Nuancing the ‘Happy Cobber’ On every poster, in every picture that slides across the Concordia webpage and in every pamphlet and brochure sent to prospective students, the “Happy Cobber” is front and center.The photos in our advertising and marketing materials feature sunny skies, racial diversity, and smiles on every face. Concordia College markets itself, like…
Tag: opinions
Student reflection: first Habitat For Humanity trip
I went on my first Habitat Trip and I went to Pensacola Florida. I learned that by helping build a house, we are not only impacting the family that will live in the house, but we are helping the whole community. This trip was life changing, and was one of the best experiences I have…
The role of stigma in rape and abuse report rates
‘Out of 100 rapes, 32 will be reported’ I spend a lot of time on the internet and, in doing so, I come across a lot of people who seem to think that feminism is a bad thing. The understanding that many people have of third wave feminism (that’s the kind of feminist I am)…
Persuading countries to develop sustainably
How do we incentivize sustainability? In previous articles, I have touched on various aspects of sustainable development. I have yet to mention economics, which is arguably one of the most important aspects of sustainable development. Ideally, developing countries would invest in more sustainable energy sources, understand- ing that while temporarily low supplies of energy may slow economic…
Could political correctness cost Dems the election?
Debating Bill Maher and George Carlin Throughout this campaign season, Democratic presidential candidates have made a point of maintaining strict political correctness. While Republicans use controversial terms like “Islamic terrorism,” Democrats refrain from using any style of language that could possibly be construed as offensive. Politi- cal correctness is central to the Democratic candidates’ campaigns,…
To love or loathe Valentine’s Day?
I’ve always felt fairly ambivalent toward Valentine’s Day. As a kid, I loved it because we had a party in class and I got candy. As I got older, I found no meaning in it, taking after my father and thinking of it as a capitalist ploy on the part of greeting card companies and…
On white privilege and environmental justice
Individual action counts for something too As you probably know, February is Black History Month. For me, this means learning from the past, but also addressing what is happening in the present in regard to race. In some ways, we haven’t gotten very far in addressing racial issues in the United States since the civil…
Affirmative action helps to make education accessible
The practice is outdated When applying for college scholarships, there are inherent disadvantages to being inherently advantaged — and many who are inherently advantaged cry injustice. Minorities in need of financial assistance have access to funds that are otherwise inaccessible to non-minorities, and many non-minorities find it unfair. While something like race-based scholarships might have…
The land ethic of Aldo Leopold
Jan. 11 marked the birthday of one of my environmental heroes, Aldo Leopold. I’d be lying if I didn’t mention that one reason I’m obsessed with him is because he was born in Iowa and I’m from Iowa, but there’s also much more to him. Beyond being from a great state, he is known best…
Theater as an agent of feminism
I spent last week at a theatre festival in Minneapolis and something I heard a lot of was praise for plays that are outdated, discriminatory and supremacist. “It’s a product of its time” was the most common defense used in discussions of whether or not colleges and playhouses should continue to mount productions of plays…


