Krystie Yandoli
More by Krystie Yandoli
 The senior bucket list, DIY style10/4/2011 |
I met my two roommates, Bri and Hayley, during my first semester at SU back in the fall of 2008. The story goes Bri and I hit it off in Spanish 102, she introduced me to her immediate roommate, Hayley, I crashed in a sleeping bag on the floor of their room every weekend, and the rest is history. Between going abroad during separate semesters and a myriad of other life-changing incidents, my roommates and I spent last year without each other, mostly absent from each other’s daily lives. Our reunion this August was bittersweet because even though we were thrilled to be living together again under one roof, we only have one more year left at Syracuse—one more year too little. With the knowledge that we’re facing a mere matter of months left on campus, in the city of Syracuse, and with each other, we made a pact. We made a cheesy kind of pact that friends make in middle school and resembled a fusion of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets Now and Then kind of thing. We vowed to stay friends forever and all that junk, but we also made a commitment to participate in every last Syracuse-must during our final year as Orange. When making the decision to partake in certain activities, however, we came to a roadblock while doing a little bit of research: there isn’t a bucket list of senior musts for Syracuse students. The closest thing to what we were looking for was featured in USA Today’s college section and included a list of 14 points written by Allie Ditkowich. While this list was pretty spot-on, it wasn’t specific or long enough for what we’re trying to accomplish. What to do when you can’t find what you’re looking for on the interwebs? Just in case you can’t see what’s coming—we wrote our own! Some excerpts from our list include: |
 In defense of the platonic guy friend5/7/2011 |
|
 Kobe Bryant, Margaret Atwood, and some common ground4/15/2011 |
Margaret Atwood can teach Kobe Bryant a thing or two about the power of words. The famous literary force once wrote, “A word after a word after a word is power.” While it may initially seem like the two respective stars have little to nothing in common, they would probably be able to strike up a vivid conversation around this one idea in particular. In a Laker game against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, April 12th, referee Bennie Adams called a technical foul against Kobe Bryant. The guard reacted by cursing and muttered a homophobic comment, all for the cameras to capture on live, national television. The five-time NBA champ ponied up a $100,000 fine to the league and was publicly condemned by NBA commissioner, David Stern. The age-old saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” doesn’t exactly speak to the experiences of those who have been directly affected by the power of words. Bullying, teasing, and verbal abuse all incorporate the concept of negative word usage; the harmful meaning behind a few letters strung together creates a negative context for them to be released into the world. The words expressed on Tuesday night, which won’t be repeated here, do not define who Kobe Bryant is as a professional athlete. It also doesn’t define him as a person. It does, however, affect how fans view their favorite all star and complicate the issue of human rights in popular culture. All because of one thoughtless moment and two toxic words. |
 Walk a mile in her shoes4/9/2011 |
I’ve been in kind of a funk lately. There’s a million other ways to describe what I’ve been going through, but I find this to be the simplest and most straightforward language around it: I’m in a bit of a funk. I let a lot of things in my personal, professional, and academic life slide by the wayside, and I couldn’t really figure out what my deal was. While trying to survive this funk, it only felt natural to look to those around me for guidance. I managed to find this much needed solace and understanding in family and friends, but advice was nowhere to be found when it came to pop culture. As an admirer of many public figures, especially female role models who I hold in high esteem, I became exceptionally aware of the lack of leadership around me. I couldn’t find one popular, famous woman in the mainstream who demonstrated a true sense of mentoring and acknowledgment of her authentic power. Who could I observe as a means of productive and effective pseudo-therapy? Teen Mom cast members? No thanks. The infamous chicks featured on Sister Wives? I don’t think so. Rihanna? Debatable. It’s enough to make a girl go mad. I’m fortunate enough to be graced with the presence of many real-life women role models, but not every young female can be so lucky. Who are young women supposed to look up to in the public eye? Which celebs and famous figures are genuine, acceptable role models? What makes an acceptable role model? |
