Whilst I was recently perusing the latest LOL Cats pictures, a benevolent and omniscient voice came into my head. “Maggie,” the voice simply said, “this is God.” Needless to say, I crapped my pants. I quickly changed into a clean pair (because who wants to speak with their Creator in soiled skivvies?) and responded, “I’m here, God. Would you, um, like something to drink? I … Continue reading The time I gave God a headache
Hello, my name is Galen Mitchell, and I’m a music addict and snob. I’ve been living with this condition for over 12 years now. I still remember the first CD I ever owned, the one that started it all. … It was The Beatles—Past Masters: Volume One—and I “stole” it from my father when I was seven years old. Sure, it was a compilation disc, … Continue reading Confessions of music snob
I am writing to you today not only as a Gustavus student, but as a concerned member of the broader Gustavus community for which we all care deeply. Wednesday, March 18, 2009, I attended a faculty meeting at which Chairman of the Board of Trustees James H. Gale spoke to the changing Provost position and the role of the President and the Board in that … Continue reading An Open Letter to the Board of Trustees of Gustavus Adolphus College, James H. Gale, Chair
President Obama recently released a proposal to reduce tax deductions for charitable giving. You might be thinking, “Why should I care? The tax code is boring, and President Obama is a liberal Democrat who really cares about poor people.” There are a couple of errors I see in this logic, but the biggest concern I have with the proposal is that Democrats and other leftward … Continue reading Obama’s anti-charity proposal
What is “social media?” Put simply, it is a new wave of organic, influential and rapidly developing communication tools that connect us to people, brands and other niches of our lives that are important to us. They allow us to share photos, videos, random thoughts, interests and just about anything else. (Someone on Twitter asked during last month’s South By Southwest Interactive Festival if anyone … Continue reading Wonders of Social Media
I spend Sunday afternoons in the library in an attempt to get a head start on what I have to do for the week. My tasks are extremely simple—usually finish my online Spanish homework, do a few readings and write my article for the WEEKLY. Yet I find that I take hours to finish what should take literally minutes because I have a computer screen … Continue reading Where will we hide when the robots take over?
The Gustavus community is just that: a community. Its parts are made of an array of faculty, students, staff, and administrators. These parts need to work together, talk to each other, and yes, at times even argue with each other in order to produce the strongest community possible. However, this fragile tradition may be at risk. Gusties, it’s time we paid attention. First of all, … Continue reading There’s something about Mary (Morton)
Somewhere around this column there is a picture of a table. Take a look at it. This table was created by someone who, upon completing and inspecting his or her handiwork, proposed its manufacture and sale. Another group of people agreed and placed it in a magazine. Enough people purchased the table to warrant its continued placement in this magazine, at a cost of 225 … Continue reading The street children are saving up for a night sweat alarm
About a week ago, as part of an advertisement for The Vagina Monologues, I noticed the Womyn’s Awareness Center was selling T-shirts that read “This is what a Gustavus feminist looks like.” I considered buying one to support my Gustie sisters, but I began to ponder: how much of a feminist am I? Like any learned (read: woman-fearing) man, I fully endorse the women’s rights … Continue reading A feminism for all of us
SATURDAY, MARCH 28 – 9:00 a.m. Click, beep, beep, beep, beep! Slap! [Wait 7 minutes] Click, beep, beep, beep, beep! Slap! [Continue this process until 10:00 a.m.] Go to bathroom, look in mirror and ponder how hair and face can be so destroyed by pillow, get dressed in loose-fitting comfortable clothing, and leave Southwest dorm room. Walk across chilly campus, consciously walking in a cool … Continue reading The two faces of Gustavus
