O n Saturday, Sept. 17 a man dressed as a security officer injured several people at the local mall in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. The stabbings happened in several places throughout the mall, including in stores and in common areas. The chief of police identified the man as Dahir Adan, whom had three previous encounters with police. The Chief of Police, Blair Anderson, described the man … Continue reading Act of violence hits too close to home

Ask any college student in the United States how they are paying for school, and student loans are likely to come up as a source of funding. The average debt of graduating seniors from four-year colleges was $37,172 in 2016, and the amount of debt students owe has been rising. This upward trend has people concerned, and rightly so, about the cost of a college … Continue reading Adding to the conversation on student debt

Everyday there are countless children who end up on the streets of America. Many are considered runaways, while others simply suffer from very unfortunate circumstances. Half of these children are by themselves, and the others with parents or a guardian of some kind. Those without adults are runaways or orphans, but in either case, they are in the foster system, meaning the state government has … Continue reading Foster care living must stay temporary

It’s hard being Hmong. Honestly, I used to hate it and sometimes I still do. I didn’t understand why I was born as a Hmong female and why I had to follow certain traditions. I thought I was living in a country that’s known for its independence, freedom, and (growing) equality, but then I came to realize that, yes I do live in that country, … Continue reading Re-evaluating what it means to be Hmong

Car upon car line the streets of St. Peter and Gustavus as move-in day commences and the fall semester of 2016 gets underway. For many students, however, this is a period of great stress. The reason for this being they have one day to move in and get settled in their new dorms and apartments before the rigor of class work begins. The first-years are … Continue reading Move-in weekend doesn’t have to be difficult

Fall is in the air. Friends and family are moving their loved ones into cozy dorm rooms and apartments. Students are marching off to classes, excited about learning, or eager to see if that one cutie will be sitting across from them the whole semester. The leaves are changing. Love and friendship are blooming. And the debate over trigger warnings and safe spaces is kicking … Continue reading Everyone deserves a safe space

As August slowly came to an end, the Olympic flame shot out its final, struggling sparks over Rio. It’s over. Brazil survived. Just. The 2016 Summer Olympics will go down in history as one of the most scandalous, disorganized and dangerous games the world ever witnessed. The 2016 Summer Olympics will go down in history as one of the most scandalous, disorganized and dangerous games … Continue reading Rio Olympics was never a good idea

There is inexpressible pressure that is pushed onto soon to be college graduates to find a job in their field before commencement day and I have been feeling that pressure since this January to find a job that pays the bills and uses my knowledge that I have gained as an English major here at Gustavus. This spring, I’ll be graduating without a job in … Continue reading Pressure of Post-Grad Plans