Race, gender intersect
When I moved from New York City to Jerusalem, Israel in 1970, it could not (let alone would not) have occurred to me that 26 years later I would be a professor at a liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa with so many outstanding students.
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SGA VP explains leave of absence
As time continues to distance the student body from the memory of the tragic suicides of our fellow students in the spring of 2003, I feel that it is important for all of us to take the time to recognized that depression and other serious mental illnesses are likely more of a problem today on our campus, and many others, than they were then.
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Crazy solutions for crazy celebs
What the heck is it with all these crazy famous people? Every day the news is full of some new crap a celebrity or world leader has pulled off for seemingly no reason. Singer X is involved in some torrid affair with another and performs a mopey/dopey song about it, sending thousands of preteen girls into hysterics; Actress Y marries…and divorces…and marries…and divorces…and gets married again; World Leader Z issues a proclamation utterly contrary to consensus…and aforementioned consensus is turned on its head. These people are just plain silly! Something must be done to maintain their entertainment value while rendering them relatively harmless to us “sane” mundanes.
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Joys of food in the library
Right now, it’s 10:52, and I’ve got a long night ahead of me. Writing this column right now is actually just a tricky form of procrastination from my homework because I can tell myself that it’s something I need to get done. But alas, as soon as I’d done writing it, it’s back to the books. And sitting here at a computer in Burling and looking at my fellow students, I realize that I’m not alone. I hear voices behind me nervously speculate how they’ll get all their reading done for tomorrow. To my left a young woman scribbles frantically in her notebook with a mix between a grimace and a scowl on her face. And to my right two solemn studiers leaf through over-sized textbooks. We all seem to be in for many more hours of reading, writing, and stuffing our brains fuller than we ever thought possible. It looks pretty bleak- but there’s hope! Because our worn-out brains are not the only things we’ll be stuffing- no, we academic go-getters, warriors on the front of academia, we have ammunition. Snacks! That’s right, every night countless Grinnellians walk through the doors of Burling and pay no heed to the sign- No Food Allowed. Drinks in Closed Containers are permitted. I admit it (and hope I will not be punished for my honesty) I have taken food into Burling. At times, the beautifully red apple or perfectly packed bag of chips is the only thing keeping me going during a long night of studying. And I know that many of my colleagues feel the same. How else can you explain the numerous trips to the Forum for sustenance or the garbage cans littered with candy wrappers? It’s because our snacks give us that extra push we need to keep going. Of course there’s the matter of pure energy. Yes- food raises our blood-sugar levels, fends off fatigue, gives us the caloric energy we need, and speeds up our metabolism. Caffeine increases our alertness and increases adrenaline. Food keeps us going, quite literally, but there’s more to it than that.
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The David Lynch Parallel
During the 24 hours of my first visit to Helena, Mon., I commented that the place bore a striking resemblance to David Lynch’s television series Twin Peaks. The entire town seemed to rest on the surface tension of something eerie, unnatural, bizarre. People made far too much eye-contact, used only first names, and took an inordinately long time to articulate themselves. The place seemed to feature a cast of characters instead of inhabitants, creating a very constant and palpable cinematic sensation.
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Getting out the vote
“Have you voted?” If you heard those “infamous” three words less than 10 times on Tuesday, you are among a select few. Campus Democrats and other groups such as the Feminist Action Coalition and the Student Campaign for Increased Political Engagement (SCIPE) should be commended for storming campus with a well-organized strategy to maximize voter turnout for satellite voting. The result, a remarkable 491 votes cast, surpasses all of the votes cast for the entire 2002 election.
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Random Rants
Students speak out about what’s on their minds in 142 words, and you’re invited! If you have a random rant, email it to us. After all, complaining in a public forum is always more fun than doing it alone.
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