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OSU candlelight vigil raises awareness of domestic violence

STILLWATER, Okla. - "What did I do, I wonder/As he goes into his rage/You beg and plead to him/Please don't hit me again."

This poem, a before-and-after account of the life of an abused woman, was read Tuesday night at a Oklahoma State University candlelight vigil held to promote awareness of domestic violence.

The second-annual vigil, which took place on the Payne County Courthouse lawn, was organized by Stillwater Domestic Violence Services as part of Domestic Violence Month.

The vigil began with information about domestic violence and the services offered by Stillwater Domestic Violence Services.

Brenda Gill, Stillwater Domestic Violence Services senior counselor, defined domestic violence and gave examples of what might be considered violent behavior, including pushing, hitting, forcible sex, control, humiliation and manipulation.

"Domestic violence is the threat, attempt to cause, or causing of serious harm between family or household members," Gill said. "Love is wanting you to be who you are. Abuse is wanting you to be who I want you to be."

According to Stillwater Domestic Violence Services, 22 percent of women in the United States report being abused by a partner. Fifty-three percent of the population know at least one victim of domestic violence. Last year, 235 cases of domestic violence were reported in Stillwater.

Volunteers for Stillwater Domestic Violence Services say the number one reason people fail to report cases of domestic violence is because it is seen as a private or personal matter.

"Domestic violence is one of those hush-hush things nobody talks about," said Lori Thompson, who coordinated the vigil. She said the main goal of Stillwater Domestic Violence Services is to increase awareness of domestic violence.

Michael McKee, who counsels abusers, said he is often asked why he chooses to work with abusive men. He said he continues his work "because of everyone who is standing in this circle."

"I find it rewarding because there are many men who want to change," McKee said.

"There are some women and children who, tonight, can sleep easier," he said, "because they have what they've always wanted- a home without violence, a home with no more victims."

"No more victims," he said, has become the motto of the shelter.

Thompson said last year's vigil drew 30 people. This year, more than 70 supporters attended the vigil.

"Can you imagine if we doubled every year," she said, "where we will be in 10 years?"

Laurie Brockman, children's advocate, said even a small group signifies the beginning of "something big."

The vigil was concluded with the poem, written by a victim of domestic violence after she completed a counseling program.

"Look what you've accomplished/He told you it could not be done/But today you are alive/To see the beautiful rising sun."

Test anxiety is common on college campuses, University of Wisconsin counselors say

MADISON, Wis. - Stress and anxiety are dominating emotions on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

Midterms and papers often result in many students feeling overwhelmed and anxious, University Health Services Counseling Service counselors said.

Test anxiety is a common complaint among patients at the at the counseling service, counselor Rob Sepich said.

"People get anxiety for different reasons," Sepich said. "For some, it is a lack of preparation - for others, it is one negative experience with a test, and for many it is a fear of failure."

Lynn Hyland, clinical psychiatry intern at the Indiana University Anxiety Disorder Clinic, said the symptoms a person might feel are a result of his or her adaptation to stress.

"Physical threats send messages to the brain, which give the body symptoms to prepare to fight or flee from the situation," Hyland said. "These symptoms include quick breathing, dizziness, tight stomach and tight muscles."

According to a study at Harvard University published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 19 million Americans suffer from some sort of anxiety disorder.

"Test anxiety is the most common form of anxiety and can affect anyone," Hyland said.

Hyland said some individuals can react to a test as if it is a life- threatening situation.

"When the test is a threat, students must challenge that belief by determining how realistic failure is," Hyland said. "If you studied and are doing well, chances are you will not fail, and if you do, you have to put that one test in perspective."

Hyland added that it is important to look at the effects of a test realistically.

"It is one test in one class in one semester," she said. "In the long run, it will not affect your life dramatically."

To avoid seeing a test as a threat, Sepich and Hyland agreed students must shift the energy spent on worrying to positive energy used to focus on the test.

"Some people attack the anxiety by over-studying; which loads the brain and confuses all the information," Hyland said. "Others procrastinate, which increases the anxiety and the test is more of a threat because there is no test preparation."

Senior Allyson McAdam said procrastination is a major factor in her anxiety of tests.

"I always try to get all caught up so I won't feel so anxious next time, but it never happens," she said.

There are different levels of anxiety that students can feel when taking an exam.

"Anxiety is on a continuum," Sepich said. "You can control the degree of anxiety until it gets paralyzing and it is so severe you can't focus on anything else."

Hyland said that many people feel most anxious as the test is being passed out.

"The most common anxiety occurs right before a test, but some people feel so anxious that the anxiety interferes with functioning," Hyland said. "Most people lie right in the middle."

If students feel any anxiety before a test, there are many relaxation skills they can perform to relieve some of the stress.

"Breathing, meditation, yoga and exercise are all designed to relax the mind and better focus the task at hand," Sepich said. "Spend time to counter-activate stress."

Sophomore Jason Vale said he relieves anxiety during a test by tapping his foot or chewing on a pen cap.

"Before a test I always feel some kind of pressure," Vale said. "I think it is mostly adrenaline."

Some UW students said they recognize the negative physical and mental affects of test anxiety.

"I'm not a stressful person," freshman Mystie Webster. "I am here to learn not to stress. There is no point in getting stressed. What good does it do? I go into a test relaxed and do what I can."

Senior Toral Jha tries to avoid anxiety all together.

"I will never put myself in a situation where I wouldn't be prepared because the anxiety will be there," Jha said. "I don't really get nervous even though the fear of the unknown is on a test."

Princeton professors' study suggests possibility of adult neurogenesis

PRINCETON, N.J. - In a study that calls into question the belief that adults cannot generate new brain cells, two Princeton University scientists have presented evidence indicating that the adult monkey brain gains thousands of new nerve cells each day.

The discovery could eventually provide a foundation for research into the treatment of degenerative brain diseases.

In the Oct. 15 issue of Science, Elizabeth Gould and Charles Gross, both University psychology professors, report that new nerve cells-or neurons-are formed in several areas of the monkey's cerebral cortex through a process called "neurogenesis."

Their experiment, which lasted about a year, involved injecting adult rhesus monkeys with a chemical called BrdU. According to Gould, the BrdU "gets into the bloodstream and is taken up by cells that are making DNA in preparation for division."

When neurons containing BrdU were subsequently found in the cerebral cortex, it indicated that those cells must have formed after the chemical injection. They were shown to have developed in another area of the brain and then to have migrated to the cerebral cortex.

The widespread view in the neuroscience community that new cells could not form in an adult monkey's brain was supported in 1985 by the research of Yale University professor Pasko Rakic.

Last year, Gould and others questioned this view by presenting evidence that neurogenesis occurs in the monkey's hippocampus, a more primitive brain region that forms initial memories. The discovery encouraged Gould and Gross to look for similar neurogenesis in the cerebral cortex.

According to Gould, disagreement between her research and that of Rakic can probably be attributed to scientific procedures. "The techniques available back then were not the same ones we utilized," she said.

Although the Princeton study examined the brain functions of monkeys and not those of humans, the similar brain structures of the two suggests that humans also may be capable of producing new brain cells. If this is so, the discovery of a neuron regeneration mechanism may help physicians develop ways to battle certain brain diseases.

Degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's involve a loss of nerve cells in specific regions of the brain. If new nerve cells are continually forming in the brain and migrating to various parts of the cerebral cortex, scientists might eventually be able to channel these cells into the areas affected by the disease.

However, Gould stressed yesterday that such applications of the research will take time. "It is important to realize that this is many years down the road," she said. "It's going to take a lot of research."