**African Library Project leaders begin book donation**

PENN STATE UNIVERSITY —- Many countries in Africa have low literacy rates, but now Penn State students have the opportunity to help change that statistic.

Penn State’s African Library Project leaders, like President Michael Gottfried, are encouraging students to donate books that will be shipped to schools and villages in Africa to be used to open libraries.

During his freshman year, Gottfried collected 10,221 books in his hometown in New Jersey for the national African Library Project. The next year, he collected 4,394 books.

Gottfried said the club collects children’s books from kindergarten through the 8th grade level to encourage reading at a young age.

Treasurer Amanda Eshbaugh said it requires 1,000 books to start a library and $500 for its shipping cost. The group’s goal is to collect at least 12,000 books and raise $6,000, Eshbaugh said.

The books will be shipped to Ghana, Swaziland, Botswana and Malawi, a few African countries partnered with the African Library Project, Eshbaugh said.

–The Daily Collegian
By Donghee Lee

**Bodies react to finals with stress, director suggests ways to cope**

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE — The week of non-stop exams, papers and presentations known as finals is enough to make even the most level-headed student feel a bit on edge. According to Catherine DeCleene, director of Women’s Health at Saint Mary’s College, stress is the body’s natural response to these psychological demands.

“When our bodies and minds deal with stress on a constant basis, it starts taking a toll, both physically and mentally,” she said.

DeCleene said stress is a normal part of life that can sometimes have benefits.

“At its best, stress provides us with the means to express our talent and energy to pursue those things we want,” she said. “It can compel us to action and focus our intentions.”

DeCleene said unrelated stress-inducing events can compound the effects.

“If we don’t begin to implement coping or stress-reduction strategies at this point, the stress can build to the point where more serious physical and emotional problems appear,” DeCleene said.

“Make sure you have some fun to break up the work,” she said. “Maintain a hobby, join a team or spend time with friends.”

–The Observer
By Anna Boarini

**Sugary drinks may hurt women**

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA — Popular sugary drinks could have harmful long-term implications for women, including heart disease and a high risk for diabetes, according to a study by an OU Health Sciences Center professor.

OU public health professor Christina Shay was the lead author on a study presented to the American Heart Association conference in November. In the study, she found women who drink more than two sugary drinks a day have more health complications.

“There were two things we saw: an increased risk of high triglycerides in the blood and a high risk of pre-diabetes, which is one step before diabetes,” Shay said. “This was only in the women and only in those that drank two or more sugary drinks a day.”

About 25 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and about two million more are diagnosed every year, according to the National Diabetes Association. Oklahoma ranks in the top 20 states for diabetes-related deaths.

This study was part of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and surveyed more than 4,000 men and women and asked if they consumed more than two sugary drinks, classified as soda, sweetened-mineral water and non-alcoholic beer, Shay said. Though not listed, other sugary drinks include sports and energy drinks and sweetened tea.

–The Oklahoma Daily
By Kathleen Evans