My last article as a Gustie arrives too soon for me. For you, who have either read or ignored me for the last two years, this article may be a sigh of relief; I certainly have not always been the most agreeable or friendly commentator. Even before that, I had a few snippy editorials published. I’m sure only a select few would care to remember.

But I’m letting the reminiscence catch up with us before it is due time. I still have things to say, and while I’m in the process of “cashing out” here at Gustavus, I need to be sure some last few tidbits are said to the community before I leave here as a student (who can more or less get away with the “but I’m just a student who isn’t always accountable for everything” excuses).

About this “cashing out”: just like a thesis can be a capstone experience after years of study in a particular field, just like a senior recital can represent years of practice and rehearsal, this article represents the culmination of years of not only writing, but readership in The Weekly.

Although I’ve had my “duds” as one critic recently put it, my experience in this position has been profoundly positive—at least for me.

My first lesson was when and how to end an editorial war. Years ago I got into a heated discussion between another well-known writer on campus via the “Letters to the Editor” section in The Weekly. Our disagreement was over a then-controversial group on campus called “Gusties for Restoring America” and their provocative signs around campus. After weeks of back-and-forth, I was informed by The Weekly staff that they were refusing to publish my opponent’s response because it bordered on slander; however, they thought writing for The Weekly would be a good fit for me and offered me a position.

My column’s title, “Examining Life,” comes from the Socratic quote: “The unexamined life is not worth living,” and I’ve tried many times to challenge that unexamined life, especially as it has a chance to exist among matriculating undergraduates. At the core of examining life is examining our faith and beliefs. What are the things we believe and have faith in, and to what extent do those very faiths and beliefs structure the way we experience the world around us? How does religion as a dogma compare to faith as a virtue? How are we supposed to understand the Why question in our lives in the context of so many things in this material world?

Sometimes, I think I’ve hit the mark on this (if you search The Weekly’s website with my name, some choice pieces appear). However, asking these kinds of questions is not always the most popular activity. My opinion on Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week generated more negative Letters to the Editor than The Weekly staff has ever seen (I think the count was nearly 20). Further still, my opinions on this and other on-campus activities have often received “constructive criticism” from faculty and other readers—a lesson that has taught me not only that people, in fact, read my column, but that about the number that I thought actually do read my column disagree with it (not always true, I’m sure).

Not to dwell on the negative, sometimes my more “direct” columns have received plenty of positive feedback. Last week’s article about professors’ salaries, for instance, received just as much attention as I think the issue deserves; that is to say, the article had far more internet traffic than any other story The Weekly printed last week, and not by a marginal factor. I’m not trying to toot my own horn with these kinds of remarks, but rather encourage those who will come in future years to speak for what is important to you as a writer and member of the Gustavus community.

This brings me to my last printed bit with what goes on on-campus. You might expect a bombshell, but this is somewhat more mundane, and I apologize.

Cardboard signs on trees in Eckman Mall. Oh, what better way to convey your message to campus than to take a used piece of cardboard from a dumpster and write some statistic or quote on it, far too long for anyone to read without stopping, and why not then tie it to a tree using string or twine?!? I mean, seriously?!? What this says to me is that you don’t care enough about the issue to present it in a way a viewer like me would care to look at, as if you don’t care enough about it yourself to do a decent job!  Beyond that, if you are going to make the campus less aesthetically appealing, at least do it in a compelling way, for some purpose. I hate walking past the signs I can’t even read, or even the signs that I can but do something like objectify victims of suicide or sexual assault. If statistics could speak on their own for the plights of humanity, we’d respond to data about things like global warning seriously, instead of putting the issue off on the next generation.

That was the last rant. In my final words, I dedicate all my work at The Weekly to the people who have cared to read what I have to say (including the gracious editorial staff!), and I thank everyone who has supported me. Every single time someone has mentioned to me that they read my article in The Weekly I feel giddy and humbled. Why you all still read and listen to me still amazes me, yet I am incredibly thankful for it.