Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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CAFFEINE: the sleep substitute Sometimes it just seems there aren ' t enough hours in the day. Perhaps, more accurately, not enough hours remaining before that crucial test or that 20-page term paper is due. One common cause for this dilemma is procrastination, and one popular solu- tion is to increase hours of productivity by decreasing the hours a student sleeps. The only problem with this proposi- tion is that sleep is a necessary bodily function and going without requires some form of assistance. A popular alternative to falling asleep on the tex- tbooks is the consumption of caffeine. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, which increases activity level awareness and also increases physical and mental activity, according to James Uhlarik, professor of psychology. Tea, coffee, soft drinks, diet pills and drug store keep alert tablets all con- tain various amounts of caffeine and are often ingested with the intent of restor- ing mental alertness. Controversies surrounding caffeine began in 1978 when it was reported to the Food and Drug Administration that there may be a connection between the stimulant and harmful effects on the development of the central nervous system. According to the FDA, besides speeding up the heart and stimulating the brain, stomach, kidneys, ovaries and testes, it peps some people up, reacting like amphetamine, then lets them back down. Although it is not known at what levels of consumption caffeine might become dangerous, heavy users (the equivilent of 5 to 10 cups of coffee per day) may develop a caffeine addiction. Symptoms include nervousness, ir- ritability and agitation, to headaches and muscle twitching. It is estimated that 25 percent of the American popula- tion fall under this category. Everyone has to pull an all-nighter at one time or another, said Tracey, senior in pre-physical therapy. I just drink Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi — by the gallon and just sit down and do it. Brian, a senior in engineering, says he is always procrastinating but only discovered caffeine as a study aid two years ago. As my class load got heavier, I ' ve had to stay up late more often. At first it was No Doze, Vivarin, Pepsi and Mountain Dew. Then I tried a freind ' s mail order capsules. We order them through an ad in the back of Cosmopolitan magazine. They make you more tired when they wear off, but they give you some kind of a buzz and last longer than coffee or Coca-cola. Caffeine also increases physical and mental activity. There are, however, problems in using a stimulant to stay awake and alert. According to W.S. Ruliffson, pro- fessor of biochemistry, caffeine may cause physical dependency, increased blood pressure (hypertension), and it in- creases the basal metabolic rate by 10 percent and the gastric output of acid. The next day (after an all-nighter with caffeine), I usually feel real shaky and kind of nauseous, said Linda, freshman in fashion marketing. For Brian, effects include feeling his leg muscles twitch and a sensation like he can feel his hair growing. Caffeine seems to have an effect on the quality of the student ' s studying as well. When under the influence of this type of a stimulant, there is a condition call- ed state dependant learning, Uhlarik said. This involves the state of learning versus the state of testing. When a student studies under the in- fluence of caffeine, or any other stimulants, the mind ' s activity is at a rapid level. When the effects wear off and the test is taken, the brain is work- ing at a lower level. The results are lower levels of efficiency, he said. The all-nighters I ' ve pulled make me so tired during the test that I almost fall asleep, said John, a freshman in ar- chitecture and design, adding, I guess the Pepsi and pills have just worn off. Despite the side effects, Linda says it works for her: I make it through the tests and usually do pretty well. I know without the caffeine, I ' d be a zombie with only two or three hours sleep, Brian said. But it really does bum you out. I ' ve noticed a definite dif- ference in how I feel when I ' ve gone without caffeine for a few days. One way to avoid the caffeine crash would be to plan ahead and pace the semester ' s assignments. Somehow, no matter how good the intentions, by the semester ' s end, things often seem to be piling up. According to Uhlarik, and as most students following a single or series of all-nighters would agree, There is no substitute for regular sleep and study patterns. — by Donna Osborn 28 caffeine

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the demise of a late-night refuge for the munchies dead flowers on a dirt pile in the store ' s partially excavated back lot and walked solemnly away. D O ' s was a close friend. It ' s sad to see her go. Each doughnut and Grand- ma ' s cookie carried a special place in my heart and in m y stomach, Becky Stoskopf, senior in dietetics, said. We thought it would be fun to have a funeral because we go over here so much. We were really kind of sad to hear it is closing and thought we ' d pay it our last respects, Watson said. Until the opening of the new Shop Quik, residents of the nearby greek houses, residence halls and apartments had to satisfy their after-class cravings elsewhere. Elton Darrah, owner of D O, said he was sorry to have to close the store without providing alternative We realized we saved a lot of steps for a lot of people. D O holds many fond memories and it was a sad day to see it torn down. It ' s the end of an era, Darrah said. The store building has held ties with K-State students since its construction in 1946 by Kenneth Howenstine, a retired Manhattan farmer, who agreed to build the store and lease it to World War II veterans attending K-State. According to a 1946 issue of the In- dustrialist, the war veterans were irked at the rising costs of living and worried about balancing their budgets. Thus, they started plans for a cooperative grocery store in which they could invest their money, and if successful, share the profits. The Veteran ' s Association on the campus sold more than 1,400 shares in the store at $10 each. On opening day, Nov. 13, 1946, customers filed by the store ' s checkout stands at the rate of more than one a minute and the day ' s grocery reciepts totaled $12,341.09. Despite its strong beginning, the Veteran ' s Cooperative Exchange was crippled the following spring by the graduation of veterans who were stockholders and the disbanding of the student organization, the Associated Veterans of World War II. The building was sold in September 1948, to Paul and Teresa Griffin and was re-opened as the Griffin Grocery. When Darrah joined Jack Osborne in purchasing the business in 1967, D O was a full-service grocery, with four butchers, free delivery and customer credit. In 1973, Darrah purchased Osborne ' s interest in the business and now owns three Manhattan Shop Quiks besides the one at Claflin and Denison. Though he was sad to see the old store go, Darrah said the new store will be much nicer. The old one is inadequately wired. I ' m absolutely amazed it didn ' t burn down 10 years ago, he said. Plans for the new Shop Quik, to be located just west of the present site, in- cluding eight gas pumps in front of the store, and delicatessen sandwich shop whith seating for 15 to 20 people. It will be a regular convenience store but larger, with more items and more refrigerator space than the existing building, Darrah said. The new store will be open 24 hours a day, so we will have to employ in the neighborhood of 20 people as opposed to the eight people we have now, so it will create some new jobs. We always try to hire freshmen and sophomores because they can keep the job all through school and can walk to work. We ' re proud of the fact that we ' ve put a few kids through school, Darrah said. Randall Porter, senior in life sciences, said when the store closed, „ employees were laid off temporarily, but were to be rehired as soon as the new store was completed. Porter was working at the counter of D O during the funeral and said the activity caught me off guard. I think it was really great. It was a happy ending, Porter said. — by Cathy Karlin As the store sign is flipped to closed for the last time, maybe the message should read Thanks, we ' ll miss you. The convience store opened its doors for the last time on February 27, and will be replaced with a new store that will again fill the needs of the late-night munchie runs.

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