Students flexed their biceps and contracted their abs while testing their fitness against the Army's standards Monday.

Approximately 25 JBU students, consisting of 22 men and three women, entered John Brown University's first ROTC Challenge, a competition held at 5 p.m. in the parking lot by the tennis courts and sponsored by the JBU ROTC Club.

ROTC cadet Daniel Burkholder, a junior who organized the event, said that Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC) cadets ran the competition as students engaged the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), comprised of two minutes of sit-ups, two minutes of pushups and an approximately two-mile run.

Participants were graded on the official Army Physical Fitness Test scoring, with a score of 250 being a passing score for an ROTC cadet, Burkholder said.

Freshman Chris Kinzer led the men with 268 points, next was senior Justin Thompson with 263. Senior Hannah Cole took first place for the women with a score of 279, and Junior Christa Slagter placed next with 263. The women were scored on a different scale than the men.

ROTC cadets take the APFT two or three times per semester. Not only is it for a grade in their ROTC class, but they have to pass in order to keep their scholarships. A high score, taken into account with their GPAs and other criteria is influential in how much of a choice cadets have in what branch of the Army they will go into, Burkholder said.

Burkholder said the ROTC Club began last semester, and the ROTC Challenge was the first event for it to host. The club netted approximately $30 after spending some of the earnings on Wal-Mart gift cards as prizes for the winners.

When asked how the Challenge participants' scores compared with those of the ROTC cadets on campus, he said that the top finishers finished about equivalent to the average ROTC cadet.

Sophomore ROTC cadet Isaac Goff said that the club charged a $3 entrance fee with the fundraising goal being to raise money for color guard equipment.

Burkholder didn't know how much money was needed for the equipment but said that purchasing complete equipment was a long-term goal. He hoped the JBU ROTC cadets could borrow some equipment from the University of Arkansas until they had enough money for their own.

Upon attaining the color guard equipment, the ROTC cadets would like to open up games such as the TP Game, the first soccer game of the season and Homecoming games.

He added that the club's goal for the event was not as much about the money as it was about making JBU students aware of the ROTC Club's presence on campus.

"If we had more than five [participants] show up, I would be happy," Burkholder said. "It was a good showing."

The ROTC Club plans to hold additional events to raise money for and awareness of the club. Because JBU ROTC cadets are part of the ROTC program at UA, Burkholder said that they had not been recognized in the past as a JBU program.

ROTC cadets on campus hope to hold more events like the ROTC Challenge as steps to making their own identity on campus.

"We're trying to grow out of just being individuals who wear the uniform now and then," Burkholder said. "We want people to know what we do, why we do it and who we are."

With the demands of a busy semester piling on top of students, some have found little time to go the cafeteria during the day to eat. Brett Brundige, Aramark Food Services Director, said that this dilemma calls for a convenient meal on-the-go option
for students.

Brundige said that, about thirty students are already using the sack lunch option, which is the equivalent of one meal off their meal plan. This includes a sandwich, fruit, chips, dessert and drink in a paper bag.

However, a new alternative is going to be available for students who would like more say in what they eat.

Beginning Monday, Nov. 2, students can sign up for a program that allows them to come into the cafeteria and fill up a durable, reusable to-go container. The cashier will scan the student's card and keep it until he or she exits the cafeteria. If you take longer than ten minutes to fill the container, then they have to assume that you are eating in the cafeteria and then taking extra food with you. This is not allowed, Brundige said.

Additionally, students have to limit themselves to two entrees with an unrestricted amount of side dishes, Brundige said. The box just has to be closed.

"I don't want students to take advantage of this option," Brudige said. "If students are using this to do their grocery shopping, then we will have a problem."

A benefit to this selection, Brundige said, is that students do not have to clean the container. They simply drop it off at either the California CafŽ or the cafeteria. Then they receive either a voucher for their next to-go meal or a clean box.

This program has had success at schools such as Baylor University (Texas) and UNC Chapel Hill (N.C.), so Brundige does not assume that this will be a tough transition.

"This option is convenient, and it puts sustainable thoughts in people's heads," Brundige said. "I want it to be a success."

With the demands of a busy semester piling on top of students, some have found little time to go the cafeteria during the day to eat. Brett Brundige, Aramark Food Services Director, said that this dilemma calls for a convenient meal on-the-go option
for students.

Brundige said that, about thirty students are already using the sack lunch option, which is the equivalent of one meal off their meal plan. This includes a sandwich, fruit, chips, dessert and drink in a paper bag.

However, a new alternative is going to be available for students who would like more say in what they eat.

Beginning Monday, Nov. 2, students can sign up for a program that allows them to come into the cafeteria and fill up a durable, reusable to-go container. The cashier will scan the student's card and keep it until he or she exits the cafeteria. If you take longer than ten minutes to fill the container, then they have to assume that you are eating in the cafeteria and then taking extra food with you. This is not allowed, Brundige said.

Additionally, students have to limit themselves to two entrees with an unrestricted amount of side dishes, Brundige said. The box just has to be closed.

"I don't want students to take advantage of this option," Brudige said. "If students are using this to do their grocery shopping, then we will have a problem."

A benefit to this selection, Brundige said, is that students do not have to clean the container. They simply drop it off at either the California CafŽ or the cafeteria. Then they receive either a voucher for their next to-go meal or a clean box.

This program has had success at schools such as Baylor University (Texas) and UNC Chapel Hill (N.C.), so Brundige does not assume that this will be a tough transition.

"This option is convenient, and it puts sustainable thoughts in people's heads," Brundige said. "I want it to be a success."

Funk explained that there were two types of flu contained in any flu vaccines - attenuated (weak) virus and inactive (killed) virus.

Flu-mist, which is sprayed into the nose, is an attenuated virus that is a "cold-adapted strain." This means that the virus is alive but can only replicate for a short amount of time in low temperature areas of the body, such as the nose but not in the lungs. One's immune system can recognizes the "weak" virus and create antibodies to kill it. Funk said that the attenuated virus, while for a small percentage of people can cause some side effects, was safe.

According to a fact sheet released by the Center for Disease Control in January 2008, the spray vaccine for the flu cannot give you influenza, but "mild and short-lasting" side effects can occur.

It said that some children and young adults, 2 to 17 years of age, as well as adults 18 to 49 years of age, have reported a runny nose or nasal congestion, cough, chills, tiredness/weakness, sore throat and headache after receiving the spray vaccine.

Funk said the injected flu vaccine contains the inactive virus, which the body recognizes and creates antibodies to combat.

The CDC fact sheet said that the inactivated flu vaccine cannot give someone the flu, but some have sore red arms following the injection and that rare symptoms were fever, muscle pain or feelings of discomfort and weakness.

It said that those who did get influenza following the nasal spray or injection were either already exposed to the virus prior to getting the shot or were exposed to a flu strain not covered by that year's batch of vaccine.

Instructor of biology Jane Beers explained how someone could not be covered by the seasonal vaccine by explaining the "guessing game" method the CDC goes through to make it.

She said the CDC travels to China to places where a lot of birds migrate, and where people live closely with their livestock under the same roof - the reason viruses jump species. Every year the CDC checks which are the most dominant influenza strains that they think will be coming around during flu season and put them into the vaccine.

"If you've had a couple of flu shots, you've had a fair number of the combinations," Beers said.

Funk and Beers both said that most fear of vaccines was unfounded, but also pointed out that vaccines don't always work.

"Are they perfect? No. And there are issues where sometimes they have had issues in the past...It takes some testing," Beers said.

Beers said she had never gotten a flu vaccine because she never gets sick and that works for her, but said if she was in a position of being particularly susceptible to influenza, such as being on chemotherapy, having HIV/AIDS, being older or having respiratory problems, she would go and get the flu vaccine.

Guinn and Funk also said that while healthy young students can debate whether or not it is worth getting the vaccine, those who are high risk, such as those with weak immune systems, the elderly and people with asthma should get the seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine.