The Rocky Mountain Collegian

McKissick: Goodbye, Collegian — keep on keeping on

Nathaniel McKissick, Collegian Columnist • May 4, 2022

The Collegian put me in touch with people I'd never know otherwise and taught me valuable lessons about journalism, AP Style and sourcing. Goodbye, Collegian!

McKissick: It’s OK to not have a 5-year plan post-graduation

Nathaniel McKissick, Collegian Columnist • May 2, 2022

Graduation can be a fun, scary and exciting time. Some students have their first job in the workforce lined up before the day of commencement rolls around, while others are absolutely uncertain of what comes next. Maybe you’re one of those people who live by their five-year plan. Maybe you’ve planned for this moment for years, and you know exactly what comes next for you, how you’re going to get it and what it’ll lead to.

McKissick: Too much sex positivity can be a bad thing

Nathaniel McKissick, Collegian Columnist • April 24, 2022

Sex positivity is reaching new peaks on the internet. People everywhere of all gender identities and sexualities are joining sites like JustFor.Fans or OnlyFans to post pornographic content of themselves. The number of content creators on OnlyFans more than tripled from May 2020 to September of last year, and while the ratio of pornographic to nonpornographic content hasn’t been made available, the website is nearly synonymous with sex work now. But has sex positivity enabled the growth of hookup culture? Can too much sex positivity place us in unsafe environments with strangers whom we know next to nothing about?

McKissick: Your relationship should take work, but it shouldn’t be hard

Nathaniel McKissick, Collegian Columnist • March 27, 2022

Should romantic relationships be hard? You may have heard as much from a parent, an aunt or uncle, a friend or a sibling when deep in the throes of a tumultuous relationship yourself, but were they right? While it may be true that relationships take work, they should not be outright difficult all the time.

McKissick: A college degree is not worthless

Nathaniel McKissick, Collegian Columnist • March 8, 2022

There comes a time in most Americans’ lives when they reach a fork in the road. Following high school graduation, one must often ask themself, “What’s next?” For a lot of people, they have three options lying before them: pursue a college education, learn a trade or jump into work immediately. Of the choices mentioned above, about 42.1% of Americans 18-24 years old choose to go to some college, according to the Education Data Initiative. After all, as children and all through high school, how many of us were told pursuing higher education was pivotal to lifelong success and financial stability?

McKissick: Students should use the psychology department counseling services

Nathaniel McKissick, Collegian Columnist • February 15, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has had resounding effects on all of us to varying degrees. Some people have experienced the profound loss of someone close to them, while others have lost their job or their home. It’s hard to quantify just how much this virus has taken from us, but one thing is certain: It’s affected our mental health as a nation.

McKissick: Social media platforms are not bound by the First Amendment

Nathaniel McKissick, Collegian Columnist • February 9, 2022

In recent years, the internet has become a hotbed of misinformation. In 1710, Jonathan Swift mused that “falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it.” Three centuries later, and this quote still rings true, especially on social media platforms where the truth often goes unchecked by the everyday user. COVID-19 plunged us face-first into an era that exacerbated this issue even further, giving rise to misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine, the coronavirus itself, ostensible treatments like Ivermectin and ultraviolet therapy, mask sentiments and more.

McKissick: Stan culture is toxic and unhealthy

Nathaniel McKissick, Collegian Columnist • January 19, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven us into the throes of the inside world, so it should come as no surprise that people are increasingly using the internet to engage with others and foster interpersonal relationships. A certain type of relationship, however – those of the para-social variety – has created a culture that promotes obsession and delusion. I’m referring to relationships between influencers or celebrities and their stans.

The rise and fall of Stout, Fort Collins’ forgotten town

Nathaniel McKissick • November 15, 2021

We’ve all enjoyed Horsetooth Reservoir and its beautiful waters and picturesque views set against scenic mountain landscapes, but very few of us are aware of what lurks deep below our beloved summer spot. No, it’s not the Loch Ness Monster or some other half-human, half-fish creature, but rather the submerged quarry town of Stout, Colorado, that sat in the valley of current-day Horsetooth in the late 19th century.

McKissick: Learning to cook at home will change your life

Nathaniel McKissick • November 9, 2021

College is a time associated with meals that are nutritionally lacking. Instant ramen, TV dinners and a lot of takeout come to mind when people think of their four years at university.

McKissick: Stop perpetuating the idea that homophobes are closet cases

Nathaniel McKissick • November 1, 2021

In 2008, then-attorney general of Alabama Troy King was found in bed with a young man. In 2011, Indiana representative Phillip Hinkle answered a Craigslist ad posted by a 20-year-old seeking a "sugga daddy."

Seriously: 7 sexy costumes for men to wear this Halloween

Nathaniel McKissick • October 24, 2021

Halloween is just around the corner, and it’s time for everyone to put on their best costumes, get blackout drunk and throw up in the backseat of an Uber while a friend shoots an apologetic glance at the driver. Cady Heron, the protagonist of the iconic teen comedy "Mean Girls" once described Halloween as, “the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it.”