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artscollege life

Doing Something Else

Calvin College, where I teach, faced another brutal round of budget cuts this fall, and not surprisingly, the arts took a hard hit. I lament this deeply, though I’m not complaining. I understand all the exigencies behind it, and I gratefully acknowledge that the process…
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January 9, 2016
college lifeMichigan

Wolverine Pilgrimage

In the van on the way there, I wind up sitting in the way-back with my twelve-year-old niece. She is hopelessly bored, fiddling with her phone while the grownups discuss my college’s cuts to arts programs, the difficulties faced by arts organizations, recent discoveries concerning…
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October 17, 2015
college lifecultural commentary

Slow Knowledge

Before the terrible shooting in Charleston on June 17, there was no Wikipedia page for the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Over the next 36 hours, 44 different editors made 152 edits to create a “solid” page, according to a fascinating blog post by librarian/blogger…
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June 27, 2015
college lifesilly

Hogwarts Adjusts to New Realities

“I am so glad I’m not taking Divination anymore!” Hermione had just come down from the girls’ dormitory into the Gryffindor common room. She plopped down into a squashy armchair next to Harry and Ron, looking thoroughly disgusted. “Look at this,” she said, flipping open…
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November 15, 2014
college life

Advice Season

I guess what I find annoying about ordinary (i.e., non-Calvinist) graduation advice is that it’s so vague and general and far too easy. The speaker lays down these wise-sounding words and then waltzes off, carefree, to the banquet luncheon. He or she doesn’t have to…
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May 17, 2014
Calvin eventscollege lifetheology

Get Out Much?

Back at work, my job this month is to help new faculty members at Calvin College learn about Calvin’s history and mission, figuring out what it all means for their academic field and for their life in the Calvin … “vortex”? Is that too strong…
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January 11, 2014