talked to the same people. I find when I do open up, people are very nice and are wiling to be my friends. Basically, I just remind myself to be more outgoing and know that I can handle the distance because of the friends I can make here.

Even though I sometimes don’t like this change it is obvious that it had to occur. I never would’ve wanted to stay living with my parents, but this change has made me realize how much I like my hometown. For as long as I can remember I was dying to get out of Sabetha and now that I am out, I've found I wouldn’t mind going back. High school was a lot easier than college because the classes were easier. In high school I wasn't to worried about my education and now that I’m in college and am paying for my education, I take it more seriously. The biggest change though was going out on my own. It is fun for the most part, but when a girl who's mom took very good care of her is shopping for groceries, toilet paper and the necessities she realizes a change has occurred.

Time Management

When I was in high school my time consisted of school, my two jobs, my family, my boyfriend, and all of my other friends. Now that I am in college my time consists mainly of school and work because my family and friends are three hours away. I think I have gotten better at prioritizing as I’ve started college. In my senior year my classes were not the most difficult. I was basically just “hanging out” until it was time to graduate. Because of this, my focus went mainly to my job and my boyfriend. I was a dental assistant for three years and I loved my job so I devoted a lot of time to it. Also I was in a new relationship so I devoted a lot of time to that as well. Once I turned 18, my parents and I began to argue a lot. I think it was because I was ready to go out on my own and they were trying to hold on. It caused some pressure between us so I spent even more time with my boyfriend. With time, and as I live further away I am learning how to prioritize. When I go home I now try to spend equal time with my family and with my friends. I also try to combine time and let them hang out together because they are all very important to me. I have also learned to manage my time better with my studies because these classes mean a lot to me, as compared to my high school classes. I am no longer just “hanging out.” Now I am getting an education so that I can do something I enjoy for the rest of my life. I feel like college has helped me a lot with my time management because I am realizing what’s truly important to me.

Some time management tips that I found on the internet on www.about.com are realize that time management is a myth, find out where you're wasting time, create time management goals, implement a time management plan, use time management tools, prioritize ruthlessly, learn to delegate and/or outsource, establish routines and stick to them as much as possible, get in the habit of setting time limits for tasks, be sure your systems are organized, and don't waste time waiting.