Paige Traeder

More by Paige Traeder

Everyone’s Worst Fear: The Lauren Spierer Disappearance

7/4/2011

After a crazy night out drinking, you wake up in the morning confused about what happened the night before, but relieved that you are safe in your own bed. This scenario is extremely common among college students after nights out drinking, but not everyone is so lucky. Lauren Spierer, a college student at IU, is one of those devastating examples. This story, which has gone viral through outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, is a tragedy no one thinks will happen to them.

 
On June 3, almost one month ago, Lauren went out to her favorite bar and then decided to go to a friend’s apartment afterward. She was last seen walking home by herself at 4:00 in the morning with no shoes or cell phone. Lauren is only 4’11, 100 lbs., and also has Long QT Syndrome, a disorder that can cause irregular and potentially fatal heartbeats, for which she takes medication. Since then, the Bloomington police, Indiana University police, the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, Indiana State Police, FBI and volunteers from all over have been conducting searches around Bloomington. Lauren has yet to be found, but her family and friends continue their search.
 

Relationship's New Enemy: Facebook Cheating

4/3/2011

When you think cheating boyfriend, what comes to mind? Talking to another girl on the phone, texting another girl and then the obvious hooking up with another girl. But what about cheating through Facebook with another girl? That usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but nowadays with the amount of technology used and the 400 million people on Facebook, this is becoming more and more common.
 
According to an article by Ian Kerner, a New York Times best-selling author and sexuality counselor, relationships are being ruined by Facebook and the emotional affairs it can cause. Not only can guys meet girls on it, but they can also reconnect with an old flame or ex, which can easily lead to re-igniting old feelings. Ian Kerner calls these “Facebook bombs,” which he defines as “blasts from the past that leave a relationship shattered to pieces.”
 
I think anyone who has been in a relationship before can agree that nothing good comes out of being in a lot of contact with an ex when you’re with someone else. Feelings you used to have may come back, making you feel nostalgic and quite frankly, making you feel like you live in a fantasy. People will tend to forget the bad parts of the past relationship and only remember the good.
 
Unlike trying to meet with someone in person, Facebook is instant gratification and can quickly go from innocently chatting with an old friend, to sharing information with her that they don’t even tell their significant other, to fantasizing about her in sexual ways. Kerner explained, “it often just happens, usually as a friendly relationship snowballs into something more meaningful.” He stated that it can even be more powerful than Internet porn.
 

Campus Celebrity: Sabrina Santucci

2/14/2011

Sabrina Santucci is a 21-year-old senior at the U of I going after her goals. Majoring in Broadcast Journalist with a minor in Communication, she is actively involved in her sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, is a writer for the Buzz Magazine and is also an employee of WILL-TV. But all of that got even more exciting when she landed a dream internship at Lucky Magazine. Yes, you heard me right, Lucky, one of the most successful and popular magazines out there for women. Her Campus Illinois sits down with Sabrina to hear what it was like.
 
HC: So you interned for Lucky magazine, that’s like every girl’s dream! How did you hear about it and what was the process of getting the internship?
I heard about it through my internship coordinator. I applied for it as well as several other internships in NYC. I did a phone interview and then ended up getting the internship with Lucky.
 
HC: What can you tell me about it?
Well it was in NYC over winter break so I was there for about 5 weeks and I interned 3 or 4 days out of the week depending on how much they needed me. I stayed in an apartment in the city with girls that go to NYU. I worked from about 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and I worked under their online producer as an online production intern. Basically, I helped them do all their online production for their website. I worked in a content management system, which is building and formatting what you see on the website like blog entries and slide shows. I also did a lot of research for their website and their videos.
 
HC: Do you think you could see yourself living and working in NYC permanently?