| Investigating Tornado Trauma Any Gustie who experienced the effects of last spring's tornado will tell you that it caused a great deal of stress for everyone involved. Recently though, Dr. Champion and several psychology majors have given us some surprising insight into the nature of all that stress. Apparently, Gusties are very resilient. Even though 95% of affected students experienced disturbances in their daily activities, the amount of stress response symptions (like forgetfulness and trouble sleeping) that they experienced was low overall. One interesting finding was the dramatic effect that previous experience with traumatic events had on students' responses to the tornado. People who had prior experience with things like natural disasters, violent crimes, car accidents, or abuse had a much more difficult time dealing with the tornado. It makes us wonder: Does experiencing this kind of negative life event make us more vulnerable to trauma in the future? There are still many unanswered questions. If you would like to learn more about this issue, check out the bulletin board across from SSC 27. If you would like to get some hands-on experience in research, contact Dr. Champion about opportunites to help with further work on this study. FYI: Guest Speaker on Campus Dear Emil's E-mail Dear Whipped: Maybe the next two letters will help you. Dear Emil, Read on . . . Dear Emil, Dear Whipped, Stud, and Distracted, If you have any questions or comments for "Dear Emil," email them to Dear Emil. |
Psi Chi's column- What is Psi Chi? For the answers to any questions you may have about Psi Chi, check out the new bulletin board in SSC across from Room 27. The board lists current members, membership requirements, and included is an article entitled "What is Psi Chi?" For more information about Psi Chi, please contact one of the current members or advisor Dr. Kelly Champion. Dr. Jean Twenge was born in Minnesota, moved to Texas when she was seven, and now she is back in St. Peter to teach at Gustavus this year. She said that she is very happy to be here, but she isn't looking forward to the cold winter. Dr. Marie Walker comes to us from London, Ontario, Canada to teach Social Psychology, Research Methods, and during J-term, Creativity. She said that moving from a city with a population of 350,000 to Le Sueur with a population of 4,000 was quite a culture shock, but she said that the people are very friendly. Bard Rodning joins us as Brenda's replacement for this academic year while Brenda is on a leave of absence. Barb will act as the Administrative Secretary for the department. Barb was born and raised in the St. Peter area and is very happy to be working at GAC. She says that she very much enjoys our campus environment. Stop in to meet our new staff when you are in the SSC building. Ms. Twenge has another connection to Gustavus. Her grandmother, Grace Walstrand, was a 1935 or 1936 Gustie graduate. Ms. Twenge's entire family is from Minnesota, but she grew up in the South. She moved to Texas when she was seven and describes herself as a tomboy. Dr. Twenge attended the University of Chicago for her undergraduate work where she first learned the value of small classes. For her graduate degree, she attended the University of Michigan. some of her research interests include generational differences and how the time a person is born in affects their personality and attitudes, and gender issues. Her first publication was about attitudes toward women. In her spare time, Ms. Twenge loves to read (her favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird) and swim. She has a cat named Calvin and she lives in St. Peter. Concerned Counseling- Visit our Tests Page IQ Test Online Psych Tests, Tests, Tests . . . BOOK BULLETIN BOARD Contributions to "Emil's" are welcomed and appreciated. Contact one of our staff below. |
The group calls itself FACT, Friends Approaching Cancer Together. They hold weekly meetings to get together and talk or to just hang out. The small group meets Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. and welcomes anyone with a family member or a friend who has been affected by cancer to join. FACT was even invited to a workshop sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Now they are recognized by the society and hope to continue to support others in our community. Jana and Dian got involved with the support group after experiencing the affect cancer can have on their family and friends. They created this group with the hope that they might offer the support to others that they felt was valuable to them. Just like the rest of us, Jana has been very busy. But she found time to make a difference; she deserves our kudos and thanks. Gustavus Psychology majors are also being of service to the St. Peter community. Just recently we had the big G.I.V.E. day here at Gustavus. Students helped out the community and its residents as they continue to recover from the March 1998 tornado. The students worked on many different projects and it was reported that at least 52 psychology majors signed up to join in the effort to support the community on G.I.V.E. day.  |
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| Calendar of Events
November 10-24 - January and Spring Registration December 4-6 - Christmas at Christ Chapel December 10 - Festival of St. Lucia December 11 - Final Day of Classes, Cookies & December 12 - Reading Day December 14-17 - Final Examinations December 17 - Fall Semester Ends December 18-January 3 - Christmas Recess December 24 - First Day of Hanukkah December 25 - Christmas |
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