Happily furever after

Shelter director provides new lives for animals in York County

She walks through the corridor greeting every face she passes along the way. “Hey Pumpkin,” she smiles as she kneels down to pet the head of the ginger tabby rubbing against her leg. She makes her way to the kennel where many of the dogs pant, jump, and run around when they see her, though a few of them still seem wary of her. She stops at one of these few, she appears to be a Labrador mix, and steps inside her kennel. “Good morning Moriah,” she says as she rubs Moriah’s back. Moriah keeps her eyes on her though she doesn’t seem opposed to the petting. “We just got Moriah last week, but we’ve already had several people inquire about her,” she says, “she’s not going to be here long.” Her name is Rebecca Baronet, and she is the shelter director of the Humane Society of York County (HSYC). 

The next stop on her morning rounds is to the cat room, where over 30 felines are playing, purring and lounging around two of HSYC’s volunteers. “Brittany and Evan have been helping us out since the summer,” said Baronet as she looks through a binder kept in one of the few locations the cats cannot get to. 

Baronet moved to York from Columbia, SC where she worked at Pawmetto Lifeline, another animal shelter. “I’ve always had a soft spot for animals,” said Baronet, “I’ve been rescuing them for as long as I can remember.” Aside from being shelter director, Baronet is also a licensed veterinarian in Brazil and is currently working on obtaining her credentials to be licensed in the US. 

Baronet and the staff at HSYC all have one mission, to take care of and find homes for the many animals that they take care of. “We love every single baby that comes through these doors,” said Baronet, “but the ultimate goal is to get them all in loving homes with forever families.” 

According to www.aspca.org, around 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. 2.7 million are adopted, while another 2.7 million are euthanized. Last year HSYC was able to find homes 424 dogs and 505 cats, the highest number of adoptions for the past 7 years. A 2015 study from the Open Journal of Animal Sciences found that around 36% of animals that are re-homed are relinquished to shelters. 

Despite the high numbers of shelter pets, Dr. Ryn Marlowe, veterinarian at Ebenezer Animal Hospital in Rock Hill, SC, remains optimistic about the future of shelter pets. “The majority of the pets we see at Ebenezer are adoptions from shelters, and we host adoption events all the time,” said Marlowe, “we keep posters of shelter and foster pets that need loving homes in our lobby.” 

Shelter animals are finding homes in other places besides those with families. A 2016 article from The Huffington Post titled “Home is Where the Heart Is” is the story of a German shepherd mix named Olivia that found her home at an assisted living facility named Malta House in Hyatsville, MD. Prior to this Olivia was at the Washington Animal Rescue League. 

Baronet is the owner of several pets herself including a dog named Lucy and 2 cats, George and Luna. “I remember my first pet,” said Baronet as she recalls the memory, “she was a kitten I named Cookie. I found her under my grandma’s house and had to take her with me. I suppose you could say that she led me to where I am today.” Baronet and the rest of the HSYC team can be found at their location at 8177 Regent Parkway in Fort Mill, SC. 

University Students Find Out What It's Like to Receive Food Stamps

Imagine only being able to spend $29.40 on food for the entire week. You can’t splurge on coffee, eating out with friends or even alcohol. Accepting free food from people you know isn’t allowed either. Now imagine being a college student living with this budget. 

            This was the reality of several students that participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP challenge that was administered through the Human Nutrition Program at Winthrop University this week.

            “It’s like I’m consistently eating the same meal,” says Human Nutrition Graduate Student Jessica Laurence from Charlotte, North Carolina.

            Kelley Robb, Human Nutrition Graduate student from Charlotte, North Carolina describes challenge guidelines as follows:

During the challenge, participants can spend no more than $29.40 on food and beverages for the week. They are only allowed to eat what is purchased for the challenge and cannot accept free food from friends, family, or at social gatherings such as meetings, receptions or parties.

            “You really can’t do fast food,” says Hannah Cheesborough, junior Human Nutrition major from Charleston, South Carolina, “that’s like $5 to $8 a meal.”

            When asked how they stuck with the challenge, deciding what to purchase beforehand was among many of the answers given by participants.

            “I had all of the items planned out and worked into each meal, so I could utilize my budget,” says senior Human Nutrition major Erin Lawler from Syracuse, New York.

            “I made sure that when I went to the grocery store that I would not over buy or go over my budget,” says Laurence.

            Some students didn’t make the adjustment as easily.

            “I already spent most of my money, so I’ll probably be forced to give up,” says Miranda Jartman, Human Nutrition Graduate student from Irmo, South Carolina.

            “I already gave up,” says Human Nutrition Graduate student Jackie Lambert, Batesburg, South Carolina.

            Aside from experiencing what life is like for those that receive SNAP benefits, participants learned other skills to continue using outside of the challenge.

            “I think you can get more money than you think,” says Shealor, “Some people spend too much money on one thing when you can make food and put little portions of it together.”

            “The SNAP challenge has helped me learn how to budget my money better,” says Sarah Furmansui, Human Nutrition Major from Charlotte, North Carolina.

            Lauren Cobb, Human Nutrition Graduate student from Samford, North Carolina names awareness as something she got from the challenge, saying that she has “more of an appreciation” for what she has to spend.

            For more information on Winthrop University’s SNAP challenge along with insight from the students visit the blog http://www.WinthropSNAPChallenge.blogspot.com or contact Human Nutrition Graduate students Kelley Rob at robbk2@winthrop.edu or Tyler Wallace at wallaces14@winthrop.edu. Also, feel free to follow posts using the hashtag #WinthropSNAPChallenge on Facebook and Twitter.

            

Importance of Style: A College Student's Perspective

The terms "fashion" and "style" are often used synonymously when being discussed though it should be noted that there is a difference.

While fashion refers to the designs and trends that are given to the public from fashion designers, style focuses more on how someone puts certain pieces together. Recently, there has been a steadily growing interest in style as opposed to fashion, with inspiration coming right off of the people on the streets that we walk on. 

In college, personal style is something that everyone has, even if they are unaware of it. It's in the pieces we choose, how we decide to wear them, and even in what we don't decide to wear. Our personal style is a part of how we are identified by friends and strangers alike. 

In this article from Psychology Today the author discusses how style is more about "character" and "attitude", and talks about how it can help define an individual. 

Another article here found in the New York Times discusses how important both fashion and style has become on college campuses, mentioning how students have moved on from the "graphic tees and sweatpants" that were once associated with college students in the past. 

In the following links I have provided a video and a slideshow giving a taste of the styles of students from my school, Winthrop University. 

Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6m6T9sh9i4

Slideshow: www.photosnack.com/ChiHarris/ptpsomii

Also, don't hesitate to check out www.collegefashion.net/ for fashion and style tips and inspiration from college students nationwide.

A beautiful dress on a beautiful day. 

So much personality in this passing class. 

All smiles on Scholar's Walk. 

Story of Winthrop: College of Visual and Performing Arts

McLaurin Hall houses the main office of Winthrop University's College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA).  Winthrop is one of few liberal arts schools with nationally accredited programs in art, design, theatre, dance, and music.
They're Mission Statement, found on Winthrop's web site, reads:

 "The College of Visual and Performing Arts at Winthrop University offers nationally accredited programs in art, design, theatre, dance, and music, and provides academically challenging instruction in an interdisciplinary environment that inspires and prepares the next generation of artists, educators, scholars, and audiences. We promote intellectual inquiry and collaborative opportunities that encourage each student to develop a uniquely creative vision cultivated through artistry, teaching, scholarship, public performance, and community engagement."

McLaurin Hall

The College of Visual and Performing Arts is known for providing the Winthrop and Rock Hill community with quality events in the arts with things ranging from galleries to shows available for anyone to attend. 


Doing this project was a little difficult because I had so many interviews that I wanted to use within the time allotted for the video. I also had a few times where my camera wouldn't cooperate so unfortunately one of my interviews had to be filmed with my iPhone camera. 

Overall this was an interesting topic and I was able to meet new and interesting people.
Additional information on the CVPA along with information regarding related activities can be found on their website at http://www2.winthrop.edu/arts. 
My video can be found here.

Watch Out Sue Storm, There May Be Better Use For Your Powers

It appears that comic book characters aren't the only ones with special uses for invisibility.
According to Winthrop University students (and a few others) being invisible for a day opens up a world of opportunity that ranges from robbing banks to spying on friends.

This cutie had a creative way to use this superpower.

This was an interesting topic because being invisible is a very rare occasion where a person could do absolutely whatever they want. Hearing people's responses proved to be entertaining.

It's hard to keep a straight face with such devious plans.

What surprised me the most about this was the variety of answers heard. Some were expected, like robbing a bank or pranking innocent bystanders but some were rather unusual. For a few laughs and maybe a little head scratching feel free to check out the video here.

Exploring University's Historic Art Building

Winthrop University is one of the oldest schools in the state of South Carolina.
As a result, Winthrop is also home to some of the oldest and most historic buildings. As a journalism student, looking into the history of one of the university's oldest buildings resulted in some interesting finds.
The most shocking to me was the fact that a dome was on top. I can honestly say that in my three years of attending this school and all the times I passed Rutledge I never noticed it.

Front View of Rutledge Building with dome.

Another interesting fact I found was that Andrew Carnegie provided funding for Rutledge to be built, and it was previously named after him.

Photo courtesy of Google Images.

I remember being drawn to Rutledge Building since the first time I stepped foot on Winthrop University's campus, and looking into it's history and finding things that I didn't know existed was fun. For additional information and more of my discoveries check out my video here.

Clothes Influencing Attitudes

Can the way that you dress affect the way that you feel? According to Winthrop University students, yes it can. 

"Definitely," says IMC sophomore Katherine Rhoden, "If you think you look good then you have a lot of confidence to do anything."

Katherine Rhoden 

Rhoden is not the only one that believes clothes can make or break a person's mood. French exchange student Annabel Dominault also agrees by saying how people who are usually unhappy tend to gravitate toward colors that can portray sadness like black or grey.

Annabel Dominault

According to this article from bodyandsoul.com research is being conducted to support this idea. The article talks about how research has already been done about women attaching emotions to clothing based on past experiences that happened when wearing them. When Rhoden is feeling her absolute best she says that she is usually wearing, "skinny jeans and boots.