Native American speaker teaches more about Thanksgiving

At 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7, Gwen Westerman, Ph. D., will be speaking in the Courtyard Café. Titled “What Would Thanksgiving Be Without American Indians,” the talk will be well-timed for Gustavus students to learn a little more about Thanksgiving’s representation. Westerman’s talk will focus on the impact of indigenous cultures on the celebration of Thanksgiving in the United States, and how Americans perceive … Continue reading Native American speaker teaches more about Thanksgiving

The bonfire of the humanities

Here’s a typical conversation for any type of science major: “So what are you majoring in?” They answer something along the lines of biology, chemistry pre-med, etc. “Awesome! You must be so smart. You are going to make so much money someday!” Here’s a typical conversation for me: “So what are you majoring in?” they ask. “English,” I say. Long pause. “Huh. What are you … Continue reading The bonfire of the humanities

Souljaboy tellin’ ‘em all the wrong things

There was a time when rap music really meant rhythm and poetry. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the group Public Enemy was dominating hip-hop in the United States and was one of the first groups of its genre to enjoy success internationally. This was not because of digital, synthesized remixes, but because of their revolutionary sound and their honest and insightful social commentary. … Continue reading Souljaboy tellin’ ‘em all the wrong things

Learning to love mediocrity

I just checked my midterm grades. Five or six little letters: Ss and Ps, As and Cs. All sorts of weird little symbols on WebAdvisor to take your academic pulse. Let’s be real, do these letters tell us anything? How many times has a prof said, “Oh, you’re all getting As for your midterm grades because there hasn’t been enough material to truly reflect your work…” … Continue reading Learning to love mediocrity

Hunger Game

“The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer. For me life is continuously being hungry.” These are the words of former bodybuilder and Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger, who helped redefine bodybuilding as an international sport. For many professional and amateur bodybuilders, being hungry is not simply a motivational mantra, but a … Continue reading Hunger Game

Clubbing is not all fun and games

For many students involved with club sports at Gustavus, it would be nice if the famous Spider-Man quote “with great power comes great responsibility” worked the other way around. Student-led organizations  require plenty of responsibility by their members, from group inception up until game time. Gustavus currently has ten club sports teams in existence: Men’s and Women’s Ultimate Frisbee, Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse, Men’s and … Continue reading Clubbing is not all fun and games