A Blog on McConnell Center Life

By Leo Tobbe Last week, the second of what I hope will be many “No Kings” protests flooded the streets of urban America. They were overwhelmingly peaceful, and featured no shortage of costumes, instruments, and theatrics mocking President Trump’s alarming and rapid accumulation of executive power. Even those who support his politics have to admit that Trump’s lack of regard for the legislative process and abuse of the courts sets a troubling precedent for Democrats and Republicans alike. However, I want to talk about a trend that’s arguably more troubling than our president’s monarchic tendencies: my generations apathy towards politics (and everything else.) The No Kings protests have been a resounding success in all categories but youth participation. If you look at the pictures of the crowds, you won’t find many teenagers or college kids in the mix. Gen Z hasn’t really been showing up to “fight the man,” like young people are supposed to do, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. I think ther...

By Trey Stephens      In my latest feature of underrated travel destinations we will look at a city that has found its way into a place of notoriety for all the wrong reasons, over the past couple of decades. Whether it be a financial crisis within local government, a population decrease, abysmal sports teams, or something else, Detroit has certainly been through their fair share of recent struggles. But, let me just say, a lot has changed in recent years. Downtown Detroit has undergone a large revitalization, complete with an influx of new retail, housing, and entertainment as well as corporate offices. The majority of the changes have come in three distinct downtown areas: Greektown, Campus Martius, and Grand Circus.      The city also offers renewed areas expanding out from downtown in Troy, Mt Clemens, and the quickly growing neighborhood of Corktown. Corktown features one of Detroit's most notable attractions, the recently restored Michigan Central Sta...

By Connor Price Sophomore year so far has been a wholly unique and interesting one for so many reasons. Some of these reasons are more obvious than others, such as new classes, new jobs and responsibilities, new friendships, and new pastimes and hobbies. I’m serving my last semester as the Vice President of Philanthropy for my fraternity, a role in which I helped raise record donation numbers to combat brain cancer and to support children whose parents suffer from cancer. I’m working as the Assistant to the Services Vice President for the Student Government Association, where I help research and synthesize university services policy for the student body. I’ve just taken the responsibility of acting as a mentor figure to two Freshman students here at the University. And over the summer, I worked my first real job as a Resident Advisor for the Governor’s Scholars Program on Centre College’s campus, where I had the opportunity to mentor and teach high achieving high school seniors from al...

 By Keely O'Bryan      I enjoy writing. Even when I’m hunched over my laptop, frustrated and struggling to complete a thought that is so clear in my mind, I remember that I would much rather be searching for synonyms than studying a textbook for an impending exam. I’ve been like this for as long as I can remember.  In the fourth grade, my final assessment for the year was writing a short essay on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. While I had never made a PB&J, largely because I don’t like sandwiches, I was prepared to write the most eloquent paragraph that a fourth grader was capable of. The purpose of the assignment was to demonstrate that you could use transition words correctly (First, you grab the bread, then you grab your ingredients, finally you put the slices together, and on and on…), but I was determined to excel. I, so artistically, used academic language such as alternatively , consequentially , ultimately – which, ultimately, probab...

By Clara Heberling      One of my guilty pleasures is listening to Supreme Court oral arguments. I will often download the recording to my phone, pop in earbuds, and go for a run, watching the miles  pass by as I analyze each side of America’s most pressing legal questions.       My favorite part of this activity is trying to see how many justices I can recognize solely by their voices. My second favorite part, though, is listening to the lawyers parse out  the smallest intricacies of the case. Even when a justice asks a seemingly pointless question, the advocates are prepared to give a detailed answer and manage to relate it to  their main argument. I find it satisfying how each small factor contributes to a deeper  understanding of the case at hand, allowing the nine justices to propose a solution that  respects the complexity of the problem.       As such, I’m always slightly disappointed when I finish my...

By Harper Hall      As a child, I constantly bombarded my parents with questions. I wanted to know the  reason behind everything, from why it was raining to whether God existed. My innate sense of  curiosity was further fueled through thought-provoking classes that required me to ask in-depth  questions and never be satisfied with superficial answers. I have always been comfortable with  articulating my point of view; debating the differences between ethics, morals, and justice; and  pondering essential questions.      Throughout my academic journey at the University of Louisville, I have engaged in many  thought provoking discussions that have shaped my worldview. I have had the privilege of taking  multiple classes from a wide range of disciplines, allowing me to undergo a well rounded college  experience. My experience here at the McConnell Center has already been foundational to my  growth as a student. I hav...

 By Grace Fields      Have you ever read a book that you picked up in every spare moment? I have always been an avid reader, but my favorite book I read in school was Jane Eyre. I finished half of the book the first day I picked it up! Between practice and classes, I devoured the book. Jane Eyre was unlike any other book I had ever read. Every time I read it, my mind’s eye clearly pictured Thornfield Hall’s gothic architecture. If, like me, autumn is your favorite season, you will fall in love with Brontë’s prose.      Some might be turned away from Jane Eyre because they think that it is merely a romance book. Jane Eyre is so much more than just romance. The novel tackles themes of forgiveness, social class, and religion. One of my favorite parts is when Jane meets a girl at the orphanage named Helen Burns. Jane has been treated poorly by her aunt and cousins all her life. After being sent to the orphanage ...

 By Caroline Bergin Every time I open my phone, I feel like the concept of “self-care” is being thrown at me. It pops up in ads, newspaper articles, and it is a constant topic of conversation on social media. Influencers are constantly sharing the newest wellness fad, claiming it will be the most essential tool in your self-care arsenal. You just have to buy it, and it will work its magic. With the constant chatter surrounding self-care and wellness, it would be hard not to fall for it, and believe me, I have. I’ve been prone to the occasional sheet face mask, and I even sleep with mouth tape in the pursuit of ever better sleep (I sleep really badly y’all).  When I think of self-care, I think of luxurious spas, long baths, saunas, extensive skincare, green juice, and red light therapy. However, that isn’t what self-care is truly meant to be. Rather, the concept of self-care was created as a radical resistance against systemic oppression. In the 1970s, the Black Panther Party p...

 By Ozy Anyanwu  Before my two-week study abroad experience in Greece, I knew little about Delphi’s history or culture. When thinking of a beautiful Mediterranean country such as Greece, I thought of the sun-soaked islands of Mykonos or Santorini, or the robust Acropolis in Athens. This was my first time studying abroad in college, and I was nervous to travel without my family. However, Delphi, simply a name on a schedule that I did not recognize, quickly turned into a city that left a permanent imprint on my heart and mind.  Delphi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a significant influence on the ancient, archaeological world because of its vast history. Our first stop during our excursions in Delphi was to the Temple of Apollo, first built in the 7th century BCE. The temple is a key religious and cultural center of the ancient world, and I was in awe visiting it. Standing among the ruins, I remembered some of the lessons from my Political Leadership class with Dr. ...