Survey

IUP Beat Survey:

Workshop students talk about their habits, forgetfulness and tattoos

Survey designed, conducted and story written by
By Gretchen Weyandt, Jamie McCuen and Ian Staab
The IUP Beat Staff Writers

Extra, Extra! The results are finally in.
    During the Summer Honors program at IUP, the students of the journalism class decided that a creative and interesting addition to this year's newspaper would be to survey the Honors students on their tastes and lifestyles. Read a little on down to get the inside scoop and a more revealing side of the students of the summer.
    Out of the 111 students attending the program, about sixty students willing participated in the survey.
    As a group of males and females at a 1:3 ratio respectively, the majority of us on campus (more than half) are seventeen years old and will return as big-time seniors this fall as the class of '00.
    Right behind the seniors are the soon to be driving juniors that are 16 years of age, representing about one third of the student population. We will not forget to recognize the others students that are thirteen, fourteen and fifteen and will return to school as freshman and sophomores.
    Another question of choice was the selection of scholarship awards to the students. Approximately forty percent (40) of the "scholars" on campus were awarded this special accreditation. Congratulations!
    Appearances aren't everything, but we still asked the boring and basic question referring to hair color, particularly original color. Over two thirds (66 percent) of the students have naturally brown hair.
    The summer shade of blonde is behind at only about a nineteen percent (19) portrayal. Hues of black and red seem to be a rarity on the Indiana campus.
    Then there are those who just can't seem to remember what their original shade is. It is there somewhere, they add.
    We are all attending a program for classes that pertain to our own individual interests, but after research we found that Genetic Engineering was by far the most popular selection, with about one fourth (25 percent) of the present students enrolled.
    Also in the science department was the Chemistry program, which placed second for popularity. There are an additional five programs that the remaining students chose to experience and venture into including Economics, Journalism, Finance, Psychology, Communications and Art.
    Time is of the essence. How far did the students travel? The plurality of the crowd traveled only about thirty minutes to an hour before arriving at the IUP campus. We must give acknowledgment to those who traveled several hours. We have one student that came a lengthy and prolonged ten hours to be involved in this program!
    Intelligence does not always signal common-sense. Almost seventy percent (70) of the brightest students forgot something at home that they needed for the summer program or life in the dormitory. Items ranged from alarm clocks to toenail clippers, and one individual claimed that she left her head at home!
    The bulk of the students came to IUP's Summer Honor's Program in hopes of experiencing and getting a taste of the real college life. The program has appeared to recruit some potential applicants to the college, too. A little over one third (37 percent) of the incoming college freshmen are considering IUP as one of their top college choices.
    Sure, college is about learning, but let's not forget the social aspect of the affair. Almost eight percent (80) of the dorm buddies feel that they have a great relationship with their roommate. This provided for many late night chats and giggles galore.
    To get a little more personal to the respondents, one of the questions asked how many students had tattoos. Less than five percent (5) of the student body has been inked. We suppose that this is from age-of-consent issues.
    Another more intimate question that many people seemed more than happy to answer was simply the statement, "innie or outtie." Well folks, only seven percent (7) of the honest and interviewed students have the privilege of claiming the oddity of the "outtie" belly-buttons.
    According to the eleventh question, about one fourth (24 percent) of our "earthy" students do not conform to utilizing footwear on a regular basis.
    When asked why shoes are not part of their daily accessories, one student commented, "I prefer the massage of earth on my toes."
    The category of music obviously showed the diversity of the student body. Preferential tastes included everything from Industrial, Classical, Ska, Rap, Alternative, Swing, Country, Punk, Metal, Rock, Pop, R&B, HipHop and Techno.
Favorite bands ranged from Limp Bizkit to Led Zeppelin to Ani Difranco to the ever-popular Dave Matthews Band.
    Most students were perfectly happy listening to anything type of music that could get their foot tapping.
    Our final question was included for no other reason than to be a little cliché. Well, our students answered anyway, and some people decided to add their own twists to the old pick-up line.
    Our question? "So, what's your sign?" According to the answers, the horoscope stars seem to lie primarily with the aries on the IUP campus.
    Just for laughs, listed are the more creative student's responses to the question: traffic sign, railroad crossing sign, stop sign, a 45 m.p.h. Sign that is posted in a student's bedroom, and perhaps the funniest response, "What's Yours".
    As you can see, the personalities and preferences of the students participating in the Summer Honors Program are as unique as the people they represent. Hopefully, the survey has provided some insight to all families, faculty and of course, the students.