Shelby Township freshman Lindsay Maunz said both upcoming events are affecting her right now.

“I’m stressed about my chem final because it’s a standardized test and it’s cumulative, which is not a good combination for me,” she said.

Maunz said finals in college are much different than her finals last year as a senior in high school.

“It’s your last time to do good in the class,” she said. “You don’t get another semester to average your grade out like some of the classes in high school.”

Irene O’Boyle, health sciences associate professor, said stress can impact almost everybody’s system.

“Some individuals get stomach aches, others get muscle pain, rashes, pimples, etc.,” she said.

To cope with these issues, everybody handles stress differently, O’Boyle said.

“Often times the overall goal is to have a ‘mind-emptying experience,’” she said. “Our minds and bodies get so full of excess energy and stress that we find a way to let it all go.”

Sophomore Cory Kirkpatrick said she deals with stress in her own way.

“The main thing I am stressed about is a 15-page paper due on the same day I have two exams,” the Kinde native said. “I am dealing with it by just spreading out how much I work on and I also take some time by myself to relax and listen to music.”

Stress during the holidays and from final exams may result from many factors, said Gary Silker, assistant professor of counseling.

High expectations, conflicting schedules and needs, fatigue from long travel or lack of sleep and time pressures all contribute to stress.

“Financial pressure from getting to the end of the semester or holiday expenses can also impact feeling stressed, as will changing roles when returning home without a set routine,” Silker said.

Silker said Seasonal Affective Disorder may affect some people as well during this season.

“The days get shorter, resulting in less sunlight and longer hours of darkness,” he said. “The result is a seasonal depression that can be relieved with phototherapy involving a few hours of exposure to a special light to simulate sunlight.”

O’Boyle said experts and research have shown that about 75- to 85 percent of all doctor visits are related to some sort of stress.

“Doctors often use a combination of medicines (pharmaceuticals), massage therapy, diet, exercise (or) professional counseling,” she said.

To differentiate depression from stress, he said there are specific symptoms to look for; noticing if you or someone you know is withdrawn and not participating in the holidays with family or friends as they normally would, sleeping more than usual or have difficulty sleeping and being noticeably quiet or rebuff invitations for activities.

He said in pronounced cases, there may be a loss of appetite.

Taking things one step at a time is how Maunz said she handles her end of the semester stress.

“I also try to work out a little and get more sleep because of the fact that I know I won’t be getting enough sleep next week,” she said.

In addition to Maunz’s approach to relieve stress, Silker suggests reducing expectations and remembering it is healthy and OK to say “no.”

Student Health Services has resources to help students, especially during exam week and busy times of the academic year, O’Boyle said.

“The best suggestion that I have for students is to reach out to someone if you are experiencing a great deal of stress,” she said.

The only cramming that should be going on is watching Buddy the Elf write an apology note for cramming 11 cookies into the VCR in “Elf” — which sometimes I feel like doing.

Trying to find a seat at the library this time of the year is like going through the seven levels of the candycane forest and through the sea of swirly-twirly gum drops. Not to mention, everyone looks like they thoroughly hate their lives.

Finals are stressful. Professors act like it’s no big deal. “The exam is over Chapters 1 through 22. Study your notes.” Sound familiar?

Somehow, they always manage to wrap up the entire semester into a stapled 8.5 by 11-inch paper that weighs heavily on the final grade — or as I like to think of it, “the maker or the breaker.”

The time it takes to prepare for exams is more than a full-time job. Plus overtime. I can’t help but think about all the better, Christmas-productive things I could be doing. Buddy seems to have it all figured out, like engaging in festive activities such as making snow angels for two hours, ice skating, eating a whole roll of Tollhouse cookiedough and snuggling. That sounds entirely more appealing than studying molecular shapes.

I feel like a 12-year-old again anticipating Christmas and all the festivity the season brings, not to mention my inability to sit down with a book in front of me. To maintain some sort of energy, I deplete my body with the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

Christmas is a season of giving and spending time with family and friends. The lights, the music, sitting by the fire, the Christmas cookies and the mistletoe, of course, all contribute to the magic of the season.

Even though exams surely put a damper on the magical time of the year, we need to keep one thing in mind — Christmas is all about giving. We are all here to build the proper foundation to make a difference in the world, while following our passions. We have the gift and the ability to learn and receive an education, so why not share our knowledge with the world? When feeling stressed and frustrated, I try and remind myself of that.

But nevertheless, exams still suck. The overwhelming feeling pumping through my entire body for two weeks is finally released the moment I step out of the doors of my last final exam. Finally I can breathe. And what’s the first thing I do? Pack up my things and put on Faith Hills’ “Where are you Christmas?”

Finally, the festivities will begin.

Adopt-a-Family is a program sponsored by United Way. Needy local families are matched with people or organizations that vow to provide the family with basic necessities and gifts for the holiday.

All families have been assigned to a faculty or staff member, a hall or a registered student organization.

“Each family submits a wish list,” said student coordinator Taylor Galmarini, an Illinois senior. “We have an assortment of families and organizations come in and look at the description of a family and decide whether they’d like to sponsor them.”

Noble Elway Pegg, a Dearborn graduate assistant at the Volunteer Center, said local families are helped immensely by the Adopt-a-Family program.

“This program enables families to still have the holiday experience despite the cost,” Pegg said. “This year, we’ve adopted the most families we’ve ever had, and that shows the support we have from our campus.”

In 2010, CMU adopted 26 families. Galmarini said that number has risen because of the overwhelming support on campus.

“The willingness of the CMU community allowed us to have more families,” Galmarini said. “People are in a place this year where they would like to adopt more families and I appreciate them participating.”

Most families ask for basic necessities as well as Christmas gifts, Galmarini said.

“The opportunity to be able to provide families with warm clothes for winter or food or gas money is really an honor,” she said. “We’re so excited to be able to host this event.”

The deadline to turn in items is Dec. 7 and drop-off locations are located across campus.

Alma freshman Neil Rosan said he encourages everyone to participate in the program.

“It makes you feel good to know you gave a family necessities and Christmas gifts. This is a Christmas that they probably wouldn’t have without you,” Rosan said. “The impact it can make on kids and adults is amazing and it can change their entire outlook toward our community and CMU in general.”

Other ways to participate include volunteering to sort gifts and assign families or giving monetary donations.

“If anyone would like to volunteer or offer a monetary donation, they can contact me through the volunteer center,” Galmarini said.

Rosan said Adopt-a-Family is proof a little money can go a long way to give a needy family a holiday season they may not have had otherwise.

“It’s really not that much. It’s a couple bucks and it makes an impact,” Rosan said. “If we all give a little bit, the money adds up and can really make a difference.”

I read about Target’s opening for this year’s Black Friday at midnight on Thanksgiving — the earliest opening ever for the store — and how many similar chains were following Target’s example and letting in the rush of rabid consumers the night before the shopping festivities traditionally begin.

It seems shoppers want to steal the deals right after they celebrate Thanksgiving with their families, and the retailers don’t seem to have any qualms about accommodating them.

The stories I hear about Black Friday get more absurd every year. I’ve heard of people getting trampled in the stampede of bargain hunters.

Is that the cost of saving a couple bucks?

The Occupy Movement, the protest against greed and corruption, seems to overlook how Black Friday madness is as much a part of that as the banks are. People are camping in tents and holding signs protesting how corporations have such a large pull on everything in American society.

But no one seems to be protesting how stores are giving families a chance to celebrate the holidays as a family by canceling Thanksgiving celebrations so they can all go out and buy scarves and shoes.

So what does it all mean?

Of course, it is a marketing scheme to increase profits in a down economy. Giving people a chance, a temptation rather, to shop on a holiday will probably drive profits through the roof. But what are the larger implications? What’s the point?

In a bad economy, people need to get out and spend money if the economy is to recover. But they shouldn’t be spending money they don’t have. That’s what hurts an economy in the first place and it’s likelier to happen as Black Friday becomes more and more like a circus every year.

I read the story of an employee who wouldn’t be able to spend the holiday with his fiancee’s parents because he had to rest up for his 10-hour shift at Target.

It made me ask: what about the employees of these stores being made to work long shifts? Holiday pay is great, but the purpose of holiday pay is to provide compensation to workers sacrificing time with their loved ones.

But loved ones are taking a backseat to business this year, it seems, and every year if consumers don’t start to realize this, there will be no end to this madness until they start to slow down, take a breath, and do a careful evaluation of what getting a good bargain is really worth.

Central Michigan University’s Volunteer Center and Minority Student Services want to remind people they are also a time to help their less fortunate neighbors. The two offices are collaborating for a canned food drive, which started on Nov. 8 and goes through Monday to benefit Women’s Aid Services, Inc. in Isabella County, a support group that intervenes in cases of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Royal Oak graduate student Caitlin Cavanaugh is in charge of the event and said she expects it to be as successful as last year.

“Last year, we had five huge boxes full of food,” she said.” Hopefully, we’ll have as many this year.”

Students are encouraged to bring any non-perishable food items to the Volunteer Center or MSS office in the Bovee University Center. Though it is a canned food drive, monetary donations are also an option.

Dearborn graduate student Elway Pegg, also in charge of the drive, said being mindful of those less fortunate is important.

“Sometimes we need to take a step back and think about what we’ve been given,” he said. “It’s an easy way to help.”

The Volunteer Center and Minority Student Services wanted to do something collaborative this year, Cavanaugh said. The canned food drive helped them do just that.

Keisha Janney, assistant director of MSS, said participating in fundraisers and helping out the community is an important part of being a student.

“The canned food drive and other similar events help us to be mindful that many of us needed a community to get us to where we are now,” Janney said. “During this season of celebration and togetherness, it seems especially important to support those around us.”

The Volunteer Center will also partner with United Way this Christmas for Adopt-a-Family. Anyone can sign up in the Bovee UC to donate gifts, food and money to an Isabella County family in need.

Registration for the program ends Friday.

Cavanaugh hopes students will participate in these events and realize how much it means to their neighbors.

“What we consider average, some consider a luxury,” she said.

“I am demonstrating Pov Pob, a ball-tossing game that was originally used to meet the person you were going to marry,” Thao said. “Now it is more focused on introducing children to each other, so they can bring their villages together as one.”
In the game, if someone drops the ball, they must give the other person something of theirs as collateral.

The 12th annual Unified Holiday Celebration was held in the Bovee University Center Rotunda and showcased multicultural holidays and organizations such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Thai New Year, Japanese New Year, Kwanzaa, Lunar New Year, Diwali, Ramadan and the New Year Powwow.

“Experiencing this event is a way to see what great talent we have here at Central Michigan University,” said Sterling Heights sophomore John Kue.

The room was transformed into a dinner setting, where a wide array of food was served, complete with a main stage surrounded by display tables for each organization.

“Christmas is largely celebrated in America, so it’s nice to see minority groups coming together to celebrate other holidays,” said Thao, member of the Asian Cultural Organization.

Attending this event informed students about cultures different than their own and educated them on those cultures’ religious practices and traditions, said Kue, a member of the Asian Cultural Organization.

“People who come to the Unified Holiday Celebration get exposure to other cultures, break stereotypes, and gain diversity,” said Iron Mountain junior Rachelle Lindow, member of 12 C.A.R.A.T.S.

Fifteen acts were performed at the celebration and ranged from musicians and dancers to demonstrations of cultural traditions, including the voice of musician and Lansing senior Chris Cadogan, who welcomed the crowd.

Along with learning about other cultures’ customs, representatives from the Study Abroad program were present as well.

“I gained a greater perspective on culture from traveling abroad,” said Grandville senior Andrea Skala, representative of the John Cabot University in Rome. “It definitely opens your eyes to see how easy it is to travel around the world.”

Parking Lot 18, on the corner of Franklin and Preston streets, will be closed today for the Public Relations Internship Fair. The fair takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. today on the top floor of the Bovee University Center. Various PR business and nonprofit organizations are participating. There is no charge for the event.

Unified Holiday Celebration

The 12th annual Unified Holiday Celebration will take place from 5-8 p.m. Thursday in the Bovee University Center Rotunda. Minority Student Services presents performances that showcase diverse holidays varying from Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year Pow wow. Tables will be set up to display cultural and religious histories that provide information about different organizations, faiths and holidays represented. Food will be served. The event is free. Contact Minority Student Services for more information at 774-3945.

‘Chippewa’ nickname forum

“What it means to be a Chippewa: A Forum to Discuss the Chippewa Nickname” will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday in the Bovee University Center Auditorium. Panelists will discuss issues that touch on topics from college mascots, stereotypes, the “Chippewa” nickname and reteaching accurate history of Native Americans. The free event is co-sponsored by the Office of Native American Programs, Office for Institutional Diversity and the College of Humanities & Social & Behavioral Sciences. The event also is a part of Native American Heritage Month. Contact Native American Programs director Colleen Green at 774-2508 for more information.

SAP grant summary

The SAP Grant Summary Report selection screen has been improved. The first field on the selection screen is now the grant number. In order to run the report, people must enter the grant number in the first box on the screen. Previously, the grant number field was listed as the second box. If detailed assistance is needed on how to get to this screen, please see the Principal Investigator’s Training Manual for WBS or call Accounting Services at 774-3707.

On the Rox

All-female a cappella group On the Rox will present its fall concert from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Friday at Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium. Tickets are $5 in advance and $6 at the door. The event also will feature the Michigan State University Accafellas. For more information, contact Nicole Bouman at bouma1na@cmich.edu or (231) 250-2259.

A New Look at Hitler

“A New Look at Hitler and the Beginning of the Holocaust” will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday in the Bovee University Center Auditorium. World War II scholar Gerhard Weinberg will give the lecture for Central Michigan University’s Harold Abel Endowed Lecture Series in the Study of Dictatorship, Democracy and Genocide. For more information, contact Sarah Buckley at 774-1788. Admission is free.

And while several eagerly awaited titles (“Starcraft 2,” “God of War III”) were pushed back from release this year, there are still enough Triple-A titles on their way to thoroughly lighten any wallet.

Here’s a brief on nine games that are just begging to adorn your wish list:

Modern Warfare 2 (PC, PS3, X360)
First-person shooter
Competitive multiplayer
M for Mature
Releases Nov. 10

“Modern Warfare 2” is the direct followup to Infinity Ward’s 2007 first person shooter masterpiece “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.”

It will put players in the boots of several soldiers involved in the fight against a terrorist regime inspired by today’s headlines.

The distinctively cinematic shooting gameplay the “Call of Duty” series is known for looks to be fully intact.

The diverse actions undertaken for each mission — which range from ice climbing to pulling out from an exploding building by a rope attached to a passing helicopter — will push gamers to their limits.

One of the few challengers to the Xbox Live domination of “Halo 3,” the distinct multiplayer is even more in-depth with several new modes and customizations.

“That one, I’m really looking forward to,” Reading sophomore Blake Jackson said.

Jackson said he is playing through the first “Modern Warfare” to get ready for the second.

"Left 4 Dead 2"

Left 4 Dead 2 (PC, X360)
First-person shooter
Cooperative/competitive multiplayer
M for Mature
Releases Nov. 17

The sequel to last year’s campy cooperative zombie shooter is promising to deliver a new setting, a more cohesive narrative, new weapons and more freakish ghouls to kill or be killed by.

Four new characters will be forced to stick together or get torn to bits as they make their way across the infected Deep South from Savannah, Georgia, to New Orleans.

“I like that they’re adding a lot of different melee weapons,” Jackson said.

The new melee combat will feature cricket bats, frying pans and the chainsaw.

While the basic structure of blitzing from safe house to safe house through zombie hordes is unchanged, new elements such as moving crescendo events and more cooperation between special infected old and new (the “boss” creatures) will keep players on their toes.

"Assassin's Creed 2"

Assassin’s Creed 2 (PS3, X360)
Action-adventure
Single player
M for Mature
Releases Nov. 17

Desmond Miles’ story of historical cloak-and-daggery continues in “Assassin’s Creed 2.”

In this iteration, Desmond, the main character, once again enters the Animus to relive another ancestor’s life as an assassin, this time as a noble in renaissance era Venice and Florence, Italy.

The first game’s intuitive but repetitive combat has been thoroughly reworked. Sword duels, as well as stealthy assassinations, were made more rewarding and more intuitively controlled.

Leonardo Da Vinci assists throughout the game as sort of Renaissance version of James Bond’s “Q,” providing wondrous gadgets and mechanisms to aid with the assassin’s quest.

“The graphics look good — what they do in the game looks good. It’s more open (and there’s) a lot more to do,” said Washington Township Victor Curtis.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)

"New Super Mario Bros. Wii"

Platformer
Cooperative multiplayer
E for Everyone
Releases Nov. 15

Mario and his platforming pals go back to their roots in the sequel to 2006’s “New Super Mario Bros.” for Nintendo DS with a strong dose of competitive cooperation.

The “2.5d” (3D characters and levels on a side scrolling plane) environment move from left to right just like in the 1980s days of Super Mario Bros. Many homages are made to the gaming touchstone, but it also has several new features to draw in new and old fans alike.

Up to four players can join the game at any time and work together to overcome the stage’s obstacles, while competing to have the most lives and coins at the end of each level.

“It takes you back to the old days, then they upgraded what they had back then,” Curtis said.

"Uncharted 2: Among Thieves"

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
Action-adventure, 3rd person shooter
Competetive, cooperative multiplayer
M for mature
Now Available

One of the biggest action thrillers of this holiday season cannot be seen in theaters — even though it’s already on Blu-ray disc.

It also happens to be the sequel to 2007’s hit game “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.” Improvements to the control scheme and addictive multiplayer make this title not only an improvement on its predecessor, but also a must-have for any PS3 owner.

In a refreshing change from many other shoot-‘em-ups, the globetrotting narrative traverses diverse locales and highlights several well written and likable characters,

An effective and intuitive cover system, combined with high-flying platforming, make the game seem at times like a child of “Gears of War” and “Assassin’s Creed,” taking the best elements of both while maintaining a fast-paced and intriguing story.

"Brütal Legend"

Brütal Legend (PS3, X360)
Action-adventure, car combat, real time strategy
Competitive multiplayer
M for Mature
Now Available

For those that think games these days just aren’t nearly metal enough, Tim Schafer (the co-creator of gaming classics such as “The Secret of Monkey Island” and “Grim Fandango”) has the solution.

Brütal Legend is a mash-up of several different gaming genres — the protagonist (voiced by Jack Black) brawls like “God of War’s” Ares, drives like Sweet Tooth from “Twisted Metal” and commands his legions like Nod in “Command & Conquer.”

The game features more than a hundred classic metal tracks hand-picked by Schafer, as well as a star studded voice lineup enlisted to spout his notoriously hilarious witticisms including Tim Curry, Lemmy Kilmister and Ozzy Osbourne.

Don’t let this one slip by like another “Psychonauts.”

"Dragon Age Origins"

Dragon Age Origins (PC, PS3, X360)
Role-playing game
Single player
M for Mature
Now Available

The vaunted developers of classic swords-and-sorcery RPGs, as well as science fiction hits such as “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” and “Mass Effect,” is going back to its roots in “Dragon Age Origins.”

While “Dragon Age” is somewhat of a spiritual successor to Bioware’s Dungeons and Dragons based “Baldur’s Gate” series, it also employs several new themes the developer has explored since its maturation.

The game’s brutal and gritty world is full of lust, wrath and greed, and the decisions the player makes both when creating his or her character and during the game will have widespread consequences.

The combat system uses a classic pause-and-play tactical element, allowing the player to coordinate the attacks of party members from either a top-down or behind the shoulder perspective.

"Forza Motorsport 3"

Forza Motorsport 3 (X360)
Racing
Competitive multiplayer
E for Everyone
Now Available

“Forza” is the Xbox 360’s “Gran Turismo,” as well as one of the top contenders for simulation racing action.

The third edition looks to retain the series’ emphasis on performance tuning and customization while incorporating more than 400 cars, 100 tracks, and many newbie friendly features.

“I loved (“Forza Motorsport 2”) because you could customize the cars,” Jackson said.

The newly reworked season mode will automatically present the player with competitions based on previous performance and car choice.

Some of the new player concessions include automatic braking, as well as a replay feature which allows the player to “rewind” at any point and retry a botched turn or avoid a crash.

"Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City"

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City (X360)

Action-adventure
Competitive multiplayer
M for Mature
Now Available

For those who wanted more adventures in Liberty City after they parted ways with “Grand Theft Auto IV,” Rockstar has assembled its Xbox Live exclusive downloadable content on one disc for $39.

The game contains the previously released “The Lost and the Damned,” which focuses on the biker gangs of Liberty, and the new “The Ballad of Gay Tony,” an exaggerated look into the jet set of the faux New York and the bizarre tasks its members ask of the player in order to maintain their lifestyles.

A copy of GTA IV is not required, though its protagonist, Niko Bellic, does make an appearance in the episodes as they interweave with his story.

The game also includes new multiplayer modes from both episodes, which encapsulate motorcycle gang wars as well as outrageous sky diving, rocket launching mayhem.