A Blog on McConnell Center Life

{Bookshelf Recommendation } Men Without Chests: C.S. Lewis Channels Plato in  The Abolition of Man By Connor Tracy Connor Tracy   For many of us, the mention of the name C.S. Lewis brings Aslan, the heroic lion from  The Chronicles of Narnia , bounding into our imaginations. Others may remember works such as  The Screwtape Letters  or  Mere Christianity –two books that continue to serve as challenges and guides to those seeking to grow in their faith. The modern reader rightfully places Lewis among the ranks of the great children’s authors and Christian apologists, but he was also an important scholar and man of ideas. Today I call your attention to  The Abolition of Man , one of his most important contributions to cultural criticism and philosophy. ​Lewis begins the book with a surprising discussion of an elementary school textbook. That book, though purportedly to be used to teach language, contains the hidden message that all value statement...

Lauren Reuss ('22) College is kind of like IKEA.   The experience is both exciting and frustrating; it’s home to everything under the sun; with food, friendly and knowledgeable people, and neat attractions (and yes, I do consider fancy kitchen sets neat and attractions ), there is something for everyone to enjoy.   Be it in the form of a new couch or a nursing degree, both offer you the chance to make your dreams a reality. Sorry to burst the bubble, but the novelty does wear off.   You thought you’d save by purchasing the furniture to assemble, but upon opening the box, you find parts to be missing,   unfold the instructions just to throw up your hands and say “it’s all Greek to me,” (or your favorite phrase in times of frustration), and hope for a miracle as you build the masterpiece yourself.   This is college.   When you first step foot onto campus, in what is to be your humble abode for the next eight months, the object of your spirit...

Miranda Mason ('19) Before European settlers arrived in the New World, many indigenous people called it home.  While culture varied across tribes, there is evidence that there was a more open attitude toward those who did not conform to a binary understanding of gender than was found among Europeans.  Today, the people who were part of this third gender category are referred to as “two-spirit”.  The term is also used by many modern LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc.) American Indians to describe themselves.  It is a term that attempts to encapsulate the historical and cultural background that is unique to them.  However, this term is relatively new.  The term was suggested by Albert McLeod at a 1990 conference of First Nations people, many of whom were LGBTQ+.  The term is a translation of “niizh manidoowag” of the Anishinaabemowin language, spoken by the Anishinaabe nation. It directly translates as “two ...

Natasha Mundkur ('19) I can recall the water pecking my skin as if it were only yesterday. I was 6 years old, my tan golden skin was beaten, worn from the blistering bright confidence of the sun.  My ashen hair was caked with the wispy dirt awakened from our chappals slapping the ground as we chased the street rats and mangy dogs. We only wanted to be their friends, but they wanted to be anywhere but near us. They would never forget how they lost the hairs on their tail. I would wait for them. Jotsna and “the girl who always wore braids” were my best friends and we were an inseparable trio. We would wait anxiously for the sun, for the blistering heat to begin the day’s play. I would reach for my mother’s sack and find our favorite game BINGO . I was never really good at bingo. I was honestly never really good at anything that didn’t provide me with the satisfaction of a trophy. I needed something gold and shiny that gave me the sense of accomplishment and a...