If You Think Mindfulness Ain't Sexy...
By Lorenzo Roberto Ramos, Fall 2011
Think again. The practice of mindful awareness is a gateway into the world of sensation, the tangible reality of our experience as human beings. This falls nowhere short of the realm of sexuality, and in fact, such expressions of physical intimacy can be used as an access-point to the essence of mindful practice in itself. Mindfulness-based Relationship Enhancement (Carson et al, 2004) is a treatment modality that makes use of the intimate contact with one's situation that the practice can imbue, and directs it towards empathic understanding of one's partner. But to keep things in perspective...let us focus not on relationship enhancement, but the practice of mindful sexuality itself.
Physical intimacy can have paradoxical effects on the awareness. Though it is common knowledge that sensation is heightened during states of sexual arousal, there arises at the same time a state that has been referred to as sexual trance in mystical texts. The eyes close, the head leans back in rapture (a potential pinching of the central energetic channel in such spiritual worldviews) and ultimately, awareness may tend to be focused on one certain area of the body--come on now, we're adults here.
What could mindfulness do? Well, for one, the mere fact that you remember the practice in such moments of heat is somewhat triumphant.
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Staying Alive: Tips and Confessions of a San Francisco Biker
By Josh White, Fall 2011
I am a second year student and have been riding my bike to school from the Haight area of San Francisco more days than not. If you are like me, you enjoy getting from point A to point B with a minimal amount of stress. But there is a war on the pavement between cars and bikes. Bikers are attempting to reclaim roads and meeting resistance from drivers who believe the roads were built solely for vehicles. Pedestrians, apparently, are like Switzerland: caught in the crossfire, without taking a stand. Biking movements like Critical Mass and SF Bike Coalition attempt to raise awareness that roads are public domains. However, this forced awareness has not taken evolutionary precedence. Pedestrians and drivers are still just as shocked as deer and squirrels to see that someone else is on the road.
Some quick facts: roads are for both cars and bikes by law, drivers and bicyclists should follow the same traffic laws and road etiquette, drivers are safer in cars than a bicyclist ever is on a bike, both bikers and drivers are in a "hurry," and, most importantly, like most populations, there are bad drivers and bad bikers.
Confessions of an angry biker:
Enough facts. Let us get down to some red meat, belly feelings: I absolutely resent Muni drivers and taxi drivers; they are often a danger to the safety of bikers. I can't remember how many times I have like I was going to be killed on the way to and from school because of a Muni bus or taxi. My biker friends talk about altercations with cars as inevitable; I am due.
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Alliant: School of Commuters
By Ashley Forrest, Fall 2011
We all remember the days of undergrad, however long ago they may have been. We had so much to think about—who we would meet, what our teachers would be like, what kind of grades we would get—but one question stood out: Where would we live? Whether we were getting our first apartments, living in the dorms, or staying at our parents' homes, the choices seemed both scary and exciting.
Who would have thought that we'd be facing those same decisions years later as we entered graduate school? Alliant is a commuter school with expensive parking and no dorms (let's be honest, would you stay in them if there were?), so moving was a necessity for anyone who didn't live relatively close to the Bay Area. With so many neighborhoods and cities to choose from, I began to wonder how other people made this important decision.
I was born and raised in the North Bay and for me it became a matter of moving closer to the city. I settled in San Rafael which is an equal distance between school and my hometown. Plus, rent is cheaper! The commute is not too bad, about 25-30 minutes into the city, minus the time spent looking for free parking. With my lease almost up, I'm trying to plan where I'll live next: Mill Valley, Petaluma, Larkspur, or maybe I'll just remain in San Rafael; regardless of the city, I'll be staying in the North Bay.
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What's New
We here on The Voice creative team are always trying to find new ways to make both the print and online versions of The Voice of Alliant dynamic, entertaining, and relevant to students, staff, and faculty from all of AIU's schools and campuses. In addition to the latest content from the print version of The Voice, here you will find exciting online exclusives, extended versions of print articles, and content only available in an online format.
As we continue to develop our content and offerings in the future, we hope you continue to come back and enjoy all the hard work we put into this endeavor. As always, I hope you continue to find this website informational, useful, and maybe even a little entertaining. I would love to hear your feedback about ways to improve the site, as well as things you really like and want to see more of. Feel free to email me or just come talk to me if you have any suggestions about TheVoiceofAlliant.com.
Many thanks and best wishes to Libby as she embarks on the next stage of her journey.
-Geetali Chitre (Webmaster)
Letter from the Editors
Somewhere between preparing case presentations, doing assessments, and downing coffee between stacks of Medi-Cal paperwork for our practicum, the editors of The Voice looked up and noticed that it is November. November?! The initial excitement we felt over the semester quickly coming to a close was soon replaced by the realization that we still have a ton of work to do--and that we haven't been able to get the fall issue out until now. Extending the deadline in order to give the many schools on campus the opportunity to get involved pushed back our publication date, but we truly want The Voice to be reflective of all Alliant students, just as the Student Government Association strives to include representatives from all schools under the Alliant umbrella. We truly appreciate those of you who submitted articles for the first time, and encourage you all to contribute in the future.
Speaking of SGA, the start of the school year ushered in enthusiastic new members and a restructuring of the organization. This issue introduced you to your executive committee, consisting of the co-chairs, the treasurer, and the communications coordinator. Additionally, I have taken over as Senior Editor and brought onboard the sharp eye of my dear friend, Julia Rosholt, as co-editor. So although the semester itself may no longer be new, a host of changes have been taking place behind the scenes. We thank you for your patience while we all got acclimated to our new roles.
As always, we would love to hear your story ideas, any issues you would like addressed, and general feedback. We have gotten some flak lately for not being inflammatory or political enough, but we count on our readers to contribute their opinions. Feel free to use your voice either in person or in an email to sgaeditor@gmail.com. We can't make this the paper you want without your input.
Happy November!
-- Kristen Giamona and Julia Rosholt
Got something random to say? Express your voice and email us with letters to the editors, story ideas, issues you’d like addressed, lists of resolutions, general feedback, or article submissions. Accepted article submissions will receive a $10 gift card to Boudin’s (on Pier 39).
As always, we also encourage you to explore the website, where you will find extended articles, archived content from past issues, and many exclusive articles available only online. Additionally, our website includes a comprehensive calendar of all things Alliant, feedback forms to contact the editors, webmaster, or your SGA representative, outside links, and much more. It’s everything you love about The Voice, but available on your smart phone.
And one last thing while we've still got your attention: We are looking for a new co-editor to help keep The Voice strong next year. It this sounds like the opportunity you've been waiting for, we would love to hear from you. Please contact one of us for more details. You, too, could be a fountain of knowledge (relevant or otherwise) for the thirsty masses.
