HEART ON MY SLEEVE

"It's college" everyone says. "There is no way that you should be thinking about relationships during these next 4 years." Why is that everyone is against the idea of dating in college?  I understand we live in a generation where commitment isn't really such a thing anymore, but still... isn't there at least that one romantic couple out here?

There is Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Jay Z and Beyonce, and even Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi. There are a lot of married couples we can look up to, but it is sad to say that the people I hang around with do not care about that. If anything, there are more infatuated with the idea of "getting laid" than focusing on commitment. "Everyone just want to party, drink, and black out. Nobody is thinking about relationships dude" my friend always tells me. But that's them, that doesn't mean I have to follow their footsteps right?

Wrong. Probably I'm looking for something in a place that doesn't exist. These fraternities parties is the complete opposite of a long term commitment. Instead, it is full of temptations and one night stands that do not matters at all. It is just temporary satisfaction. Why not look for everlasting satisfaction?

 I love it when people tell me that they are in a relationship or witness a couple holding hands together, laughing and telling jokes at each other. It just a beautiful feeling seeing other people happily in love. That is why I have even more respect for those that chose to skip partying in Greek life and actually settle down with someone meaningful. It speaks volumes about a person's maturity level and their views when they decide to take that ladder in their life. But it is deeper than that.

What is influencing our generation to focus more on sex, drugs, alcohol, and anything else that our previous generations didn't do that heavily? Some say that its the parents' fault on the way how they raise their children. There isn't a wrong answer to this question, but in my opinion, I think it is the music. Specifically, Hip Hop. We idolize these rappers that promote degradation of

women, getting money and getting females, and even devaluing education by saying they did not finishing college or high school but still is doing fine. So, it kinda do make sense that no one in college don't really care about relationships, but it just kills me when my boys talk about their body's counts or when females talk about their one night stands they had from the previous nights. I just want to hear something different you know? Good for you that you got with a girl from a top tier sorority. Or good for you that you got with that hot guy in that top tier fraternity. What's more impressive is telling me how long your longest relationship lasted. That's more impressive. But hey, that's just me. Not everyone agrees with me or see my standpoint on relationships in college.  If so, more people will be in relationships than what we have now. Thank you everyone that commented and viewed my blog. It was great writing for you guys. Take care :)

GUCCI GOGGLES

GUCCI GOGGLES! When I am in class, of course I dress appropriately. I do not wear anything too excessive that's baggy or too tight. I do not wear anything that can be classified as "dirty" or unclean. If anything, I dress more stylish than classy. However, when it is night time, it is a different Khalil Dunham-Carson.

Every time I party Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the GUCCI GOGGLES come out of the gucci dust bag. Not everyone knows me for this persona I have, but for those that do, they know me at FRAT Row, THON, Gym, class, or any other place that you might see me at.

Now, why GUCCI GOGGLES? I get that question so much. Especially since it is nearly Spring and I am not at a location where it is snowing excessively. Or, since I am not skiing or snowboarding in Narnia. So,  the main reason why is because the goggles are GUCCI!!!! It's designer!!! Okay, that's not the main reason, but its definitely a valid one.

Everyone got their own reputation here at Penn State. There are people that are athletes like football players, basketball players, soccer players, and more. There are those people in Greek Life that are known for simply being in their frat like Beta Sigma Beta, ACACIA, and Sigma Chi. Everyone got their own special reason on why they stand out or get attention. So, why can't I have my own reason? Obviously, I do not want to get in a position where people do not know my name but only knows me as a kid that wears GUCCI GOGGLES, but when you at a campus where there are 48,000 students, it's not that bad.

But what does that say about me? That I wear materialistic possessions just to seek attention and acceptance from others? Do this make me a legend because I am willing to make bold actions to gain a sense of popularity? Every party that I go to, there are always females that know me, guys that take snapchat stories, and the most love that will make anyone else desire a pair of GUCCI GOGGLES. I tried other attempts on becoming known, but that didn't work the way I thought it would.

I am living my life. I am the happiest I ever been. I made tons of connections, I am getting a great education for my future job, but also having fun while doing so. GUCCI GOGGLES is cool and all, but I want to be known as Khalil Dunham-Carson. I want to make my own legacy so that my future children can brag about how cool their dad is and all of the legendary things he did in his lifetime. There are people that are known, but are known for the wrong reasons. I want to make a name for myself, but gain positive attraction for it. That is why GUCCI GOGGLES became my nickname since its funny but also stylish since not everyone can rock or afford the gucci goggles like I do. I love PSU. Thank you guys for listening to my stories and learning more about Khalil Dunham-Carson. Ciao! Ci vediamo!

Can we Blame the IFC?

When it comes to PSU, one of the most funniest event to participate in are daylongs. Daylongs are basically a day full of partying but instead of the typical night scene, it is during the day. Recently, the IFC has decided to ban Daylongs.

Daylong at PSU

Can we blame the IFC? Daylongs still serve alco
hol to underage adolescents and basically cause them to get out of control. People literally urinate outside of frat houses, people yelling profanity at the IFC,  and even worse, people barely walking properly. So, is the IFC wrong for doing their job  of enforcing the rules?

Well, the main reason why the IFC decided to ban daylongs was due to the 13 way Pi Lambda had two weekends ago. It was so bad that the cops literally had to come and shut it down. It is unbelievable. It was as if one pace ruin it for the rest. So, is it fair that one place really ruined it for everyone?

PSU IFC

I feel like people do not see the positives of daylongs. For example, it is more socializing. This is a time where you can make new friends or talk to your friends you already established. Also, this is a time where people are singing and dancing to classic songs that everyone loves. You would be surprised on how many new dance moves I gotten from daylongs. In addition, daylongs are not only just a party, it is also a stress reliever. Doing work for 4-5 days in a row will instantly make someone feel stressed out. Especially, if a person has been studying at the HUB for hours. So, daylongs will help take your mind off of the future homework assignments and exams and easily get you in a better mood. Therefore, daylongs aren't as bad as some people make it seem.Finally, there are less hook-ups at daylongs than there are night time parties. So, overall, to ban daylongs is not the main threat compared to the other necessities the IFC should focus on.

For example, the IFC should focus on how to make a balance between the students respecting IFC and the rules but also the IFC respecting the students. Some of the people in the IFC ben a college student so they know what it is like to want to have fun. However, they still got to do their jobs. It is impossible for the IFC to do their jobs if the people are making it hard for them. Constant "F*** IFC" chants roars every time a party gets shut down. That is not the IFC fault that the students are getting irresponsible. On the other hand, the children are still young so it makes sense on why they find that being young is a completely understandable justification for their actions.

Pi Lamb Daylong that caused all Daylongs to be banned

In conclusion, Penn State daylongs is symbolically of our pride. We daylong in order to separate us from other schools. It has been a well known tradition that Penn States daylong consisting of shorts, jerseys and awesome hats. This is where people can actually dress to impress. It is awesome. Therefore, there is a petition going around trying to fix the sanction by the IFC and if you love daylongs like I do, then sign it!

My Room. My Rules.

No Specific Roommate Request 

"I hate my roommate!!! She is the worse!!" My friend back at home told me on the phone. "How is your roommate?" She asks. "My roommate is awesome! I love him like a brother!"

Going in to Penn State, I didn't know anyone. Because of this, when it was time to request a specific roommate, I had to go in random. This was so scary for me because it could either work two ways for me: I could either hate the way how the person lives or we could work amazing well. For me, I am a handful.

My Roommate

I listen to loud music, stay up late at night, party every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, sometimes I get junky, always have company, and the list continues. Because of this, I know it could work or could fail depending on the characteristics my roommate has.

But it was absolutely a match made in heaven. I am able to do everything I want without no restrictions nor do I have to worry about infuriating my roommate since we get along so well. We literally breakfast, lunch, and diner together, we party together, and watch Netflix together.

So when I here people tell me that they are having roommate problems, it makes me so grateful that I have a roommate that's exactly analogous to me. But it makes you wonder: what happens if I had a roommate that's completely antithesis of me? Would I hate Penn State because of me having horrible experiences with my roommate since I wouldn't be able to express myself? Would I have different friends that I have now and wouldn't nearly meet the people that I became so close with today? Would I have to call my mom everyday trying to find solutions to fix our problems if we did has some?

It puts everything in such a different perspective. It really is amazing how everything happens for a reason. Especially since your morale affects the way how you view things. So, if you are having a bad day, then you are more likely to view things more negatively than usual. Therefore, a person can absolutely hate Penn State if they are having mini problems like roommate problems.

Imaging the inverse. Instead of you hating the way how your roommate lives, imagine if your roommate hates you! Imagine your roommate telling you constantly to turn down your music or you can't have company at certain times of the day or you got to go to sleep earlier since they got morning class. It can be completely horrible not only for you, but your roommate as well.

People on my floor and my RA

Or even better, you have the perfect roommate but the people on your floor are completely annoying. Imagine having neighbors that tells you to keep your music down or say that you are too loud. They are people that literally goes through these problems but not for me. I have the perfect floor, perfect room, perfect RA and perfect building, which is Sproul Hall. Everyone is so considerate and understanding of ones personal life and is always there for one another whenever there is a problem. I'm so happy how everything turned out. I hope you guys don't have problems either!

Being a Black at Penn State

"Apply to a historically black college" my uncles always told me. "You will feel more at home since you are surrounded with those that are just like you."

HBC

So, when I made my college decision, I already acknowledge the fact that I am going to be at a school where there are not too many people of my color. It is mainly going to be caucasians, which is weird for me because I grew up in a neighborhood predominately African Americans and Hispanics.

Old Racist signs in the Past

Racism still exists. Some people believe the opposite since it is not common for people to be straightforward with their beliefs or be extremely aggressive with their ideologies as it was in the past. There are not, for what I know of,  people running around calling Mexicans spics or calling African Americans niggers or calling whites crackers and so on due to the fact that there will be harsh criticisms or judgements amongst the people that do so.

Instead, it is very subtle. I love being a student at Penn State. I love the students, teachers, the environment, and everything about it. However, there are scenarios where me being a minority plays a huge factor on the way how I am viewed.

My friends and I in front of the We Are Statue

For example, when I am at parties, some males and females expect me to be automatically amazing at dancing. Well, I heard people tell me I am a good dancer, but to make the assumption that I know how to "dab", a specific dance that is created by minorities, is kinda offensive.

"Dabbing"

Or my favorite, are you on the football team? Don't get me wrong, I would love to be on the football team. However, I am not. Some football players literally made it to Penn State due to the fact that they are extremely athletic. It is to a point where their grades our ignored since Penn State needs stellar athletes to represent our school. So, the connotation behind it can be seen as some what offensive if I am linked to this reason on how I made it to Penn State.

But the thin line that really distinguish if something can be considered racist or not is based off a person's judgement. Someone can literally read this blog post, and wonder how do these examples make someone seem racist? On the other hand, other people can agree and realize that not all black people are amazing dancers or all because I am a big black person, that does not mean that I play football. Why can't I be a big soccer player? Or why not a lacrosse defender? Why football? The main point of this blog is to emphasize that of course, being a minority has its perks and weaknesses, but for those minorities that pulls the race card every time, sometimes the situation is not always racist. However, sometimes it is. It is not a thing we can surpass since some people's ignorance is not intentional, they just simply do not know better. But you got to learn how to cope and adapt.

Not every minority can fit in a predominately white school like Penn State, but I can. I love the people here at Penn State. Of course I notice color, but it is not going to make me want to stop talking to you because your race is different from mine. However, being a minority can be hard so I just want everyone to not show affirmative action towards us, but to be respectful and more understanding of us. That's all. Its hard being in an environment where there are not too many people of color, so it is hard to relate or get us because of this. But there is a certain way how to show respect. It is not what you say, it is about how you say it.

Do you want a Drink?

When I got accepted to Penn State in February, I literally cried. It wasn't tear of depression, it was tears of joy. I felt like all of my hard work  spent on homework assignments, quizzes, and exams I took in high school was finally worth it. People from my city was proud of me, and I couldn't wait to go to college.

Now, before I went to college, I was always in an environment where smoking marijuana was always condone. Of course, some people drank Hennessy and Cîroc, but it was nothing too extreme that will make me scared for my friends' liver.  However, as soon as I came to Penn State, that all changed.

Before I continue, I never tried drinking any type of liquor or smoked any substance. I been straight edge for 18 years straight, and expect to continue so. However, living at Penn State, it is extremely hard continuing this path because underage drinking is a norm here. I never seen so much people that are enamored with drinking beer and liquor. Liquor is at parties, dorm rooms, and even disguised in the form of Gatorade( this is called a chaser). There is no escaping from it. I guess you can say that it is justifiable since we work hard during the week days so it is fair that we drink on the weekends, but still.

One of my closest friends named Kyle has the worst bladder due to all of the drinking he has done. He literally has to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes since the alcohol already did damage to his liver. Kyle is not the only one that had severe affects done to his body. Other people are nearly addicted to alcohol and literally can not stop even if they tried. Nothing is wrong with an occasional drink here and there, but chugging 12 Natty lights at a party and pre game before is literally destroying your body.

Beer chug

When I am at parties, people wonder how am I dancing sober and enjoying everything that goes on without alcohol consumption. Don't get me wrong, there are temptations that make me want to fall in this peer pressure since EVERYONE is literally drinking, but I am still determined to continue being straight edge. But the question I always think of at night is: who gets more respect? Those that never tried drinking before or those that can chug a beer keg non stop?

Why not just try it? Technically, everything we eat destroys our body in some type of fashion. Technically getting drunk is classified as "living life". What's the harm? Those that took a sip of alcohol yesterday are still walking today? Of course there might be that annoying hangover, but isn't it worth the legendary night you had before? I don't know... I just feel like I don't have to drink due to the fact that this is what makes me stand out from the rest. I like the fact that I don't fall into peer pressure, that I can have a good time being sober, that I still got the same confidence I have now to talk to a female at a party. People tell me that they drink due to the fact that they become more sociable instead of reclusive. Some people tell me that they literally hate the taste of beer, but they continue to do it because they feel better when they are more "lose". But I am not like those people. I don't need alcohol to have those characteristics because I exemplify that on a daily basis. I am Khalil Dunham-Carson. I'm not you. But I never judge those that do drink since that's your own decision, but all because everyone else is doing it, that doesn't mean I have too.

Frat Row

"Why did you come to Penn State?" is a question that is always asked by everyone at State College. The typical response: "I came to get a great education and party." Of course everyone knows that Penn State is great for its education. We are ranked 47 in the United States by U.S.News and world report and is known for its amazing business programs like Smeal College. However, some people do not know what the party actually consists of.  Welcome to Frat Row.

First off, Frat Row is short for fraternity row, and it is basically all fraternities in one designated area of campus. Penn State is known for its large philanthropy that consists of fraternities and sororities. Because of this, thousands and maybe even millions of dollars are invested in these fraternities' houses that has been here since 1855. Every greek organization has their own purpose that distinguishes their fraternities from others. However, no one really cares about that. They care about the parties.

Every fraternity is ranked by other people that went to these fraternities when they partied. They get evaluated on how attractive the guys and the females are, how hard they can party, and if liquor and alcohol is still in existence after several hours of the party. Because of this, the higher the tier of the fraternity, the more exclusive it is for someone to get in there. You must know a brother in these fraternities and hopefully, because sometimes it is a closed social, they will let you in.

                                           A tier ranking list that is MOSTLY agreed on

                                                         

The blatant truth is if you do not know anyone at these higher tiers party, then you are not getting in. It doesn't matter how much you can bench press, how cool you are. If you do not know a brother, then that is when people at the door will treat you like a nobody depending on how high the fraternity is on the ranking system. So, you sort of have to have a name or a reputation to get in.

                         A preview of some of the brothers I have in my phone from different frats

Luckily for me, I am pretty popular for an average freshman that is not on the football team. I made a lot of connections so that I can get to the best of the best parties and have fun. However, it sucks that these parties are literally sickening to be part of. I see some of the most stuck up, racist, ignorant, drunk, drugged out people that I have ever seen in my life. Don't get me wrong, not every fraternity is like this, it could just be the ones that I attend to, and not everyone is like that. However, when you become so embedded in this lifestyle, you see the secret truth in these parties: people are looking for acceptance. People think that getting themselves in a position of power will make them happy, will make them get their dream girl. They think that being on a certain level of "high" will erase all of their problems. You can say frat row is an escape from responsibilities and reality. However, this illusion of a second world is not worth the disrespect for the way how women and randoms are treated. I don't know... I feel disgusting that I am enamored with this life style. We are Penn State right? I have to conform with this mentality in order to have fun right? Who knows... I love it when I know I shouldn't. KDC.

                                                                PIKE(Pi Kappa Alpha)