MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2001
Sen
by Rehab Elzeney
staff writer
Have you been skipping at least
one class per day? Do you find your
self turning in papers and assignments
several days late, if at all? Do you
deviously call off work with absurd
excuses about the flu and sprained
index fingers? Have you recently
been watching more and more tele
vision? Have you mastered the art of
sleeping in class with your eyes wide
open, and your pen propped against
your notebook? Do you often look at
your watch and realize that you have
accomplished nothing in the last
couple hours?
If you answered "yes" to any one
of the above, then you may be suf
fering symptoms of "senior slack."
This disease, widely known as
Senioritis, is unfortunately incurable.
As the weather turns warmer (if it
ever does), the disease spreads more
rapidly. School becomes less of a pri
ority, and classes are more difficult
to endure. Unlike other illnesses, ad
mitting to the fact that you have the
disease is not the first step to recov
ery. On the contrary, seniors, juniors,
and even sophomores will openly ad
mit that they have Senioritis. But,
PHOTO BY NEIL MAKADIA
Jaimi Bonczar, president of Women Today, will lead the group in the Take Back the Night march on April 25
Bonczar gets no sleep
as she takes back the
by Kristin Grudowski
staff writer
While many fourth-semester
students are caught up in prepar
ing to venture off to University
Park, psychology student Jaimi
Bonczar is continuing to develop
her role of leadership and respon
sibility here at Behrend. Bonczar
has a long list of commitments
and obligations, and she
wouldn't have it any other way.
Bonczar serves as president of
Women Today, a student organi
zation at Behrend. The group
became active again last year for
the first time since 1996 with the
help of Melissa Bender. Bonczar
attended meetings for the group
last year as a freshman and of
fered her assistance at last year's
Take Back the Night March.
Shortly after the march, she was
asked to be president of Women
Today.
"People thought I could handle
big jobs, and I was always will
ing to help out," Bonczar said
about her nomination. "I love be
ing involved."
Bonczar began her presidency
last fall, and has a few objectives
she hopes to reach in order for
the group to grow and become
stronger.
"I am interested in heavily re
cruiting freshmen ticxt tall, and
becoming a more visible group
on campus," she said.
Women Today will again spon
sor the Take Back the Night
oritis: A new hazard at Behren
once you catch it, it is difficult to
avoid. Senioritis does not always oc
cur in seniors, and signs of it may not
show everyday. But this epidemic
can be very detrimental, especially to
those who are in their senior year. It
has been said that no year of college
is more difficult than that endured by
seniors. Unfortunately, a student's
senior year often winds up running
longer than just two semesters. But
what makes academic learning so es
pecially difficult during those final
seasons?
One would think that after surviv
ing through three long, strenuous
years of college, that seniors would
breeze through their last year. Alicyn
Haney, a graduating Plastics Engi
neering major, describes Senioritis by
the mindset of "how much work can
I not turn in and get away with it".
Another senior explains that vic
tims of Senioritis don't feel like go
ing to class unless absolutely neces
sary, they try to "get by" on exams
and classes, even though studying
could grant an A, they sleep later and
later, drink whenever possible, and
just want to hang out with friends all
day. Many can definitely blame their
decline in grades to this totally en
compassing disease. One crucial ele-
march on Wednesday, April 25, at
7:00 pm. Participants will gather
in Perry Square downtown, where
they will march against rape and
domestic violence. There are five
stops during the march where
speakers from various organiza
tions in Erie, such as Behrend's
own Sue Daley, will address the
participants. Following the march
is a reception with a band and free
food.
"Attending the march last year
completely changed the way I
thought about domestic violence,
rape, and woman's issues in gen
eral," Bonczar said. In addition
to the free food and entertainment,
the first 300 people participating
in the march will receive free t
shirts. Free transportation from
Behrend will also be provided at
the RUB desk.
Accompanying her duties as
president of Women Today,
Bonczar also works in the Student
Activities office where she is the
Programming Assistant and helps
to coordinate LEB events.
Bonczar's responsibilities as the
Programming Assistant are obvi
ously time-consuming.Bonczar is
also one of seven Resident Assis
tants for Ohio Hall.
"I have 38 residents on my floor,
and I have met a lot of people as
an RA as well," Bonczar said. The
only aspect of being an RA that
Bonczar does not enjoy is giving
referrals.
"I hate it!" she said. Next year
she will move down the hill to
Featu
ment that makes the last year so much
harder is that college seniors usually
have more concerns than their under
graduate acquaintances do. Those that
do not yet have career-oriented jobs
often find themselves very stressed by
the idea that they are approaching the
"real world" and do not yet have any
practical way to sustain a living. Ques
tions regarding the genuine value of
those years they just spent in college
begin to surface. Will it pay off? What
jobs are out there? Some students even
consider going to graduate school just
for a lack of a better life alternative.
Avoiding Senioritis is easier said
than done! Just the subconscious no
tion that "it's almost over" can be prob
lematic. It is enough to lead some col
lege seniors to study less and less and
party more and more. One key to beat
down Senioritis is to understand, real
ize, and accept the fact that you have
not graduated yet and that there is a
very big chance that you'll end up
spending at least one more semester
in school. Also, remember that
Senioritis almost always has a nega
tive impact on grades. This academic
coasting can diminish your career out
look and prospects. Is it worth it after
so many years of effort? Not at all!
No amount of relaxation is worth the
night
Niagara Hall. As an RA in
Niagara, she will attempt to deal
with communal bathrooms, lino
leum floors, and no air condition
ing, a completely different envi
ronment than that found in Ohio
Hall.
Bonczar's home is in
Coudersport, PA, near Warren.
Although she did not originally
plan on attending Behrend, she is
now content with staying right
here, rather than transferring to
University Park.
Following Bonczar's graduation
from Behrend, she plans to attend
graduate school at the University
of Michigan at Ann Arbor. She
realizes Michigan is further north
than Behrend, but together we
have concluded that the winter in
April at Behrend will help to pre
pare her for whatever tempera
tures may fall to in Michigan.
"I want to focus on develop
mental psychology, and when I
graduate from Ann Arbor, I hope
to become a clinical psychologist,
working with children," she said.
Bonczar is currently working with
Dr. Corty, studying female sexual
arousal disorder as an internship.
In her free time, Bonczar says
she enjoys reading, "anything I
can get my hands on, except sci
ence fiction." This summer she
will be attending classes at
Behrend and will continue her
work with Dr. Corty and Student
Activities.
res
extended stay (Unless of course, if
you're one of the few people, who
absolutely adore school and want to
stay for a lifetime). Christine Chan,
a graduating MIS major jokes that
she's "been eagerly counting down
the days since January".
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Don't panic: There's a reason
behind what you're feeling
by Joanna M. Carman
staff writer
"I don't know what's wrong
with me," a friend said over din
ner a few weeks ago. "I just feel
so strange."
"What's the matter?" I asked.
She clenched her fists tight and
took a deep breath. She played
with her fork, tore her napkin to
pieces and kept shifting in her
chair.
"I feel almost nervous," she
said."My heart is going a hundred
miles an hour, my stomach is tin
gling and it feels like I can't take a
deep enough breath."
It gave her some peace of mind
to know that I experienced the
same thing about a month earlier,
and sought out the answer of what
was happening to me.
It is a feeling that comes on sud
denly. It can go away and come
back again just as quick. It is called
a panic attack. College is exactly
the stressful time of life that can
bring about panic attacks and/or
disorders.
Medical professionals agree that
major life events, such as college
graduation or even finals, can
bring about panic attacks in stu
dents. These attacks may occur
when the student is sleeping, walk
ing to class or watching a football
game. In addition to a racing heart,
symptoms of panic attacks can in
clude chest pains, difficulty breath
ing, lightheadedness, dizziness,
nausea or stomach problems,
flushes or chills, trembling, sweat
ing, shaking, tingling in fingers or
toes (pins and needles), terror and
fear of being out of control or
crazy.
The Anxiety Panic Internet Re
source (TAPIR) states that people
can't predict an attack and may
fear the onset of another. In fact,
panic attacks come on suddenly,
and there may not appear to be a
reason in sight.
The American Psychological
Association says panic attacks also
pass in a few minutes because the
body cannot sustain the "fight or
flight" response to which the or
ganization compares the attack.
TAPIR states attacks may last up
to 10 minutes, and in rare cases,
they can last an hour or more.
However, even though they last
only a short time, panic attacks can
recur for hours. TAPIR states that
1.6 percent of the population is af
fected by a panic disorder. A dis
order is different from an attack in
that it causes the person constant
fear of having another attack. Not
everyone who has an attack will
develop a disorder.
Panic attacks are not dangerous,
but a disorder can completely al
ter a person's life. A potentially de-
Well, it's now April, and many
victims of Senioritis have been spot
ted around campus. Just remember
that school is almost done and you're
so close. So, instead of watching
those sitcoms that you absolutely
hate, or playing video games with
invades the ARC
top of their list was the USWF,
who uses top caliber wrestlers.
Dave Niland, the Head Mett's Bas
ketball Coach and one of the key
organizers of the event says that
the USWF wrestlers have a skill
level similar to professional wres
tlers of the WWF and ECW.
"I don't think that there is a great
difference" Niland said. "You have
up and corners and guys who have
come off the tours because of fam
ily reasons and only want to do a
few shctws a month. You will also
have guys who are as every bit as
good but do not want to deal with
the politics of one main company.
Many of these guys make more on
the independent circuit."
"It should be a great show; most
lating condition, panic disorder
may lead to more serious condi
tions, such as agoraphobia, fear of
the outdoors. APA says a panic dis
order may also lead to other pho
bia. People who suffer from a dis
order may find themselves avoid
ing situations that may trigger an
attack, causing a new phobia.
For example, someone who suf
fers a panic attack in a restaurant
may avoid eating out, for fear of
triggering angther one. TAPIR says
one-third of sufferers will have
their lives restricted in such a way
by the disorder.
According to APA, people who
suffer from the disorder are also
more likely to use drugs and alco-
your roommate, think abot what I
have told you and consider the closed
notebook on your desk. And fo; those
of you that have caught the disease
and are far from your senior year, all
that can be offered to you is sympa
thy.
of the wrestlers have been on or
are still on the major tours. We,
think it is a fun activity of high
quality for a Saturday night on
campus," he added.
The USWF usually tours col
leges, minor league baseball sta.
diurns, and civic centers. The
event is open to students and to
the public. Ringside seats are $9,
$7 for general admission. and $5
for Behrend student tickets, Tick
ets are available outside of
Bran's from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. and are also being sold at the
ARC. Tickets may also be pur
chased at the door. Questions can
be, directed to the ARC, at 898-
6398.
hol. They also tend to be more
likely to attempt suicide and to
spend more time in hospital emer-
gency rooms
Only one in four people with thg
disorder get the treatment they: .
need, APA says.
Treatment can include cognitivei
and behavioral therapies, which;
can teach a person breathing tech-;
niques and how to overcome any:
phobia related to the attacks. Medi
cations are also available to de-:
crease the symptoms of an attack.:
TAPIR says 70 to 90 percent of,
people with a panic disorder have;
been helped to overcome their,
anxiety with treatment.