I think about disposability a lot, about how we use a thing for a single purpose, for a moment in time, and then it is no longer any good to us. Plastic water bottles, grocery bags, a cardboard to-go container in the Caf. Every second, the United States throws away 1,500 plastic water bottles. Every minute, that is 90,000 bottles. In a hour, we throw away … Continue reading Reduce, reuse, then what?
Fifteen years ago this October, a man riding his bike outside of Laramie, Wyoming noticed a scarecrow tied to a fence. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was man laying on his side, hands bound behind his back and brutally beaten. It was the unconscious Matthew Shepard, an openly gay student at the University of Wyoming. The night before, the 21-year-old had accepted a ride … Continue reading The meaning of Matthew: fifteen years later
You’re in the middle of finishing some reading for tomorrow’s class when you get a call from your friend, Ashley. She has been crying and tells you that she needs someone to talk to. Without a second thought, you stop everything that you are doing, pack up your things, and head over to comfort her. The two of you talk for an hour, she is … Continue reading Playing the blame game
Here’s a question I love so much that I even used it as the opening for my first novel: “What is your dream, your aspiration, the thing that gives you guidance?” We all have dreams — that is why we are at Gustavus, after all. For a select few, a dream is something that we carry with us from the beginning of our lives until … Continue reading What does dreaming mean to you?
A couple weeks ago, I found myself seething with rage as I read the recap of the Emmy Awards. I’ve been quite adamant in my support for AMC’s Breaking Bad over the years, so imagine my frustration seeing Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Jonathan Banks each lose in their respective categories. After all, Breaking Bad now has a solid place in the top tier of television … Continue reading The golden age of the silver screen
If you believe a woman’s place is in the kitchen and that after she’s made you a sandwich, vacuumed, and done the dishes, she should rub your feet, then a website entitled Return of Kings may be for you. This website is dedicated to the principle that men should act like men, and women should act like women, which is still a popular social attitude … Continue reading Misogyny for thought
A tragic story on mental health recently appeared in the Mankato Free Press. For Gustavus students, this story hits close to home. In 1998, the Ewing family experienced an unimaginable loss when their mentally ill son, Burt Ewing Jr., brutally murdered his sister during a delusional episode. He was found not-guilty because of his mental illness, and has since resided in the high security section of … Continue reading Good help is hard to find
A few weeks ago, Gustavus students woke up to a shocking email describing a hate crime that happened on campus. Upon reading, I felt something that I wouldn’t have expected – guilt. I did not, nor would I ever, participate in anything of the nature. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was almost responsible for the incident. In my mind, it showed a mentality … Continue reading Response to the Gustavus hate crime
After three plus years at Gustavus, one of my greatest Gustie pet peeves is when people either call themselves or refer to other students as “freshman.” Many people are confused, as the terms “first-year” and “freshman” are used interchangeably. They are in fact significantly different. The term “freshman” is a gendered term, whereas “first-year” is gender neutral. The use of the term freshman to refer … Continue reading Hey you guys
Let’s be honest, who’d ever willingly read the things a first-year student has learned after being at college for a little over a month? The answer to that great question is you. Whether you’re currently an upperclassmen or “fresh meat” such as myself, you know what it feels like to start college away from home on your own. Books have been written about what to … Continue reading Lessons of a first-year
