Have a Great Weekend!

Hope you all learned something!

Putting An End To Thirsty Thursdays

What is your opinion? Do you think "thursday partying" effects your grades? Read the following article and tell us what you think!

Forget about "Thirsty Thursdays" kicking off three days of partying on some college campuses this school year. Some colleges are wresting Fridays back from the weekend's clutches, and warning students that skipping Friday classes will hurt their grades, and encouraging faculty members to schedule tests and have assignments due that day. Students and faculty are grumbling. Colleges have long scheduled fewer classes on Fridays, but groups, including a national task force on alcohol abuse, have been pressuring colleges to reinstate Friday classes to reduce student drinking. Read more at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20070902_Some_colleges_reversing_TGI-Thursday_pattern.html

AHHH...Sweet Sleep

Your eyelids droop and your head starts to nod. Yawning becomes almost constant and your vision seems blurry. You blink hard, focus your eyes and suddenly realize that you’ve veered onto the shoulder or into oncoming traffic for a moment and quickly straighten the wheel. This time you were lucky; next time you could become the latest victim of the tragedy of drowsy driving.

According to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America poll, 60% of Americans have driven while feeling sleepy and 37% admit to actually having fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year. According to the NSF's 2005 Sleep in America poll, only half of adults can say they get a good night's sleep a few nights/week or more. Be aware that the person in the next car may be driving drowsy even if you are not.

Studies show that lack of sleep leads to problems completing a task, concentrating, making decisions and unsafe actions, none of which is conducive to being a successful college student! Though scientists are still learning about the concept of basal sleep need, one thing sleep research certainly has shown is that sleeping too little can not only inhibit your productivity and ability to remember and consolidate information (think: tests), but lack of sleep can also lead to serious health consequences and jeopardize your safety and the safety of individuals around you.
For example, short sleep duration is linked with:
* Increased risk of motor vehicle accidents
* Increase in body mass index – a greater likelihood of obesity due to an increased appetite
caused by sleep deprivation
* Increased risk of diabetes and heart problems
* Increased risk for psychiatric conditions including depression and substance abuse
* Decreased ability to pay attention, react to signals or remember new information

How much sleep do you need? Adults need 7-9 hours sleep each night and teens need even more. Studies show that young people use their computers or televisions to wind down, but this simply contributes to sleep deprivation; 'Winding down' is not SLEEP.

This was taken from the National Sleep Foundation’s website. Visit http://www.sleepfoundation.org for more information, and leave the party early tonight, and get some sleep! Don’t be the next victim of sleep deprivation.

Meet Our Staff: Tracy Holtman

Tracy Holtman
Assistant Director for Collection Management
254-968-9466
holtman@tarleton.edu
Dick Smith Library – Main Foor

Tracy supervises the library’s technical services departments:  Acquisitions, Cataloging, Periodicals and Electronic Resources, and Systems.

Tracy has always wanted to be a librarian. She started working in her school library in fifth grade, and has had a library job ever since. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Lubbock Christian University, and her masters in library science from the University of North Texas. She spent 13 years at Lubbock Christian University, and has been at the Dick Smith Library for nine years, starting as a reference librarian and moving into the Systems Librarian position after seven months. She serves as the liaison to the Computer Information Systems Department as well as the Department of Accounting, Finance, and Economics.

Tracy has a twin sister named Stacy, and they are the youngest of six children. Tracy’s hobbies are her 24 nieces and nephews, reading, cross-stitch, travel and photography, and collecting “Coke stuff – I have a house full of it!”

[Edited to add: On February 28, 2008, Tracy was named Tarleton's Staff Council Employee of the Month for February 2008.]

The College Credit Scam - Beware!!

The credit card industry has made a profitable art of corralling consumers into ruinous interest rates and hidden penalties that keep even people who pay their bills permanently mired in debt. The companies are especially eager to target freshly minted college students, who are naïve in money matters and especially vulnerable to credit card offers that are too good to be true.

College students need to be told right off the bat about the dangers associated with the cards that the companies are going to throw at them once school starts. The students need to know that the penalties associated with delinquent debts will accrue. They should also be told that delinquent debts can cause their interest rates to soar not just on their credit cards, but on car loans and mortgages as well.

Read more from this New York Times Article...

Enjoy the Labor Day Weekend!

It's nice to end the first week of class with a long weekend. Even though summer weather lingers in Texas for a few more weeks, most of us think of Labor Day as marking the end of summer. Labor Day is our last chance to get out on the lake, barbeque, and get together with friends.

Labor Day was first designated over 100 years ago as a celebration of American workers. The first Monday in September, Labor Day is "a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. " (taken from the U.S. Department of Labor in the 21st Century website)

To learn more about "Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means" go to: http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

Hello Wiki and Goodbye Textbook

At many colleges and universities, wikis are used mostly as a supplement to primary teaching tools like textbooks and labs, while other Web 2.0 technologies -- such as social networking sites like Facebook -- have become a staple of student life. In one Boston College professor's classroom, however, wikis have become a primary learning tool, replacing textbooks and allowing improved collaboration among students. The wiki is even used to let students submit possible questions for examinations, many of which actually appear on tests. Read more at:http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyId=16&articleId=9030802&intsrc=hm_topic

(Taken from Steven Bells - The Kept-Up Academic Librarian)

College Students Wield Connections, Concern and Consumer Clout

August 15, 2007

From Alloy College Explorer research, which shows how much college students have changed in the past four years (they are way more wired). The key stats are below:

They are totally wired:
- Close to all students (93%) report owning a cell phone (up 15 points from four years ago)
- Digital camera ownership has just about doubled since 2003. Today, 64% of students report owning one and 16% cite intention to purchase this year
- In 2003, 17% of students owned MP3 players - and the iPod was not yet a staple - today more than half (58%) own one.
- About one-third (28.9%) of campuses now offer blanket wireless coverage and almost two-thirds claim to have a wireless strategy plan in place.
- Down with desktops: there was a 21 point increase of laptop ownership in the last two years alone (63% today vs. 42% in 2005)

More students = more money to spend
- A 14% increase (from 2003) as 13.3 million students head back to campus with $198 Billion in consumer spending power (up 31% from 2003)
- Three-quarters of students now report employment during the year
- 56% of college students are female, about 1.1 million more than reported in ’03

They're influencers
- 27% choose to stay in touch with friends via social networking site over face-to-face communication, at 11%, or over phone, with 23% reporting
- More than half (54%) of college students (ages 18-30) visit a social networking site in a typical day
- 25% actually claim they have “never” visited a user-generated site
- 66% of students are learning about brands, products and services from their friends
- 61% report being influenced by word of mouth WOM (up 48% from 2004)
- Students cite they are most likely to look to friends for advice for movies (60%) and electronics (48%)
- More than half of students claim they played the deciding role in recent decision to buy a computer (57%), a digital camera (57%), or a cell phone/PDA (66%)

Some of them want to make a difference
- 35% of students reporting they feel that people their age have the greatest ability to impact positive world change and up from last year
- 37% cite they are more likely to purchase brands that are socially and environmentally responsible (33% in 2006)"

The original press release from Harris Interactive's Alloy, states it quite clearly:

Class of 2011 Heads Back To Campus Wielding More Connections, Concern and Consumer Clout Than Any Class Before Them
"We're faster than you.
We're bigger than you.
We've got more clout.
We're louder than you."

Facebook (and MySpace)

Check out this post and this post to discover 12 ways to use Facebook (and MySpace) professionally.

The short list:

1. Think of it like personalizing your desk.
2. Look for old co-workers and current connections.
3. Add friends selectively.
4. Add apps selectively.
5. Edit your news feed preferences.
6. Edit your profile and security settings.
7. Incorporate the tools you’re already using into your profile.
8. Join Groups related to your business interests.
9. Limit time wasted on Facebook.
10. Be philanthropic.
11. Ask Questions.
12. Look for events.

(Taken from Stephen's Lighthouse)

One-Minute Book Reviews

Need some ideas on what to read (or not read) this summer? Take a look at One-Minute Book Reviews, a blog written by Janice Harayda, journalist, author, and an adjunct professor of writing at various universities. She is a former book columnist for Glamour, book editor and critic for The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, and vice-president for awards of the National Book Critics Circle.

She reviews both serious and fun books, which are not freebies from publishers. Her reviews include the best line and worst line from each book. She even writes reviews of "books I didn't finish," and tells you why, and recommends other books if she thinks one is bad. She also gives out "Delete Key Awards" for "the worst writing in books," which she describes as "such things as clichés, bad grammar, or writing at an elementary-school level according to the readability statistics on Microsoft Word."

I discovered this blog when I was looking for some discussion questions for one of my book clubs for Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an autobiography published earlier this year. Many publishers are now producing "reading group guides" as part of their marketing efforts for a book, but Janice writes "Totally Unauthorized Reading Group Guides" for "many books that groups might love [such as] new hardcover nonfiction or for classic works of fiction." Her guides will sometimes "quote unfavorable reviews, [and] encourage you to compare a book to others...[to] promote the lively debate about the merits of books that most book clubs enjoy."

Those with degrees still enroll!

These days, thousands of people who enroll in community college programs already have four-year degrees — or more — in hand. Almost 11,000 students pursuing an associate's degree or a diploma in the N.C. Community College System in 2006 had a bachelor's degree. More than 2,500 students had a master's degree or higher. The reason for pursuing another degree is usually related to job marketability.

Read more at:http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070625/NEWSREC0101/70624001

Diplomas Count

A new report published in Education Week looks at the skills required to get jobs in every state and concludes that, at both the state and national level, people need to complete at least some college to earn a decent wage.

The report bases such findings on an analysis of data from two sources: a U.S. Department of Labor database that classifies jobs based on the education, training, and experience that they require, and U.S. Census Bureau statistics showing how many people work in various types of jobs and how much they earn.

"At both national and state levels, our research shows that a high-school diploma alone is not sufficient for students to access the jobs that will provide a real future and to thrive in our economy," said Christopher B. Swanson, who conducted the analysis as director of a research center affiliated with the newspaper.

In other findings, the report estimates that about 30 percent of ninth graders fail to graduate from high school with their peers four years later. For black males, the four-year graduation rate is 46 percent; for Hispanic males, it's 52 percent.

Based on an examination of state policies, the report says that just 11 states define what students should know and be able to do to be prepared for credit-bearing courses in college, and 14 states are working on a definition. Twenty-two states require high schools to administer exit examinations, while three others plan to do so. The number of states basing their exit exams on standards set at the 10th-grade level or higher has risen from six in 2002 to 18 in 2007. —Peter Schmidt

Read the entire article at http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2007/06/12/index.html

100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know

Just fun with words

Press Release

100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know by Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries (Editor)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSTON, MA — The editors of the American Heritage® dictionaries have compiled a list of 100 words they recommend every high school graduate should know.

"The words we suggest," says senior editor Steven Kleinedler, "are not meant to be exhaustive but are a benchmark against which graduates and their parents can measure themselves. If you are able to use these words correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of the language."

The following is the entire list of 100 words:

• abjure
• abrogate
• abstemious
• acumen
• antebellum
• auspicious
• belie
• bellicose
• bowdlerize
• chicanery
• chromosome
• churlish
• circumlocution
• circumnavigate
• deciduous
• deleterious
• diffident
• enervate
• enfranchise
• epiphany
• equinox
• euro
• evanescent
• expurgate
• facetious
• fatuous
• feckless
• fiduciary
• filibuster
• gamete
• gauche
• gerrymander
• hegemony
• hemoglobin
• homogeneous
• hubris
• hypotenuse
• impeach
• incognito
• incontrovertible
• inculcate
• infrastructure
• interpolate
• irony
• jejune
• kinetic
• kowtow
• laissez faire
• lexicon
• loquacious
• lugubrious
• metamorphosis
• mitosis
• moiety
• nanotechnology
• nihilis
• mnomenclature
• nonsectarian
• notarize
• obsequious
• oligarchy
• omnipotent
• orthography
• oxidize
• parabola
• paradigm
• parameter
• pecuniary
• photosynthesis
• plagiarize
• plasma
• polymer
• precipitous
• quasar
• quotidian
• recapitulate
• reciprocal
• reparation
• respiration
• sanguine
• soliloquy
• subjugate
• suffragist
• supercilious
• tautology
• taxonomy
• tectonic
• tempestuous
• thermodynamics
• totalitarian
• unctuous
• usurp
• vacuous
• vehement
• vortex
• winnow
• wrought
• xenophobe
• yeoman

Presidential Campaigns Create Student Jobs

Job prospects for college graduates are looking up thanks to the 2008 presidential candidates. Eighteen contenders and counting translates into plenty of campaign hiring of promising but untested newcomers, especially in states with early nominating contests. Laurin Manning is taking a break from law school to work as Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's jack-of-all trades, earning about $2,300 a month. Her office walls are bare, and her title for weeks was a work in progress. Read more at:http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/08/ap3803068.html