A month has passed since Barack Obama was voted the 44th president of the United States, and some Democrats on campus are still smiling about it. The Democratic victory has added a extra skip in the step of Junior Philosophy Major Shane Jensen. He said, “It’s such an exciting prospect to think that Obama will embody the change and passion of our generation.” Yet, there … Continue reading Campus Conservatives

“While I acknowledge that this experience is far from realistic, I do think that it holds significant value. It is a demonstration, a protest against the apathy and lack of awareness that most of us have for this growing segment of our society. Having this experience [allowed me] to empathize with their challenges. My mindset and priorities are completely different. I focus on where my … Continue reading Hunger and Homelessness Week

“Nigger, sand nigger, spic, Jews, I love the KKK, Obama is a nigger, I hate gays, black monkey.” On the evening of Saturday Nov. 1, vehicles belonging to nine members of the Gustavus community were vandalized with these deplorable expressions of prejudice. Six of the nine cars belonged to Gustavus students, one was a Gustavus vehicle and two belonged to non-students. The cars were parked … Continue reading Gustavus comes face to face with hate

While walking to class or sipping coffee in the Courtyard Café, the rural Tanzanian village of Tungamalenga may not occupy the daily thoughts of many Gustavus students. For the group of students that will accompany Professor of Nursing Paula Swiggum on her January Interim Experience course to Tanzania, it is a place that she says will leave an impression. While Gustavus Adolphus College and Tungamalenga, … Continue reading Global Connections: Gustavus forms ties with a community in Tanzania

Of the autumnal rituals listed under, “to be completed before the crunchy leaves and crisp temperatures give way to barren trees and a subzero wind-chill,” picking apples is a top priority for many Minnesotans. “It’s definitely a fall tradition,” said Senior Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major Ryan Dobbs. The fall months are a unique time when residents of the state can eat apples grown by … Continue reading Look at them apples

A year-and-a-half ago, the International and Domestic Programs Committee (IDPC) assembled with one goal: to find a way to interweave awareness of various global issues across all the departments at Gustavus. Soon the Gustavus Global Insight program was conceived. This program encourages students, faculty, staff and community members to increase their focus on global issues. The Global Insight program is currently administered under a four-year … Continue reading Global Gusties… First Stop: China

Summer is a relatively quiet time for the Gustavus campus. However, this August, only weeks before students returned and the familiar buzz of activity resumed, the uneventful exterior was misleading: big things were developing amidst the calm. A small group of students chatted in the Liedholm room when Vice President of Marketing and Communication Gwen Freed entered, accompanied by another woman. Every inch a self-assured … Continue reading Louder and prouder

The Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation allows Gustavus to take a new approach to making the campus more environmentally sustainable. Most Gusties are familiar with “the arb,” and now is the time when most of the first-years begin to discover its gravel trails and remote study spots. The Melva Lind Interpretive Center is a place somewhat less well known to the student body. By junior … Continue reading Gustavus Turns Over a New Leaf

Fetishism comes in all shapes and sizes I love my Crocs. I wear them several times a week. They are bright orange and so flamboyantly colored that they rarely match other people’s aesthetic criteria for any item of clothing. I have conveniently adopted the philosophy that because they go with nothing, they go with everything. I did not purchase them for the color, nor did … Continue reading Collegiate Tales from a Consumer Culture

With the recent conclusion of both the Republican and the Democratic National Conventions, the election season is in full swing. While a storm of politics rages across the country, what will be the political climate on the Gustavus campus? Within a crowd of 10,000 people, a single flag-draped coffin came down the road, accompanied by a slow and deliberate drumbeat. The Veterans for Peace joined … Continue reading A Season of Change