During the upcoming January Interim  Experience of 2012, the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra will be studying and traveling in South Africa on a musical tour. Led by Professors Ruth Lin, Lois Peterson and Ester Wand, the orchestra will be performing, touring and delivering goods to children in need. Every four years, the Symphony Orchestra partakes in an international tour. This year’s tour to South Africa will … Continue reading Symphony Orchestra on route to South Africa

I’m always astounded at the fresh crop of Christmas albums released each year. How many different versions of “Jingle Bells” can the Christmas economy handle? Although I love Christmas just as much as anybody, my Christmas album collection ended in the 1960s and consists of Nat King Cole, A Charlie Brown Christmas and Bing Crosby. Looking at hundreds of new Christmas albums is intimidating. I … Continue reading Listen to that Christmas spirit ringing

We live in a new age of movies, friends. Now more than ever movies are churned from the depths of Hollywood solely for the sake of turning a profit. Where’s the heart? More and more of these movies seem almost cookie-cutter, and it’s up to the actors and story to pick up the slack. The same goes for Our Idiot Brother, where predictable plot meets … Continue reading Santa Claus is coming… Our Idiot Brother is coming to town

H1N1, the little epidemic that could have been, comes to fruition as MEV 1, a new, more deadly virus, in Contagion (2011). Everyone remembers the panic that surrounded the H1N1 virus a few years back. The virus jumped from pigs to humans and a lot of people started getting sick. Imagine—instead of one person infecting just one or two other people, every sick person infecting … Continue reading Contagion: Just in Time for Flu Season

On Thursday, Dec. 8 in Alumni Hall at 7:00 p.m., CAB will be presenting “I Can’t Believe You Asked That: When PC is BS” with guest speaker Phillip Milano. A nationally recognized diversity advocate, Milano will address a multitude of taboo topics and questions that people are normally too afraid to ask regarding race, gender and culture. Milano first became interested in promoting diversity causes … Continue reading CAB speaker Phillip Milano — what about differences?

Although there are many ways for students to receive help for their classes, one treasure to take advantage of is the Writing Center. Located in Confer 232 with outposts in the Diversity Center and Library, the Writing Center provides services to any Gustavus student. “The Writing Center works with all disciplines and with papers in all stages of the writing process,” Tutor and Junior Sociology … Continue reading Writing Center serves as a tool for students

Cookie contest offers up big bragging rights This year’s fourth annual Julgran Celebration will be from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 in the Interpretive Center in the Linnaeus Arboretum. The Julgran Celebration offers Christmas cheer-goers live music by Gustavus students, milk and hot cider, a bazaar and a cookie contest. Julgran, pronounced with a “y” sound, is Swedish for Christmas … Continue reading Julgran Celebration kicks off the holiday spirit season

There is the everlasting argument floating around the Internet that romantic comedies (romcoms) are the equivalent of porn films for women. The case centers around the assessment that romantic comedies create a fantasy about relationships, as does porn, but that instead of focusing on sex, romantic comedies focus on emotions, thus appealing to the female gender. The movie Friends with Benefits is a romantic comedy … Continue reading Friends With Benefits — See how it scores with you