A Broken Leg: The Tale of a Girl on Crutches

Ali Cicerchi, Assistant Director

I remember when I was little, I thought getting braces and having a cast seemed so cool! Well, braces were not fun, and it turns out neither is having a cast. At 24, I broke my fibula (the skinny bone that runs along the outside of your leg). I had a cast and was on crutches for four weeks.

Having a broken leg, as an adult, is really not fun at all. The biggest problem with crutches is not only can you not walk, but you don’t have the use of your hands as well. Maybe you’re thinking, well duh! But the list of things you can’t do alone anymore is enormous. Things that proved to be difficult include: bathing (obviously), cooking, cleaning, running errands, carrying anything — be it mail, groceries, or even a purse. Overnight, I became fairly helpless. I have a beagle who had to go live with my parents for five weeks because I could not take care of her. My dog is extremely neurotic and while at my parents she peed on their floor, chewed their doorknobs and chewed her pet bed in half. My parents were not happy and let me know it. It was stressful to hear and yet, I was unable to do anything about it.

Aside from lifestyle changes, it’s difficult to get around on crutches. I learned very quickly that the world is not always crutch-friendly. For example, I went to the movies and the handicap stall was at the end of a line of about 25 bathroom stalls. The larger stall is easier to move around in and yet would take quite a while to get to. Or, here on UK’s campus, the closest door to where one can park with a handicap parking pass, is not necessarily closest to the elevator. The door itself may not even be a handicap accessible door.

This injury has forever changed my perspective. It was a very humbling experience to have to routinely ask for help to do even the tiniest thing, like having someone get my lunch out of the microwave.  Thankfully, I was only temporarily handicapped. However, I was routinely stared at in public while using my crutches. Some people talked to me as if my IQ had dropped 30 points because of my injury. One girl on campus shouted at me one day as I tried to go down a set of stairs if I really thought I could do it. I can’t imagine how anyone with a permanent disability faces reactions like these on a regular basis. This was not everyone, thankfully. Many friends and strangers went out of their way for me in the weeks I was on crutches.

I have some general advice I would like to share if you or anyone you know winds up on crutches:

1. Be your own advocate when dealing with doctors! My first doctor at an urgent care told me I had a sprained ankle.
2. Write down questions you have for a doctor. It can be very overwhelming once you are with the doctor.
3. Ask for help! People realize you are going to need some extra help.
4. If someone you know is on crutches the two best things you can do for them — bring them food and offer to hang out with them doing something they can easily do like watch a movie. 

Individual Academic Consultations

Arielle Parker, Marketing Intern

Being a student in college can seem overwhelming at times. Between attending classes, studying for exams, doing homework, socializing with friends, working, and being involved in extracurricular activities, college can seem like one big balancing act. I often ask myself where does the time go? After all, there are seven days in a week, which means that we only have 168 hours to balance our busy schedules.

As a senior heading towards my final semester, I have found my classes to be just as time consuming as my freshmen year if not more. It seems as though the dreaded group projects and typing lengthy papers for classes on a weekly basis have become the norm. Between my classes, my internship, holding a VP office for a campus organization, and finding time to socialize with friends, I sometimes feel completely overwhelmed. Let’s just say there are days when I’m prepared to feel completely unprepared, which is why I sought advice from Academic Enhancement. I attended a free Individual Academic Consultation, which has helped me manage my time efficiently so I can fit my classwork, activities, and social life all in one day without feeling completely stressed out.

“Individual Academic Consultations (IACs) are one of those resources available to all students who want to optimize their academic potential and enhance their success. If a student is invested in networking, has many interests and wants to be involved in campus activities and organizations, yet make sure not to compromise academic success, IAC's are great for honing time management and organizational skills”, explains Academic Enhancement’s Director, and Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education, Dr. Karin Lewis.

Academic Enhancement provides Individual Academic Consultations with a learning specialist available to all UK students, staff, and faculty at no charge

These one-on-one consultations focus on strengthening academic skills and navigating college life. Each consultation is individualized, and students are encouraged to discuss any topics of academic conern with a specialist, such as concentration, stress management, procrastination, and a variety of other strategies.

These consultants aim to provide knowledge of the skills that people need to succeed, and give helpful advice based on some of their own past experiences. Along with gaining helpful tips and great advice, these consultations also provide a learning assessment for students. During these consultations, students can take the LASSI, which is a free learning assessment.

According to Cody Davis, one of Academic Enhancement’s EPE 174 Instructors, the LASSI is an effective assessment for students who wish to strengthen many academic factors.

“The LASSI is an excellent resource that simply provides a foundation or starting point for the discussion in an IAC.  The survey is a self-report tool for students to evaluate themselves on important factors in college student success.”

To make the most out of a consultation, we suggest bringing a class schedule, work schedule and class syllabi. For scheduling an appointment, log on to a computer and follow these five easy steps!

·        Login to myUK

·        Click on "myInfo"

·        Click on "myAppointments"

·        Select "The Study"

·        From here you click on “Academic Consultation” and can choose which type of consultation you want, along with the date and the time that is most convenient for you.

·        If you have questions or encounter any trouble scheduling a consultation, please contact us by calling 859.257.1356 or send an email: thestudy@uky.edu

If a conflict arises after you’re scheduled Individual Academic Consultation, you can revisit the appointments page and select “Cancel”. 

For more information about Individual Academic Consultations visit our website at www.uky.edu/ae

Etsy: A New Way To Shop

Alex Newby, Marketing Intern

A few months ago, The Study wrote a story about Pinterest. If you’re like me, you read the story, created a Pinterst account, and then proceeded to pin boards and boards of cute crafts that you felt sure you could duplicate. Fast forward to now, and you’ve realized it’s not so easy. The mason jar lamps and DIY headbands look great, but in reality are harder to make than they look. I first stumbled upon Etsy after a failed Pinterest attempt. After unsuccessfully trying to knit my way into a pair of cute gloves, I gave up and admitted that I hadn’t inherited any artsy genes. Fortunately for me, and my cold hands, someone at Etsy had.

Etsy, pronounced, “ET- SEE”, is an online marketplace of unique, handmade, and vintage items. According to their mission statement, Etsy’s goal is to “change the way the global economy works. “By connecting users and small business owners from around the country, the e-commerce site makes it easier to find unique items and to buy from real shop owners. In their words, “We are bringing heart to commerce and making the world more fair, more sustainable, and more fun.”

On Etsy, a user can search through a large amount of categories to find what he or she is looking for. Results can be customized to include vintage items, handmade only, or even items that are being sold from your own city. There are engagement rings, scarves, wallets, shoes, handmade dresses, recycled items, up-cycled items, and anything else you could wish to find. Etsy is also a great way to share your own abilities to a greater audience.

Valerie Long, a local Etsy shop owner, said the flow of traffic to her storefront is unbeatable. “It’s a great way to network with different artisans from all over the world and it’s an easy way to start up an ecommerce business.” Val’s shop, Pixelstix Graphics, sells logos, custom illustrations, special occasion invitations and marketing materials like business cards. Since she deals with digital files, her overhead cost is low, and she’s been able to gain many repeat customers.

Since the storefront is managed online, users can easily use it as a side-job or for extra cash flow while they’re in school. For artisans or students looking to share their work, Etsy is the perfect venue.

Here are some of our favorite Etsy items for the Holidays!

Boot Cuffs

His & Her Coffee Mugs

Customizable Daily Dot Calendar

Scrabble Tile Pillows

Have you seen The Study's Pinterest?

Why College Students Need A Fall Break

Nicole Brown, Marketing Intern

Alex Newby, Marketing Intern

University of Kentucky’s campus near midterms can be described by one word: stress.

With papers, projects, and sometimes multiple exams a day, many students find themselves sleep-deprived and exhausted by the middle of the week. Unlike finals week, classes aren’t cancelled and students are still responsible for their day to day activities.

This year’s midterm week at UK was October 15^th and while it’s already past, the memories are still fresh in the minds of stressed students who worked hard to finish all the exams, papers, and projects that were crammed into that week. Looking back on the unnecessary stress and sleepless nights made us wonder... Wouldn’t it be great to have a break?

Granted, we are coming up on Thanksgiving Break. From Wednesday, Nov. 21st thru Sunday the 25^th, students will have the chance to go home and spend the holidays with family. But, how great would it be to have another break? A Fall Break! After talking with people around campus, we found that students and instructors not only want a fall break; they need it!

A week off of school near the middle of the semester would allow students to go home and visit their families. For freshmen, this is especially important. Being at a new school and adjusting to a new life can be hard. For students that live out of state or a few hours away, it’s hard to find the time to sneak home for a few days without missing classes or other obligations. By the time you spend a few hours driving home on Friday and back on Sunday, the trip may not have been worth it.

Having a Fall Break would also give everyone a chance to regroup and relax. Many students on campus aren’t just students. With part-time jobs, required internships, sports teams, and extra-curriculars, the average student does much more than just study. During the semester, the pressure of juggling all of these activities can be stressful. Having a few days off from school would give students the mini-vacation they need to breathe, re-group, and re-organize their schedule. As Jonah Lehrer cites in his article, “The Importance of Vacation,” psychologists studying the effects of vacation on the minds of undergrads concluded that students are more creative in problem solving when they’ve been removed from their usual surroundings. Instead of feeling tired and worn-out from the semester, students would be able to take a break, refresh, and go into the second half of the semester feeling ready to tackle finals.

Having a Fall Break would give students the chance to enjoy the season. Although this may seem or sound trivial, students that are happier and less stressed in their non-academic life will most likely perform better in their school and work life. In the fall, there are football games, tailgates, hayrides, Keeneland and numerous other things to enjoy if you have the time. Taking a break from school to enjoy social activities will help students feel like they still have a life outside of classes.

Having a chance to relax would also help students emotionally re-charge. If you’re constantly working and there’s not much free time, it’s easy to get down. According to a 2009 nationwide survey done by the American College Health Association, nearly 30% of college students reported feeling "so depressed that it was difficult to function" at some time in the past year. A Fall Break would be a great and necessary way to help students avoid feeling burnt-out on classes and responsibilities.

Heading into Thanksgiving Break, we’re thankful for the time-off, yet wish the much needed break had happened sooner. Fall Break would provide a removal from the usual grind, giving students the opportunity to refresh their brain and increase their creativity, helping to create a happier, healthier, more productive student body!

“The Importance of Vacation”:

• http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/the-importance-of-vacation/

Depression In College:

•  http://www.ucsdguardian.org/component/k2/item/25870-the-blues-last-longer-than-midterms#.UJqbxWl26eo
•  http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-and-college-students/index.shtml

Themed Runs for Everyone

Arielle Parker, Marketing Intern
Whether you’re getting splashed with color, running through the mud, or eating a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts, these aren’t exactly your traditional 5k runs. Themed runs have become a growing phenomenon across the nation, ranging from New York City’s Underwear Run to Walt Disney’s “Goofy” 5K, to Lexington’s very own Rock n’ Roll run at their Keeneland race track on March 30^th of 2013. Themed runs are sweeping the nation with its creativity and clever obstacles, leaving competitors with smiles on their faces and in some cases full stomachs.

There is a run for just about every competitor too, which makes these runs extremely popular. Take for instance the Zombie run where flesh-starved zombies are spread throughout a muddy 5k course trying to steal competitor’s flags. Or what about the Twinkie Run held on April Fools day? This run has competitors eating Twinkies before, during and after the race. Want to find a run that suits the holiday season? The Turkey Trot is a prefect run for families to get that pre-workout before the big meal. Runners can dress like a turkey, pilgrim, or wear their favorite pajamas while gobbling their way to the finish line. Even on New Year’s Eve there is Midnight Run to ring in the New Year. Competitors run 4-miles through Central Park where there will be live entertainment, nonalcoholic champagne stations and a great view for the firework show at midnight. To gather more information on these themed runs visit: http://greatist.com/fitness/best-themed-running-races/.

There are even runs that will test competitor’s strength, stamina and mentality. The Warrior Dash, the Spartan Run, and the Tough Mudder are great runs, which consist of multiple obstacles such as fire, mud, barbed wire and some curve balls to get competitors out of their comfort zone.

The Tough Mudder is arguably the toughest event on the planet that has competitors complete a hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle course. These obstacles are used to test strength, stamina, mentality, and camaraderie. “Our events are three times as long, take place in hostile environments, often at altitude, and are a significant physical and mental challenge. Completing a Tough Mudder requires camaraderie and a degree of toughness that other mud-runs will not even begin to test”. For more information about the Tough Mudder visit http://toughmudder.com.

To see how tough the Tough Mudder really is, I interviewed some of AE’s bravest staff members about their experience with the Tough Mudder. Our members include Blake Dickens a Student Program Coordinator, Brad Hagan a Desk Worker, and Collin Whitehouse a Desk Worker.

AP: What is your experience with the Tough Mudder?

CW:  It was extremely awesome!  The physical aspect of it wasn’t nearly as demanding as I thought going in to the event.  I thought overall it was more of a mental challenge more than anything.  I constantly had to remind myself to just make it through one obstacle at a time and the miles seemed to fly by.  I would definitely do it again.

AP: What was the most challenging part?

BD:  It definitely had to be the cold. When you are weighed down with 10 lbs of mud and water on a fifty degree day with high winds, there is really no way to stay warm. This was something that we just couldn’t train for.

AP: How did you prepare yourself for this type of activity?

CW:  Personally I ran, swam, and worked out each about 4-5 times a week.  In regards to the Tough Mudder though, I would say that both running and working out, just a few times a week, would be completely suffice in training.  As long as a person has a no quit mentality, a Tough Mudder is definitely a reachable goal.

AP: How did you feel after you finished?

BH: Exhausted, hungry, and relieved to have completed it.

AP: What were your thoughts during the obstacles?

CW:  In a weird way I kind of enjoy being miserable and pushing myself far beyond the comfort level.  I would see the pain on others’ faces and use it as motivation to keep me going. 

AP: What did you learn the most out of doing the Tough Mudder?

CW: Almost everyone was out there for the same reason: pushing themselves and others around them to finish the race.  I loved it that it wasn’t thought of as a race, more of a team oriented goal to finish.  Helping people over obstacles and giving words of encouragement created a great atmosphere and friendly camaraderie. 

AP: Is the Tough Mudder for everyone?

BH:  Not everyone can do the Tough Mudder. It covers a lot of distance and requires a lot of effort before and during the event. Obstacles can be skipped however if one is uncomfortable with doing anything in particular.

AP: Did you find at one point you wanted to quit?

Each of the staff members were able to preserver through the obstacles and found quitting to not be an option.