In the wake of the recent elections, the Republican Party is facing an identity crisis. While no one will call the 2012 elections a mandate, they reflect a change in the political landscape going forward. In an election where one of the major issues was a down economy, it seems that a fiscally conservative candidate…
Tweet. Like. Friend. Pin. Tumble. Favorite. Retweet. Blog. Post. Plus one. While your platform may not have made it on this short list, social media is weaved into nearly every thread of our world. We may not have an account set up with every vendor, but most of us digital natives interact with social media…
Downtowns across the country are benefiting from “Renaissance zones” aimed at restoring old buildings and boosting pedestrian traffic. Programs are also being implemented to encourage more walking and less driving. We’ve seen a dramatic increase in bike share programs, like Nice Ride in the Twin Cities (and the potential for a similar program in the…
Hey kids. I would just like to go hand-in-hand with this week’s theme of forced niceness, and say that no, there are things in the world you can openly hate. I understand that in Minnesota, we like to be nice to everyone and then talk about them later and just be overly pleasant all the…
Thank you, Jacob, for contributing the article “Realizing an academic right” in the November 2, 2012 Concordian. Your concern for stronger support for the intellectual life of hard-working students is commendable and connecting that concern with the library is manna from heaven for library staff. Part of the library’s strategic plan is to provide a…
Next week’s election has been a long time coming, that’s for sure. For more than a year we’ve watched politicians parade past the grandstand of the American voting public. We’ve watched as potential Republican candidates were whittled down to Mitt Romney, as one by one Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Tim Pawlenty,…
Most of us are familiar with the recent brouhaha regarding Representative Collin Peterson’s visit to campus. Numerous national media outlets have covered the story, many times causing embarrassment for Concordia. College spokesperson Roger Degerman issued an official statement to the media in which he stated the whole ordeal was “an important learning opportunity.” Any observer…
When I think of what I tolerate, a few things come to mind. I tolerate long lines at Starbucks to receive my passion tea lemonade. I tolerate commercials during my favorite TV shows. I do not, however, simply “tolerate” those with religious beliefs, sexualities, or ethnicities that differ from my own. Tolerance, on the surface,…
As I observe the current debate on same-sex marriage, two things keep coming to mind: Concordia’s mission and my own marriage. I remember seeing Concordia’s mission statement every day on my way to class—over 10 years ago—but it’s only been relatively recently that I’ve really thought about its meaning and whether my choices are consistent…
Concordia’s library keeps the hours typical of many college libraries, making it, tragically, perfectly average. For those students set on transcending average (or virtually any student majoring in Concordia’s reputably challenging sciences), the library’s early closing proves a nuisance. Worse, the hours ultimately manifest an allocation of resources that sets academics and intellectualism lower on…