People of JSU

03/30/2018

Jacksonville State University

Jacksonville State University

🚨 Dr. King Update 🚨

Students,

I've been passing on a steady stream of information to you since last Wednesday, and I'm sure some of it is starting to run together. In fact, I had hoped to update you about the One Stop Shop today, but we need more time to ensure every consideration has been addressed before an announcement. I will provide an update on this next week.

I want to try something different today - I want to hear from you. I've been barking information and advice for six days, but you all have something to add that the rest of us need to hear. Therefore, I'm asking for your stories. Tell us about you: Where were you on March 19? What happened? How are you holding up? What has helped you manage your response to this tragedy? Sharing your stories is important to the healing process, so please share with the rest of the JSU family!

I feel compelled to tell you to refrain from voicing complaints against anyone with your response in the comments below. If you have a complaint, email me privately and I will address you individually. Remember, this is new to all of us and we are responding as best we can given the enormity of the situation.

So, have at it! Share your stories with one another, comfort your JSU family and enjoy yourself. Don't forget we have a forum at Meehan Hall tomorrow, 1-4 p.m., if you want to come in and share. I’ll be signing off from updates until next week so enjoy your weekend as best you can! For those of you who celebrate Easter, I hope you have an enjoyable holiday.

Until Monday, #jsustrong, #gamecockstrong

Timothy B. King, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs
Jacksonville State University
256.782.5020

[email protected]

03/21/2018

ABC 33/40

ABC 33/40

JSU President John Beehler to talk about damage, recovery at Jacksonville State University following Monday's EF-3 tornado

09/25/2017

Trevor Grimes

“My grandmother is a huge painter and decorator, so I grew up with that being around me all the time. Whenever any other aspect of life wasn’t working out, art always seemed to. I like what I’m doing a lot better now than what I used to do. I realized that customer service was something I didn’t want to do my whole life. It’s cool to hang out with like minded people and create some cool art, even if it’s something like a high school soccer shirt. The art of graphic design is one of those things that is so impactful that you don’t even realize it. In its traditional form, it’s everywhere, and no one seems to pay attention to it. People go by thousands of billboards every day. It impacts everyone in some shape or form. It’s sort of ground into us. Even before I really got into art, there were always those things that made you feel a certain way and you didn’t know why. That is the goal. Now, don’t feel like you’re entitled to anything. Nothing should ever just come to you. Everything has an amount of work that they have to do. You don’t just go to a job, it’s awesome and you automatically get a certain number of raises a year. You have to build up everything. I used to be afraid of the business side of graphic design because I didn’t want it to go into advertisement. That’s the common misconception of this field. At JSU, we have such a good staff of graphic design professors, that have worked in that field, who also had time for personal projects. I’m a big fan of the art side, rather than the advertisement side. I’m more drawn to the ‘I wanted to make this stand-alone piece and take it as a face value’ thing. I’ve seen what the professors have done, and they have shown me how to make a career. I don’t have to do the things like advertising, coding or website building, and that was pleasantly surprising.”

09/18/2017

Miranda Ladd 2/2

"Everyone is different if they have anxiety. What works for me may not work for somebody else but I’ve discovered that through the years, that has definitely helped me. It’s what I do on airplanes, especially when I’m flying by myself or late at night. Overall, it’s so important to have a way to control it, because if you do, you’ll be able to get through it. By the time I got to college, I had already learned how to control my anxiety, but stress is a big factor in the elevation of the activity of anxiety. There are some nights where I’m very sleepless or I’ll wake up and have a panic attack, but it’s a lot better now since I’ve learned to control it. Even though it’s elevated sometimes because of college and from the stress, I’ve grown and matured a lot so I know how to handle it now, and I don’t really need help anymore. It’s pretty calm now. I’m a lot better now than I was in high school. When I would have to explain to people that I was experiencing a panic attack, it would only make it worse, or when people would ask me why I was having an attack, that would make me think about it more. I think people have to be pretty observant though. My friend witnessed me having a silent panic attack at a convention. She noticed that something was off with me, because I was fidgeting, and I whipped out my notebook to calm myself down. I got dizzy and lightheaded, and she tried to do all that she could. She brought me water, and she just talked to me which really helps because I was treated like a regular person. You have to personally know me and be observant, because everyone else at that table where it happened didn’t notice, but she did. If you find yourself having mental health problems, it’s okay to confront that. It doesn’t make you any less of a person or weak if you do. You also don’t want it to take over your life, but it’s okay to confront it and realize that this is happening, or I have this and I’m going to take care of myself so I can get better instead of pushing it out the back burner or feeling less than who you are. Mental health is very important and if you think you need to get help do it as soon as possible. There is no shame in doing that at all.”

Part 1 - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleOfJSU/photos/a.1016132768429378.1073741829.1006826702693318/1751594541549860/?type=3&theater

Photo: Patrick Yim

09/18/2017

Miranda Ladd 1/2

“I’ve had anxiety since I was nine years old, and I wasn’t officially diagnosed until I was twelve. It’s been a big part of my life, you could say. I used to have extremely bad panic attacks to the point where I would end up on the floor, and my parents would surround me as I hyperventilated, trying to calm down. It used to keep me from doing a lot of things. I never went to the movies or spent the night at my friend’s house, and if I tried to I always had to go home because I would end up having a panic attack. The tough thing about anxiety is that there’s not always a reason for why you have a panic attack.
You don’t know the cause or why your anxiety is high end. Normally, if I’m in really dark areas or a new setting and I’m uncomfortable, that can heighten it. Movie theaters for some reason were always really bad for me because they are dark areas with strangers all around. The dark has always been a real triggering thing. If I’m walking around a dark city with my friends, that can really get to me. Sometimes there aren’t causes. Sometimes I would just have a panic attack suddenly. I also have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), which means my anxiety is constant all the time. I know how to control it now, and it doesn’t get out of hand anymore, like when I was little, but it still happens.
Anxiety never really goes away, you just learn how to cope with it. I don’t let it take over me anymore, and it doesn’t hinder me from doing things. I’ve grown a lot and with the help of psychiatrists, therapists, family support, and medication, I’ve gotten a lot better. I know what calms me down. The best way to control a panic attack is to try to take your mind off of the thing that’s on your mind. Your mind is so focused on something and it’s freaking you out. Panic attacks can feel like a heart attack or like you’re physically dying. I personally become numb, dizzy, and hyperventilate, but I’ve found that playing little games where I’m concentrating on doing an action really helps. Doodling and coloring really help my brain focus on one thing too, while also stimulating it. Solitaire is my really big one because I really have to think about what I’m doing. Certain music helps calm me down, so I’ll blare that while I’m doing one of the other things mentioned, anything that stimulates the brain to where I’m concentrating on something else other than the attack or my anxiety in general.

Part 2 - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleOfJSU/photos/a.1016132768429378.1073741829.1006826702693318/1751597831549531/?type=3&theater

Photo: Patrick Yim

09/15/2017

Bailee Bryant

“I was born with cerebral palsy, which is caused from birth trauma of some sort. I’m kind of a rare case though, because I was born full term. When my mom went in for an emergency C-Section, she wasn't taken back immediately like she should’ve been. When I was delivered, I was in distress, in the uterus, obviously, and when I actually came out, the umbilical cord was wrapped around my abdomen seven times. This left me without oxygen for seven minutes. I had jaundice, and spent time in the ICU for a few days, but they didn’t think anything was going to come from it. I was diagnosed at thirteen months when they realized that I wasn’t showing signs of sitting up and making those milestones that normal kids do. I’ve had eleven surgeries so far. There was a lot of physical therapy, and I walked without a walker a lot when I was younger. However, I’ve been in a walker ever since. A lot of people ask me, ‘Why have you not chosen to go through more surgeries to try to fix it.” There’s no cure for cerebral palsy, but there are things that can enhance the physical aspects of it where you can walk a little straighter or with a cane. The prognosis for me was never walking by myself. Thankfully, the only things that are affected with me are my legs. Everything else works normal. I can stand for two or three seconds but not for long. A lot of people that I know with cereal palsy don’t interact with daily society and do the ‘normal things’ that people do. I think that’s something that JSU has given me the opportunity to do. I have a very independent personality. I’ve sort of always thrown myself out there, and that’s just how I’ve always done things. I never went to a special school, I did pageants and softball. Until I noticed something was different, I acted just like everyone else. When I noticed that I was different, I realized it was a good different, where I’m able to impact people. One of the best things I’ve ever done is coming here. A lot of people were skeptical like ‘Oh living on her own, that’s not a very good idea,’ because naturally my mom waited on me, hand and foot. Here, all of those things changed. I thought the transition was going to be a lot rougher than it was, but between being in Zeta Tau Alpha at Jacksonville State, and knowing these girls upfront, all of my friends that aren’t Greek and all of my leadership opportunities, people haven’t put me to the side and that’s beautiful. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. JSU has been really great about also making things accessible for me. The deal-breaker for me versus any where else was that the people at disability services were so accommodating and kind. One thing that a lot of people don’t understand is that cerebral palsy comes in many forms, so each individual case is different. They took into consideration MY voice when it came to my concerns with student life or even the nitty-gritty of just taking a shower. I would love to be a voice here, and I’d like to see diversity for people with different disabilities. I want to show people that they can still go out and do these things, because if I can do it with this big silver thing you can do.”

Photo: Patrick Yim

09/14/2017

Annabelle Barrow

“I changed my major so many times when I first came to college, and I kind of settled on art because I loved it. Also, I didn’t really know what else to do. Growing up, I was never really one of those kids that drew a lot. I was a weird kid that made a Christmas shirt or an Easter shirt just to wear at family functions. I was always enjoy making things. My family is the type where if something was broken, we would always fix it. It made you think of a creative way to solve problems. That has always been my mindset.
Art has a super subtle impact. One of the first things you hear when you enter graphic design class is that ‘the best design is invisible.’ What I love about art is that I can communicate so much: anger, love, and joy. It’s really awesome that you can make something for a client that you are detached from. It’s your creation but you’re also trying to share their message more than your own. I always thought that you would have to move away to a big city, and sit in an office all day, building logos. The moving part terrified me. I sort of make home wherever I am, and even though I love traveling and the big cities, I personally am not ready for that lifestyle. The great thing is that there are so many options. You can work fun jobs with people who become your family members. It’s so comforting that you can get your degree, work, and not have to move so far away. It still takes work, though. You have to try everything you can, and hustle for what you want. Some family members and even society will kind of look down on artists but if you work hard, you will succeed. I am constantly surrounded by people who use different mediums which strengthens me as a designer.”

09/13/2017

People of JSU's cover photo

09/13/2017

Dylan Baugh

“At first, I started out in general studies, just trying to figure out what I was going to do in life. I only had one semester where I wasn’t doing art. I thought ‘what else am I going to do?’ I had always been an artist. I stuck with that all throughout high school. The little note doodles, that’s where the best work gets done. Everyone always says ‘don’t get an art degree because it’s useless,’ but if I did graphic design, at least it sounded like I was going to have a career or something. I had heard that everyone was getting graphic design jobs all of the sudden. I had to jump on that, or else I would have to start flipping burgers, which is still hard, the culinary arts...McDonald’s. But it’s important to remember that in art, there is always going to be someone better than you. You’re always going to be in front of someone but someone is always going to be in front of you. Stay humble. Have confidence.”

09/12/2017

Casey Payne

“I came to JSU in the fall of 2013 from a really small town. I graduated from a class of forty-nine people, and when I got here I only knew two people, so I was really scared. I didn’t know if I was going to make friends. I didn’t know if I was going to find a place where I fit because, in high school, it was so small that early on we all just kind of fit together. There were not a lot of cliques or division at my high school. We were all pretty much friends for the most part. Even the people you weren’t best friends with you knew. We all kind of did our own thing. I did a lot in high school, and a lot of the things I wanted to do, I was able to do because of our size. When I got here, it was a lot bigger for me. The town wasn’t a lot different. It was my circumstances the were different. Me being a big fish in a small pond, to becoming a small fish in a big pond. Being an introvert, that made me nervous. I got here, and I went through couple of things, and I tried some things that may not have been my fit. I then decided to apply for Freshman Forum. I applied not knowing if I was going to get it because they select only a small group of people, and with me being from such a small place with so many people that also applied, I didn’t know if I would get in, but I did. I eventually became an SGA Executive officer, as well as a Freshman Forum mentor. I served as an executive officer for two years. While those things are great, the things that I was involved in weren’t the things that made JSU special for me. It was the things they did for me. Like I said, the people that I met, the connections I made, the things I learned about myself, and the confidence that I gained. Through Freshman Forum, Imet my best friends in the whole world, and I learned a lot about me, so I kind of met me too. I learned different things about my leadership style, and things that make me different, make me special. In high school, I feel like a lot of the time people feel pressured to be good at everything, or if they’re not good at one thing that’s like an inadequacy. Whereas when I came here, I felt like that wasn’t the case anymore. I felt like I learned the things that were my strengths and I got to play up to them.”

Photo: Patrick Yim

09/11/2017

Alison Cline

“Growing up, I lived a very religious and sheltered childhood. We went to church multiple times a week, and I was mainly surrounded by people I knew from church, and people who had the same beliefs as I did. I also went to a Christian high school. It was a very good school, but I was never really exposed to other methods of belief or people who believed in different things. Coming to JSU has been a sort of freeing experience. I have been able to experience people who have grown up differently than I. The first couple of friends I made on campus were actually atheists. They were very different than what I had grown up believing. They were not sinister god hating people. They were really great people. In my junior year, I ended up joining the Secular Student Alliance at Jacksonville State University. It has had a big impact on my life in helping me find out for myself what I truly believe, and I have learned to not base what I believe, on what people have told me, or what others say is right. I now search for answers myself. I critically evaluate ideas, and can come to conclusions on my own. It has been really important on my life, because it showed me that people who are secular can still be active forces of good in their community and can help others, even if they don’t believe in a god.”