So, I just had to tell you about one of our FHE group activities. So, at BYU, each single student in a student congregation gets assigned to a "Family Home Evening" or FHE group, since we don't have our regular families with us to do FHE with. Anyhow, my roommate is one of our group leaders, and we've had fun so far this semester. Each FHE begins with a short spiritual thought, and then we have an activity and a treat. Last week we played spoons with glow-in-the-dark cards. So fun!
Anyhow, so two weeks ago I think it was we planned a service FHE. We decided to make cookies and hand them out to students as they were leaving the testing center on campus. I think Diana came up with the idea and we all agreed it was brilliant. I'm pretty sure that I was given candy once as I left the testing center - so this is not a totally unique idea, but we decided it would be fun. Anyhow, it was awesome! Diana printed off some Calvin and Hobbes comics about school and we handed out those with our cookies. As people came out of the doors, we began cheering. "Yeah! You're done with your test!" Ok, it sounds a little corny, but it was so fun! All the test takers were pretty surprised but happy with our presents. One girl walked by looking pretty stressed... maybe her test didn't go so well :-( One guy even gave us hugs! Anyhow, it was definitely a success. What's better than leaving the testing center and getting fresh baked cookies? Not a bad way to lift the cloud of stress. :-)
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Update on "Letters to the Editor"
Just to let you know, they printed my "Misquoted" letter in today's opinion section. Yeah! :-)
Monday, October 22, 2007
Letters to the Editor
Well, I finally got a letter to the editor published in BYU's student newspaper, "The Daily Universe." I was quite excited that my letter was published, until I realized that I was misquoted! They edited one of my sentences, significantly altering the meaning. I was annoyed, because I feel like they assumed what I meant without asking me. Arg.
First, I'll print the original letter that I sent them for you guys:
"I applaud Amnesty International for trying to raise awareness of the situation in Burma. I was disappointed with the low turnout at Wednesday's peace rally. I was even more disappointed to hear students say things like, "What's the point? Are they really going to change the situation by protesting?" The other day, as I walked by the Amnesty International banner, I saw this quote: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." There are a lot of 'good people' at BYU 'doing nothing' to be aware of the evils going on in this world. Yes, perhaps a small rally at BYU won't change a dictatorship. But raising awareness and educating people on social justice issues are important. How are we as students ever going to be able to "Go forth to serve" if we do not take time to "Enter to learn" about the problems in our world? Most of us cannot even fathom living under the kind of oppression facing the Burmese monks. But does that mean that we should ignore the fact that such things go on in this world? I'm with Martin Luther King Jr., who said: " Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." As future leaders, we must use our education to promote truth and justice everywhere, not just where it directly affects us."
So... here is the letter I sent them, which I asked them to print in the next "Letters to the Editor" section. You'll see how they changed it.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear "Letters to the Editor,"
Please print this in your "letters to the editor section." This is in regards to my letter "Doing nothing," published on 10/22/07.
I'm grateful that you printed my letter to the editor, but when you did your editing, you changed the meaning of my intended message. I did not not mean that BYU students are completely aware of the evils of the world and are "doing nothing," but that they are not taking the proper time to get educated about social justice issues in the first place. Yes, some know about the Burma situation and don't seem to care too much. But many don't even really know about it in the first place and walk by demonstrations on campus such as the Burma rally without learning about their purpose. I feel that the way you changed my letter misrepresents what I intended to say. Please be aware that subtle editing changes can have a great effect in the intended meaning of the author. I applaud BYU students for all the good that they do; I just think that we could do more to actively learn about and stand up for political and social justice issues all over the world.
Thank you,
Lauren Major
Mequon, Wis.
The original sentence:There are a lot of 'good people' at BYU 'doing nothing' to be aware of the evils going on in this world."
The edited sentence: "There are a lot of "good people" at BYU "doing nothing," but are aware of the evils going on in this world.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Anyhow, I know it was simply a mistake, but it taught me a great lesson. Editing matters. Misquoting people misrepresents them. Maybe some will say that it's not that big of a deal. But I think it is. Things that are in print are there for everyone to see, and it made me realize that I should not take that responsibility lightly.
First, I'll print the original letter that I sent them for you guys:
"I applaud Amnesty International for trying to raise awareness of the situation in Burma. I was disappointed with the low turnout at Wednesday's peace rally. I was even more disappointed to hear students say things like, "What's the point? Are they really going to change the situation by protesting?" The other day, as I walked by the Amnesty International banner, I saw this quote: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." There are a lot of 'good people' at BYU 'doing nothing' to be aware of the evils going on in this world. Yes, perhaps a small rally at BYU won't change a dictatorship. But raising awareness and educating people on social justice issues are important. How are we as students ever going to be able to "Go forth to serve" if we do not take time to "Enter to learn" about the problems in our world? Most of us cannot even fathom living under the kind of oppression facing the Burmese monks. But does that mean that we should ignore the fact that such things go on in this world? I'm with Martin Luther King Jr., who said: " Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." As future leaders, we must use our education to promote truth and justice everywhere, not just where it directly affects us."
So... here is the letter I sent them, which I asked them to print in the next "Letters to the Editor" section. You'll see how they changed it.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear "Letters to the Editor,"
Please print this in your "letters to the editor section." This is in regards to my letter "Doing nothing," published on 10/22/07.
I'm grateful that you printed my letter to the editor, but when you did your editing, you changed the meaning of my intended message. I did not not mean that BYU students are completely aware of the evils of the world and are "doing nothing," but that they are not taking the proper time to get educated about social justice issues in the first place. Yes, some know about the Burma situation and don't seem to care too much. But many don't even really know about it in the first place and walk by demonstrations on campus such as the Burma rally without learning about their purpose. I feel that the way you changed my letter misrepresents what I intended to say. Please be aware that subtle editing changes can have a great effect in the intended meaning of the author. I applaud BYU students for all the good that they do; I just think that we could do more to actively learn about and stand up for political and social justice issues all over the world.
Thank you,
Lauren Major
Mequon, Wis.
The original sentence:There are a lot of 'good people' at BYU 'doing nothing' to be aware of the evils going on in this world."
The edited sentence: "There are a lot of "good people" at BYU "doing nothing," but are aware of the evils going on in this world.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Anyhow, I know it was simply a mistake, but it taught me a great lesson. Editing matters. Misquoting people misrepresents them. Maybe some will say that it's not that big of a deal. But I think it is. Things that are in print are there for everyone to see, and it made me realize that I should not take that responsibility lightly.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
The Odyssey Years
Here is a link to an article that I find very interesting.
This is from a recent opinion column in The New York Times by David Brooks called "The Odyssey Years." According to Times, this article can be summed up as follows: "The decade of wandering that frequently occurs between adolescence and adulthood is a sensible response to modern conditions."
I'm not sure how I feel about this phase of life as the simple result of "modern conditions," nor will I simply say that I am a product of my generation, but I do think that many young people my age can relate to Brooks' description of life for the twenty-something right now. I definitely do. Although I'm probably more tied to tradition than some who are my age, I still can relate to the feeling of having to find my way in an uncertain world. For a young person who has grown out of immense opportunities and who faces a world full of more opportunity and uncertainty than she anticipated, "odyssey" is a good description.
Life is different for us than it was for our parents at our age, but we still ultimately want the same things--love, health, happiness, and a better world. I guess the road to getting those things will always be different in different periods of history, but I guess that's why I'm so grateful for my faith in the gospel; it gives me stability in a changing society. Thankfully, the essence of life is constant, and if we remember that, I don't think we need to simply be defined by our generation.
This is from a recent opinion column in The New York Times by David Brooks called "The Odyssey Years." According to Times, this article can be summed up as follows: "The decade of wandering that frequently occurs between adolescence and adulthood is a sensible response to modern conditions."
I'm not sure how I feel about this phase of life as the simple result of "modern conditions," nor will I simply say that I am a product of my generation, but I do think that many young people my age can relate to Brooks' description of life for the twenty-something right now. I definitely do. Although I'm probably more tied to tradition than some who are my age, I still can relate to the feeling of having to find my way in an uncertain world. For a young person who has grown out of immense opportunities and who faces a world full of more opportunity and uncertainty than she anticipated, "odyssey" is a good description.
Life is different for us than it was for our parents at our age, but we still ultimately want the same things--love, health, happiness, and a better world. I guess the road to getting those things will always be different in different periods of history, but I guess that's why I'm so grateful for my faith in the gospel; it gives me stability in a changing society. Thankfully, the essence of life is constant, and if we remember that, I don't think we need to simply be defined by our generation.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Yikes! My hair is short!
Well, I got a haircut for the first time since April. I'm not really that in to making sure I look perfectly fashionable all the time or anything (although I like to look nice of course), but I went online and found some hair styles that I liked with sweeping bangs. I showed her a picture of Nicole Richie. Now, let me state for the record, I am not a Nicole Richie fan, but she does have nice hair! Anyhow, the cut ended up being a shorter than I expected, and I came home feeling a little freaked out. I played around a bit with it since I really don't know how to style short hair, and this is my June Cleaver flipped-out look that I came up with, hehe. I'm still deciding whether I want to go and get it fixed a little somewhere else to add some layers (when it's not flipped... I'm not a huge fan, it feels like too much of a blunt cut)... but we'll see. Any advice? And be honest! Thank goodness that hair grows :-) (Also, if you know of a good hair stylist in Provo, let me know!)
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