Emily VanGorder – Staff Writer Gustavus began holding mass testing events in November in preparation for students returning home for Thanksgiving break. Two testing events were held in December, and two have been held so far in February. There were twenty COVID-19 cases discovered in November, 2 cases identified in December, and zero cases have been found from the events in February. “It is a … Continue reading Spring “Lay-Low” period comes to an end while COVID precautions remain in place

Freya Nelson – Staff Writer As Minnesota begins the first portion of a state-wide vaccine rollout plan, members of the Gustavus community work tirelessly to establish a vaccination plan for the Gustavus community. Jessica Braun, Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Vaccine Coordinator, is working alongside the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Nicollet County Public Health in order to ensure the utmost level of safety at … Continue reading Gustavus staff works to establish vaccine

Marie Osuna – Staff Writer Now that spring semester has started up on campus, students are back in classes‒or at least, Zooming into their classes. Since COVID-19 sent students home last March, Zoom classes have become the new normal, with a coveted ‘in-person’ or even ‘hybrid’ class being rare. While upperclassmen stare at their computer screens, remembering what it was like to be in an … Continue reading First-years navigate the nuances of an online school year

Freya Nelson – Staff Writer Gustavus organization, the Environmental Action Coalition (EAC), has recently made concrete steps towards continuing the battle to stop line 3, a Tar Sands Pipeline that is being constructed across northern Minnesota. According to the Wall Street Journal, President Biden recently revoked the permit for Keystone XL, a different yet equally controversial pipeline that stretches from Canada to the US. Members … Continue reading Stop Line 3: Environmental Action Coalition makes an impact

Last year at this time I didn’t think I’d spend my senior year taking all online classes and seeing with my friends wearing masks from six feet apart. I think many seniors like myself probably feel that something has been lost this year. And we unfortunately can’t go back and relive our senior year like we’d imagine it to be. Sometimes I imagine there’s an … Continue reading Letter from the Editor (12/4/2020)

The Festival of St. Lucia at Gustavus is an annual celebration of leadership, service, compassion and light. Gustavus began celebrating this tradition in 1941. It is typically celebrated in Sweden, where a family’s oldest daughter serves coffee and baked goods to her family at sunrise on Dec. 13, the feast day of St. Lucia. This year’s Festival is being held virtually, and a video of … Continue reading Virtual festival of St. Lucia rings in the holiday season at Gustavus

The pandemic continues to present a rapidly evolving challenge to our state, according to MN Governor Tim Walz. In preparation for these challenges, the Gustavus community has adapted its COVID-19 winter break guidelines. With some students returning home and others staying on campus for the remainder of the semester, daily student life looks a bit differently for everyone. “All students have the choice to live … Continue reading Winter break COVID-19 guidelines shift as the end of fall semester nears

As we approach the end of the semester, finals week begins to rear its heads as both students and professors – whether on or off campus – prepare. Final exams begin on Dec. 11 and last through Dec. 15 this year, with the last day of class being on Dec. 9. Professor in Political Science and program director of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies Jillian … Continue reading Gusties learn to shine online during finals

In an announcement sent out last week on Nov. 12, President Rebecca Bergman announced that the Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) will be receiving an expansion upgrade. It is said that this new upgrade will more than quadruple its current square footage. It will include new workspaces, dedicated offices for the Diversity Leadership Council and Building Bridges. It was also announced that, in addition to … Continue reading Thrive in the Dive: The Center for Inclusive Excellence receives an expansion upgrade