Gift Guide

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With Christmas right around the corner, and Hanaukah already begun, presents are on everyone's mind. Here are a few ideas of what to get for some of the people in your life.

Parents:
They might appreciate some of your school paraphenelia, such as a bumber sticker, license plate frame, or a sweatshirt. Buy at your bookstore if you can get a student deal (there might be extra discounts near the end of the semester) or, if your school is better known, shop around for the best deal.

Friends:
If they are also in school, then gift cards are an excellent choice. Get one for the restaurant students like to hang out at, or for iTunes or Amazon.com. Some places, including Kroger and Giant Eagle will offer money off of your next gas purchase if you spend enough on gift cards, so check out those places first.

Groups:
Are you president of a club and need to get gifts for all of the members? This is what I did one year: I went to a dollar store and bought the needed number of decorative jars, and then bought a bunch of bags of candy to fill it up. I think I spent about ten dollars on six gifts.

Sister:
Whether older or younger, you can't really go wrong with makeup or jewlery. Make it age appropriate and something you know she will like. You can get a wide range of products at a nearby drugstore.

Brother:
Chances are, your brother loves movies. Find him a DVD of some lesser known movie that is in his favorite genre. These will be well-priced and often available in the discount store of anywhere from Blockbuster to your local grocery store.

Related articles

• The 20 Gift Cards Consumers Want Most [STUDY] (mashable.com)
• Dealing with the best and worst gift cards (msnbc.msn.com)

Student Government

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Almost every college and university out there has a student government of some kind. The power and prestige of these organizations varies between schools, as does how they function. In some schools, the elections are nothing more than a popularity contest. At other schools, student government actually has some level of control over the administration.

No matter what kind of reputation your school's student government has, I would recomend getting involved, even if just by attending meetings. You will hear all kinds of rumors about what your Student Government is like, and while a lot of it will be true,  some will also be assumptions, opinions or false. It's best to find out for yourself.

No matter what they student government is like, you can still have a role in it, and therefore a role in changing your school. So talk to a current member and find out how you can get involved or learn more.