Student Depreciation Day

History is rife with tales of unwanted gifts, and as with most unwanted gifts, there have usually been downsides. The Trojans got a free wooden horse only to later discover that it was filled with claustrophobic Greek warriors. The Native Americans received blankets from settlers who failed to mention that they were infested with smallpox (the blankets, not the settlers, though there's a good chance...).

History has repeated itself here at Houghton.

We were given "Student Appreciation Day" by our beloved catering service (serving us with wholesome, tasteless food for who knows how long...). Essentially, it was the same food we have every day, only this time it had been prepared by hand by our fellow students (making the lines stretch clear on down the stairs). Granted, we were given tablecloths, but considering that we're only going to get them dirty, the amount of soap and water needed to wash them will probably cost more time and effort than to have simply left the tables alone. To top it all off, the center of the cafeteria had been leveled to make way for a long table from which obnoxious propaganda was launched at us with all the sweet subtly of nuclear detonations. Granted, they were attempting to give the students some entertainment with their trivia games, but all in all not nearly enough people participated to make it even remotely interesting, let alone enjoyable. Besides, being constantly deafened by "This prize donated by the Cola corporation and some other blood-sucking business" tends to put a damper on the conversations of others (and if you're among the few hard-core leftists, simply hearing how Cola and it's inbred siblings advertise even in Houghton is enough to put you off your food- not that it isn't bad enough already).

So catering service, let me put it to you this way.
We appreciate your efforts, we truly do. We know how much time and energy you must have put into this day.

That said, we must ask you to never do it again.

This "appreciation" day makes even eating a baffling ordeal. Sitting down to a meal shouldn't be this hard- the students have enough on their plates as it is (forgive the pun). If you truly want to go out of your way for us, then put some flavor into the food for a change or leave a plate of fresh fruit on each table- it's feasible for your lot and actually enjoyable for us. We appreciate you- please don't "appreciate" us...

April Fools

Considering that this is a college setting, one might expect April Fools Day to be something the students look forward to.

At Houghton, this is not the case.

Here, there is a general air of laziness when it comes to April Fools- a general feeling of "Yeah, I didn't do anything myself but I heard this one dude..." that fills the cafeteria like a bad smell. In general, a few pranks will happen (usually someones clothes will be stolen) but otherwise students prefer to laugh about other people's pranks than participate themselves.

Really, its come to be expected. Houghtians have adopted the slogan of "We work hard and we study hard!".
Playing hard- even just once in a while- doesn't really come into the picture.

For some, of course, this is understandable- not everyone has the time or means. In general though, the majority of students could do something for a change. Even if it's just covering a dormmate's door with with post-it notes or serenading (in a foreign language) some random girl, pranks can- no- must be preformed. Everyone has to pull their weight to make Houghton fun.

When in Dublin...

... do as the Irish do (unless, of course, you're at Houghton).

While on this bright and warm Saint Patrick's day the number of students wearing green skyrocketed, there was a noticeable lack of "Irishness". Sure there were shamrocks, and green hats, and green t-shirts with stupid slogans, but otherwise it was like any other day.

This is because of Houghton's alcohol policy.

Had there been whiskey and beer flowing like water and cola, then this day would've been far more exciting. While spontaneous river dancing might be too much to hope for, there would have been at least some swearing, brawling, and destruction of property.

Sure the majority of Houghtians observed the holiday, but is observation truly enough? We here at the Houghton Independent believe that it isn't enough to simply wear green and talk in an exaggerated Irish accent for a day. If we want to remember the Irish- truly remember- then we should leave behind our pathetic t-shirts and obnoxious dialect and honor the things the Irish stand for (primarily binge drinking and acts of casual violence).

The Persistence of Mexican

Usually after a break the quality in cafeteria food is appalling- not so this past week. From Monday onwards, the cafeteria delivered a mountain of crowd-pleasers, including three days of the ever-popular Mexican bar, two days of Asian, and for a finishing touch, the rare yet mouth-watering New England clam chowder. All in all, a great week.

Or was it?

Usually, Houghton serves popular dishes sporadically- for every bountiful harvest of good food (such as Mexican) there's almost two weeks of famine. The fact that so much good food is being served at once is an ominous indicator that it will be a long time before we receive these dishes again.

Is all hope lost?
Not necessarily.

Houghton is subject to an on-and-off flow of prospective students and their families. Sure, they're noisy and tend to overcrowd the already packed cafeteria, but consider this: Houghton's cooking improves dramatically every time prospectives arrive. Also remember that the ISA's Caribbean banquet is coming up (though now that I think about it, unless you bought tickets, you're screwed).

End result? We will be paying for this sudden bounty, however we shouldn't have to tighten the belt buckles just quite yet...

Coming Soon...

Coming soon, the weekly review of food. A brief critique and analysis of Houghton's cafeteria meals.

Think you can stomach it?

Love Thy Neighbor (So Long as He's Like You in Every Respect...)

Do not misunderstand me- Houghton has a great many good qualities. We've got beautiful campus, warm dorms, modern facilities, a well-stocked library, wireless internet, and good food- even if it is a little bland time to time.

However, for all its fame as a "community", "unity", and "diversity" tolerance is not one of Houghton's greatest attributes. Sure there's a general philosophy of "we don't have to agree" when it comes to minor disagreements such as the merits of breakfast or the quality of a chapel sermon, however, should you differ from the student body's mainstream philosophy, God help you.

It's here that Houghton's dark side really comes through. There's nothing wrong with not liking those who are different- after all, society is based on mutual needs, goals, and philosophies. However disliking someone for being different is never acceptable. While Houghton has done all in its power to make the campus more diverse, Houghton's treatment of those who are diverse leaves much to be desired.

If you're different enough- if you're far away enough from what's deemed to be wholesome or holy- then chances are you'll be treated as if you were nothing more than a half-crazed homeless man. If your a Democrat, you might be given the courtesy of the "You're entitled to your own wrong and unethical point of view". If you're a liberal or a hard-core leftist, you'll get the same amount of respect and credence as a conspiracy theory. Your arguments, philosophies, and world-view will be considered to be either childish, Utopian fantasies or angry, irrational fanaticism (and as a Communist, believe me, I know...). Some will laugh and shrug you off as if you're a joke, others will angrily snap at your heretical statements as if they were a personal attack. Respect is for those who conform.

But it's not just politics or philosophy- it can be your actions as well. Last year when the Chapel Scanners were removed by a self-appointed bunch of rebels known as "La Revolucion", there was a massive outcry from much of the student body, not so much because of the anti-Chapel rule the group had made, but because of it's act of rebellion. Lashing against the system might be glorified elsewhere, but at Houghton, fighting the machine will not not gain the support of the masses. On the contrary, one of the quickest ways to a table at the back of the cafeteria is through raging against the machine.

So-called "unethical" behavior is yet another way to put yourself in the stocks. With a still-powerful Wesleyan background, smoking, drinking, and gambling are placed along side a list of other sins in the Community Covenant. As a result, smoking, drinking, and gambling are often treated as veritable sins. You don't have to be an alcoholic or an addict, there's enough of an anti-liquor/tobacco/gaming movement to ostracize those who do choose to sip a glass of wine now and then, or once in a while play some blackjack. Even with the policy change, "sketchy" dancing is considered to be immoral by some and therefore so are the dancers. "Love of the sinner, hate the sin" has yet to take hold here.

And so we reach the conclusion. Are we saying we should turn a blind eye to what others do? Are we to accept everything?
Not at all.
Obviously there are certain things which cannot be tolerated. We shouldn't condone crimes or sins or the poor choices of others. We have every right to hold our own opinions.
So do they.
And simply because a person or group of persons do hold differing ideals doesn't mean they should be burnt at the stake. We can believe a person to be wrong and still respect their choices and actions and beliefs behind them. We need to cut each other some slack and not demonize them for simply being different.

Can't we all just get along?

Weight of the World

To claim "Yo' momma so fat that when she wears a yellow dress, people flag her as a taxi!" would be a bit of an exaggeration but even so, it makes a good point. A recent study has shown that in the US, just over fifty-percent of the population is obese. Not merely overweight, but full-on obese. As if that weren't bad enough, a massive portion of the non-obese population is still fat- surprising, considering the country's obsession with "beauty" (the standards of which border anorexia). As a result of all this, I have often heard the claim made by those overweight "Sure I could lose of a few pounds, but I'm not morbidly obese!". Granted, they are not obese, but does that fact absolve them? After all, claiming that "I could be a nicer, more compassionate guy but at least I'm no Marquis de Sade!" doesn't make me any less of a jerk.

At this point, it must be stated that this is not directed against those who are fat as a result of a glandular disorder. If the pituitary is out of whack then's there nothing that can be done about it. No, this is directed to those who are fat as a result of personal choices.

True, no one chooses to be fat, but then again, it's not something that's completely out of our hands. Sure, with the increasing number of desk jobs and advancements in technology, it has become easier to be fat, the individual is not without blame. Choosing the elevator rather than the stairs, the brownies rather than the apple, the half-hour on the couch rather than on the treadmill- it all adds up in the end.

So what? Some may ask. So what if people are fat? Is that really such a crime?
Let's take a look at it.

Firstly, we have to ask ourselves, is it right for so many of us to be fat (not only fat but obese) when others starve? What does that say about us, especially at Houghton? Is this something we can condone? I doubt it.

Secondly, what are the religious ramifications? There isn't a religion on earth where being unhealthy is commendable and in many cases, fat, gluttony, and excess are considered sins. Should any religious person, bound by religious and ethical law, also be fat (or at least, fat to the point of being unfit or unhealthy)? Probably not.

Thirdly, there's the social issue. What does having a high number of fat individuals do to a society? In the case of manual labor, a healthy balance between underweight and overweight is required for the optimal results. As harsh as it may sound, when it comes to physical labor and athleticism, being fat really doesn't help anyone. True, athleticism and manual labor weren't meant for all, but even so, should push come to shove, everyone should be able to pull their own weight. So does being fat necessarily hurt society? No, but it certainly doesn't help either.

So after taking these three points into consideration, let us observe the reasons to be fat.

Let's see there's... there's...

Well, it doesn't seem that there are any benefits. Granted the extra layers of adipose tissue with help deal with cold, but only for a very brief period, after which movement- not fat- becomes the body's means of warming itself.

So what's the end result? Is it alright to be fat?

Of course. We have the rights to be whatever we want to be. It is our actions and choices, not our bodies and belt-sizes, that make us who we are. Nobody as the right to tell you to be or not be fat any more than someone can decide what kind of hairstyle you go for. But is being fat advisable? It it commendable?

Absolutely not.

Strange You Can Believe In

From the beginning of the presentation, the entire student body gathered in Chapel knew it was coming. Sooner or later, among such icons as Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, and Nelson Mandella, he would eventually pop up. One could literally feel the entire congregation bracing itself for the moment that was inevitably coming.

And it did. As the choir sang its closing notes, clips of President Obama flashed up on the screen, at both his victory and inaugural speeches.

Many Houghtians didn't like that- as evidenced by both the segment in yesterday's STAR and angrily whispered comments in chapel- encompassing everything from the dryly sarcastic chant of "Yes we can!" to outraged murmurs of "Idolatry!".

Was it really that bad?

Granted it was on the grandiose side, but so was the entire presentation. A massive picture of MLK Jr was portrayed and accompanied by the swelling voices of the choir below and I don't recall anyone saying "Idolatry!". Sure Obama was portayed as the ending crescendo swept through the audience like a storm, but isn't that natural? Obama's achievement of being the first black president of the US has been the most recent milestone in black history- why wouldn't it be portrayed at the end? Was it- as some claim- a political statement? Of course not. The reason Obama was portrayed along with the floating, red, white, and blue subtitle of "PRESIDENT!" was because he is president. The subtitle doesn't scream "In your face, losers!"- it merely underscores the magnitude of the event.

The student body of Houghton is generally- with the exception of a handful of liberals and far-left extremists- conservative. Some disappointment is expected and natural. However bitterness about the outcome is totally and utterly unacceptable- especially this long after the end of the elections. Cringing, whimpering, or whining every time the word "Obama" is mentioned is, quite simply immature. If McCain had won, the conservatives on campus would be just as irked if the liberals sent up a wail of anguish every time he was referenced- perhaps it's time to extend to the left the same courtesy the right would expect if the situation were reversed.

So what's the conclusion? Don't we have the right to say what we want? Can't we complain?
Yes, we can.

But that doesn't mean we should.

Wining About Liquor

It's been nearly ninety years since the creation of the Eighteenth Amendment. And while it was laid to rest only thirteen years after its birth, some places in the world have yet to move on.

Houghton is one of these places.

Currently, the Community Covenant states that both Houghton students and faculty are forbidden from drinking alcohol either on or off campus. This rule has existed long before the temperance movement and only now is being called into question.

As always when it comes to the Community Covenant, controversy has sprung up across campus. Already, a petition to leave the rule unchanged is in circulation and speculations concerning the implications of a rule change have been flying around Houghton. Some hail a change in the rule as a form of freedom, while others have dubbed it a travesty of Houghton tradition. Some have pointed out that drinking is listed in the Community Covenant as a sin, while others point out that the same was once true for dancing.

Before we pass judgment, let's tack a step back and look at the facts

Firstly, let us look at exactly who would be affected by a change in this rule.

US law prohibits anyone under the age of twenty-one to drink, so by process of elimination, we can determine that only Houghton seniors and college staff. A decent amount, but we can narrow it down a bit further. The nearest liquor store is roughly a hundred miles away (and even then, it's not so much a liquor as a gas station that sells beer). This means that only seniors with cars will have access to liquor, as will various members of the staff. Despite the small number of students and staff who will actually have access to alcohol, the controversy still rages.

Secondly, let us attempt to predict what a change in the rule would do the college financially.

While most of those who make donations to Houghton care little for policy alteration, there is a minority who's charity is proportionate to the amount of change in the Community Covenant since their college days. The recent change in the dancing policy has led some donors to stop giving. A change in the drinking policy would almost assuredly have a similar affect only on a larger scale. All in all, Houghton could up to a couple thousand dollars in charitable donations. While the college would doubtlessly lose money, in the long run we must ask ourselves "what is the price of this freedom? Is a few thousand dollars in funding enough to alter our positions on a policy? Who are we changing the policy for anyways?", and so on.

Thirdly, we must look at the potential implications for the college itself.

Colleges nearly always bring to mind images of frat house parties, binge drinking, and wild bacchanaliae out on the quad. Granted, some colleges are like that but in general the amount of partying and drinking that occurs on campuses is greatly exaggerated. Nevertheless, some students at Houghton are under the impression that this, or at least something similar, will happen to the college if drinking is permitted. I myself have even heard the quote "Even if they leave campus to drink... they're just gonna come back drunk...", suggesting that drunkenness is immediately associated with drinking (and indeed, it is, however it must be understood that while if you are drunk, you must have consumed alcohol, that fact that you've consumed alcohol does not necessarily mean you're drunk). Adding in the factor that the nearest liquor store is miles away and that only a handful of students can drink, one can safely predict that our Houghton isn't about to become Nero's Rome.

So now that we've had a look at the implications for the college's moral stability, financial situation, and student body (the few who can drink, anyways), what conclusions may we arrive at?
Is drinking going to harm the student body at Houghton? Considering how few students can actually drink, probably not. Is drinking going to harm the college's finances? Definitely, but we can't let money influence our principles- otherwise we're just stating that we can be bribed. Is drinking going to destroy Houghton's moral standing- no way.

Even so, we are left with more questions.
Is drinking even morally acceptable in and of itself? Providing you don't become a raging alcoholic, then yes- it is. If Jesus did it, the rest of us can as well.
Will the policy change encourage alcoholism? Not at all. As has been stated before, alcohol is extremely difficult to obtain here, even for those who can buy it legally. With today's gas prices, students aren't going to be constantly driving out to drink cheap beer in a gas station parking lot. Is this an endorsement of drinking? Absolutely not. Simply because a person is given the option of doing something does not mean that the person's choice is sanctioned by the one who gives the choice. Would a change in the Community Covenant allow the staff to live by a double-standard, being able to drink while students are forbidden? So long as the staff members are above the drinking age, then no, there would be no double standard.

So what's the final verdict? Let the rule be changed. A handful of students occasionally guzzling a beer or two or a professor relaxing with a glass of red wine isn't going to hurt anyone. Who knows? Perhaps that extra bit of relaxation will help seniors not stress out about finals and professors have some well deserved release from grading midterms.

Time to eat, drink, and be merry.

Cheers!

"If Music Be the Food of Love..."

...Then let it also be remembered that one man’s meat is another man’s poison.

What’s the deal the chapel’s organ music?

Aside from the pointless ritual of sitting and standing whenever it’s played (no doubt a cruel and cunning Wesleyan technique used to determine if anyone in the congregation had fallen asleep/died during the sermon) things have been going downhill since the beginning of the year. When we first arrived, the music was blaringly loud, excruciatingly antiquated, and puritanically solemn- the musical equivalent of having a brick smashed into your face.

Difficult to imagine that it could get any worse.
And of course, it did.

The music is still as loud as ever (if not louder) but any sense of antiquity and austerity has been lost (if not murdered and thrown into a ditch from a moving car). Now the music best resembles the frantic and twisted music you’d see in a horror movie set in a cursed amusement park. The weird (let’s admit it- just plain freaky) music that we hear as we shuffle out of chapel sounds like it was written by a demented clown from some hellish carnival.

J.S. Bach is rolling around in his grave right now.
Seriously, doesn’t this merit the administration’s attention? The way things are going, the organist must either be knocking back snifters of LSD or having his soul ripped out of body every time he plays (or every time she plays- I’m not sure which). Rehab or exorcist- it matters not; the point is that the chapel has no right to play god by punishing us this way. It’s bad enough that we’re forced to attend, you think they’d show some humanity and spare us the tri-weekly renditions of pained animals being strangled by their own digestive tract.

For the love of heaven, Houghton, there’s a reason why pipe organs are portrayed as appearing in vampyric crypts , the lairs of opera phantoms, and super-villain hideouts (at least they try to play decently). Let the facts be faced, if you don’t have any good songs to play, it’s best not to play anything at all.

Why The ******* Censorship?

Seriously.

This isn't the first time any of us have seen censorship, and it definitely isn't the first time its happened at Houghton but it seems to be happening more and more often now. Take last semester's 'SPOT' event, for example. SPOT is, essentially, a glorified variety show run by the student body for the student body- bot not last semester. No, last semester SPOT was run almost entirely by the college administration, bringing in the hosts of last years event as well as several acts deemed "classic" by the administration. Granted, it was the college's 125th anniversary- it's understandable that the administration would want this years SPOT to be perfect. If I were a 125 year old manager of La Scala, I wouldn't want to see a second-rate performance of Wagner's Parsifal. However, even if I were a 1250 year old manager of La Scala, I wouldn't dream of walking into another person's opera house and start telling them which acts to perform and which singers to hire. Yet essentially, this is what Houghton has done. Acting under the belief that somehow their 125th anniversary justified their actions, the administration commandeered (for lack of a better word) SPOT. Sure that semester's SPOT was decent, but so what? I personally don't care if that semester's SPOT was the greatest show since the creation of the Belagio's water fountains- the administration had no right to do what it did.

So what? There was another, student-run SPOT this year. We won't have to worry about the administration unfairly stepping in for another quarter-century. Surely they're done for now...

Not quite.

Administrative censorship reared its ugly head again this semester at the 'Houghton's Got Talent' event, in which certain acts were forbidden due to their content. In the Houghton Star, for example, a student stated that he had withdrawn his act because he had been forbidden from performing the song "Kiss" by Prince (in either its original or edited form) due to some "implied sexual language". After looking up the lyrics, I would agree that there are some implications in that song, however, (1) the same could be said for nearly every song written in the past decade and (2) I'm confident that the students of Houghton are capable of handling a handful of vague references.
Again at the 'Purple & Gold Dance-a-thon', the song (and arguable, the very anthem of the 70s) "That's the Way I Like It" was deemed "inappropriate" (again, if you've got a dirty enough mind you might be able to squeeze some kind of implication out of it, but if you're seriously that deranged, you'd probably see explicit references in the instructions for a pack of ramen noodles.)

So what's the message being sent here? Does the administration seriously consider us incapable of dealing with a few potentially salacious songs or acts? Is it that we're not trusted enough to make our own judgments? How far can/will the administration go to "protect" the student body from what it deems offensive. What's the criteria for something being offensive anyways?

Seriously, we can get married, get jobs, be conscripted in a draft and sent off to die- surely we can be allowed to decide for ourselves what is inappropriate and what isn't. After all, we singed a community covenant- a covenant is based on mutual trust, rather than a agreement which makes up for the lack of trust between two parties. We've signed on to obey and respect the community covenant- the administration needs to respect that covenant too, **** it.

"You Say You Want a Revolution..."

Whatever happened to the days when Universities were the hotbeds of political and social change? I'm not going to rant about the institution, but it needs to be said- somewhere along the road, we went astray.

Don't misunderstand- Houghton does regularly hold forums on the subject of social justice- just take Global Conflict Week for example, or the recent ROTC discussion on the subject of "Just War". However, that's all there is- talk. As we have seen, there is plenty of debate and discussion, but we have yet to witness any action. Aside from a casual mentioning in the opening Chapel prayer, Houghton sticks its hands in its pockets and hums the Beatles' mantra of "Don't you know, its going to be all right, all right, all right...".

It isn't.

Prayer is all good and well, but it isn't the answer. Seeing a mugging and simply praying for the man getting mugged makes a travesty of all that prayer is meant to be. Reminds me of a famous story.
The boat of man out at sea suddenly sinks, leaving the man treading water hundreds of miles off the coast. He prays for deliverance and when he sees a small motorboat pull up beside him. The pilot looks over the edge and tells him to climb aboard, upon which the man shakes his head and responds "I've prayed- God'll save me". Next comes a yacht, and the scenario repeats itself, the man in the water adamantly stating that God will save him. It happens once more, this time with an ocean liner, however the man still refuses to climb aboard. At last he drowns and at the gates of heaven he meets God and demands "God, I prayed three times- why didn't you save me?" God sadly shakes his head and replies "You idiot, I sent you three boats!".

Essentially, what this story's stating is that God isn't a cosmic babysitter. We can't expect that we can sit back and let God take care of it. Taking a quote of Galileo out of context, "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." God has given us the ability to change the world- to spread equality and peace and justice. So again the question is raised, what's with Houghton? Why is a college that by all rights should be spearheading activism so inactive?

I myself have searched for the answers, and I've yet to be satisfied with one of them. Is it because there aren't as many disasters and injustices now as there once were? If anything the world has become worse. Is it because the Houghtians simply aren't exposed to the hell that the rest of the world has to live in? We're isolated but we're not blind- Houghton is exposed the suffering that millions have to go through. Again, I am at a loss to explain, left only with the resounding "Why?".

So even if I am unable to find a cause, perhaps I'll be able to find a cure. I have to be the change that I want to see in Houghton. From now on, I intend to dedicate a portion of my week to open protest and activism.

Join the Revolution.

The War against Boredom

Houghton's a great college.
We have decently warm dorms, good-looking buildings, superb professors, and great meals.

Despite all of this, Houghton is a stullifyingly dull place. Effectively isolated from society by miles of barren, snowy wasteland, boredom is more prevalent than even the common cold, and far more dangerous. Some Houghtians attempt to combat boredom by engaging in pointless relationships, screwing around on Facebook, or attempting to throw cards into upside-down hats. Still others will listlessly haunt the library's scant video section in a vain attempt to find a movie that was made after the late sixties. In more serious cases, students, desperate for any release possible, will attempt to blog or create replicas of famous paintings, using only toothpicks, shredded newspaper, and their own tears.

Solutions have been tried, by both students and by the College administration, with no sucess. Everywhere are the remains of experiments, still living on in agony. SPOT, Cloak and Dagger, the Shakespear plays, Babbette's Feast, the endless line of lectures and forums- the list goes on and on. Somehow, enough desperate students show up to these to keep them alive (despite the fact that the only humane thing to do would be to put these sorry excuses for asumesment and diversion out of their misery). There's not a whole lot one can do, really. Sure, there's a small movie theater several towns over, but unless you have a car (and most of us don't) then you can't actually go (and even if you did, the chances that they'd be playing something other than the 1980s travesty War Games II are virtually nihl).

"So what?", you might ask. "Sure its not exactly an exciting place, but we came here to study- not to party". That's absolutely correct, we did come here for the excellent academics. But at some point, you must ask yourself, "What have I become? I'm sitting here writing a blog! A FREAKING BLOG!". If youstep back and look at ourselves, you see how pathetic we're becomming. Yousit in our rooms staring blankly at a computer screen- do you really care what your freind just changed his status to? We sit in Java listening to our boy/girlfreind drone on about something insignificant- do you even give a flying puke about this idiot? We sit listening to our Ipods for hours- isn't this the fifth time that song played?

So what's the answer?
I honestly don't know. Perhaps one day someone will find the solution. Until then, I say that we must keep fighting boredom (lest it overwhelm us and we wake up one day to find that we're teaching Western Civ at Houghton Academy) however, let us also keep our dignity. What's the point of being entertained if we lose all our pride and honor (which in all honesty is the only thing that lets me get out of bed in the mornings). Unlike Bush's America and its "War on Terror", let us not sacrifice our self-respect for temporary personal gain. So I say this to you: As you sit alone at your cafeteria table, attempting to chuck a crumpled-up tissue into your plastic cup- do it proudly! Sit straight and throw it like the fate of your soul is hanging in the balance...

Because it is....

The Sound And Our Fury

You know what it's like.

After slaving away at some paper deep into the night, you finally stumble into bed. You toss and turn and draw your blankets around you in an attempt to fight off the feeling that you've forgotten something important. Finally, just as the sweet release of sleep is about to come to you, it happens. The sirens go off. An agonized, inhuman wail that rips the night apart. Nearly deafened, you leap out of bed, nearly tripping over your shoes and cracking your skull open on the edge of your desk.

Air raid? Flash flood warning? The Second Coming? No.

Lambein.

Yes, someone in Lambein has somehow managed to set off a smoke-detector at three in the morning.

Granted, there are other possible reasons for the alarms going off- someone at the nearby rest home may have been injured, or someone might have gotten into an accident. However, since the beginning of this semester, the sirens have gone off at least once a day without fail- even if all the old folks were having at each other with chainsaws and the parking lot below Roth was turned into a demolition derby the sirens wouldn't be going off with such frequency.

It is also granted that the smoke-detectors in Lambein are located directly over the stoves, however a siren going off every day, often three or four times a day, is simply inexcusable no matter where the dectectors are. Seriously, they either take some basic cooking lessons or stop using the stoves. If theycan't cook some basic food without burning it, maybe it would be best if they didn't cook it at all (for the love of heaven, we've got a dining hall that serves three meals a day, and countless places around campus where you can buy food), let alone at three in the morning.

Do we care?

Recently I was hanging out in the campus center and, being the nasty little eavesdropper I am, overheard an interesting conversation which I will relate for you here:
“What’s Praxis week?”
“I dunno. I’m pretty sure it’s another one of those, ‘let’s pretend we care about an issue for a week’ things.”
Is that what Praxis week is, just a chance for us to make ourselves look good? A time when we “pretend” that we care? Well, that depends. There’s a difference between what it is, and what it’s supposed to be. I believe Praxis week will be what we make it. What it is intended to be is a week when we focus on the importance of hospitality. But it is what we make it. Quite often we are so stuck in our feeling of everything being all right that we don’t let ourselves be challenged. Since we believe everything is right with us we think that these are just times to pretend we care, because we don’t need to, so we think, but we should pretend we care so that we look good. But honestly everyone, as James 2:20 says, faith without works is dead. So let’s care, and really care. Because we have these times to focus on issues for a reason, and as followers of Christ it is our duty to act on this, if we really love God we should care about what he does.

I personally didn’t attend many of the Praxis week lectures, only a couple. But I did listen, and try to pay attention and take it to heart. When thinking back on listening to Marva Dawn’s wonderful speaking about caring for those who are, “differently abled” another big Houghton issue pops into my mind, the issue of a coed, or so called, “Shared lounge”, Lambein. The problem is that we need a men’s dorm that is accessible to those who are differently abled, and both Rothenbuhler and Shenawana have hills that, especially in winter, make them rather treacherous. Now, I’ll be completely honest with you, I am dead set against Lambein being half a guy’s dorm. I believe it will be bad in many different ways, but that’s a whole different post in itself. Just keep in mind that I am very much against a coed Lambein, but despite that Marva Dawn really made me think. Mrs. Dawn, in her wonderfully eloquent way, spoke about how we treat the differently abled, and pointed out the importance of caring for them. Ever since I first heard about the idea of Lambein becoming coed I have been almost militant in my opposition of it. “That’s crazy!” I say, “You’ll ruin Lambein!” I say. People would try to bring up the argument of the differently abled guys needing a place to live, and I would just dismiss it. I love Lambein, and I didn’t really care too much about my differently abled brothers. But listening to Marva Dawn I realized I need to care about them. I might not like the idea of Houghton having to change to accommodate them, but Houghton needs to be for everyone. If God doesn’t love them any less than anyone else, why should I be able to? I just felt convicted about this. I still am opposed to a coed dorm, but I now care about this. We need to be willing to change and care for our differently abled brothers, because they are just as much loved by God, and just as much his children as us.

Well, these were just some of my thoughts from Praxis week. Please comment and tell me what you thought. This blog is meant to cause dialogue about issues and life at Houghton, so please, share your thoughts and ideas.

Chris

Praxis Week

Well, last week was Praxis week, and we here at the Houghton Independent Writer’s Community have decided to all write about it. I’m hoping we’ll cover several different perspectives and angles, and maybe even raise some controversial issues!

Thanks for reading,
Chris

A Place You Can Love

Alright I'm kicking things off with this Houghton writing project. If you were looking for something deeply spiritual I'm sorry I'm all thought out for today. Today I'm just going to tell you about places I love. Starting of with Java 101 and why it is pretty much fantastic, amazing, and twenty other synonyms of awesome that I don't know.

There is a huge list and so many reasons why I love Java and neither are expressed or felt every time I visit; it's a different experience each time. The one constant is that Java's is always comfortable. It's homey and peaceful to me. I doesn't matter if there are two couples sitting at a table and one person on the couch, or if the place is jammed packed because of some art expo. Salsa night, or live music. It isn't about the design or the feel of it (though I love the ambiance). There is no real identifiable characteristic why I love it, it just is a sort of sanctuary for me. A place where I can enjoy so many things like friends, a good cup of coffee, or a meaningful conversation. I can do homework, write, and concentrate well. I always seem to get my best thinking done in Java. I've had so many positive experiences in their that I just love it I guess. Even though coffee shops kill me in general, (I'm a complete sucker for them). Java isn't awesome merely because it is a place where they serve all drinks associated with coffee, play poppy, enjoyable music, and is relaxing. It is just a place I love, which makes it special. However it is not the only coffee shop I love.

Back home where I live there is a coffee shop, tucked in the corner of a building that houses a bunch of different businesses. It has rough red brick walls, and you can see part of the village through the windows, and there's lots of comfy well worn furniture. Live music is frequented there along with all sorts of delicious cakes and sweets. There are cool posters behind the counter and chalkboards colorfully depicting the desert or dinner specials. If you sit in one corner you can see down into the foyer or where the counter is and where coffee shop starts, and if you look outside the lift bridge sits there like a dull giant waiting to the command of to raise or lower. This is my favorite spot, I can see everything, it is the Fairport Village Coffee shop, or among my peers FVC. I've been to plenty of coffee shops because it always struck me in some way other coffee shops haven't. Again it is a place I love.

Though I love both Java 101, and FVC and I spend a lot of time there how much time you spend somewhere doesn't determine if you love a place or not. Heck I've stayed a week in Ghiroda and Ibalcia Romania each and I love both of those places. I didn't spend the majority of my time there during those weeks, but I love them anyway. If you love a place it is special, it does something more for you than just house you or provide some service. Starbucks provides me with some good coffee; Java 101 and FVC give me a way to enjoy my evening even though I do nothing more than drink coffee or talk with friends. There is some enhancement of my life in these places.

I love Java 101 be it quiet or loud. It serves excellent drinks, and is awesome for a good pondering sessions, but that is only one gem in Houghton. Houghton has many gems, but I love Houghton in it entirety. I could write pages about that, but we will leave it the fact that I love it and I belong here. Nothing is perfect, and every places has its downfalls, but at the end of every day Houghton is a beautiful place. If you love Houghton like me I don't think you need to realize why you love Houghton, but analyze away is you wish. The important thing is a place you love is more than a building, it the existence of it as a whole, made up of many parts. A place is the people there, the physical building(s), the ambiance or mood it gives, the community it creates, and much more. The part I love most about Houghton is the people. Loving people doesn't make me love Houghton, but because my friends are here, because they interact, experience, and contribute to what Houghton is they are part of Houghton. Whether you love one part of Houghton, or many parts you get something back, it enhances your life.

So I hope that it is more than an academic institution with a good Music or Biology program. That is a place you love, that enhances your life and make your time here worth it. And if you haven't fallen in love with Houghton or have fallen out of it I urge you to look as to why, and that looking makes a difference. Whether it be realizing Houghton isn't the right place, or that it is. My ultimate wish and hope is that if you are here you can love Houghton, and enjoy your life here to the fullest, and if you can't (because Houghton doesn't fit everyone), then you find a college you can love.