The Quill

February 9, 2024

Stay on Task and Get Clean! 

This selection of YouTube videos was chosen to help readers stay motivated, learn tips and tricks of how to NOT procrastinate, and discover the best ways to stay clean throughout the long hours of the school day.

“How to Stop Procrastinating”
This video (pictured right) is for procrastinators, the people who can’t seem to focus or do anything. In this video, you’ll learn why you procrastinate and get tips on how to not procrastinate. As a procrastinator, I find this is a helpful video and a quite interesting one, too.

“How to Study After School when TIRED:
Study Tips, Energy Hacks, Study Motivation”
Staying motivated is a struggle for many students, and some professors, during this time of year when all you want to do is curl up on the couch or in bed and watch a show or read a book with a nice snack and warm drink. This video gives you tips and tricks on how to keep yourself motivated throughout the day and stay healthy!

“How to Stay Fresh and Clean All Day in School”
This is the video for the people who struggle with staying clean. It happens; it’s college and some people are more worried about assignments or video games rather than taking care of themselves. This video demonstrates how to take care of oneself in one’s daily life  This video has a lot of good hygiene tips for everyone to follow.

February 9, 2024

Good Advice

Our advice columnist answers your burning questions about navigating life as a college student.

Dear LIFE,

I don’t have enough money to pay for food until I get my next paycheck. What can I do? I don’t want to live off popcorn and packaged noodles!

—Hungry in the Frozen Tundra

—Carol Wilson, Advice Editor

February 9, 2024

The Foodie Finder: Fit Men Cook

Who has time to cook, let alone make it healthy? You do! It’s all about planning, pantry, and prep. Here at the Foodie Finder, we want to help connect you to healthy eating, valuable information, and great recipes by doing the searching for you. In this issue, we showcase  Fit Men Cook blogger and author Kevin Curry (pictured right) and his strategies for college students to save time and money while eating well. In his blog post, “48 College Meal Prep Ideas for College Students,” you’ll find the following:

• • • 9 Tips for Easy College Meal Prep
    • 10 Budgeting Tips for College Student Meal Prepping
    • 48 Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Snack Recipes

“Meal prepping is like that awesome friend who helps you out when you need it most. It saves you time, keeps your wallet happy, lets you eat healthier, and adds a dash of variety to your meals,” Curry writes. “It’s like a superpower that turns your humble dorm kitchen into a food paradise.”

Here’s one example of Curry’s delicious recipes to try, using a common college food staple. What would life be without ramen noodles? Kevin will show you how to elevate them by using brown rice & millet ramen noodles for a healthier option on his Beef and Broccoli Ramen Noodles recipe.

February 9, 2024

Avoiding Burnout

As a college student, experiencing a burnout almost seems inevitable, but I slowly learned they are totally avoidable. Personally, I started to burn out my first semester of my sophomore year of college. This burnout affected all aspects of my life, mentally, physically, and emotionally. So I reached out and asked for help, and I was recommended to do the things I will talk about below. These helped me turn myself around and achieve highest honors for the semester. Don’t let yourself get discouraged if something goes wrong.

• • Adequate sleep: Enough sleep is essential. Without proper sleep, the human body cannot properly function. With your body not functioning properly, it is more likely to lead to mood problems, poor academic performance, and added stress on your already full plate. The average person needs at least 7 hours of sleep for the body to be at peak function, so be one of those people that gets 7 hours of sleep.

• • Scheduling balance: A schedule that works for you without putting a lot of stress on yourself is key. Now being able to balance that schedule with work and life is hard but doable. Work can look like an actual job or school, and life can look like family and social life. Don’t put too many things on your schedule, because this will lead you to stretching yourself thin and not having the balance. Your time is for you! So when making your schedule, make sure you’re thinking about yourself first, and thinking about your time and energy levels daily. You are not letting anyone down by putting yourself first; if you do this, it’ll be very rewarding in the long run. A good way to start this would be to get a planner or have a print or digital calendar. This way, everything that is on your schedule is in the same place, which makes things less stressful and confusing.

• • Regular exercise: Exercising regularly releases endorphins. and endorphins help with reliving pain, reducing stress, and helping to improve your sense of well-being overall. When you feel good, you perform well; when you perform well, you feel like you’re on top of the world with whatever the day throws your way. An easy exercise that you could do is simply just taking a walk! It does not have to be a long walk, just something to get you up and moving.

• • Good nutrition: Eating properly is closely aligned with getting decent sleep. This will provide you with the energy you need to function throughout the day. A balanced diet also gives you the nutrients you need for growth, repair, and staying healthy. If your body is happy and healthy, it benefits you in all aspects of your day. This one may seem a bit hard, but just a simple added veggie to one of your meals or as a snack is a step in the right direction!

• • A support network: Having a support network can look different for everyone. Any important/trustworthy person in your life is your support system. I know its hard to reach out and ask for help, but trust me when I say it is worth it. A support system is there for YOU! They are there to help you when you fall; they won’t let you stay down. They’re your encouragement when you don’t want to keep pushing. Mainly, they have your best interest at heart, so don’t be afraid to use your support system.

• • Stress busters: Stress management is one of the most important things that helps prevent burnouts. Stress comes from all aspects of your life. Stress has health effects, mood/emotional effects, quality-of-work effects, and so on. Doing any of the things that were listed previously will help with stress also. A big one that I’ve seen trending lately is meditation; it calms your mind and body. If stress isn’t properly managed or even maintained, it will cause a severe burnout. Besides meditation, stress management could even be something like just taking a break from whatever is causing you stress. For instance, taking a walk, taking a nap, or just doing an activity you love to take your mind off things.

Everything discussed here prevents burnouts in different ways. Burnouts tend to come when one is very stressed and feeling like the negative weight of the world is on your shoulders. Burnouts do tend to cause people to make rash decisions that could potentially be career-ending, but these are completely avoidable. Essentially, you need to do what is best for you and only you, not worry about what other people think or want you to do. Life is tough, and some things make it tougher, but if you practice the methods above, things can be less difficult. If you do happen to start burning out, do not give up. It’s going to be hard to push through it, but you will thank yourself in the long run if you do. Just know that you are never alone.

5 Products for Self-Care

What are some products good to use for self-care? Below are some options to try.

1. 1. Essential oils: Essential oils are awesome, and they can be used for many things. There are many different kinds available for things like boosting energy, relaxation, dry skin, sensitive skin, and more. Try lavender oil to relax and citrus oils to spark energy. [Editor’s note: Look for 100% natural essential oils to avoid chemicals. And consult a reputable source like AromaWeb for safety information before using any oil. Some are contraindicated for pregnant women and pets, for example.]

1. 1. Holy Basil Tea: You’ve probably heard that green tea is good for you, but you may not know that Holy Basil tea also has health perks. Some benefits from drinking Holy Basil tea include reducing oxidative stress, supporting liver health, protecting against skin aging, reducing high blood sugar, supporting cardiovascular health, boosting mental health, reducing inflammation and swelling, and combatting infection. Read more at MedicalNewsToday.
   2. Comfy slippers: Nothing says self care like a pair of really comfy slippers. Slippers like Uggs are very comfy and very popular.
   3. Dry Brush: Dry brushing has several benefits for your skin and overall health. It’s especially great for those with dry skin.  This is how Dry Brushing works: It exfoliates the skin via physical exfoliation, just like body scrub products do. The bristles of the brush manually sweep away dull, rough, flaky skin cells. After a dry-brushing session, your skin will feel softer and smoother, and the brisk brushing stimulates circulation. To learn more, see this article.[Photo: Dry brushing with the Cactus Long-Handled Brush from The Body Shop. Image courtesy of The Body Shop.]
   4. “Stress Less” Cards:  This deck of cards is filled with useful exercises to help you de–stress and reduce anxiety.

February 9, 2024

Professional and Local Sports to Watch

We are covering professional sports to show what is happening with the game scores and who won which game. We get to see how far some of these teams got. They all worked so hard to get to where they are this year and will continue to work hard in the off season.

Professional Football

• Here’s the latest on the NFL playoffs,:
  • The Baltimore Ravens beat the Houston Texans 24-10.
  • The San Francisco 49ers beat the Packers 24 – 21 are 4-9 overall this year and are 1-3 in.
  • The Detroit Lions beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31 – 23.
  • The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 27-24 and are 0-12 in.
  • The Chiefs then beat the Ravens, 17-10.
  • And the 49ers beat the Lions, 34-31.
  • Next is the Superbowl: the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the San Francisco 49ers.

Local Girls Basketball

We are covering local girls’ basketball to show what is happening around us at this time of year. These girls have been working hard and are worth your notice. It is good to see how these girls are doing, what their performance is like, and what their records is.

• The Marinette girls basketball team are 14-5 overall and are in first place in the conference with a 10-2 record.
• The Menominee girls basketball team are 4-9 overall and in 3rd in their conference.
• The Peshtigo girls are 1-18 overall and are 9th in their conference with a 0-12 record.

—Mackenzie Hebert, Sports Editor

Influential Athlete: Patrick Mahomes

This edition’s influential athlete is 28-year-old, Patrick Mahomes, who is the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. Mahomes created a foundation called 15 and the Mahomies Foundation, which is very dedicated to improving the lives of children and supports initiatives that focus on health, wellness, communities in need of resources, and other charitable causes. There are various programs within this foundation that have the youth’s best interest at heart. For instance, there is a program called Volunteer for 15, which works with the foundation’s youth volunteer corps to encourage kids ages 11-18 to volunteer 15 hours in their local communities. This program aims to teach the youth about all the benefits and upsides to volunteering. The foundation also supports over 40 charities, like Make-A-Wish and Special Olympics. There are ways that just about anyone can volunteer or donate within this foundation. Read and find out more at https://www.15andthemahomies.org.

Summer Edition

Summer Edition

Editorial Staff Profiles, Part 2

With this semester coming to a close, we thought to share profiles on our editorial teams. Meet the Driftwood staff!

Jasmine Puls: Editor, Social Media Intern, Health and Safety Chair for UWGB, SGA

Jasmine Puls might have joined the Driftwood team a bit later into the semester, but she has enjoyed every moment she’s been in it. She gives the class and its teacher a ten out of ten, but Professor Rysavy isn’t the only professor whom she has praised. That honor goes to Professor Carr for being the best Communications teacher. They were so kind, patient, and understanding, even making Jasmine consider having her major be Communications. Currently, her major is in Psychology, and possibly thanks to Professor Carr’s guidance, she is minoring in Communications. Following college, she hopes to continue working with kids and teaching their future.

Though, during her time in college, one of her funniest moments has been “borrowing” a cart from the Union and making a “roller coaster” in the maintenance tunnels. Her advice for students starting out in college though? Get out there! Join organizations, make friends, and talk to your teachers. Make this college experience your own. Jasmine has made many new friends that she loves, and she looks forward to making more. Visit her in the SGA room on the Green Bay campus!

Ariel Rutten: Editor, Undefeated Foosball Champion of One Very Specific UWGB Table

What class allows you to write and submit a silly article about putting googly eyes on random objects? Practicum in Litarary Publishing, of course. The creative flexibility within the Driftwood is one of Ariel’s favorite parts about the class.The Practicum has been good practice for Ariel, for she is majoring in Writing and Applied Arts with an emphasis in editing and publishing. Ariel has had several fun experiences in college thus far, but one of her favorites has been going to get hot chocolate at the university’s coffee shop so often, they know her on sight now. Another fun moment she had was when it was raining one day, and she told her friends that “the boys got to go on a swim” while wearing shark slides. It cracked everyone up, and she never felt like more of a comedian at that moment.

While it is not exactly a shout-out to a professor, Ariel once did a book project with Professor William Yazbec. It was a project about the world’s cringiest erotic romance novel—The Dragon’s Bride by Katee Robert—and after it, the professor bought the book. He is now reading the epic love story between a woman and a big dragon. What could go wrong?

Andrew Wiegman: Editor, Music Lover, and Driftwood Enigma

Andrew wanted to preserve his mysterious aura, but check out his “Music” section of the Driftwood and past articles on the Driftwood blog to get a great feel for his writerly personality, as his pieces all boast his unique, signature voice and humor. 

Aidann Woodcock: Co-Editor-In-Chief, Star Wars Nerd, Half Brain-Fried,
Other Half Knows Random Trivia

That’s me! It has been a great honor to take part in the Driftwood and the Northern Lights as a Co- Editor-in-Chief. It has been a blast to take part in this class, and I enjoyed writing for it every week. This is in due part because of the fantastic work of our professor, Tracy Fernandez Rysavy, who has been one of my favorite teachers. My favorite moments in class are when it has been completely silent for like ten minutes as we’re all focused on editing our writings, then out of nowhere, someone speaks and makes half of us jump.

Currently, I’m going for a Writing and Applied Arts degree, and this class has really shown me what I could be looking forward to in the years to come! College has been quite the experience for me, for I’ve always been from a small town where everyone knows each other. It’s like a fresh start, but one of my favorite things to do on campus is to sit down and just read a book for pleasure. Those seats at Manitowoc are so comfortable.

Though, one of the funniest moments I’ve had in college so far was when I was helping set up the Pride Center at the Manitowoc Campus. We were the group sent out to collect information, phablets,  photographs, and small items to take back for inspiration for the new Pride Center. I went with two other students, and it was amazing to visit the main UWGB campus, but most of us came from the small-town culture. We were given a lot of colorful items to bring back, but we were shocked when we were given flavored “protection” to bring back. The look on the other two students’ faces was hysterical, but  the experience was just incredible.

Summer Self-Care

You’ve made it through finals week and across the finish line (at least for this year), and now it’s finally summer. Be sure to build in time for rest and fun, even if you’re working or taking classes,—and go outside to soak up some all-important Vitamin D. As a quick reminder, you can find past issues of this e-newsletter on our Driftwood blog, if you want to check back on some of our entertainment suggestions and tips for enjoying the great outdoors in your downtime. The Driftwood editors wish you a happy, wonderful, restful summer! 

Summer Edition

Quick Shark DIY Projects

The best part of the summer season is arguably Shark Week on Discovery Channel (July 11-18, 2023), so start preparing early and get some cute decorations going. Ready the glue-gun!

• Golf-Ball Sharks. A simple craft, all you need is grey/blue paint for the golf balls, a Sharpie for the jaws, googly eyes for the eyes (obviously), and grey/blue craft foam for the fins. Keep your little sharky guys upright with an upside-down bottle-cap, and they’ll be the talk of the party! (Photo courtesy of CraftKlatch.com.) 
• Dorsal-Fin Headbands. A crucial piece of attire that matches any outfit. This one requires a blue or grey headband, construction paper or craft foam for the fin, and then either tape or glue to bring it all together.
• Paper Plate Shark Jaws. This one’s easy and makes for lovely home decorations. All you need are paper plates and scissors. Fold the plate in-half and backwards (as in the bottom is bent toward you.) Then, using the scissors, cut the inner edges of the plate in M-shaped patterns on the top half and bottom half. Snip away at the space around the teeth so it’s all open in the middle. Shark teeth are fairly jagged so don’t worry about being precise. Hang up the plates around the walls and feel like you’re in a totally jaw-some shark-mouth museum.
• “Shark Sighted” Lawn Signs. Let your guests and neighbors know what’s what in your house this week. For this idea, you’ll need a sturdy poster board, markers, yard sticks, and strong tape. Referencing actual signs, start out with writing out the big ol’ “WARNING” letters across the top, then follow with a diamond. Trace a shark or a fin inside the diamond and add the cheeky “Shark Sighted” along the bottom.

All of these crafts and their tutorials can be found with a quick Google search. Happy crafting and have a fin-tastic Shark Week this summer.