The Voice Blog

Parking Sensei

2008-04-07T09:39:00.001-07:00

Welcome parking student-san, I am parking cense, you have come to learn the ancient form of finding parking spot. Old Chinese proverb says: The great mountain is moved by single drop of water. Now, learn the different styles of finding parking spot and you too can be sensei...
Circling Shark- This ancient style consist of circling the streets until shark finds its victim.
Crouching Tiger- The fierce style of the tiger patiently waits and waits in same spot until open spot is made available and then tiger pounces and gets parking spot.
Hasty Monkey – The wise style of monkey finds first spot it sees even though it is mile from classroom. While other styles continue to search for parking spot, monkey is getting closer by walking.
Patient Panda- The unwearied panda passes many open parking spots looking for perfect spot.

Do you have parking tips for Sensei? Please comment parking-strudent-san below.

Your Power Point Sucks

2008-04-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

I know it’s hard to make a required presentation interesting even though it’s about some subject you don’t care about. Nevertheless, for the sake of all of those having to sit through it, the least you could do is apply a few of these tips, recommended by professional public speakers, to make your audience in as little pain as possible.
First of all, the point of a presentation is to get others to adopt your point of view by communicating an idea that will help them understand why you’re excited, or sad or optimistic or whatever. This is not accomplished with a lot of text, bullet points or fade in animations (I wont even mention the awful built-in clip art). Think of all the presentations you’ve been to where the presenter just reads off the slides. Did the audience really have to come all this way to listen to you read the slides? Why not just pass out the information and be done with it?
Communication happens more effectively when a transfer of emotion is involved. The right side of your brain is emotional, the left side is focused on facts and hard data. When you show up to give a presentation, people want to use both parts of their brain, thus, PowerPoint presents an amazing opportunity. You can use descriptive pictures on the screen to talk emotionally to the audience’s right brain, and your words can go through the audience’s ears to talk to their left brain. You put up a slide. It triggers an emotional reaction in the audience. They sit up and want to know what you’re going to say that fits in with that image. Then, if you do it right, every time they think of what you said, they’ll see the image.
So when creating your PowerPoint, make slides that reinforce your words, not repeat them. Create slides that demonstrate, with emotional proof, that what you’re saying is true not just accurate. This is effective communication.
Some rules to go by:
• Never have more than 6 words on a page. Ever.
• Never have anything smaller than 20 point font.
• No dissolves, spins or other transitions. Don’t do it.
• Make yourself cue cards to say what you want to say.

How To: Surf the Web During Class.

2008-04-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

With the news of everyone being required to have laptops, the amount of web surfing in class will be at an all time high. Here are some tips to getting away with deliberate inattention...
Do: Keep a separate browser window open at all times that is on the item being discussed in class.
Do: Practice doing Alt+Tab a few times until you are proficient in rapid screen changing.
Do: Sit in the back of the class so that as few as possible can see what you’re looking at.
Don’t: Watch anything too entertaining like Office episodes or else you’ll get a whole crowd of people staring at your screen from behind.
Don’t: Leave your volume up on high, you don’t want any unexpected commercials with sound popping up that will give you way.
Don’t: Play any games that are too involving that make it obvious that you aren’t looking at the teacher’s power point. Solitaire and Mind Sweeper are OK.

Let’s All Get A’s!

2008-04-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the end of another tedious group project. The work has been split up, the presentation is over, and now comes the time to do peer review where we grade one another in the group. When it comes down to it, I don’t really care what grade you get at the end of the semester, I just want the highest grade possible for me. I’ll give you a perfect grade if you’ll give me a perfect grade, and we’ll both be happy, right? Let’s all get A’s!
Even if your contribution has been obviously less than perfect, what do I care? In these circumstances...
wouldn’t we all be better off if we all came to a consensus as a student body to give each other perfect grades whenever we had to grade each other? Let’s leave the objective grading up to the teachers and take advantage of peer review opportunities to help each other out. But alas, many students take it upon themselves to actually give others the grades that they think they deserve. Are these people really doing anyone a favor or do they just think they are?
Some people obviously don’t deserve an A on a group project, but even if you give them an A, what harm does it do? Usually the peer grade is about a tenth of total points available, so what difference does it really make? Letting the group slacker off the hook this time is not going to make a break their college career. Feel good about giving someone a break. That person getting a break could be you someday.

The "Oppress Code"

2008-04-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that students have questions. This is a good thing, especially at an institute of higher learning like BYU-Idaho. One question that arises commonly is in regards to the Honor Code that we as students agree to (and mostly) abide by.
What is the purpose of the Honor Code, and more specifically, the dress code?
I had the chance to sit down with Michael Lehman, the Director of the Student Honor Office and ask him some questions last month. This is what I found...

In several devotionals, talks, forums, etc… President Clark has said that this place is special. “…we should treat the buildings as though we are going into a chapel, we look and act different in them.” Elder Bednar refers to the campus as a “temple of learning”; it is a special place and should be treated that way.
Many students however do not agree with the brethren. When asking students around campus their thoughts on the dress code, here’s what I found.

“I don’t get the point of an enforced dress code when were supposed to have free agency. I mean, if I want to wear shorts why can’t I? There were kids back home that wore flip-flops to church and nobody gave it a second look. But here, it’s some great taboo.” –Kyle Embley, Kentucky
“This summers going to be crazy. Pants in 90 degree weather? That’s something I’m not looking forward to. Why cant there be some exception for summer semester…just make the pants for Fall and winter semesters or something.” –Ryan Pickett, California
“In all honesty, I don’t give a crap about it. They want me to wear pants. O.K., I’ll wear pants.”- Stephen (steve-o) Busath, California
“I think its about obedience. If we reject something as small as ball caps and shorts, how can we accept bigger things down the road?”- Darren Stanger, Oregon
“To me, I don’t care if someone wants to have a beard or whatever. And with the shorts, why not in the summer? Shorts and summer are rather synonymous.”- Brandon Neal, Oregon
So it appears student opinion varies across the board. When I talked further with administration, I learned that the world see’s this campus in a different light when they visit. They see suits and skirts (especially on Tuesdays), and the general atmosphere of campus is unlike what they’ve ever experienced. President Clark has commented many times that we need to be preparing for the real world, and in the real world people don’t wear shorts, flip flops, and T-shirts to work.
While this is true, not everyone wears a suit to work. Not everyone is required to be clean shaven everyday. If a guy wants to have something besides a gay looking moustache, why can’t he grow out a goatee, or a full on beard? Id love to see some crazy beards around campus. The girls might not like it, but every now and then, a beard is a welcome sight. Just no moustaches, those are freakin ridiculous.
Another common argument is that we all as students signed the Honor Code, so why are we complaining? It made me think that just because we’re in a certain situation; it does not mean we can’t work to better that situation. If students truly feel the dress code is “oppressive” or “restrictive” (because it is), then it seems clear there are only a few options open for them. They can either comply and wear their shorts when they go home for break. They can try and bring it up with the SRC and other student groups (*this is the least effective method, as we all saw with Fight Night and such). Or lastly they can continue in a spirit of revolution and rebellion and try and slide by with not shaving everyday, or wearing those cute sandals to church because they “go with your outfit” or whatever.
To me, the choice is clear. Option three is the best by far. I encourage this. Just like the beard thing, I’d love to see some shorts popping up around campus. Maybe even some capris for you ladies. But everyone will have to make up their own minds. Go ahead you rebel, wear your Gucci sandals to church or try and sneak into the testing center with that two day growth going on. I know I do, and I'm still here. (not the sandals thing, but the two day growth)
.

Give Me Flip-Flops or Give Me Death

2008-04-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Rachel Fuentez
Okay, so I have an issue with the honor code stating that we can't wear flip flops. Some reasoning is because it is unprofessional, makes the "flip-flop" sound, and because they were originally worn to the beach. First off, I have been wearing flip flops on campus for the past three weeks and not ONE person has said anything to me!!! I have been in the testing center (3 times!), through the MC, presented in front of two different classes (4 times) and visited many library services. For a campus that seems to be...
strong on the Honor Code, you sure are slow to address it... Now, the reasoning against flip flops. They don't look professional- I'm sorry, but do UGGS or crocs look professional either? Don't think so. Plus, since when is class a "professional" setting? We aren't in law school!
They make the "flip-flop" noise- I would argue that any shoe without a back will make that noise. Shuffling happens if there isn't heel support. Plus lazy people shuffle their feet... Can we ban them from campus?
They were originally worn to the beach- Yeah, and so are plenty of other kinds of shoes. Deal with it. Besides, since we're land-locked us visiting the beach anytime soon shouldn't be a problem.
It is such a stupid rule and loosely enforced. Besides, there are plenty of sandals out there that look just like flip flops, and those aren't a problem. For example, the women's sandal that has a triangle over the top of what could be considered a "flip-flop" yet they aren't banned. We are forced to keep our feet wrapped up all fall and winter because of the treacherous weather, can't we get three months of sun on our poor white feet? I bet there would be a huge influx of people that would wear flip flops, but eventually it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Administration here needs to unwad their panties and let us live instead of oppressing us. Besides, BYU-Provo can wear flip flops... Our school is growing quickly and you can't hold all of us back forever!! How many potential students are lost because they can't wear flip flops on campus? You like money don't you? Then why so strict on us? I'm paying you, BYU-I, thousands of dollars every year to be here, its the least you could do for me. Plus, the prophet/church has never said that its immoral or immodest to wear flip flops. Please, enter the twenty first century and get rid of the archaic rule of no flip flops. You say tomato, I say it's gay.

BYUI Urban Legends

2008-02-21T22:36:00.000-08:00

Us Mormon students love our urban legends. Fact or Fiction? You be the judge!

Tennis Racket Brothel
There was once a female apartment that was run as a brothel. All the “clients” knew when the apartment was open for “business” when they put two tennis rackets crossed in the window. The brothel was finally discovered when one of the girl’s Bishops became concerned over where all her tithing money was coming from.

Las Vegas Marriage Weekend
Students go to Vegas for the weekend, get married, have sex, then get their marriage annulled and return to school. This avoids complications with the school's honor code because the students were legally married.

Yoda Modeled After President Spence W. Kimball
LDS members who were working on the movie Star Wars helped director George Lucas create Yoda because he wanted to use a respected and dignified religious leader as a model.

Sheri Dew Foundation
Gives Tuition Refunds for Students Who Graduate Unmarried

Parking

2008-02-21T22:24:00.000-08:00

By Brooke Chapman: A week ago I drove to school for the first time this semester. Like many students, I usually walk to school for lots of reasons – it only takes a little more time, it saves gas, and most importantly, it’s almost impossible to find parking.

As I pulled up to parking lot next to the library, I was elated.There were tons of open spots! But as I turned to pull into one, my observant passenger said, “I knew it was too good to be true. This is all A parking.”

I understand that there is an influx of cars here at BYU-Idaho. I understand that our campus was created for walking to rather than driving to. I understand that the faculty needs a place to park their cars. I do not understand, though, why the largest body that drives to campus, the students, have exponentially fewer parking spots in proportion to faculty parking areas.

I love this school, and I know that I am very blessed to be here. But I also know that I pay tuition. I clean my apartment every Wednesday. I try not to break curfew. I do all that I am asked, but sometimes I feel as though we, as students are very oppressed by the authoritarian beliefs that the school and those associated with it seem to have.

We are constantly told how blessed and how lucky we are to be here by our professors, but aren’t they pretty lucky that we are here? I mean, our tuition DOES pay their salaries, right? By our professors requiring our attendance to the classes WE pay for, by parking two blocks away from your friend’s complex to avoid getting towed by the superpower towing companies, by allowing the faculty to have eighty open spots when students are parked so close to each other, they have to escape their cars through their sunroofs, just to have a spot… we have lost the upper hand.

That day I went to each parking lot and was again and again shocked by the crowded B parking sections and the empty, leisure A sections. Eventually the Project Mayhem Mentality broke through me, and I parked, yes, I parked, in A parking.

Britney Spears: Most Important Person on the Planet.

2008-02-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

Why as a society are we so obsessed with celebrities? What does it say about us that, as a nation, we prefer gossip to news of substance? When it comes down to it, it's all about ratings; the media simply gives the people what they want most. We all vote with the amount of attention that we devote; and as far as I can tell, the votes are in and Britney Spears is the most important person on the planet.
• A celebrity tabloid with Britney Spears on the cover sells 1.28 million newsstand copies, 33% percent more than the average.
• Between January 2006 and July 2007, Britney was a cover subject of People, Us Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style, OK!, or Star a total of 175 times in just
...78 weeks.
• During January 2006 and July 2007, newsstand sales of issues with her on the cover amounted to $360 million.
• Brittany topped the annual Yahoo! Search rankings in six of the past seven years.
• A Britney photo collects anywhere from $250, for a run-of-the-mill shot of her, to $100,000 or more.
• X17, a paparazzi company, sold $2.5 million worth of Britney photos in 2007 alone, including $500,000 for its exclusive Bald Britney pictures.
• Britney receives between $250,000 and $400,000 just for showing up at events.
• All told, Britney probably makes up a full 20 percent of the paparazzi business.
It almost makes you feel bad for how much Brit is exploited but hey, that’s entertainment.
(Source: Portfolio.com, The Britney Economy, McDonald, Feb 2008)

The SRC is Pointless

2008-02-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

The Student Representative Council at BYU-I is a waste of time. At most universities, it’s the students versus the administration. The students demand a change in school policy so they send around petitions and rally against the administration to change things. Here everyone accepts the idea that this is “God’s” school, so the way everything is run must be the way God intends. If anything changes at BYU-I it starts from the top down, from the administration to the students, and never the other way around.
For this reason, the SRC doesn’t make sense. The student representatives basically exist to improve their resumes than for any other reason. Just go to byui.edu/src and take a look for yourself at the worthless contributions made by the SRC: Conducting surveys to find out student opinion on vending machine options at the request of Food Services, Fixing the access door for The Ricks building. These are not issues that necessitate a Student Representative Council. It should be called “students are free to complain but then the administration will...
tell them how it is, so deal with it.”
The biggest reason for the SRC being under utilized, in my opinion, is due to the fact that students at BYU-I are indoctrinated with ideas like: “It is a privilege to come to this school”, “If you don’t like it then leave”, and “This is The Lord’s university.” In this way, BYU-I instigates the apathetic attitude that many Mormon students have. No one questions the practices or policies of the school because if they did, they would be, in the school’s eyes, questioning the very doctrines of the church.
The truth is that BYU-I is a university ran by mere mortals just like everywhere else. President Hinkley doesn’t call the teachers to tell them how to run the school; he follows the admonition of Joseph Smith, “I teach them correct principals and they govern themselves.” We know the correct principals, but we would rather have the school govern us than govern ourselves.
So before the SRC changes anything at BYU-I they need to first change the BYU-I student’s mindset.

The Voice Sexist? Good For Them.

2008-02-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

By Sharon Garrett: In the February issue, The Voice was accused of being a device allowing men to vent their “girl problems,” and as a female reader I was encouraged to let my voice be heard “for a change.” Having been annoyed for the last time I have decided to take the advice. I am glad there is some place where men can vent their frustrations about women, I myself am subject to frequent cathartic episodes that liberate me from the exhausting antics of my sex. If there was no escape for all the built up aggravation resulting from the grating facets in the female persona, I am afraid that one day all women might be extinguished; the few years of peace would be worth the extinction of the human race. Women readily agree that men are flawed, why can’t womentreat themselves with that same decency? Ladies, life isn’t all about the wrongs done to us. Instead of fussing that our rights are being abused when we hear about our sometimes selfish, nosy, manipulative, ditsy, gossipy, insincere selves, why not fret over starving kids in Africa? Deep down most guys like women, so don’t get so riled up or worried. Would it hurt? Let us face the fact that there are instances every day where we are annoying. Everyone is. Accept it. Get over it. Don’t write a feministic harangue about men and the harmless jeers given at our expense. They remain mostly speechless when we viciously attack their manhood, intelligence, and all around character.

Which of all the Facebook Groups is True?

2008-02-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

By J. Meier: During this time of great excitement my mind has been called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings are deep and often poignant. In process of time my mind has become somewhat partial to the "In Memory of the Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley" group as they have the most members, and I feel some desire to be united with them; but so great is the confusion and strife among the different facebook groups, that it is impossible for a person young as I am, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who is right and who is wrong.

I often say to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these facebook groups are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right,...which is it, and how shall I know it?

There are approximately 222 Facebook groups dedicated to Gordon B. Hinckley, 99.9% of which are tributes to him passing away. Now don't get me wrong, it's great and all that people want to publicly pronounce their feelings of him passing, but if I unite myself with none of them does that make me care for him LESS? If I DO join a group what happens when I LEAVE the group? Am I suddenly publicly saying that I have no more loving memories of Pres. Hinckley? Maybe I should just try and unite ALL of the Pres. Hinckley groups already in existence to create ONE true and living Pres. Hinckley tribute facebook group. My fear is that all of their creeds are so different that it would be nearly impossible to unite them. And what am I to do about the Pres. Hinckley challenge application or being added as one of his fans? This has been weighing on my mind for quite some time now and I feel I must retire for the evening. I bid you all farewell.

BYU-Idaho Approved Housing is a Monopoly

2008-02-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

By Sven Taow: If you haven't noticed, the price of approved housing has been going up. My question is this: WHO IS STOPPING IT?!? Regardless of how expensive approved housing is, the students will still have to pay it. We don't have any choice! BYU-I can tell students that they have to live in approved housing, but they wash their hands clean when we ask them to control the prices approved housing is allowed to charge.

The Jordan Ridge sold every vacancy this semester. It costs $1250 to live there during the winter semester. That means they are receiving $2490.00 each month for a single apartment! On a Federal Government Census website it states...that in the year 2006, the average apartment unit in Idaho rented for $623 dollars a month. There is quite a gap between $2490.00 a month and $623.

What could $2490 a month buy you in Rexburg? That would pay for your mortgage on a $400,000 home! You and your buddies could buy a huge house and call dibs on the master bedroom!

About 15 months ago, Harris Hall was $600 a semester, making it the cheapest men's approved housing on campus. I was disturbed to see how much they were charging this semester: $850! The building is the same. It is still the same distance from campus. The owner must have realized this key factor: If you raise the price of rent, the students will pay whatever amount you charge!

Something needs to change. The only thing that will cause this change is the students and citizens of Rexburg. Complain to the college. Study the Fair Housing Act. Contact the ACLU. Sign petitions and bring them to the city counsel. It isn't fair for students to be forced to pay New York City apartment rates in a small farming town in Southeastern Idaho.

The Voice's Core Competecny

2008-02-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

How does The Voice decide what kind of content goes into the paper? With college students being our main readers, and their interests varying so widely, it seems like a difficult task to make a paper that would interest every student. We use a simple system to filter the content based in the idea of “The Hedgehog Concept,” by Jim Collins.
In his book, “Good to Great,” Collins states that great companies founded their strategies on deep understanding along three key dimensions—what we came to call the three circles. The three circles are: What you can be best in the World at, What drives your economic engine, and What are you deeply passionate about?
So, what can The Voice be the best in the world at? Can we the best in the world at writing about world news or sports articles? Probably not, we’ll leave that kind of stuff up to...
CNN and ESPN. Can we be the best in the world at writing articles about the student culture at BYUI in Rexburg? Yes. What drives The Voice economic engine? The more relevant we are, the more readers we get, and the more advertisers will pay to be in the paper. What is The Voice deeply passionate about? Students in Rexburg; and more importantly what college students are passionate about: dating, entertainment, humor, and opinions that challenge the status quo.
So, if you are interested in writing an article for The Voice, put it to the three circules test. Does it fit?

Want to Advertise in Rexburg?

2008-02-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

Click on the image to scroll through the media kit that shows ad sizes and prices.

We distribute 5,000 copies to the door steps of BYUI college studetns monthly.

Feburary Issue

2008-02-12T12:29:00.001-08:00

The next issue of The Voice will be coming out Feb. 21st. If you would like to contribute with an article, announcement, or otherwise, email us at thevoicellc@gmail.com. Be excited!

The Cost of Being Cordial

2008-01-30T17:03:00.000-08:00

Nothing. It doesn’t cost anyone anything to be nice. But somehow or another we meet people that just can’t help themselves.
I recently met a person that who, without fail, always has something negative to say towards someone about anything. I was chatting with a close friend of mine and this cynical individual must have overheard what my friend and I were discussing and made a particularly cutting remark toward my friend. I know that he/she meant for us to hear it because he/she was not discrete about the volume of their voice. My friend with whom I was talking is a sensitive person and really takes to heart the comments of others. So when this hurtful remark was made, it got me really upset.

Maybe it was just sarcasm gone wrong. Then again, maybe this negative person is just out to make people feel bad about themselves. Who knows?
If the comment was sarcasm, I’m just as guilty as the next guy of being sarcastic during inappropriate situations. But the difference between myself and the individual I speak of is that I learn from my mistakes and try to see if what I’ve said could be misconstrued as something truly unkind. I don’t mean to make myself appear as some beacon of virtue, but I truly do care about the feelings of others and do my best to make sure that they don’t carry away any feelings of animosity after chatting with me.
I don’t know about you but I was the victim of teasing in elementary school and on into middle school. I was a really quiet kid, not prone to sticking up for myself, and because of that I made myself an easy target. I don’t have many sad memories thus far in my life but of the ones that I do have, those from my early experiences in school are by far the ones that stick out the most. I don’t hold any grudges against the kids who picked on me because we weren’t even ten years old. In fact, some of them became good friends of mine later on in high school.
But when I see people in college, fully grown adults, ignorantly and unrepentantly making hurtful comments towards others, I can’t help but get somewhat angry. Are we truly no more mature than ten year-olds? This makes me think these individuals are very insecure of themselves and have to bring others down to build themselves up; the stuff you learn in psychology 101. It’s usually after a negative experience that we think of the perfect thing to have said in the moment. I don’t really know what I would tell the people who fall in this category. Maybe something along the lines of “I feel bad for you” or “I’m sorry that you have to say things like that to maintain your pseudo-self confidence.”
Maybe we should put forward a motion to institute a national “Be Nice to Others Day.” Then again, shouldn’t we be doing that everyday? Indeed.

Over Litigation

2008-01-30T16:59:00.000-08:00

By: Eli Stevens
I believe that our culture is steering towards a mentality of over caution. We are too afraid of stepping out and doing new things because of our overwhelming anxiety of ‘breaking the rules’. Too many times I’ve heard people ask while doing something daring, ‘Can you do that?’ Yep! I just did, so I guess I can. It is much easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Today, everything has to pass through a committee or our peers until it filters down to black and white barriers of what we can and can’t do. Standards and regulations are necessary, but our cultural over litigation is getting out of control!

The ‘Student Representative Counsel’ has a weekly report of what actions they have done to better the school. I believe that this mentality of creating more and more rules is terrible. A lot can be said for taking a step back and letting students govern themselves, instead of creating new school policies to counteract disobedience. (ie. ‘Fight Night’)

Nothing does more bad than good intentions. We hoped that creating one law on top of another would lead to a better society, but instead it’s created a generation afraid to do anything on their own. Too many times we second guess ourselves with everything. No matter what path we go down in life there is going to be someone to tell us that we are wrong.

The worst are the people that love to invent rules. They claim that something is a law when really it doesn’t exist. No Prophet has ever said that the Lord doesn’t want us to watch TV on Sunday. If you have a personal preference to not do it, wonderful! I don’t care. But don’t try and pass it off as doctrine.

Are we such, that we need to have someone telling us what to do at every waking moment? I feel similar to Patrick Henry when he said, ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’ Having my life neatly structured and organized makes me want to make mistakes on purpose!

Only when my mistakes affect the well being of someone else should laws be in place. For example, it’s a law in student housing that you have to have a bed cover on your bed. Who cares!? That doesn’t affect anyone else? Stop trying to micromanage my life and let me make mistakes.

I refuse to live a life in fear of breaking some petty rule. Because this mentality is capable of creating huge character flaws with fear and self-confidence. Even if something is obviously wrong and is a mistake it is my right to make that mistake. It’s through our mistakes that we often make the most amount of progress, and we can’t allow anyone to take away our right to make mistakes.

Battle of the Sexes Round 2

2008-01-30T16:46:00.000-08:00

What Girls Hate About Guys:

Guys expect girls to have a perfect body, hair and face, yet they can have acne, wierd shaped heads, scars and unobrows and it’s just fine.

time. It’s almost like they can’t walk down the sidewalk and chew bubble gum at the same time.

When he flirts with you and then you find out he already has a girlfriend.

The guys we don’t like, call us all the time and won’t leave us alone, and the guys we do like, won’t initiate and never call us.

Burping or farting; no matter how loud, long or how much it has been practiced, it is never impressive.

Chivalry to an extreme by making us wait in awkward silence while he opens the door to get out of the car.

Making age difference a big deal.

When he doesn’t call when he said he would. Everyone has time to at least text and apologize for why they’re too busy to talk.

What Guys Hate About Girls

Girls who hang up old flowers they received until they wither and die. They look really depressing and pathetic!

They either have too many dates or not enough and they are more then eager to tell you about it

They can tell you that your the best guy in the entire world and yet not ever want to date you.

Girls that write their apartment ‘funny quotes’ on 3x5 cards and post them on the walls. Stupid!

Girls who feel they aren’t being spiritual unless they cry.

When guys burp it’s rude, but when girls burp it’s cute.

Girls who are so bubbly and sweet that they cause emotional cavities.

Women who complain about their their image. You’re confidence in your body is more important than your imperfections.

Girls who laugh at every joke during sacrament meeting. It’s not that funny!

Horoscopes

2008-01-30T16:44:00.000-08:00

Aquarius
Shoot for the moon, ‘cause if you miss at least you’ll land among the stars. But be careful, ‘cause if you miss the stars then you will be killed in a black hole.

Pisces
You are very photogenic. Your stalker has just developed pictures of you on the toilet and they are actually very flatterying.

Aries
Those expensive textbooks will finally pay off. The third leg on your table is a few inches shorter than the rest.

Taurus
Don’t worry about preparing yourself too much for that job interview. So long as your kidney works, they’ll take it.

Gemini
Making out with that special someone in your dreams carries with it a very profound and hidden meaning. You are very horny!

Cancer
You need to lower your expectations. That way you’ll be satisfied when people treat you like a dog.

Leo
The over crowded gym in ‘The Hart’ is making it hard for you to keep up your new years resolution. Try flirting with people on their way to the gym instead.

Virgo
You’re looking at you ex’s facebook account too much. Set goals to stop. Try cutting back to 8 times an hour.

Libra
This week you will become a hero, no wait...you’ll buy guitar hero. Sorry, there are a lot of clouds in front of the stars.

Scorpio
You can’t wait to see that new movie Rambo and neither can I. Would you like to go on a date with me? Call me, Ryan Nead (702) 343-3410

Sagittarius
This week remember. It requires more muscles to frown than to smile. But it requires no muscles to just sit there and look bored.

Capricorn
Dressing cool and being warm on your way to class is difficult for you. Try putting warm scrambled eggs in your pockets.

Is having a larger vocabulary SO much to ask?

2008-01-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

My New Years activities weren’t all that exciting. In fact, they were probably what most would call nauseatingly boring; I watched Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve with my sister and her husband at their house. Sweet. I know.
It was while I was watching the show and making jokes at the performer’s expense that I noticed something. Every time a performer would come up on stage after singing or whatever, they would be asked the typical questions. “What do you think about New Years in Times Square?”, “What’s the atmosphere like here in Times Square?”, “What did you think about that last performance?”, etc, the person being asked would reply “It’s amazing!”. Every two seconds someone would say, “It’s amazing!”
After noticing the over usage of this word, I decided to count the number of times they used it in one exchange between performances. In one 1 ½ minute exchange (or 90 seconds) the word amazing was used nine times. That’s once every ten seconds! Do people want to sound like parrots?!
Catch phrases and words change all the time. Take a look at the Billboard Top 40 at any given time and the titles or choruses of the most popular songs will more than likely be the latest catch phrases that will spread like an airborne virus in a subway. Some might remember Will Smith’s 1997 hit “Gettin’ jiggy wit it”. Does anyone have ANY idea what this means? Doubtful. Smith himself was asked what it meant on a VH1 interview and even he didn’t know. But hey, plenty were getting “jiggy wit it” according to how often this phrase would waft into the air among the masses on the street.
Amazing is the latest and greatest in over-abused words to float around in contemporary America. I think it all started when the whole “indie” scene and kids wanted to appear like they had their fingers firmly on the pulse of whatever underground music they claimed to be a part of. Gertrude would ask, “Hey Tommy, have you heard of The Chince Bucket Re-runs?” Tommy would reply with a simple “no” to which Gertude gets totally melodramatic. “Oh my gosh! You absolutely have to listen to them! They’re AMAZING!”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve either overheard this or actually been the Tommy. The sad part is, I’d listen to whatever it is that they wanted me to listen to and 90% of the time the band or group or singer would totally suck. It was almost like people were just looking for an excuse to use “amazing” in a sentence.

“Death Cab for Cutie is amazing.” Nope. They blow.

“Sufjan Stevens is amazing.” Sorry. Crap.

“The Decemberists are amazing.” Never listened to them but because you used amazing to tell me about them, that’s a big red flag.

I really wouldn’t care if people used “amazing” in a normal conversational syntax. But because the word is flying around like bullets in a bad action movie, every time I hear it I’m tempted to be a huge A-hole and totally grill the person about their word choice. “What exactly about this warrants the use of the word amazing? What is amazing about it?”

So yeah, let’s not be sheep, the broken horses that go wherever the ranchers tell us to go. Language is pretty sweet and to limit ourselves to repeating whatever Hollywood, the record companies, or idiotic celebrities are saying say is just plain ignorant. We’re smarter than that. That is all.

Voice Mail: The Voice is Sexist, by Natalie Olsen

2008-01-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or does it seem like there is no such thing as a female’s voice in The Voice? In the January issue there was an article called “Battle of the Sexes,” which seemed less like a battle and more like a women bashing session. In the article it said under “Things Girls Hate About Guys”: “Guys can’t commit to anything.” Then under “Things Guys Hate About Girls”: “You can’t hang out with an old attractive girlfriend because girls get jealous. But girls say you’re controlling her if you say she cant hang out with her old attractive boyfriends.” Does that seem just a little unequal? Sounds to me like someone at The Voice has girl problems and needs somewhere to vent. Every time I pick up The Voice it’s: girls need to do this, and girls need to do that. Why not write about all the things that are wrong with boys for a change? Come on women of BYU-I, let’s be heard. The Voice says they’ll publish anything, let’s get writing and have our voice heard for a change.

Lip Service: Your toughest questions about love answered by The Voice professionals

2008-01-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Lip Service,
My fiancé and I have been together since January 1st. And I know that we are more in love than anyone else, so we think we should be the first to get married in the Rexburg temple. This couple Megan and Ryan have already reserved their spot. My question is, how do I get them to understand and change their date for us?
Love, I want Rexburg temple

Dear IWRT,
Please try and not take offense… don’t be ridiculous. Why would you think you are more important than another couple? Trust me, your not. So, get over it and choose a date that has openings!

Dear Lip Service,
I think my girlfriend is in love with “her” missionary. When we first started dating things were great. But I guess he called her on Christmas and the afterward she called me John accidentally a couple times. My name is JUSTIN! I mean yeah they both start with J’s but we have been together for 6 months, you would think she wouldn’t make that mistake…
Love, Truly Hurt

Dear TH,
It sounds like John is on her mind a lot lately. From my experience, it’s never good to be called by an ex’s name. Sounds like 6 months is time enough for you to call it quits. Find a girl with less baggage.

Dear Lip Service,
I’m really nervous, my professor Sister Smith (name changed), is so cute. In class I find myself not paying attention to what she is saying, but to what she is doing. I don’t know what to do. She is single but I don’t know how to ask her out. I mean, won’t she think it’s weird?
Love, I’m in love with my professor

Dear IILWMP,
Look into the schools policy before you embarrass yourself. I’m sure even if she wanted to go out with you, she would be breaking the rules. But, if you think about it, why would she want to go out with you? She is already educated and has a good job, and you are just a student. What would you bring to the relationship?

Dear Lip Service,
What would you tell a girl who knows she is in love with a guy, he says he loves her too, they talk about moving forward but he is unsure if he wants to marry her but she feels it's right. Should she get out, be patient, wait around?
Sincerely, So Confused
Dear SC,
It’s okay if he is taking his time to decide if marriage is right. I know it’s hard to wait because everyone around you is getting married, but making sure both of you are absolutely ready is most important. You said he tells you he loves you, that’s a start, but is he showing you? Try not to pressure him and wait it out, let him bring up marriage next time. Also, a lot of times talking about marriage is what feels good, not the decision in and of itself. Good luck.

Call Centers Weaken the Soul

2008-01-30T08:25:00.000-08:00

Some of the biggest employers for college students in Rexburg are call centers. There’s Western Watts, Rexburg Opinion Center, Progrexion, and Melaleuca. Why so many? Because low minimum wage and desperate poor college students equals perfect call center opportunity. But is your life really worth only 6 dollars an hour?
Walk into any call center and its like walking into a morgue. Students in cubicles staring blankly at computer screens talking like zombies into head sets. At Western Watts and The Opinion Center you sit there and read verbatim what the screen on the computer tells you to say to angry people who have no desire to take a survey. One plus is that at least you know that your job wont get outsourced to India because even they can’t do your job for less money.
At Melaleuca, on the other hand, you wait around to receive calls instead of making them. This is just as monotonous, and at the end of every month you have to work 12 hour shifts of monotony during their peak calling times. Progrexion is your standard call people and try to sell them something over the phone job. In this case, it’s a service to help solve their credit problems. I think you have enough problems of your own if you have to subject yourself to such tediousness.
With all of these jobs, not only are you engaging in an activity that is not teaching you, stimulating your mind, or doing anything of any positive consequence to you whatsoever, but your getting paid to subject yourself to this torture. One can’t help but feel like their life is slipping away one 6$-an-hour at a time. But you say, “Well, I need the money.” Do you really need it that much? Is 20 hours of your life a week worth the measly $120, minus taxes, that you get?
Yet hope is on the way for those of us who don’t have a choice. On May 25, of last year, The Fair Minimum Wage Act was signed into law which will increase the minimum wage over the next two years to $6.55 on July 24, 2008, and to $7.25 on July 24, 2009. All call centers are just as bad. Anyone who tells you different no longer has a soul.

Mitt Romney is Mormon!

2008-01-30T08:24:00.000-08:00

By The Ignorant Uninformed Student
The presidential election is underway, at least from what I heard in priests quorum, and did you know that one of the presidential hopefuls is a Mormon? Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and so am I! Seriously, having a Mormon run for president is so cool. Whatever it is this country needs, a Mormon, or Mitt Romney, could totally solve it. Imagine Mitt Romney, a Mormon, in the white house trying to figure out what to do with illegal Iraqis, or whatever, and being able to pray to know what to do. I’m voting for Mitt Romney, not just because he’s a Mormon, but because we have the same religion. Did you know that Mitt Romney shares last names with a general authority? That’s right, Marion G. Romney was general authority for 47 years – longer than any other living person. Sure, the issues that a presidential candidate stands for are important, but since he’s Mormon I’m pretty sure I would agree with his stance on all the issues, whatever they are, since I’m Mormon too. I wish more Mormons would run for public office. It sure would make it easier for me to know who to vote for. More Mormons should play football too. I’ve been having a hard time knowing which team to root for ever since Steve Young left the 49ers. Oh well, I guess there’s always the BYU cougars right? A Mormon, I mean, Mitt Romney for president!

I Heart Pirated Music

2008-01-30T08:23:00.000-08:00

The music industry is shaking in its boots thanks to people like me who avidly download music for free off the internet. According to Nielsen SoundScan, album sales were down 15 percent from 2006 (a trend that's continued for eight straight years now). Do I somehow justify myself, or rationalize my downloading habit by saying that it’s somehow not really stealing? No. As I see it, I am on the crest of the wave of the new revolution, I am a part of something; the underground that is taking over the prehistoric music industry. The times are changing and its never been better for music.
Every single industry changes and, eventually, fades and the music industry is no different. The more the music industry tightens their grip on their channels of distribution, the more college kids like me slip through their fingers and get their music for free. If the music industry is going to go to war with tens of thousands of their customers every year by suing them, don’t be surprised if we start treating them like the enemy.
Music as a digital product has near-zero costs of production and distribution. When costs are near zero, you might as well make the price zero, too, something thousands of bands have figured out and are taking advantage of. For the independent musician, its never been easier to find fans, book shows and create a community. When you can distribute something digitally, for free, it will spread. So if you like the crunk/reggaeton/soul genre, you can finally find it.
Bands then make money from their live performances. There's big money in live shows, according to Pollstar.com, 92% of the Rolling Stones' revenues comes from performance, not recorded music. But the labels don't get any of it. No wonder they're so against free music. It only helps the bands, and us.
The music industry has been milking their cash cow; the money machine that blinds them of the strategic imperative for change, for long enough. This new medium of peer-to-peer file sharing has devalued what the music industry thought was their core asset: the stranglehold on distribution, and made them into burdens rather than advantages. We, the customers, once just a mass, are now a million small competitors eating away at them one download at a time.
So join me as we take back the music from the music industries and put it in the hands of musicians where it belongs

It's Never Fun Till its on Facebook

2008-01-30T08:21:00.000-08:00

Its like the comedian Dimitri Martin says, “The digital camera is a great invention because it allows us to reminisce. Instantly.” You can now check yourself out immediately and see how much fun you had within seconds. And now on Facebook, everyone else can collectively reminisce with you within minuets. My concern is that it looks like the trend is doing things for the sole purpose of takeing pictures of yourself doing those things, so that you can post it to Facebook, so everyone knows about the cool things you are doing.
Don’t forget that it is possible to go do something for fun and leave your digital camera at home. Maybe it isn’t necessary to document every experience with digital photography. Try having fun for the sake of having fun and forget about making sure everyone else knows about all the fun you’re having.

The Voice News Network Episode 2

2007-12-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

Battle of the Sexes

2007-12-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

Girls hate boys that play video games.

Boys hate it when they go over to a girls apartment and all the girls are hanging out in ugly PJs and its only 6 o’clock at night.

Girls hate freeloaders.

Boys hate girls that don’t let them freeload.

Boys hate the quote walls that girls have up in their apartments where they paste a huge piece of butcher paper to the wall and write all the lame inside jokes of their apartment.

Boys hate pictures of Disney characters that girls use to decorate their walls. Hey, were not 12 years old anymore!

Girls hate it when boys asks them out on a date and then pick them up and ask, “so what do you want to do tonight?”

Girls hate boys who wear low riding jeans.

Girls don’t like boys who go to the gym to hit on girls.

Anymore battle ideas? Comment below.

Fashion Report

2007-12-09T19:12:00.000-08:00

Uggs boots. This trend is sweeping Rexburg as the cold long winter sets in. Not familiar with Uggs? They’re the huge fur covered boots that girls tuck their jeans into. Ugg-ly or ugg-hot? You be the judge.

Know of any other fashion trends sweeping Rexburg? Let us know below.

Lip Service

2007-12-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

Your love and relationship questions answered by The Voice

Dear Lip Service,
My boyfriend is off track winter semester, while I’m here he will be going home to Virginia. I have never done a long distance relationship before, but I really like him. What should I do?
Sincerely,
Will my heart grow fonder?

Dear WMHGF,
If you like him… give a long distance relationship a chance. It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Put yourself out there, it’s okay to put your heart on the line!

Dear Lip Service,
I’m graduating this month and I’m not married yet. My ex-girlfriend and I made a promise when we were young that if we weren’t married by the time we graduated college we would get married. And trust me, she remembers. The problem isn’t that I don’t love her. It’s that she isn’t a member of the church. How should I deal with this?
Sincerely,
Should I get my MBA?

Dear SIGMM,
Trust me, people have met and got engaged within a months time. You can do it too. And, if you don’t, don’t lower your standards for something as important as marriage. Hold out until you find someone with everything you want, and more.

Dear Lip Service,
I have been writing my missionary for 20 months now. We always planned on getting married when he got back. However, I just met a guy who is awesome and asked me out… should I give him a chance?
Sincerely,
Confused love

Dear CL,
Give him a chance. The percentage of people who marry the missionaries that they sent out… isn’t that great. People change, don’t put all your eggs in one basket…YET!

The Curse of Rexburg Businesses

2007-12-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

Businesses exist to fulfill a need that their customers have, and in Rexburg many students complain that there is nothing to do. So, an obvious need for a business to fulfill would be to supply students with something to do. Many businesses have tried in Rexburg, but all have failed. There is no such thing as a business in Rexburg that has been able to survive solely on catering to college students. Think about it for a second; name one business that was designed for students in Rexburg that has stayed in business.
You would think that 13,000 students would be enough to support a local business in Rexburg, but they’re not. Heart Mind and Soul, the restaurant/music venue gave it a good try but in the end went out like the rest of them. Craigos used to be a college hang out spot where bands played, in its old location next to Hogi Yogi, but it too couldn’t make ends meet so they moved to a larger location that caters more to local families than students. The Royal Market, a convenience store where Subway now is on the roundabout, also went out of business. These are just a few examples of businesses that have died while trying to cater to students. Some businesses realize the negative effects of fickle college students and don’t even try to advertise towards them. Once a business has too many college students coming in, it pushes away the local family customers who are the ones with more money and are more loyal.
So for all those who complain about Rexburg being a boring place; the moral of this story is, don’t complain if your not willing to support your local scene.
There is a new business opening up for college students this month called The Cocoa Bean: Cupcake Café on College Ave. across from Porters. They sell gourmet hot cocoa and cupcakes in a hanging-out atmosphere. Sounds like a cool idea but will they overcome the curse of Rexburg businesses? Only time will tell.

Where are all the older girls?

2007-12-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

Speaking to all the male readers, have you ever felt that this college is full of girls who are a lot younger than you? Do you ever feel like an old man at college even though your only 23? I mean, where are all the girls your age? The thing is, the percentage of girls 17-20 at this college outweigh all the other ages of females by 63%.
This is an odd phenomenon that takes place at Mormon schools like BYU-I. Let’s do the math. Freshman year there are 1,457 new male students and nearly twice as many females at 2,287. Then after one year, most guys go on missions for two years while girls continue going to school. By the time the guy restarts school he’s around 21-22 years old, and at the same time, the girls that started school the same time as him, are almost graduated and gone. So now as he looks around as a 21-22 year old, all the girls are younger than him. Of the total population of males, 47% are upperclassman, ages 22-24, at the same time underclassman females, ages 17-20 make up 63% of all the females.
This age gap can have some more weird repercussions other than feeling alienated about how old you are. Could the trend of getting engaged quickly after the initial first date have to do with the fact that girls are easily manipulated into getting married because the guys are a lot older and intimidating to them? Or maybe this age gap is the reason why so many girls graduate unmarried, (nearly 50% from this college) because as soon as their past age 21 they cant compete with so many younger girls in the dating pool.
Whatever the side effects may be try not to feel like your robbing the cradle.
(Source: http://www.byui.edu/academicoffice/sjb/stats/studentsf07.htm)

The Voice News Network

2007-10-30T09:47:00.001-07:00

Worlds worst Halloween costumes

2007-10-26T10:08:00.001-07:00

The World Wide Web
The Rexburg Temple
The spirit of Ricks
Your ex-boyfriend
The lowest common denominator
A sheet over your head with eye holes cut out
Your roommate
Length times width equals height
Socialist North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-il
Be all smelly and tell people your costume is being a really smelly guy

Married Students not allowed on 3rd floor of Library

2007-10-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

With dwindling locations in the McKacy Library where socializing and flirting are still tolerated, married students were declared “not allowed” on the third floor by the single students early Monday morning. “Us single students have only so many places where we can meet other singles of the opposite sex,” said Curt Gillis, Junior BYU-I. “If you’re on the third floor of the library and female, there should be no questions as to weather or not you’re still in the dating pool.” Married students have been advised to stay in their apartments until further news is released.

Lip Service

2007-10-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Lip Service,
When a girl doesn’t call me back, and I stop at her house to pick her up for the date she said she would go on, but is with another guy… does that mean she doesn’t like me?
Sincerely, Throw me a fricken’ bone here

Dear TMAFBH, the first sign she gave you to stop was when she didn’t answer the phone. Stopping by her house may have seemed a little bit “stocker” like to her. You have ruined all chances with this one. All you can do now is learn from your mistakes.

Dear Lip Service,
What are the signs that a girl doesn’t like you?
Sincerely, Confused and Abused

Dear CAA, There are not any universal signs that girls give if they don’t like someone. All girls are different. So if you are really curious… just confront her. (If she is avoiding you at all costs, that’s usually bad)

Dear Lip Service,
Why are all my roommates getting dates and I’m not?
Sincerely, Lonely as Usual

Dear LAU, are you talking to any girls? Or are you just hoping they will ask you out? With my experience in this field I have heard guys with the same question. But usually they weren’t being proactive. You have to step out of your box to get a date.

Dear Lip Service,
My boyfriend keeps bringing up marriage, but I just don’t think I’m ready. What should I do?
Sincerely, Not quite ready

Dear NQR, if you aren’t comfortable with it, don’t let it be brought up any more. Sometimes talking about it can lead you to be excited for the wrong reasons. If you aren’t ready to get married, be straight forward with him. It will only hurt more if you wait.

Dear Lip Service,
My husband wants me to cut my hair short, which I wouldn’t mind doing, but I think he wants me to because he wants me to look like his ex-girlfriend. How should I confront this?
Sincerely, Hair Affaire

Dear HA, You need to be completely honest with your husband. If you feel that this is why he wants to cut your hair, find out for sure. If it is why, you have the absolute right to be mad… and maybe he needs to go to a counselor.

Dear Lip Service,
My FHE sister wont stop calling me, how do I tell her I’m not interested but continue to be FHE siblings that get along?
Sincerely, FHE Wannabe

Dear FHEW, Be honest with her. And don’t act any different afterwards. Best advice for this situation.

Just Like This Place Already!

2007-10-26T10:05:00.001-07:00

So the other day, as I was scanning through my myriad of “friends” on Facebook, I read something that really irritated me. For the sake of maintaining anonymity, I’ll refer to the individual as Jane. Jane, who apparently went out of town one weekend, set her status as “Jane is so excited to be getting out of this hell hole of a town.” Here’s a similar situation that irritated me the same way. One of my former roomates was always quick to voice his opinion about how much he hates it here so one day I asked him “Why did you choose BYU-I?”. His answer took me by surprise, but not because it was a smart or insightful reply, but because I wasn’t expecting him to demonstrate his idiocy so blatantly. “Because I didn’t get in anywhere else.” I’m sorry but don’t expect any empathy from me.

I’ll be the first to agree that Rexburg can be suffocating, but I think more and more people are just getting bored and are trying to find things to complain about. Last I checked, I haven’t seen students walking across campus with a gun held to their head, forcing them to go to class. Anyone that’s here at BYU-I is here because they chose to do so. Even if you found yourself in the same situation as my old roommate, with no other option for schooling, you still made the decision to come here. It could have been just as easy to enter the work force straight out of high school. Easier, in fact. “What is your point?” you ask. My point is this - don’t complain about a situation for which you are the one responsible. I have a hard time thinking of something that could be a bigger waste of breath and time.

The last thing I want to do is come across as self-righteous but I think a lot of us underestimate how lucky we really are to be here. Every once in a while I overhear someone say that they’re sick of living in the Rexburg bubble and that irritates me too. Do you really want to be around the drugs and booze and sex that is guaranteed to be ultra-commonplace in virtually any other school? Idaho is cool and I think it’s about time more students recognized it and give this place it’s due.

Beauty Quicksand

2007-10-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

I want to point out a funny social phenomenon.
A quick Google search pulls up traditional Halloween costumes. Search the men’s costumes and you’ll find Elvis, gorilla, pirate, ninja, etc. Now look at the women’s costumes - sexy nurse, sexy geek, sexy cop, sexy boxer, etc. Do you get the picture? Every Halloween costume for women is “sexy” something.
I can’t tell you how many times I heard women complain about wearing make-up and uncomfortable clothes. Have you ever seen women walking bare foot somewhere holding her high heel shoes in her hands? That’s stupid!
Women get caught in beauty quicksand, competing and trying to look good. And most if not all will say that men generally are to blame for their beauty pains. Fair enough. Men probably have done their fair share of damage in the past, but I submit that women themselves can be to blame.
Women usually dress up and look beautiful for other women rather than for other men. So when a group of girls are getting ready to go to a dance, they aren’t doing their hair and putting on their favorite clothes to impress the at guys, but to impress the other girls. Want another example?
Cosmopolitan, Allure, People, ELLE, Glamour, etc. are countless magazines that show women dressing up in fashionable ways. Who are the primary readers of these magazines? Women! Isn’t that funny that magazines that show women half naked and hotter than reality aren’t “read” by men, but by women? Why?
My opinion is that, generally speaking, women are more insecure than men and are more prone to feel inadequate. Women don’t dress up for other women, they dress up to be hotter than other women. At the same time they are doing themselves a huge disservice.
I believe that most women are stuck in the whirlpool of beauty competition that they themselves are partially responsible for getting into. Every girl is trying to prettier than the girl next to them and the movement isn’t pushed by men or society, but by women themselves.
The fact of the matter is that more attractive a person is, the more they are going to “attract” members of the opposite sex. That’s just the way it is. Men that are hotter are more attractive to women…FACT! But men don’t go out of their way to wear make-up and go insane to dress up. We don’t care that much.

The Key (Lime Pie) to a Man’s Heart

2007-10-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

Growing up my mother would always tell me, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” It wasn’t until I entered the dating realm of BYU-Idaho that I understood how true that statement was. Men are simple creatures; all they need is someone to care for them and then they will be happy. Don’t you want to make your man happy? Then take my mother’s words of wisdom into account and get your heinie moving in that kitchen. Trust me ladies, I speak from experience.
The idea was brought to my attention my freshman year here at BYU-Idaho when I witnessed my roommate catch her guy that she pursued so effectively. Every night she would make him dinner and dessert and on the nights she was busy with school and homework she would make him two-dozen cookies. Within one month they were engaged. The process was so simple and she obtained a great reward for her efforts.
On the other end, I had a roommate who lost her man all because she was not willing to put on the oven mitts. He would come over to see her everyday and she would just sit down and talk with him. Did she really think he was only there to converse? If worse comes to worse, just throw Pillsbury’s Break and Bake it in the oven. It’s easy and the results are obviously beneficial.
After my accurate and extensive research, it can be assumed that my mother’s advice rings undeniably true. So what foods can actually help you snag your man? Here are the top five favorite dishes to make for your guy:
1. Ribs and Mashed Potatoes (this classic hearty man’s meal is bound to cure the strongest hunger)
2. Chicken Cordon Bleu (so yeah it takes five hours to prepare, but isn’t an eternal marriage worth it?)
3. Cookies or Brownies (this will satisfy any mans’ sweet tooth)
4. Spaghetti (Lady and the Tramp, need I say more?)
5. Enchiladas (These are delicious and, if anything, it will remind him of his mission)
So ladies as you can see the choice is yours. Get your butt in the kitchen or I hope you like cats.

Pre-Marital Baking

2007-10-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

You know those girls who, instead of just inviting boys over to do something, they lure them in by baking cookies and brownies? It’s a ridiculous practice, which I call pre-marital baking. Attracting the stomachs of the members of the opposite sex might not be the best way to go about things. There is also the strategy of bringing baked goods over to the boy’s apartment on a plate that will eventually have to be returned once they are done consuming your flirting technique. Whatever strategy you choose, the result is the same; boys see you more as their mom than as a potential mate, and you end up feeling like a tool, and looking like one too. My advice, lay off the sugar ‘cause once the sugars gone they are too! Let the boys get to know you through their heart, not their stomach. I know this because it’s always been a moral of mine: No Pre-Marital Baking. Now that I’m married it’s another story.

College is only place where you hope you don’t get what you pay for.

2007-10-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Around class registration time is when students begin talking to each other about which teacher to take for their upcoming classes. I am always annoyed by the fact that at least 75 % of the time, the best teacher recommendations are usually associated with which teacher is the easiest and gives the least amount of homework. Everyone dreads projects, homework, reading, all the things that your paying for every semester. Students need to realize that complaining and trying to convince their teachers to give them less work is like paying a mechanic and then asking them not to fix anything on your car. College is a place where you pay people to force you to learn so wake up and at least try to get a return on your investment . Perle Thompson said, "There are two kinds of failures: The man who will do nothing he is told, and the man who will do nothing else." As far as I’m concerned there are a lot of failures at BYU-I; not because the college is full of insubordinates, but because it’s full of students who do the very least possible and complain about having to do anything more.

The Voice: A Brief Explaination

2007-05-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

The Voice is an independent student paper meaning we print what we want. Better yet, we print what you want. There is no Voice “staff,” we depend on new participants for every issue with the objective of creating a real representation of the voice of the students at BYUI. We want to create a way to allow student expression and questioning of the status quo without having to go through faculty and red tape. This paper is entertaining, humorous, insightful, informative, a true representation of the voice of the students, everything a student paper should be.

Don’t like the articles we’ve printed? Don’t just sit there and criticize, write something and send it in. If it is well written, thought out, and adhering to the honor code, we’ll publish it.

Do you have something to say? Something your pissed off about? Something you want to make people aware of? Have a party you want to make known? Have something to sell? Do you care or think about anything? This is the medium to get it done.

In this May issue of The Voice we wanted to print 4,000 copies at a cost of $901.63. We made a total of $729 through advertising; not quite enough to keep from going in the hole. So, we have resorted to the blog edition only. We will go back to the print edition again this fall. Still not everyone knows about The Voice. Were trying to figure out how to reach more students and get more people to participate with their articles, photos and art. Do you have any suggestions on how we can accomplish this? Let us know – thevoicellc@gmail.com.

Abbreviate This by Matt Stephens

2007-05-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

It’s a new semester. You, along with the rest of your new ward, form a circle and begin to share all your basic information in hopes of becoming a tightly knit ward family. “Hi, I’m Sally from St. George, Utah.” “Hey, my name’s Tommy and I’m from Tacoma, Washington.”
Sooner or later it’s my turn to throw my two cents in with “Hi, I’m Matt from Santa Rosa, California.” Every year, without fail, someone comes up to me later on during the activity and asks, “So what part of Cali are you from exactly?” The first time I heard this was my freshman year when I was 18 (note: I had NEVER heard this before in my LIFE). I remember just looking at the person, not quite sure what they were asking me. “Oh, actually I’m from California,” I responded politely. “Yeah, that’s what I meant- Cali, as in Californina.” And that was when the loathing of the word Cali was born.
First thing that non-Californians need to understand is that absolutely NO ONE from California refers to it as Cali. In fact, that’s how I can tell who is and is not from California - by the use of this word.
But the madness doesn’t stop with Cali. Oh no. Recently it’s gotten much worse. The plague has evolved. I hear people throwing around “So Cal”, “Nor Cal”, or the infamous “O.C.”. I don’t want to come across as the guy who thinks that California is the greatest place in the universe, but I do want to come across as the guy who is tired of everyone bastardizing his home state.
Let’s all have a little more self-respect. Let’s not jump on the gravy train, thinking that throwing around the latest jargon from the boob tube is hip.

Horoscopes

2007-05-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

Aries March 21 - April 19: The loss of your true love hurts pretty bad, but not near as bad as vomiting up sharps of glass.

Taurus April 20 - May 20: Don’t worry, not only will your lack of studying not hurt your grades, but the tutor you got for Math 108 will turn out to be your new summer fling.

Gemini May 21 - June 21: The stars waited a long time to be sure, and now its official, you have decided New Fongs is just not the same as Old Fongs

Cancer June 22 - July 22: You heard getting a kitten would help you get girls, but picking up that dead one off the side of the road will only cause you more girl problems

Leo July 23 - August 22: That FHE brother who you thought was annoying due to his constant guitar playing when your over at his house will finally win you over.

Virgo August 23 - September 22: Your boring life will get a jumpstart this week when you start living vicariously through your TV.

Libra September 23 - October 23: You’ll finally get what you deserve this week: a swift kick in the crotch

Scorpio October 24 - November 21: Bad news: your lice will act up much more this week. Good news: Your participation points will be boosted this week as scratching your head will be mistaken for raising your hand many times in class.

Sagittarius November 22 - December 21: A bird just pooped on your car in the parking lot but forget about it, by the time you get there, it will already be dried and hard as a rock.

Capricorn December 22 - January 19: You have been wondering if you should ask her but your not sure what she will say. The stars reveal the answer is an all consuming maybe.

Aquarius January 20 - February 18: Quick, slide your tongue along your teeth, you have some lettuce stuck in there.

Pisces February 19 - March 20: Don’t give up on the eye flirting between computers on the third floor of the library, all your patience will eventually pay off this week.

Runners for June 9th Teaton Dam Marathon Only in it for the Dam Jokes

2007-05-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

This years Teaton Dam Marathon is boasting more participants than ever before. “Yeah, I decided to run in the Dam marathon basically just to get a dam T shirt,” says student Rick Spency while snickering with his friends, “Maybe I’ll end up running the dam race to see if I can beat my dam record.” Such are the conversations of many dam runners in this years Dam Marathon which is leading many of the dam participants to believe that many of the dam runners are only in it for the dam jokes. “This dam marathon is going on its 8th year,” said Steve Wahbash, one of the dam marathon enthusiasts, “I take this dam marathon seriously as should all the dam runners, but I’ve seen many people showing up to the dam race in blue jeans. They show up for their dam T-shirts, make a few played out dam jokes, and then leave. Where is your dam spirit?” This dam spirit of which Wahbash speaks, “has been dwindiling ever since they started giving every dam runner a dam T-shirt along with their bag of free dam goddies from the local dam sponsers,” says long time dam runner Jim Ellen. “Really the point of the dam marathon is to allow all levels of dam runners to participate; it’s about supporting the city and having a good time,” said dam marathon chairman Sam Perkins. Still many dam runners believe that the dam marathon is less a marathon and more an excuse to raise a lot of dam money.

Reason Why Mormon kids Aren’t Getting Married (and its not because they are hanging out too much) by Zach Olsen

2007-05-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

It may seem like people are constantly getting married all around you, but the truth is that more than half of graduating students at BYUI are still single. The presidency of the church is very concerned with the lack of Mormon kids getting married and therefore have come to the decision that Mormons are hanging out too much instead of going on dates (Dallin H. Oaks, “Dating versus Hanging Out,” Ensign, Jun 2006). I do believe that hanging out has something to do with it, but I say that a major reason for the lack of marriages taking place is the lack of emotional intelligence on the part of the boys.
Women are more oriented toward discussing and understanding feelings than men. And they are that way because they have had an enormous head start in acquiring these skills since childhood. As John M. Gottman, a scientist on marriage and family explains, “When young boys play run-and-chase games with girls, their priority is the game itself-not their relationship with each other and their feelings. But for the little girls feelings are paramount.” Along with their other games in childhood, boys don’t include relationships and domestic themes in their repertoire. While No pre-school dress up corner would be complete without a wedding dress, you never see pretend tuxedos for the little grooms. “Because their play emphasizes social interactions and feelings, girls undergo an extensive education into emotions by childhoods end. Boys learn to pitch overhand.”
The difference is heightened by the fact that as they get older, boys rarely play with girls so they miss out on the chance to learn from them. “By age 7,” continues Gottman, “friendships between boys and girls drop to virtually zero percent. From then until puberty the sexes will have little or nothing to do with each other.” And I would submit that within the Mormon culture the sexes have even less to do with each other for much longer than that. Most kids are taught not to date until age 16 and then parents teach their sons not to steadily date anyone until after their mission. And then comes the time period in the boy’s life of being a missionary where rules are enforced to the point that they are not allowed to converse with girls of their same age whatsoever. This two year mission time period also causes many boys to build up very think walls of a comfort zones around them when it comes to not having to talk to girls. It is very hard to knock down these walls after being a missionary for two years. Upon returning home, dating girls feels like being suddenly immersed into an alien world.
A friend of mine commented to me once that throughout his whole life he was raised by his parents telling him, “don’t date, you have to go on a mission,” and then as soon as he gets home from his mission everyone is asking him, “hey, way aren’t you married yet?” What do you expect from someone who is 21 years old but has the emotional intelligence of a 7 year old? So the reason behind Mormon kids not marrying as often is not just due to hanging out too much; the major cause is that the Mormon way of raising boys is inherently flawed in that it raises boys in such a way that they do not develop the emotional skills necessary to adapt to dating and marriage.
So what is the solution? Girls: be patient with these boys that are very unfamiliar with feelings. Boys: its crunch time to learn as much as you can, as fast as you can, before you wake up one day 30 years old and still single.
(Source: The Seven Principals for Making Marriage Work, John M. Gottman.)

Those Damn Squares by Josh Ormond

2007-05-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

I have been called many things in my life. I’ve been called weird, funny, exocentric, really good looking (mainly by my wife), intelligent, and the most perplexing adjective of them all, kooky. I’m not sure what people mean by that but I assume they are employing it as a synonym for crazy. I have also been called, or labeled depending on your existential aptitude, a non-conformist. Now I’m pretty sure I know what people mean by this. To the masses, a non-conformist is a person that rages against the conventional trappings of a society. Non-conformists have a pugnacious and arrogant air about them while they lay in wait in your philosophy class to scoff and scorn the squares of society with a quip from an obscure piece of Russian literature. They are weird, nasty people. Well I’m not one of those. I am, however, a non-conformist of sorts, as much as you can be in as an ethnocentric community as ours.
Before you arm yourselves with sticks and stones and try to run me out of town, allow me a defense. I was sitting in a literature class the other day discussing whether an audience is real or not, because that’s what we do in the English department. This way we can ensure that none of us will have real jobs when we graduate, but we can psychoanalyze the crap out of the next Harry Potter. I was enjoying the existential dilemma being formed by the class discussion and was “taking responsibility for my own education” by adding what I thought to be insightful comments. It was a moment of wonderful self-aggrandizing glory as I rebutted a comment made by a classmate. The class came to a close with us, “the responsible,” feeling gratified in our insightful and modern comments, and then it happened. A student that sits behind me made the comment in jest, “you are such a non-conformist” as we exited the chamber of ideas (Smith 220). I guess this student had considered my comments as radical and extra-societal for some reason or other. The remainder of the afternoon left me engaged in a thought battle. Each lobe of my brain gripped in mortal combat with the other. I should have been stroking my ego like the only feline companion of a shut-in, but instead I was wrestling with the concept of “non-conformity” and whether or not I was a non-conformist.
Admittedly, there was a time when being called a non-conformist by a classmate would have been cause for celebration. That kind of spontaneous compliment would have given me months worth of street-cred with my punk rock buddies. I can imagine it now, we would be gathered in a dismal basement listening to Anti-Flag way too loud (because volume control is just another form of conformity) and I would tell the story of how I confounded the capitalist automatons in my sixth period history class. We would all raise our fists in the air and say something pointless like, “damn the man!” That’s just how I imagine it though. But seriously how can I be a non-conformist? Does voicing a different view constitute non-conformity? If so Mormonism really is an anarchist organization. I think back on my high school years when non-conformity was the goal. I tried so hard to break out of the mold but never stopped to look at the other mold I was filling up quite nicely. I condemned people because they didn’t share my punk rock ideals, and in doing so, marched myself right into the same superiority complex I was so adamantly opposed to. Upon the expiration of a few kitten calendars, I can look back objectively and say, “what a tool I was.” By being consumed by “non-conformity” I was just dancing to another pipers tune.
To be a true non-conformist I would have to run around naked or drive a dog sled to school in July. But that would justify the previously mysterious adjective “kooky” and place it right in the realm of truth. I would be crazy. Now, as a somewhat educated, rational human being I feel like I can come to grips with my non-conformity. However, I think I need to re-define “non-conformity.” I am more comfortable with calling it “non-non-conformity.” This is a blatant double negative, I know, but I’m raging against the conventions of society, remember. By being a non-non-conformist I can comfortably make any comment I want either for or against the status quo. Living in this paradox satisfies the needs of both the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. I don’t really consider myself a non-conformist because the moment you try to un-conform you just conform to something else. I am a non-non-conformist in the sense that I don’t really believe we can escape conformity. Society, by definition, is a tool of conformity and that’s not an entirely bad thing. If we want to take advantage of the luxuries of living in a society, by luxuries I mean not having to chase people away from your food storage with a machete, we have to join as cogs in the gears of societal norms.
I spent far too much time in high school trying to be different; it was working beautifully until I realized that everybody was trying the same thing. So lets not confuse or dismiss different opinions and ideas as non-conformity because that really doesn’t mean anything anymore. Instead, and this may be one of those radical extra-societal ideas that got me in to trouble in the first place, we can try to analyze and interpret the different ideas and opinions of those we encounter. Is it possible to learn something from an opposing idea? Wouldn’t learning from opposing ideas and opinions be the “responsible” way to “re-think education?” I realize schedule changes and health insurance are pretty important elements to our intellectual maturation, but maybe, just maybe, we can actually learn something from all those non-conformists out there. As for me, I am completely comfortable with my non-non-conformity and I have to say thank you to the kind soul in my literature class that was so astute as to point out my non-non-conformity.

Down With the Numbers! by Cindy Ray

2007-05-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

“Check her out – definitely an eight.”

We've all heard it. A girl walks past and the guy friend you're with looks her up and down, gives a nod of appreciation or a grimace of distaste, and gives her a number. “What a dog,” he might say, “She's lucky if she's a two,” or, with a dismissive wave of the hand, “That one's no more than a five.” On the accepted rating scale, a good-looking girl scores a 10 and an ugly girl is given a 1 (or sometimes even shafted into the negative numbers).

Well, my friends, this has got to stop.

As a confident, reasonably attractive girl, I admit to cringing inwardly every time one of my male friends pops out the rating scale. What number would I be? I wonder to myself as they tack a numeral onto a girl that's just swaggered past. Let me tell you, it's not that fun.

Now, I admit – I have my shallow and superficial moments as well. There are certainly times I'll spot a guy and think, “Wow, he's a hottie,” or (less often), “That poor boy is just unfortunate-looking.” But I generally keep myself open to possibilities. After all, some of the most interesting people I know wouldn't make People Magazine's Most Beautiful, and that's okay.

All I'm saying is: Drop the numbers, guys. We girls have a hard enough time competing with the Paris Hiltons and Lindsay Lohans of the world. How can we regard womanhood as “the highest place of honor” if we're worried that we're no more than a two?

(Sources: “Womahood: The Highest Place Of Honor,” President James E. Faust, May 2000 Ensign)

Mothers Going to School by Rachel Haroldsen

2007-05-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

Not the whole, “you’re mom goes to college” mantra, although that is awesome to imagine you can walk the stage with your mom beside you but I’m thinking more along the lines of new moms. The one’s who took the ridicule for getting married and actually went forward to begin their families. On my 21st birthday this year- single and still proud, I had the comments from my mom as well as sister ‘oh I was pregnant or giving birth when I was 21.’ Call me a slacker but I have done neither and I’m creeping towards 22 without the slightest chance of accomplishing either.
However, I may sound sarcastic and perhaps even immature in my mind set of being 21 and still young but I admire them They’re not just my mom and sister, they are so many who have come to recognize the importance of family and I say good for you! In this world that is being bombarded with anti family tactics they refuse to listen and they raise their young children in spite of the condemnation that may be poured on them by their peers. They still in class with you and me nibbling on their soda crackers praying they won’t spew, while no one realizes the miracle that is taking place inside of them. Sometimes they may even have to be late because baby decided it was time to spew all over mom as they were getting to the car.
I watch in awe and admiration, these young mothers who deserve our support and help rather then a look of disdain. What an exciting time of life, that you would have the chance to meet the love of your life and bring in a child who was last held by our Heavenly Father, all while in the pursuit of an education.
This war Satan is waging on families isn’t just outside of the church, we’re getting attacked as well. It is a risk to get married young and some may even say it is suicide to be a mom while getting a degree. Yet what is life without the leap of faith.