Just Sayin’: The case for better small talk
By: Maggie Fipps
College students are lazy.
Yes, that was a ploy to get you to keep reading. Sorry, not sorry.
College students are not lazy in the stereotypical, lay-around-on-the-couch-eating-nothing-but-junk-food-way, although the number of episodes of Gilmore Girls I watched this weekend is a little alarming.
They are lazy in their small talk.
Just think about the times you met someone new this semester. Whether you are a freshman or a senior, the first ...
On Staring
By Heidie Raine
The writer should never be ashamed of staring. There is nothing that does not require his attention.
–Flannery O’Connor
Sitting in the library, looking through the thick-paned glass of the upper-level windows, I am staring. I am squinting and watching and questioning all that passes below. This is what I see:
I see a boy with olive cargo pants and a faint mustache topple off his longboard, roll like a bowling ball and land in the frosted crunch of cold spring ...
On Productivity
By Heidie Raine
We are nearing the end of the semester. Assignments are many. Reprieve is sparse. Writing about productivity feels appropriate.
These are the months where papers and reports begin to clog our Canvas calendars and pile up in the filing cabinets of our minds, making us choose between exfoliating and editing as the hours dissolve and the rubrics flood in. Life becomes a large Google Doc, punctuated by professors’ comments to “stay strong!”
These are the months where I ...
On Holistic Learning
by Heidie Raine
POV: It’s mid-October, mid-Paradise Lost in Brit Lit, and you have not read books 8-10. You didn’t even bother to read a summary. You show up, ill-prepared, comatose, a warm body with an empty brain that is ready to sit lifelessly for the next 50 minutes.
Substitute your discipline’s assignments into the quandary. You have not written the lesson plan, have not derived the equation, have not designed the graphic. Bottom line: you have not.
I’m unconcerned, here, ...
On Making Good Shoes and Bridges
by Heidie Raine
Regardless of your job, Jesus would be better at it.
That fact should draw us to our knees in worship. It should also make us consider what influence we grant Him in our 9-5. He’d be a far better nurse, librarian, engineer. He’d build better bridges, teach better lessons.
That question—what impact does being a follower of Jesus have on our work—led me into a liberal arts squabble last week as I listened to a slew of answers I hate:
We tell happy stories in ...
Just Sayin’ – Is Twitter the New Fireside Chat?
By Alex Hentschel
How has the use of Twitter by the presidency affected our political landscape? I know, I know, history and politics is not as interesting as the other fun topics I’ve submitted this semester. But, having done a ton of research on this for my capstone, I found it super interesting – and a lot of people I talked to at least pretended to be interested when I mentioned it to them. Since this is my column, you just have to listen to what I have to say. Heh.
Twitter has an ...
Just Sayin’ – Galentine’s Day Manifesto
By Alex Hentschel
This year, in our house of girls, we did a Galentine’s Day — though we’re a whole mix of single, dating, engaged and confused, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate each other. And so, for a newly established holiday, we need a newly established procedure. I give you the Galentine’s Day Manifesto.
We, the women of the United States, in order to form a more perfect holiday, establish kindness, ensure relational tranquility, provide for the single and the taken, ...
Just Sayin’ – Mourning and Dancing: Reflections on my Last Semester
By Alex Hentschel
I had a sudden realization as I headed to my capstone research course on Tuesday morning: This is it, my last semester of undergrad. As anxious as I am for the new season of my life to begin, it caused some hard reflection as I realized that my time as a bachelor student — who isn’t expected to have everything, or rather, anything, figured out — is coming to a rapid close. Before I know it, I’ll be packing up our small house and leaving this tiny town, maybe forever. ...
Just Sayin’ – Caffeine Away from CU
By Alex Hentschel
A few years ago I did a Just Sayin’ column on trying to cut my caffeine habit, but it clearly didn’t work. I love the atmosphere of a coffee shop for “studying” (let’s be real, who studies in a coffee shop?) or catching up with friends. If you’re a caffeine-loving person, Orion and Beans and Cream are great in a pinch — but there’s a world to offer within a 30-minute driving radius of Cedarville. (Especially if you’re going to take someone on a date and ...
Just Sayin’ — Misadventures of Off-Campus Living
By Alex Hentschel
This year, my senior year, I decided to live off campus. Our campus is expanding rapidly and there’s barely enough room, especially for girls — so me and some pals decided to pay the relatively low rent and move to a small blue house somewhere in Cedarville (privacy reasons dictate that I won’t give you my address — email me privately if you want to bring me goodies).
We were so excited, but it’s been a definite adventure that made me realize we take several ...
