Its a beautiful time of year at St. Olaf. Colors are changing and leaves are slowly falling from the trees much like the falling spirits of students when they think of this weeks dreaded event: midterms.
Normally, one wouldnt think that a song called Lets Get Retarded would be such a crowd pleaser. However, when the multi-ethnic hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas (BEPs) performed in Skoglund on Saturday night, their politically incorrect song threw the majority of the sizable concert crowd into a mosh pit-like frenzy.
Face it: were the generation of on-line love. Most recent romantic relationships Ive had or observed were partially dependent on the use of a computer, for sending pictures or instant messaging (especially effective for long-distance or timid relationships). These are good electronic ways to communicate, but in my opinion, the most important romantic tool of the electronic age is e-mail. Heres why:
As soon as you crack the spine of a book by Dave Eggers, all bets are off. From his memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, to the two collections of The Best American Non Required Reading he has edited, Eggers work is broad in scope, daring in form, defiant of literary convention and absolutely hilarious. Eggers talent is similarly evident in his first novel, recently released in paperback, entitled, You Shall Know Our Velocity!
Of the manifold volunteer organizations at St. Olaf, few are as high profile as Habitat for Humanity. Since 1976, Habitat has built over 150,000 houses for low-income families worldwide. Former President Jimmy Carter has helped make Habitat for Humanity one of the most well known volunteer organizations through his commitment to the program. St. Olafs chapter of Habitat, however, has failed to produce such a high-profile leader that is, until now.
What do Dean of Students Greg Kneser and English professor Jonathan Hill have in common? They both have hobbies that bring them away from students and into the soil and sunlight.
This week in 1953
Famous West End actor Claude Rains gave the opening talk in the St. Olaf Artist and Lecture Series. Rains performed in many plays by George Bernard Shaw and starred opposite Vivien Leigh in the 1944 screen version of Caesar and Cleopatra. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Captain Louis Renault in the film Casablanca.
The celebrated study abroad programs, offered by St. Olaf College each year, allow students to expand their horizons by going out into the world and soaking up the unknown. With programs in places as diverse as Perth, Dakar or Galway, the options are virtually unlimited. For those left behind on campus this fall, Mary Coffey 06 has offered up a snapshot of what her life overseas this semester has been like thus far. Coffey is an interdisciplinary fine arts (IDFA) major who is studying in Telemark, Norway. Here is a peak into her life abroad:
