There were 60 students in my high school graduating class. They each knew my dog’s name, the sports I played and the fact that I was 11-and-a-half pounds when I was born. By senior year, I stopped caring about what clothes I wore or what inappropriate comments I made. People knew me by the distinct identity I possessed within the safe, comfortable, collaborative walls that coddled 240 accepting, growing, learning high schoolers. I had a specific place and I never had to work to show people who I was.
I Don't Speak American
I had always assumed that the Danish language was the basis of reality, and that all languages worked in the same manner as Danish. I remember my first day in English class chanting “I am / You are / He, She, It is / We are / You are / They are,” not knowing what in the world I was doing or why. I thought for a while that the chant was a traditional British children’s song.
Speaking Between Breaths
And Let it be Enough
From Southside to Skate City
Their names are Nathan Work and Davon Hawkinson, two teenagers who are regulars at Skate City. The rink isn’t just a hangout for them, but the place where their lives changed completely. Both brothers were gang members when they began to frequent the rink, but they say the community of Skate City and their passion for skating helped them leave that dangerous lifestyle.
A Story of Transitions Through One-Way Tickets
I was hit with a strong case of the sophomore slump. Depression and mornings spent in bed staring at the ceiling, searching for a better reason to get up other than having to pee. I wasn’t sure if I belonged at Colorado College. Only my parents were proud of my Economics major, and my girlfriend had just broken up with me. I felt lost.
Yiddish and the Grateful Dead
Our one-story house in the heart of the Silicon Valley was my departure point every morning. I’d open the fakakta garage and get on my bike every weekday to attend Palo Alto High School, the same high school that Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, attended several decades prior. His name may be better known than mine but, hey, at least I graduated.
Don't You Bite My Butt!
Admitted Students Day, 2013: a cloudy weekend when I took in all the old buildings that would envelop me for the next four years. Walking down Tejon, my mom pointed to a sign in front of an office building. Alongside the offices of tax lawyers and massage therapists was “Linda Nija Nations, MA: Psychotherapist [and] Animal Communicator.” My mom laughed as I stroked my chin in curiosity. Two years later, I gave Linda a call.
Letter from the editor - Voice
Depressed Sexuality
She's Not Faking It
On President Jill Tiefenthaler’s first day teaching at Colgate University in 1991, she stepped into the Economics building wearing a dress and heels. As the only female faculty member in the department, she knew she needed to embrace the standard of how young female professionals should appear. So she dressed the part. She did so with poise and confidence, and at that moment, she did not just hold a title; she truly felt like a professor.
Lions, Tigers, and Elks
In 2000, social scientist Robert Putnam published “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community,” which paints a picture of the evaporation of social organization in the U.S. Putnam compiled a body of data showing how dramatically American modes of social assembly have changed. This change has manifested itself in a departure from civic participation. While much of this withdrawal from the public forum has been a retreat from the political (i.e attending public meetings, working with political parties), equally important has been the withdrawal from service and fraternal groups.
The Lord is My Shepherd
Beth looks like a perfectly average American mom. She works as a school librarian and frets about the gaps in their literary fiction collection. Her guilty pleasures include dark chocolate and Welsh tea. She enjoys reading Jane Austen and travel literature. She describes herself as normal, even boring.
Also, Beth spent most of her childhood inside a Christian cult called the Shepherding Movement.
Request for Extension on “Culturally Contrived Misrepresentations of Nietzche’s Crumbling Utopia”
I am writing to inform you that I will not be able to finish the assignment, “Culturally Contrived Misrepresentations of Nietzsche’s Crumbling Utopia,” by the originally requested time of 11:59pm on Sunday the 15th. This is because I recently met my identical twin separated at brith while in line for a Taquito™ at TacoBell™. In light of this circumstance, I would appreciate anywhere between 1-3 extra days to complete my work
No Church in the Wild
I am not religious, but I do have faith. My faith is not a cop-out, but is attuned to the movement of my generation. For many Millennials, God is a murky word. According to Pew research, Millennials are the least religious of any generation, but also consider themselves just as spiritual as past generations. “Spirituality” has become the umbrella term for Millennials who have faith in something without engaging in religious practice. Like all generations, we feel the necessity to believe in something bigger than ourselves. We just want to practice faith in our own way.
There's Something in the Water
Living in Slocum my freshman year, I was spoiled by the fancy fountains spouting cold, clear water. Moving to Montgomery, a building then completely void of water fountains, was a somewhat unwelcome change. The water from the kitchen or bathroom sink tasted and smelled off. And was I just imagining that slightly brown color? I would still usually make a special trip to Worner or the library just to fill up my water bottle. I refrained from using fountains if the filter light was flashing red, and I became increasingly conservative with the water I had saved up. If friends asked for a swig from my water bottle, I’d say, “Ok, one sip.” Then I’d proceed to stare them down, lest they take a sip and a half.
Man Up, Man Down
The Making of a Merchant of Doubt
When Myron Ebell was a senior at Colorado College in 1975, he took a seminar on socialism. Today, he is one of the most outspoken conservative voices working on climate change policy, and was appointed to head the EPA for President Trump’s transition team.
Two months ago, that reality would have been almost unthinkable. It was, first of all, a shock to most that Donald Trump was elected and inaugurated as President of the United States. Then, it was shocking that his EPA pick (who has spent most of his career criticizing the EPA) went to CC, a liberal bastion with a supposedly strong emphasis on environmental responsibility. Ebell graduated with a degree in philosophy.
Possibly Robots
While we talked, Akito fidgeted with a roll of tape around his hands. He kept his feet on his desk and blew his nose with a paper towel, then tried to throw it in the trash can and missed. “Do you know the DIY movement these days?” Akito said. “Like make magazines. That’s all cute and stuff, but in the near future this is going to happen in the biological domain too: DIY biology at home. You’re going to have access to all these things."
