During the first years of elementary school, children often believe their teachers live at school and have no other purpose besides to educate them. As years go on many silly ideas about educators get proven wrong, and when college comes around, the student-teacher dynamic is much different. Incoming freshmen are told again and again to make sure their professors know who they are. Upon hearing this, students think to sit in the front row, raise their hand often and visit office hours.

But how many students actually get to know their professors? It’s easy to look at them as just educators and nothing more when the only interaction is about school. Believe it or not they have lives outside of campus and they get three months every year to explore. Although some instructors teach through the entire summer, many take the time off to focus on other aspects of their lives.

Computer science instructor Kanika Sood has family spread out across America and the world. She tries to see everyone she loves in the summer by either inviting them to visit Eugene, or by planning vacations.

“I have taken up an eight week course and will be spending the rest of the summer visiting my sisters in Seattle and New York,” Sood said.

She also loves to visit her home country India and her favorite summer destinations the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

For certain professors summer isn’t exactly a break, but more so a time where they have a chance to put their efforts elsewhere. Just because a professor devotes the majority of the year to teaching does not mean that is what they are all about. Some use the summer as a time to better themselves emotionally and physically. Psychology professor Holly Arrow likes to relax in the summer by gardening or floating the Willamette River with her boyfriend, however she also likes to stay in shape.

“I just finished competing in the Masters division at the Crossfit Games, for the third year in a row in Carson, California,” Arrow said.

She not only competes at the games, but also likes to stay for a few extra days and cheer on the younger athletes and teams as they compete.

Many professors enjoy summer because not only do they get a break from school, their children get a break also. Having lived in Eugene with her family for the last 13 years, dance instructor Sarah Ebert knows that Eugene has an abundance of fun activities. The change of pace during summer gives Ebert a chance to spend more time with her family while also being able to take on other projects.

“I’ve had time to work daily with the Eugene Ballet Company on a performance for the Oregon Bach Festival as well as other week long intensives throughout the summer for the Eugene Ballet Academy and Eugene Youth Ballet,” Ebert said.

Breaking the ice with a professor may not seem easy, but by getting to know these wonderful educators they can serve us as mentors, advisors and for support. Listening to some of their incredible life stories may even spark a new passion.

Sibling relationships are some of the strongest and longest relationships a person can have in his or her life. Siblings go through many different experiences together, joyful and traumatic. They see each other at their best, worst and all stages in between.

Because siblings often experience the same daily routine, they can teach each other many important social skills that a parent may not be able to teach. Stephanie Kramer, a second year doctoral student in social psychology, believes that siblings can serve as important teachers of informal social competencies.

“Children with siblings develop theory of mind earlier, which is the understanding that others have beliefs, knowledge, desires, etc. that are different from one’s own,” Kramer said.

Siblings not only teach each other what to do, but also what not to do. Kids will remember seeing their brother or sister get in trouble and remember not to repeat the same mistake. Together, through trial and error, they learn exactly what they can and cannot get away with.

Siblings are safe peers to bounce crazy ideas off of and also tell you painful truths about yourself that no other person could or would tell you. Trust is a huge part of sibling relationships and many siblings trust each other wholeheartedly. With such strong trust they know that when they ask for each other’s opinion they are going to get the truth, even if it is not exactly what they want to hear.

Having a close relationship with your siblings when living under the same roof is easy, but siblings often drift apart as they start their own journeys.

Siblings Samantha and Ahron DeBenedetti hope to keep their strong relationship throughout their lives. They have had to face a lot of the same challenges as they went to the same middle school and high school. Samantha and Ahron are transitioning into an adult lifestyle in Eugene.

“We have never really had a lot of the same friends because of our age difference, but somehow we always know when something is going on in each others’ lives,” Ahron said.

The DeBenedetti’s have had their fair share of sibling rivalries, but what siblings haven’t? It is inevitable that siblings are going to fight, but in fighting and reconciling they learn the ups and downs of relationships.

“Going to college in the same town has been different than living at home,” Samantha said, “We no longer have to be nice to each other, we want to be nice to each other.”

Having to grow up with siblings can help prepare for situations in adulthood, such as challenges with coworkers or with a significant other.

Maintaining a strong relationship with your siblings is beneficial in the long run because you can understand each others transitions throughout life. Falling out with a sibling or having a relationship go downhill can create distance between all members of the family and often leads to jealousy. However, if the relationship stays tightly knitted and supportive, then the successes of your siblings will bring you joy, guidance and positive drive to make your own successes.

Walking up to the movie theater and taking in a big whiff of buttered popcorn can put a smile on anyone’s face. However, those smiles might not be as big when leaving the theater because everyone’s butt is in pain after sitting for three hours. Visiting the movie theater has become an event. It is not simply about the film, but about the entire experience. The experience feels like it is getting longer as many of today’s blockbuster movies run for over two hours. Are all movies actually getting longer or just certain genres?

Cierra Garcia, a junior human physiology major, has no problem walking out of a theater. “I base the quality of a movie off of content and production; however, no matter how amazing a movie is, I would rather not sit for three hours in a movie theater,” Garcia said.

Since feature films were first created, there have been movies that critics believed needed to show more and movies that needed to show less. Some of the highest-grossing films of all time are long, but a film’s length does not determine its quality. Many are lengthy and are still not great. While others, such as Stand By Me (1986) at 89 minutes, are relatively short and remarkable.

Cinema studies instructor Stephen Rust believes that there are length expectations for certain genres.

“I’ve been to plenty of movies that could have benefited from some more concise editing choices. But since running times for genre films have been developed over a hundred plus years of cinema, it can feel like action adventure films for example just ‘shouldn’t be’ longer than two hours,” he said.

Throughout cinematic history, many of the highest-grossing films have been lengthy such as The Sound of Music (1965) at 174 minutes and Titanic (1997) at 194 minutes. However, many of today’s movies are longer because they are action films that require many special effects. As special effects have become more prominent in films, the technology has also improved, lowering the cost. Filmmakers are now trying to squeeze in as many exciting scenes as possible. According to Rust, filmmakers must make movies with long running times in order to get at least some plot development.

Increasing the length seems only to add unnecessary plot points that often make the movie feel like it is going in circles. Movies such as Avatar (2009) at 162 minutes and Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) at 165 minutes have multiple fighting scenes that serve the same purpose for the plot and generally have the same effect on the audience. After watching computer generated imagery fights for two hours, most of the audience has lost interest.

Long movies aren’t a problem. The problem is deciding which stories need to be long and which stories need to be short. If a movie is full of thought provoking instances and can make the viewer feel something for three hours then it should be three hours. If a movie is full of cartoon robots fighting for three hours then its length needs to be reconsidered.

Thinking of adulthood as a kid is exciting, but the idea can be scary as we get closer to reaching it. Adults don’t get to leave boring situations to “go play” or cry when they are denied ice cream. Although many people do continue to portray childish ways well into their “adult” lives.

In the United States, individuals are legally considered adults at 18, they can participate in contracts, vote, marry, give sexual consent and join the military. However, in today’s society many people don’t consider themselves adults until well into their 20s.

Kamiah Morgan, a 20 year old junior psychology major considers herself mature but not yet an adult.

“Adulthood is different for everyone and some people are forced to grow up quicker than others,” Morgan said. “To be an adult today I think it means to be responsible for yourself and your own actions.”

Some children are forced into adulthood because of complications at home, while others take years after they have moved out of their parent’s house to actually mature into an adult.

Senior family and human services major Clara Lipetzky, 21, sees herself as mostly adult.

“I think I have become more adult every year since my senior year of high school when my family went through hard times that forced me to look out for my sister and myself at times without relying on my parents.”

Adulthood is about being able to react properly and handle problems in relationships maturely. As children, it was easy to get in fights then have no memory about them the next day, but forgiving and forgetting gets harder as we get older.

Adults should be responsible for themselves in every aspect of their lives. They don’t have to be perfect at everything, but they need to have a grip on basic life skills. Many responsibilities have a lot to do with financial situations, although someone can still be a responsible adult without being able to pay all of their bills.

Joe Rodini, a 26 year old doctoral student in psychology, sees education as a large part of considering oneself an adult or not.

“Through extended education, as compared to past generations, individuals have continued to internalize an expectation that they are still learning or still not fully developed well into their 20s,” Rodini said. “Individuals who do not attend an undergraduate institution do, in a very meaningful way, become adults before their more educated peers.”

Many college students are approaching the time in life when they are transitioning from childhood to adulthood. There are many different ideas about what constitutes an adult or how responsible adults are supposed to act, but in reality nobody really knows.

There are many different variables socially, culturally and economically that it seems futile to attempt to designate the “right” age of adulthood. What constitutes an adult is different to every person from any corner of the world during any generation.

In order to be an adult you must do whatever you think you have to. The most adult-like thing one can do is to be secure in themselves, once that is established, then independence and happiness will soon follow.

Every year the Fourth of July brings families and friends together for barbecues, lawn games and best of all: fireworks. Watching fountains beam bright colors or holding blazing sparklers can make anyone smile.

When buying legal fireworks, it is common to get large variety packs full of many small fireworks. According to the Oregon State Fire Marshal, legal fireworks can only be bought in Eugene from June 23 to July 6. But you can spark them whenever right? Wrong.

Eugene City Council recently passed an ordinance limiting the days when legal fireworks can be set off inside city limits with violators facing a $500 fine. The 16 days that legal fireworks can be used are now between June 23 and July 6 and December 31 and January 1. The council also voted to add using illegal fireworks to the list of violations under the Social Host Ordinance, which holds hosts criminally responsible for enabling an unruly event or social gathering.

These new laws are city council’s answers to the many complaints about the usage of illegal fireworks.

While making stricter laws about illegal fireworks seems to be a step in the right direction, it is unclear how limiting the days when legal fireworks can be used would affect illegal firework usage. Telling people when they can use fireworks may not affect what kind they use.

Junior human physiology major Mallory Kruse was not always a firework fan, although she has come to enjoy them over the years.

“I grew up being afraid of fireworks, but the people of Eugene should have the right to celebrate with legal fireworks as they wish,” Kruse said. “However, I do feel that those who misuse fireworks ruin the experience for others who enjoy fireworks responsibly.”

Lighting fireworks can be an activity for family members of all ages and while certain people try to get ahold of illegal fireworks, most families use safe and legal fireworks. These families should not be punished because of other lawless citizens.

Every year junior business major Aspyn Butzler and her family buy fireworks for the Fourth of July.

“When you get fireworks for the Fourth, you will usually use them during that period anyways. If you hold on to them and your tradition is fireworks at Christmas then you should be able to do that,” Butzler said. “If you’re selling something to the public I don’t think you should be able to say when they can use it.”

It could be customary for some to have fireworks at special occasions such as weddings or birthdays. As a result of the city of Eugene cracking down on something illegal, much of the legal firework use has to stop also. If your wish is to blast “Firework” by Katy Perry and light fireworks on your birthday, then you should be able to regardless of when your birthday is.

Senior spanish major Josh Hector believes this law imposes on his personal freedoms.

“I lit fireworks off at my house last year and there were no issues. Sometimes I like to have fun and light fireworks off at parties and there have not been any issues,” Hector said.

Why would lighting fireworks in March have any better chance of starting a fire than lighting them in July? June and July start the fire season, so if this law is to prevent fires, then firework usage should be prohibited in Eugene altogether.

Eugene City Council has stopped focusing on real problems and has turned to taking away personal freedoms. I never expected that I could get in trouble with the law by lighting a legally purchased firework in a safe environment.

Leaving a pet for the summer is a hard task as many students cannot wholeheartedly trust someone with their pet’s life. Sophomore environmental science major Anna Rego has had multiple unpleasant experiences leaving pets with the wrong people. She has lost two close companions over the years due to trusting her friends with responsibilities they couldn’t handle.

Despite that most student pet owners would love to try and bring their pets along with them on all their summer festivities, that’s often not an option. Like Rego, many must look past their friends and find a pet sitter elsewhere.

When looking for a pet sitter on Craigslist or Yelp, be wary of the Internet persona they may exhibit. One may seem nice in their ad, but who knows what they are actually like. You would never want to put your pets in the hands of someone who could ultimately end up neglecting or even abusing them. Animal abuse is something that should be taken very seriously, but to some it can be seen as almost a joke.

Sydnie Jones, a junior accounting major, has grown up in a household full of animals that her and her family rescued. “One time we rescued a dog from a family where the young kids didn’t even know they were hurting her. They would pick her up by her tail and legs because they thought hearing her yelp was funny,” Jones said. She is not willing to put her dog under the care of just anyone. Because her summer is full of accounting leadership programs she has no choice but to fly her dog back home to live with someone she can trust: her mom.

Although Jones’ mom is willing to look after her pet, many people don’t have that luxury, but obviously still want someone they can trust. Some students take to Facebook in hope that one of their friends reply with an open heart, although what some friends often don’t realize is how much of a commitment pet sitting is.

Many college students grew up helping take care of their family’s pets, but never had sole responsibility. That sense of false confidence can often lead to problems, which can cause tension in the friendship.

“In the past couple of years I have trusted different friends with two of my pets, a bird and a fish, and they both died,” Rego said. “Both times were awkward situations and I haven’t trusted a friend with any pets since.” Instead of having to scope out the crazies on craigslist or trusting a friend who might not exactly know what they’re doing, finding pet care providers can be easy with websites like www.sittercity.com or www.care.com.

Upon visiting one of these sites and typing in a zip code for the Eugene or Springfield area you will see countless profiles for people, many of which are UO students, that are more than willing to look after a wide array of animals. The profiles will often have an excerpt about how many animals the person has owned, how much paid experience they have had, exactly what services they provide, etc.

These sites are the easiest way you can make sure that the person you are about to entrust with your pet’s life is actually qualified for the job. They may charge a little more than your friend would, but they also may know a little more about the job. When it all comes down to it you just want your pet to be safe and paying the extra dollar might be the only way to solidify that.

In the last decade, social media has expanded the public sphere, taking what were once small discussions of social movements to a much larger stage. From rallies taking place around the University of Oregon to international revolutions, many social movements would not have the effect that they did, had their message not been spread throughout social media.

Again and again, we hear people from generations before us saying that we waste all our time on social media – we must prove them wrong. As the first generation raised in an Internet-run society, we must show past generations that social media can be used for good all over the world.

Laura Strait, a journalism graduate student, believes that social media has waned some of our interpersonal skills. But she also understands that it is increasing connectivity in many ways.

“There are a lot of people that don’t pay attention to what is going on in the world and (social media) is a way that people get quick tidbits of news and headlines,” Strait said. “At least people are reading it a little and realizing what’s going on.”

Before social media, it was tedious for average citizens to get what they wanted to see on the news. With hashtags like #BringBackOurGirls, people can get the media coverage they need in order to make a difference for their cause.

“Social media has proven many times that it can be used to drive a social movement,” Strait said. “An example would be the Arab Spring where a lot of the communications to organize and meet in certain places were facilitated through Facebook and Twitter.”

Social media is such a colossal part of today’s society that it has the potential to give any cause or event a worldwide audience. Uniting world opinion can play a large role in pushing governments into action or unethical leaders into flight.

“If something starts getting popular, it’s going to rise to the top and it’s going to be something that everyone can see and everyone can interact with,” Strait said. When we believe in a cause, we are the ones that need to make it popular.

Each and every one one of us has the power to do so, yet we waste our time on social media posting pictures of our latest meal instead of our political views. Twitter and Facebook have been seen as nothing but entertainment in the U.S. Although overseas, where people are stripped of their basic human rights, these social media sites have become the tools they need to get their voice heard.

In the past few years, social media has played a prominent roll in arranging and rousing protestors all around the world. Many social movements, for example the 2011 Egyptian revolution, have been started by accidental activists who simply posted their frustration on social media sites and that escalated into full on protests that were taken to the streets.

What we must remember is that simply posting about your cause on the Internet will not help without actual action. Many people have criticized the concept of hashtag activism, because often someone will tweet or post on Facebook to show their support for a cause, but then do nothing else to support that cause. Simply tweeting #BringBackOurGirls will not actually do anything for the 230 schoolgirls who were kidnapped and are still being held by terrorists in Nigeria.

Rebecca Keenan runs all the social media for a grassroots organization and uses Twitter to easily contact activists that will help their cause.

“We’ve literally tweeted out a senator’s phone number and said call him to tell him to vote no on this bill,” Keenan said. “If an office gets 5,000 phone calls in a few hours, they are going to notice.”

If we, as a student body, use Twitter and Facebook to find out exactly what we all want, then together we can take our stand on the Internet and get our cause the attention it needs. We can use social media to take action by linking petitions, organizing rallies, spreading a politician’s contact info, etc.

It’s time to access the power we’ve been neglecting. The only way to use it to its full potential is if we work together to spread our ideas across the globe.

When attending a local band’s show in Eugene it’s hard not to get lost in the performance. Seeing talented students playing fresh, unique music at a small venue is an event unlike any other. Everyone in the crowd is feeling the music, girls and guys are often brought on stage to dance and occasionally you see the joy on a lead singer’s face when someone can recite his lyrics back to him. Watching these developing musicians do what they love can strike a heartstring. It’s invigorating to see a band of college students progress so much in just a year. However, these bands are at a crucial stage in their career in which they need their peers to give them a chance.

Maybe it’s because I went to a high school where seemingly no one had any real musical talent outside the marching band, but local bands were never playing in my area. On the other hand, the opportunities here in Eugene to attend local shows and help people my own age live their dream have been incredible.

Zac Rego, the bassist for Dirty Man and the Chiefs, has been working hard on expanding his band’s fan base around Eugene. “We really try for the shows where we know we are going to have a different audience because we can play the same shows and invite our same friends over and over again, but we really want to play to as many different people as possible,” Rego said.

Bands get off the ground when people start attending their shows, listening to their music and telling their friends. Unfortunately, it’s not like the movies. Music producers don’t just happen to be having a drink at a random bar where they stumble across the next big band. It takes a fan base to get their name out there and many bands have developed their fan base here in Eugene. These bands work their asses off week after week trying to get gigs only to step on stage and see the same thirty people that have attended almost every show. With venues like WOW Hall and The Granary and bars like Black Forest and Luckey’s giving local bands opportunities to get their names out, the power is now in our hands.

According to Bob Fennessy, the publicist at WOW Hall, in order for a show to be successful there needs to be about 200 people in attendance. Many local bands around Eugene cannot gather a crowd that size so they often start out as openers for other bands. “Our mission (at WOW Hall) is to help artists get from the first act to the middle act to the top act and then move beyond us to bigger venues,” Fennessy said.

Jason Miller, the drummer of local band The Zendeavors said, “Most of our gigs are local bars but recently we are looking at festivals for the summer. We just won Bandest of the Bands at WOW Hall, so we got a spot in the Willamette Valley Music Festival and we are very stoked about that.”

Anyone who hasn’t checked out Eugene’s local music scene is missing out. Not knowing about shows isn’t an excuse. All it takes is a look around campus for posters or on Facebook for the venue pages. If not for the unique music and fresh talent, attend a local show for the raw passion that you see on these musicians’ faces as they do what they love.

This one goes out to everyone on Facebook and Twitter raving about how music is your life: you say you love all these bands, but how do you think they started out? These ambitious musicians are your peers and they need your support now. Not to mention they could be famous one day and you’ll regret missing them.

I have never found myself relating so much to a reality television show until I started emptying out my storage unit before moving in for my senior year. As the moving truck started piling higher and higher, I came to the realization that I am a hoarder.

Like many University of Oregon students, I moved to Eugene for my freshman year with nothing but a backpack full of books and a suitcase full of clothes. Living in the Bean West residence hall, there wasn’t exactly room for anything else. Throughout the year, I collected a few more essential items: bed sheets, a television, posters, a skateboard and a hamper.

Come sophomore year, I made the decision to move into an unfurnished two-bedroom apartment with a friend.

This is where my hoarding began.

We had three rooms to fill so we kicked our money-saving skills into action and started asking around for furniture. Before we knew it, we had grandparents, siblings and friends offering up the furniture they no longer needed.

Although we were willing to accept anything, we could not believe some of the quality furniture that these people were willing to give away. That year, our apartment was the place to be. Compared to most of my friends’ apartments, ours felt more homey due to the vintage furniture and wall decorations. Everyone wanted to come over for Duck games and movie nights because we had the perfect amount of seating for any occasion.

Once the lease for our apartment was up, we felt it was time to upgrade to a house, furthering the need to fill space. Moving out, we realized we had more stuff than we thought, but we had no idea how much we were about to acquire. With the addition of two new roommates coming from their own apartments, we each had our own full set of kitchenware, enough table space to feed 10 and a movie collection to die for.

Before the end of junior year, one of our roommates decided to leave. When she had moved out for good, we noticed that she had left some of her things. We asked her about the extra stuff and, to our surprise, she was willing to just give us her things. We still could not believe that college students had so much extra stuff — until we started moving out of our house for the summer.

After days of packing, we had a house full of boxes ready to be hauled into the moving truck. A number of trips and a handful of squished fingers later, we were all moved out. Our storage unit was full to the brim with tables, chairs and bikes piled high on top of beds, desks and couches.

Since we were losing a roommate, we had to find new accommodations for senior year. In turn, we found two more roommates, making us a total of five. Like before, adding two new roommates meant adding another truck full of household items.

When it came time to move in for our senior year, we were all up and ready to go at 8 a.m with smiles on our faces. We knew we had a long day of moving ahead of us, but not having seen each others’ storage units, we had no idea what we were really in for. Although we never stopped complaining about how much extra stuff we were unloading, we were happy to each have our own couch or recliner to relax on at the end of the day.

Now two weeks later, we are finally getting the last boxes emptied into every nook and cranny we can find. A lack of closet space has caused some suitcases to sit full of clothes and the couches may be squeezed together a bit. But we have finally come to terms with the fact that we have too much stuff.

We are now trying our best to offer up our items on Oregon’s Free & For Sale Facebook page, donate to St. Vincent DePaul’s and throw away knickknacks we have no recollection of buying. We still have certain stuff we just can’t seem to get rid of, but who knows, we might need it when we go our separate ways after graduation.

Spring break is the time of year that students revel in the lack of schoolwork – despite the limited amount of time given. Students go on trips, volunteer or simply hang around at home without much worry.

For many, being able to go home for a week means relaxing family time and home-cooked meals.

“I think our parents are going to be ecstatic to have us home,” said Jack Good, pre-business major.

Spending time with family after months away is always a good time, but one of the best parts of spring break is just getting a week away from the same surroundings that have gotten dreary over winter term. A restful trip home can help people de-stress from classes and give a break from dealing with professors, classmates and roommates.

“I’m used to sleeping alone,” said Armen Araradian, journalism major. “My room is twice the size of the one here.”

Getting out of the dorms for a week means many students get to go back to having their own room and personal space. Getting out of a crowded house for a week means many students get a break from cleaning up their other roommates’ messes.

Aside from what students are escaping from, there are also so many pleasurable activities that are available during spring break. Spring break for me is all about the warmth of the sun, tanning and beach sports. Merely thinking about the smell of the ocean and the texture of the sand under my feet makes me get excited for the opportunities that might present themselves.

While many destinations are warm and sunny during spring break, it is also a time where people can still find some places to have fun in the snow. No matter what type of vacation is taken, it is important to make sure this break is well spent.

As much joy and relaxation that spring break brings, there’s also a fatal downfall: spring break is just too short. There’s too much to do and not enough time to get it done.

There’s a constant need to configure course schedules with work schedules, buy every book necessary for classes, ensure that you’re still in good standing to graduate and try to snatch the final spots in those last-minute courses that students have dropped over break.

“With only having a week break, you really only get two or three days to relax,” said Abby Kardek, human physiology major. “Then the rest you spend starting over for next term.”

Spring break has slowly become a week of silent torture. Students are struggling against the desire to relax and the obligation to prepare for the next term. The stress from the previous term never truly leaves as spring term is ever-looming in the back of our minds.

It seems that, even on break, despite the lack of schoolwork, many students are still worried about school and can’t take the stress. What good is a break from classes, if you’re never actually able to get into a relaxing mindset?

Spring break is supposed to be a time for students to relax and breathe after getting through finals week. Yet, instead of being rewarded for completing another term, students have to worry about how they’ll get through the next one.

Being stressed is never the way to go. If you find yourself worried about the term ahead, take a few deep breaths and try to relax. You deserve this break.