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Surviving Fresno State

One writer reflects on things she wishes she knew about college before starting

THERE ARE A lot of things that I wish I knew about college before I came to Fresno State. One thing that stands out most in my mind is experiencing and trying out new things in this new environment away from home.

When I first came to Fresno, I was amazed by its sheer size and what I thought were the millions of different things to do in this city, including partying of course.

I came with the preconceived notion that everybody at college was going to be studying most of the time and there would be parties every now and then. But what I quickly learned was that having a social life here is just as important as being in good academic standing with your school.

Learning to balance all of the chaos is a different story.

College, in my mind, is more than getting an education. It is about learning and redefining who you are.

This is the time in our lives when we are trying to find ourselves and have the opportunity to experience things that we otherwise would have never done.

We all came to college for one reason or another. Some came to get a higher education and to pursue a career and others for the mere fact of having something to do after high school.

Even so, it doesn’t mean we are not allowed to have a good time every now and then.

Another thing I would have liked to have known before I came to college is that credit cards can be a dangerous pitfall for college students if they are not cautious with their spending habits.

Falling into the deep and dark hole of credit card debt is a problem that can linger for years after your initial purchases made on your card.

When I got my first credit card, I tried to believe that it was only to be used in cases of an emergency, but soon began convincing myself that things like the new blouse from Express qualified as necessities.

Credit cards can be bad habits and can quickly spiral out of control. I just wished somebody had reminded me that self-control and credit cards typically do not go hand in hand.

Lastly, one more thing I wish I knew before coming to college is that while living on your own for the first time has its definite benefits, finding a roommate that you are compatible it extremely tough.

I don’t know why I didn’t think that it would be hard before, maybe it was because I didn’t realize that for the most part we are joining two or more different people that potentially have different beliefs, cultures, or ideas.

Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you might hit it off with your roommates right away. For those who do not, it becomes a struggle to enjoy going home and when you know that “person�? is always there, waiting to nag at you.

Overall I can say I have really enjoyed my college years at Fresno State, but if I would have known these three things before I came to college I would have felt just a little bit more prepared of what to expect.

The results are in – and nobody voted

We’re not sure if you’ve heard, but the elections for next year’s Associated Students executives and senators occurred last week. Voting took place last Tuesday through last Thursday, and during the course of those three days, 494 student votes were cast, averaging about 166 votes each day.

While there are a few instances where 494 might qualify as a large number — say, the number of mouths to feed at a wedding — it is an absolutely dismal number when talking about an election for a group of people responsible for making decisions on behalf of the student body about how our funds should be allocated.

Indeed, in relation to the approximately 22,000 students currently enrolled at Fresno State, 494 voters comprise about 2.2 percent of the population of the school. This is a precipitous drop from last year’s election turnout, which still drew only 1,398 voters (about 6.4 percent of the school).

Indeed, turnout was so bad that there were several candidates elected with fewer than 10 votes.

The poor turnout seems to be the result of several factors — there seemed to be a marked lack of campaigning this year as compared to previous elections. The number of candidates was also considerably less than in years past, with most candidates running unopposed. Taken together, these issues point to what may be the larger problem — student apathy, on all fronts.

The One-Finger Salute

Thumbs up to the Clovis Rodeo. As policy, The Collegian can’t endorse alcohol, so let’s just say it was “fun.�?

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Thumbs down to the 100-degree weather that hit the Valley last weekend. The heat can take something that smells bad and make it smell worse, can kill babies and the elderly and wreaks havoc on energy bills.

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Thumbs up to the four Fresno State football players who were drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft. With any luck, next year, Dwayne Wright, Paul Williams, Marcus McCauley and Chris Denham will be playing for the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively.

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Thumbs down to finals, swiftly approaching. The promise of summer almost quells our anxiety — but not quite.

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“The One-Finger Salute” is culled each week from discussions in The Collegian newsroom.

VIDEO: E-Waste

Videographer Bedor Alshatti reports on the e-waste program on the campus of California State University, Fresno.
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PHOTO: Millerton Lake Triathlon

The Fresno State Triathlon Club sent 10 members to the Millerton Lake Triathlon held on April 22, 2007.  Click here to view a photo slideshow of the day’s events.

VIDEO: Energy PSA

Energy Conservation PSA.
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