He was only 18 when his life changed forever.

South Padre, Texas, was Dustin Faurote’s destination of choice for his first spring break. However, one life-altering accident and 11 years later, Dustin describes the beach as overrated.

Dustin said he was having fun diving in the ocean with friends when disaster struck. One of the waves pulled him down, causing him to hit his head on the sandbar and break his neck.

“But luckily there was a lifeguard on duty. Me,” Faurote said with a smirk. “There wasn’t any lifeguard, but I was a swimmer and a lifeguard, and I just think it was funny that I was the one that got hurt.”

Following his accident, Dustin was pulled out of the water by his friends and airlifted to a hospital. Dustin said that the odds of him even being able to breath on his own were pretty bleak.

Andrew Lindenberg, a senior from Fort Wayne majoring in medical imaging at IPFW, was among Dustin’s many friends at home who were surprised to hear the news.

“I was shocked because him being the person that he was, so active and outgoing, to have something as tragic as that happen to him, it was kinda crazy,” Lindenberg said. “When we first found out, they weren’t 100 percent sure what was gonna really happen to him, because of the fact that the injury was so severe.”

Dustin said he only had a few months of high school left before he was going to attend college to become a physical therapist. However, his plans changed after his accident, when the best-case scenario became breathing on his own and possibly moving his arms.

Now, after eight months of physical therapy in Atlanta, and another couple of years once he returned home to Fort Wayne, he has regained some arm and torso movement as well as control of random muscle groups in his legs.

Dustin said he has walked six very difficult steps since his accident, but relies heavily on his wheelchair. He said with a lot of time and money he could become more mobile in the future.

While Dustin recovered well from his accident, he said the change from his previously active lifestyle was a difficult adjustment.

“It was hard going from benching 285 and running an 18:07 5K, to not being able to feed myself or breath without a ventilator. I missed the ache of a good workout,” Dustin said, “but it was weird being told I’m lucky, and thinking I’m lucky, when I started wiggling toes, lifting my arms, feeling drops of water on my legs, and turning my head.”

Dustin described physical therapy as uncomfortable. He said relearning everything was difficult, but the hardest part was admitting that he needed help.

“I have always been really independent because my mom has always been a single mom working two jobs. I would come home, do my homework, make something to eat, clean up the house, and then do whatever for my mom when she got home,” Dustin said. “Not needing my mom kind of accidentally instilled that you need to rely on yourself. You can count on people, but don’t always depend on others.”

Despite his physical limitations, Dustin has maintained the same independent attitude he’s always had, thanks to the help of Granite Ridge Builders, who he said volunteered to build a new, accessible house for him.

Dustin is currently a senior at IPFW, pursuing a degree in secondary education. He said he hopes to find a job teaching in the area, and to maybe one day feel like an adult.

“One of my biggest hope-to-do things is get back to physical therapy, because I have been able to walk before,” Dustin said, “and I know it’s not that big of a deal, but it’s one of those things that I want to be able to do. To say that as long as you work for it.”

Active Minds will be hosting a movie night on campus April 20 from 6- 8 p.m. in Walb 114, to introduce the group to students, as well as give students time to relax.

Active Minds is a student organization, in conjunction with the Student Assistance Program, are about promoting awareness for mental health. They also provide awareness to suicide prevention as well.

The student organization puts on one movie night per semester. They will be showing “Big Hero 6”.

President Manal Saeed said it is a recruiting tool, but is more of a night to discuss mental health themes within the film and just have fun.

“We usually take the movie apart,” Saeed said. “We will talk about the common themes. If anything, it’s like a fun night out.”

Saeed said there will also be a counselor present just in case anyone is triggered during the movie.

Past movies they have shown with mental health themes include “Inside Out” and “Good Will Hunting.”

Courtney Seymour, vice president, agrees with Saeed, stating that the fun from the movie will lead to having facilitated discussion about mental health issues.

“I’m glad we choose the certain movies we do. We chose it because we obviously want to relate it to mental health, but do want to make it fun,” Seymour said. “It is like our way to opening up the floor about mental health.”

Active Minds Secretary Damini Handa said her favorite part of the movie night is how people have different perspectives on the themes in the film. It allows a person to be vulnerable.

“It’s really interesting to see. You hear 20 other students, faculty or whoever is attending from a different angle,” Handa said. “That’s exposure to a lot of different things.”

Saeed said she agrees with Handa, saying that people’s reactions will differ from one another. However, Active Minds puts emphasis into having fun in all their events. Saeed said they are never boring.

“There is always laughs. We always want to have fun,” Saeed said. “We just want to spread that. If anything, they are having a fun night out.”

Although Active Minds is creating awareness for mental illness and educating students, the night can also be used as a chance to just simply relax and enjoy.

“It just an open-ended discussion, but it is also an hour and a half just to chill and relax and be able to take your mind away from things,” Seymour said. “It’s a way to watch something educational yet fun.”

Seymour said their movie nights’ average about 20-30 people. She said having a large attendance is not a priority, but would like to see it increase.

“We just want as many people to come willingly,” Seymour said. “Whoever comes we would love to talk to them about Active Minds and talk about the movie.”

People too often assume it affects only women.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, over 10 million men will suffer from some kind of eating disorder in their lifetime.  This includes anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating.

Judy Tillapaugh, IPFW wellness and fitness coordinator, is also a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer. She meets with students and faculty on campus to talk about personal fitness, and to improve the body image of her patients.

“Listening to students, listening to faculty and staff, I feel that in general our population is similar to the nation’s population that the majority of people do have body dissatisfaction,” Tillapaugh said.

Tillapaugh said she believes men’s body image is an especially underreported topic, in comparison to women’s body image. Their goals are different too. Women typically want to lose more weight while men want to be more muscular.

She believes a number of factors contribute to these ideals.

“I think that it’s not one factor but a number of factors that contribute, but it’s a combination,” Tillapaugh said. “Social, cultural, people’s time in their life, there is no one factor.”

Jake McDougald, an OLS senior from Auburn, agrees.

“I guess it depends on the situation,” McDougald said. “I think as far as if a guy or girl, which one cares the most, it just depends on the personality of the person.”

McDougald said he has a positive view of his body image, but continues to enhance it. He works out and eats healthy, so he can feel better about himself and comfortable in his own skin.

He said his relationship status has an impact on maintaining his weight.

“When I was single, I was able, that’s all I would do, work, workout, then go to school,” McDougald said. “Back then I’d cook up my meal for the next few days, granted it was basically the same thing, but you know it didn’t bug me. Because when you have someone else cooking with you, you can’t have that same meal every day.”

Zack Yahi, a freshmen general studies major from Fort Wayne, also believes that relationship status has an effect on how he sees himself.

“I’m self-conscious because I notice a lot of the guys around me are fit, or toned up, and they’re good looking,” Yahi said. “When I look at myself, I’m not. It has a negative effect on me.”

Yahi said he thinks the problem affects more than just gay single men. But he feels the gay community focuses on looks, which contributes to body image.

According to the journal Body Image, a study with 38 straight and 38 gay college men was conducted to test their body image using factors such as media influence and media exposure. Gay men scored highest in all categories, which suggests they are more susceptible to poor body image and media influence.

To enhance his body, Yahi said he goes to the gym, watches what he eats, and keeps his hair trimmed. He feels his body image is negative, but improving.

“I feel like I have a little extra weight here and there but don’t like that about myself, but recently I just came to terms with it,” Yahi said. “You have to love yourself for others to love you.”

According to Business Insider, career fairs present great opportunities for students and employers. Putting this message to the test, IPFW Career Services has hosted an the IPFW Industry Fair for the past several years.

This year’s Industry Fair differs from the past events. IPFW CSC collectively decided to move the event to the IPFW International Ballroom, and make the event industry specific.

Those at the Industry Fair seemed to enjoy the intimate students and employers quickly filled the room to engage in conversation.

“This is an excellent setup we have this year,” Dr. Eric Norman, the chief of student affairs, said.

Dr. Norman said he could instantly feel the closeness in the room.

“The lighting and the warmth and intimacy of being here in the ballroom really brings a different vibe than we’ve had in past years,” Norman said. “Which I think is a huge benefit.”

Director of Career Services Ashley Calderon also shared her excitement about the new setup, but said that employers will have the final say.

“The setup we have is really cool and different than past years,” Calderon said, “but ultimately we want to know if the setup pleases the vendors because without them we wouldn’t be able to put on this event.”

The IPFW First Destination Survey says just around 89 percent of IPFW graduates are employed in Northeast Indiana. This makes it important for IPFW to bring in many local businesses in order for students in the area to make connections that are close to home.

Nancy Schmidt, who represented the Fort Wayne City Department at the fair, stated just how important these connections are.

“This fair is a great way for students to get out and get a good idea of jobs and positions that are open in the area,” Schmidt said. “Even though this year’s fair is industry specific, you never know who you might meet.”

Positivity seemed to surround the event’s new setup and concentrated agenda, as chattering and smiles were abundant. IPFW student Zack Sarra expressed his appreciation of the event’s great opportunities.

“The setup is pretty nice,” Sarra said. “It’s so much more cozy to have the fair in here instead of in the gym like past years.”

Sarra also believed that the focus to one specific job field was more beneficial to him as a student.

“For me, every vendor in here is right in the career path I want to follow,” Sarra said. “This fair eliminates some of the guesswork and allows me to go straight to the employers I want to talk to.”

According to Job Mob, students should use the job fairs as an opportunity to hone their interviewing skills, while also getting help with their resume.

“I think students should still come out to the fair, even if we don’t have anything in their field at the moment,” Director Calderon said. “At the bare minimum, they can get help with improving their resume and work on their interviewing skills.”

It’s gaining popularity at IPFW despite a lack of support.

While living a vegan lifestyle may be a breeze at schools like the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, students at IPFW have far fewer vegan options.

According to Google, searches for the term “vegan” increased by 32 percent in the past year. In addition, orders for PETA UK’s vegan starter kits have increased from 14,000 in 2013 to 35,000 in 2015, according to its website.

“It’s so easy,” said Zoya Chicks, a freshman industrial design major at MIAD. “It’s hard to think about even not being able to eat vegan, especially since I’m in the city. There are so many vegan options.”

The MIAD cafeteria offers an array of vegan options, ranging from salad bars, vegan pastries, and vegan sandwiches. Chicks also said that some field trips offered only vegan options to students, and described her school as supportive.

However, this is not the case in her hometown of Muskego, Wisconsin. Chicks said being vegan was impossible, and that friends had difficulty making the dietary change too, due to the lack of options.

This same lack of vegan options is prevalent at IPFW, said Aubrey Brinneman, an IPFW senior nursing student from Fort Wayne.

Brinneman said vegan options on-campus are non-existent, making a vegan lifestyle inconvenient but not out of the question.

“I make really good food, but it’s hard to find that, especially here at school,” Brinneman said. “And I think that, from what I know, there are a lot of vegan and vegetarian students here. But no options.”

Brinneman said most vegans at IPFW are used to bringing their own food to campus, but it is hard when they are studying for long hours. She said it would be nice not to have to drive off-campus in order to find vegan choices, which is inconvenient and time-consuming.

However, Brinneman doesn’t see IPFW’s lack of options as the biggest obstacle in being vegan.

“Most of the time that we do struggle is not with eating out,” Brinneman said, “but with going to family member’s houses.”

Judy Tillapaugh, a licensed dietician at IPFW, said the majority of families in the area tend to follow a meat-based diet. Because of this, she said the smaller number of vegans in Fort Wayne compared to other areas could have to do with both social and cultural factors.

Both Brinneman and Chicks described a lack of support from their families who eat meat. However, both stated that eating a vegan diet itself was not as difficult as they had thought it would be.

Brinneman said lack of awareness probably has a lot to do with why fewer people in Fort Wayne are vegan than in other places. However, she said people have appeared interested in the diet, and often come to her with questions.

“When you teach them that there’s meals that are easy and delicious and cheap too, it’s really easy for people to make that connection and make the switch,” Brinneman said while smiling. “In the past year-and-a-half, I personally know five more people that have become vegan, and it’s definitely growing.”

Event for vegans and vegetarians:

• “Where Do You Get Your Protein: Chickpea Cooking Demo”
• For anyone wanting to add more protein and whole foods to their diet
• 3405 Sun Valley Drive, Fort Wayne
• From 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday
• To learn more about the vegan community at IPFW, view the Fort Wayne and NE Indiana Vegans and Vegetarians Facebook group.

The Student Senate reviewed and approved the Allocation Committee’s final budget request for the next school year.

Over the past couple months, IPFW organization members have been presenting their budget requests to the committee.

The Allocation Committee received $1,015,226.50 of requests from organizations and only had a budget of $842,412.83.

Victoria Spencer, IPSGA coordinator, said the committee did well, and were thoughtful in their deliberations.

“They went into it very frugally minded to find cost savings to try to balance the budget,” she said. “They had to reconcile more than a million dollars in requests with less than $850,000.”

Spencer said the budget has been approved by the Student Senate and it will go to the office of the dean of students, Eric Norman. It will then be passed to Chancellor Vicky Carwein, and will head to Purdue to be finalized.

“Generally, once the senate approves it, changes are not made,” she said. “This is more of a student lead process and the institution has respected that.”

The biggest budget cut was to the IPSGA student activities board. They received $200,000 total, for next school year. The budget is $24,800 less than they received this year.

Maggie Baren, vice president of programming, said as long as members know how to shop around and have people who understand the circumstances, they can still do a lot with what they have.

“We were rather fortunate this year,” Baren said. “For homecoming, we spent significantly less than what we were allocated. It goes to show that you can put on a pretty awesome event rather than to spend a substantial amount of money.”

Baren said students should not know a difference in the cut the student activities board received. The members on the board know ways to continue to give out awesome merchandise without going over the budget.

The IPSGA senate also received a cut to their budget. They will get $50,000 next school year, $14,000 less than what they had this year.

Alexander Sanderson, vice president of legislation, said he is not really happy, but understands what they received such a large cut.

He said about one-sixth of their budget went to programs requesting money. This year the student senate set an amendment which lowers the funding cap for an organization based on the money they received the last couple years. This prevents the senate from losing most of their funding to support organizations.

“It should not affect anyone trying to start a program,” Sanderson said. “In regards to funding, programs can still ask but the cap will be less. We hope this will get programs to be a little self-efficient.”

James Hoppes, vice president of finance, said the IPSGA is always the first branch to make sacrifices in terms of the budget.

“When it comes to the IPSGA budgets, they tend to ask for more money, with the mindset that they will be getting cut down,” he said. “All three go into it asking for more just so they can get cut and hopefully get a number that they actually need.”

Hoppes said with the decrease in the budget, they will have less flexibility with spending and helping assist programs. Just because an organization’s budget dropped does not mean they disapprove the program. It is because they do not have enough money.

Hoppes said there are a lot of unknowns about the budget for next spring.

“It is hard to say because of the whole university split,” he said. “It could be higher or it could be lower. It also depends on banded tuition because it may effect student fees. It is just too early to tell.”