ASUN

This semester the University of Nevada, Reno held a lecture called Stereotyped 101: An Exploration in Unconscious Bias. The event was led by Karith Foster, who is a professional speaker, comedian, TV and radio personality and founder of the Foster Russell Family Foundation, which seeks to “promote free speech and inclusion,” said Foster. Many college students were in attendance, and Foster led the audience in a thoughtful discussion on issues of stereotyping and diversity, weaving in a bit of comedy. Foster said, “Laughing is a good way to be comfortable and strong enough to address tough and serious topics.”

Foster started off the event by discussing the term “diversity.” Foster claimed that, “Like ‘feminist’ and ‘liberal,’ the word ‘diversity’ has been hijacked.” Instead, Foster chooses to use the term “inversity.” Foster describes this term as inclusive and introspective, with concern for one’s connection to humanity.

Foster had the audience close their eyes and take a self survey. She asked the audience, “Have you ever been in your car and seen a black man, so you lock the door? Have you ever heard a Southern accent and thought ‘that person’s not smart’? Or heard a British accent and thought they were smart?” She then asked the audience to raise their hands if they’d done any of these things, and to open their eyes. Nearly everyone in the audience had their hand up.

Foster said, “We all stereotype,” and she offers three reasons people tend to do this. The first reason, according to Foster, is it’s human nature. “People naturally think, ‘is this a physical or emotional threat?’” Foster’s second reason is that stereotyping is learned behavior, and that it can be learned consciously and unconsciously. Foster said people learn to stereotype from parents, video games, and even Disney Princesses. The third reason Foster described is the human ego. Foster said, “The ego likes to rule things, to be right, and to know where it stands.”

Foster went on to describe her experiences as black woman growing up in Plano, a “not very diverse suburb of Texas.” Foster said that the experience was made awkward by stereotyping, and that she was the “Honorary black representative for melanin deficient friends.” Foster recalls circles forming around her at school dances where her friends would chant, ‘Go Karith, it’s your birthday.’ “No, it’s not! It’s coming up though,” said Foster. She suggests that this behavior stemmed from her friends stereotyping her because she is black.

Foster went on to describe her struggles with her weight, and the different perceptions ofweight on the West Coast, where she’s considered heavy, compared to the midwest, where she’s considered, “anorexic.” Foster said that America is obsessed with weight to the point that “People are excited to get sick, because that means we get to wear our skinny jeans,” and people will, “Eat at Chipotle. On purpose,” suggesting Chipotle makes people sick.

While Foster believes that comedy is an excellent way to engage in difficult topics, she maintains that, “Sometimes you have to be a little uncomfortable to hash things out.” Foster said that there are ways to avoid stereotyping. She said the first way is through conscious empathy. “Really put yourself in their shoes,” said Foster. She also describes the necessity for active listening. “It’s not what you hear, but how you interpret it,” said Foster, “You have to be an advocate for me, and I have to be an advocate for someone else.”

Foster said that people who are stereotyped should attempt to have “Responsible reactions.” According to Foster, this involves asking the person, “‘Why do you say that? Do you know what that means?’” She said, “It takes patience and maturity,” and can lead to the person learning instead of repeating their mistake. Foster said, “We are all students. How we react to each other is so important.” Foster said, “Where you draw the line is a personal choice, but if you don’t do it, who else will?”

Foster said, “We have to change our perception of normal.” In order to do this, Foster said, “Stretch, grow, get exposed to ideas and grow beyond where you came from. Get out of your comfort zone.” Foster said that people will not always see eye to eye, but, “Hearing somebody out gives you a chance to broaden your horizons.” Foster concluded, “It’s about better relationships, having an amazing life, and sharing it with people.”

For some, following a vegan diet is a way to apply their morals to their lifestyles. University of Nevada, Reno graduate student and teaching assistant, Kathrine Wright, chose to pursue a diet free from animal products due to her affection for them.

“I have an attachment to animals, and I felt guilty harming animals, so I decided I didn’t want to do this anymore so I made the transition about two years ago,” Wright said.

For others, their primary reason for adopting a vegan diet was for health reasons. Cheyenne Culp of San Diego, California, first adopted a meat-free diet after learning of health benefits from popular documentaries, as well by the influence of her friends.

“I had two friends who were vegan that taught me about veganism, and after watching Cowspiracy on Netflix in 2014, I started cutting out meat and dairy,” Culp said.

Culp and Wright are part of a much larger trend of Americans becoming vegans. While there is debate over whether or not veganism is healthy and sustainable, people do not foresee the diet diminishing among Americans.

According to Plant Based News, the number of Americans following a vegan diet has increased to six times as many in the last three years. As of 2014, only a small one percent of people described themselves as vegan compared to 2017’s six percent.

As increasing numbers of people became vegan, the demand for vegan options at restaurants and grocery stores rose as well. Julianna Scala, now the president of popular vegan restaurant, Great Full Gardens, saw this demand and decided to make vegan meal options accessible to consumers.

“We noticed that there was a new customer emerging that was vegan, so we wanted to provide options for them,” Scala said.

When Great Full Gardens was first created, they were just selling their soups in Pathways at the University. Now, they supply 18 different vegan soups and a plethora of other vegan meals to their three locations, as well as Whole Foods grocery stores in the Reno area.

While Great Full Gardens is just one of many popular restaurants among vegans, a diet without any meat or dairy products is not for everyone.

Shaun Brooks, a powerlifter and personal trainer from Sacramento, California, is sure a vegan diet is not the diet for him.

“I definitely considered it but I do a lot of powerlifting and my goal is to squat 700 pounds. It is just impossible for me to hit that goal without getting the amount of protein that I get from meat,” Brooks said.

Even Culp, who was once a devout vegan, decided eliminating dairy and eggs from her diet was impractical for her lifestyle in late 2016.

“It takes a lot of discipline for some people and for me it was getting difficult towards the end,” Culp said. “I mainly went back because of random dishes and family recipes that were always in my childhood had dairy and eggs, and it was difficult as I still live with my mom who primarily does the grocery shopping.”

There is also heated debate over whether a vegan diet is healthy. Nutritional expert, Caroline Kurtz, warns people that diets are not one size fits all, and veganism is no exception.

When asked if veganism was a healthy way to live, Kurtz said, “In the short period of time, if people have preexisting conditions these diets could either exacerbate those conditions, or if they have a condition where these habits are helpful, a vegan diet could be helpful.”

While Culp was still vegan, she noticed that she was substantially healthier than she had been when she was following a standard diet.

“I’m super sensitive to animal abuse, so that was my main reason, but the other thing was I could lose some weight and be healthier overall from being vegan,” Culp said. “When I was vegan, I was losing weight in a healthy way and I felt much more energetic.”

Wright also said that she has found veganism to be a healthy lifestyle for her, as it assisted her chronic migraines.

“As a chronic migraine sufferer, I went from having 15 migraines a month to only five a month when I went vegan,” Wright said.

A vegan diet does have the potential to be healthy, as Kurtz said. The problem most vegans face is deficiencies in nutrients that we primarily get from meat and dairy. According to Kurtz, those following a vegan diet should be sure they are obtaining these vital nutrients in other ways, whether it be through supplements or introducing new foods to their diets to replace the ones they are eliminating such as tofu as a meat substitution, non-dairy milks such as almond or soy for use in coffees, cereals, or other recipes, and replacing traditional dairy products such as cream cheese, yogurt, or ice cream with new dairy-free substitutes that have hit the market in recent years.

According to research from Reader’s Digest, vegans and vegetarians are much more likely to lack nutrients such as zinc, iron, protein, calcium, and vitamin D.

Although there is a great amount of skepticism around veganism and whether or not it is a practical diet to follow, people foresee veganism becoming a constant in American culture.

Culp, who has transitioned back to a vegetarian diet, is attempting to return to a vegan diet as it becomes an easier way to live as more stores and restaurants become accommodating to this diet.

“When I first went vegan, meat substitutes and foods that were specifically made to be vegan were extremely expensive. Now, there are options almost everywhere and the price of meat substitutes has dropped significantly,” Culp said, “It’s just proving that veganism is more than a trend.”

Scala of Great Full Gardens said that their restaurant’s success was due to how many people are becoming vegan, predicting that this diet will not be leaving anytime soon.

“Two of our three most popular dishes are vegan. If veganism wasn’t so big, neither would our restaurant,” Scala said.

Nutritional experts, despite their view on the health factors of veganism, are noticing that this is becoming more than just a trend.

“Veganism isn’t going anywhere. Had it stopped growing a couple years ago, it could have died out soon but at this point, it’s not a fad diet anymore,” Kurtz said.

As another year passes and new years fades, festival season approaches and the cravings for an exhilarating adventure begin when post festival depression (PFD) kicks in. When we think of festivals we reminisce about how the music and positive vibes made us feel an uncontrollable need to keep that moment alive for as long as we are able to. We aren’t sure when we will get this incredible feeling of escaping reality again, and this aggravates our PFD.

When we’re at a festival we feel free and live in the moment. We feel unreal happiness, and everyone around you is looking out for one another and in that moment, we feel like one big family making unforgettable memories. With these memories, we return to the real world and can’t help but remember those moments. It becomes difficult to separate real life and our festival lives, which leads us to investigating which festival to attend next. Balancing reality and our musical cravings can be a challenge.

The process of actually getting to the festival can be tricky, stressful, and not to mention expensive, but to an avid festival goer we believe that listening to our favorite artists live is well worth the struggle we go through to make it happen. Also, having a good festival experience depends immensely on the people we choose to attend the event with; this will diminish the PFD indefinitely. The dream festival group can go with the flow and are excited about expanding their taste in music. Being interested in the new talent and music that will be at the event is essential to having a good time at any festival. Undeniably there are many styles that artists bring to the table in one genre alone. It’s one big musical experiment that everyone gets to listen to firsthand.

Everyone wants to experience the vibes in the crowd when the DJ plays the one song everyone hoped they would play, such as Alison Wonderland playing “Happy Place” before the ball drops to open the new year at SnowGlobe Music Festival. We want to tell the story about how it felt when we experienced it for ourselves. Let’s not forget the magnificent crowd. They’re always looking out for one another, and the abundance of positive vibes going around begins to be contagious. Everyone accepts you for who you are, and this helps everyone have a good time and create happy memories that won’t soon be forgotten. When we are in the thick of this environment we forget about how much money we just spent and soon get lost in the moment right then and there. When we are at a festival, reality seems to escape us as we enter our own version of a happy place.

The amount of freedom we feel at a festival is one of the main reasons we can tolerate how much money we spend to attend these events. We always say we are “broke college kids” but then a “can’t miss” festival comes up, such as Coachella or Lightning in a Bottle, in addition to the lineup being just right and we can’t miss out, creating a serious FOMO, and suddenly we have cash to spend, even if it’s our food money for the rest of the month. The lengths we will go to just smell festival air is extreme, but it’s always worth it to satisfy our PFD.

We crave the intense stimulation we feel through the music, giving us energy and enhancing our spirituality letting us learn more about ourselves and letting us bond with others around us. We want these moments to last forever, and sometimes it feels as though these moments really will last forever. We will always keep the memories we make at a festival near to our musical souls where reality can’t touch them.

Having PFD is not only a sadness of not being at a festival, but it’s also about how much you crave the experience, and this craving is hard to ignore when it’s pounding in your head when you’re trying to focus on reality. The hardest part is coming home and realizing that the festival is over and so is the fun. After a few days of recovery, we go looking for the next festival and repeat the cycle of getting the squad together and raging some more, keeping in mind that our bank accounts will forgive us later.

Our Center is a local nonprofit organization that provides resources and referrals to the LGBTQ+ community and to the Reno community at large. On January 2, 2018, three windows of Our Center were broken while the building was occupied by a reading group. The windows were broken by an unidentified man. Our Center put plywood over the broken windows and continued to offer programming.

“We just kept on doing what we do, helping out the community,” said Sherrie Scaffidi, a volunteer at Our Center.

The windows have since been replaced, and the community response was overwhelming. “The outpouring was unbelievable,” said Scaffidi, “I was actually here when a couple came in who said they didn’t think they knew anybody who was gay, lesbian, or transgender. They didn’t even know we were here, and they didn’t know what we did. But once they started seeing everything on the news, they wanted to help.”

Going forward, Scaffidi hopes for Our Center to expand and to reach more people. “We’re here for so many different people. Not only the LGBTQ+, but the community in general,” Scaffidi said, “The groups that meet regularly are really important to help people who need that. As a trans person I know that before I came out I didn’t know a lot about where to go to get information.” Among these groups are The League of Gender Inclusive Citizen (T-LOGIC), Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), and Transgender Allies Group (TAG). Scaffidi said that this programming is a resource to anyone who wants to learn more.

“Because I’m transgender, I’m very partial to the transgender programs,” Scaffidi said, “It seems like right now we have so many more people coming out as trans.”

Scaffidi is a member of TAG, which puts out a yearly resource guide for trans people in the community. Scaffidi hopes that these guides can be of some assistance to people, as they list many resources. “The guides list doctors, mental health professionals, churches, stores, all kinds of things that are kind, friendly and geared to trans people,” Scaffidi said. TAG also puts on a monthly presentation called Trans 101. “It’s approximately a two hour presentation,” Scaffidi said, “It’s basic transgender information. Numbers of trans people, how to respect a trans person, how to navigate if you don’t know if someone is trans or not, and how to treat them properly by using the correct pronouns.” The presentation is open to everyone, and Scaffidi urges people to attend who have a trans person in their life, “Whether it be a parent, a child, a spouse.”

Scaffidi said that it’s common for parents of trans children to want to learn more, but also encourages children with trans parents to try and learn more as well. “We talk a lot about parents of trans children, but in my circle we have children that have to figure that out,” Scaffidi said, “At my age most of my friends are 45 and up, and a lot of us have children. I am very fortunate in that my kids are totally 100 percent accepting of who I am. But a lot of other children aren’t [supportive] of the parents, and it’s very sad.” Scaffidi believes that education can help the community to become more inclusive. “I would like people to figure that out, that we’re just all people,” Scaffidi said, “We’re just people.”

Our Center seeks to provide resources to the Reno community at large. One way the organization does this is through their Free Marketplace. The Free Marketplace offers necessities for people who may not have access to them otherwise. “At the Free Marketplace we have food that we give people. We have personal hygiene products,” Scaffidi said, “This year’s been a pretty mild winter, but last year we gave away a lot of blankets, sleeping bags, gloves, hats, socks, stuff to keep people warm.”

Scaffidi hopes that more of the community takes advantage of Our Center’s programming and resources. “We’re here. Anybody and everybody is welcome. As long as they’re not a jerk,” Scaffidi said, “If people are curious, come on down when we’re open, and we’ll give you a tour and explain to you what we do here. Maybe just sit down and chat for a while.”

All of my life I was welcomed by familiar faces whether it be a mother or roommate once I returned home from school. Though I enjoyed living with my family and being my roommate’s roommate, I decided to take a leap and live on my own for the first time. I had always dreamt of living by myself and of being the shepherd of my decisions. So, after my first year of college I moved into my own place. My friends and family figured I was either crazy or brave. To this day every time my grandmother phones me or sees me during breaks, she asks why I’m not scared of living by myself. I tell her that it’s just living alone and I could be doing braver things. It’s been six months now, but to be honest with you, the only reason why I’m still kicking and haven’t burned my place down is because of my philosophy: You just gotta wing it. And my, have I winged the heck out of this whole living alone thing.

I’ve asked people why they would rather live with roommates, despite the horror stories, and they always tell me they like having someone to come home to. Some even have told me they’d go mad if they didn’t. Though I have my days where I agree with these people and miss having someone to come home to, I enjoy having my own place that houses the things that make me, me and the space to do whatever I want. So here is my college-student-who-lives-alone’s manifesto on what I’ve found charming and liberating about this experience. Maybe you’ll consider living by yourself in college too, or if you already live alone, maybe you’ll be able to relate to this on personal level.

Rocking out to your jams without a care in the world. When I lived with a roommate I felt a little self-conscious singing in our room. I always feared being caught. Now that I live alone I can blast all the Father John Misty, Foxygen, and Blondie I wish. Only bothering my plants with my noise.

Decorating.  Your space is your space. Adorn your walls with the photographs and art that give you comfort. Hang banners and streamers if you want to. Want to put the rug in your room that you found out on the street? GO FOR IT. Every knick knack and book on the shelf is a part of you. There’s something independent and freeing about choosing what you want in your space.

Being able to take a breather. After a day full of lecturing and interacting with numerous people and seeing numerous faces, it’s nice to come home to a place that’s only yours. I can’t tell you how many times I have been overwhelmed and coming home to the sound of silence has given me the space I needed. Sometimes having roommates robs you from the serenity of a good sleep and sometimes if you’re unlucky, you can’t take that breather you need because of various moods and attitudes. Everybody is entitled to have their bad days, but it can become toxic when you always face some kind of drama. Having a place to breathe and not dealing with problems has helped me a whole lot in school and has made me a happier person. I appreciate conversations and people more because of it.

Compromising. Compromising is great, but when you live alone there is no need for it. Your bathroom is yours, your time is yours, and your place is yours. There is no need for scheduling time for friends or shower times, so they don’t conflict with your roommates. You can have your friends over when you want, or wake up late and take an unplanned shower when you wish without ruining your roommate’s routine.

Being accountable. You’re accountable for picking up groceries, picking up the mail, locking doors and not losing keys, cooking for yourself, and taking care of yourself and your health. Living alone is a huge responsibility, but because of it I have attended to my place, myself, and my grades more than ever. If something goes south it’s because of me, and I have to accept it. If I eat junk food I can’t blame my surroundings on my dietary decisions. If I see a dirty dish, it’s all me! A downside of your mess being your mess though is that, well, your mess is your mess. You come to realize what a swine you are and can’t be mad at anyone but yourself.

When I first moved in, I placed my collection of books in their place, gave my plants a windowsill home, organized my pens, fluffled my pillows, and placed flowers in a vase. My new home had my old home’s things, but I just couldn’t get into the groove of living alone for the first few days. School began and when I got back from school I began to cry. Not because I missed my family or because of the new semester, but because I had forgotten to put water in the fridge and all I had was warm sparkling water. I called up my friend in a panic and she promised me I would soon get the hang of things. She was right, I have gotten the hang of things but to this day she always reminds me to put water in the fridge unless I want to revisit August’s tragedy. Not everyday is peachy. Some days I want to see a face, but then I realize I can call up a friend. There’s some days when I just sit on my bed and look at the chair covered in clothes and want to scream. There are days when I am too used to being alone and lounge around too much. But one thing is for sure, I wouldn’t trade the experience of living alone for anything.