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Keeping up with the Auggies

winter_athleticsIf you want to catch some of your favorite Auggie athletes during the winter break, check out their upcoming schedules below (home games bold). For complete schedules, results, live audio, and more, see the Athletics website.

Men’s Basketball

St. Olaf College — Jan. 3, 3 p.m.

at Concordia College-Moorhead — Jan. 5, 7:45 p.m.

St. John’s University — Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m.

Macalester College — Jan. 10, 3 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

St. Olaf College — Jan. 3, 1 p.m.

at Concordia College-Moorhead — Jan. 5, 5:45 p.m.

at College of St. Benedict — Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m.

Macalester College — Jan. 10, 1 p.m. Continue reading “Keeping up with the Auggies”

Heading south for the winter

winterimWhile most of us will be returning unwanted Christmas gifts and taking advantage of post-holiday sales in early January, several Auggies will be heading south, not for the entire winter but to participate in study abroad programs and non-credit seminars. There are two “Winterim” study abroad courses–REL 480: Vocation & Christian Faith in El Salvador and AIS 305/490 Indigenous Issues in Guatemala.

This year there is also non-credit seminar on Leadership and Vocation in Mexico, designed for the students and mentors who are part of the Augsburg Scholastic Connections program. All these short-term programs are designed to give students a rich and meaningful learning experience abroad in a week to 10 days. Continue reading “Heading south for the winter”

If you don't want to study during the break

break_books When I was a student at Augsburg I was much too serious about studying and doing my homework, even in my last year when I had a bad case of senior-itis. So I always used the semester break to read as many frivolous books as I could, usually including one of David Sedaris’ self-deprecating autobiographical sketches. This year I’m using the break to complete my graduate school application, and if I get into the program, this will probably be the last chance I get to read a fun book for a long, long time.

I have asked a few of my colleagues and favorite professors to complete the following sentences:

During the break, you just have to/should read ___ because ___.

During the break, you just have to/should see or rent ___ because ___. Continue reading “If you don't want to study during the break”

Recollections of Obama

jack_obamaIt was late January or early February when psychology assistant professor Lisa Jack had some friends over at her home. In the middle of the primary election season, the conversation turned to then-presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Jack told her guests that she knew Obama back when they were both students at Occidental College in Los Angeles and that as an aspiring photographer she took pictures of him. Jack’s friends didn’t believe the story. So Jack went into her basement and, in about five minutes, found 36 negatives of Obama as a 19- or 20-year-old college student.

That the negatives survived is in some ways amazing. The negatives and one print were in a cellophane wrapper. They were never housed in a special container to protect the negatives. They sat in a box in the basement for years. They were moved seven times. Continue reading “Recollections of Obama”

Saving some dough on eBay

ebayThe Augsburg facilities management department faced a serious challenge. A cooling tower for the Lindell Library had begun leaking and electrical damage had occurred.

The rub, however, was that the price for a new cooling tower was more than $82,000. And this unexpected cost had been neither planned nor budgeted for.

Turned out there was a solution: eBay. Yes, that eBay. And the online auction Website helped Augsburg save more than $60,000.

After receiving the initial bid to replace the cooling tower, maintenance manager Dennis Stuckey started looking around for an alternative to buying new. Were there other options? Could a used model be found? Continue reading “Saving some dough on eBay”

Coping with grief and loss

griefMany of the students, staff, and faculty in the Augsburg community have experienced losses and grief this semester. The Center for Counseling & Health Promotion encourages all members of our community to take care of themselves during these difficult times. Here are some thoughts on taking care of yourself while you grieve:

• Allow yourself time for your grief, and give yourself permission to grieve in your own way.

• Find companions for your grief journey—spend time with people who you can be real and honest with. Continue reading “Coping with grief and loss”

Recipes from SBS 100

recipes If you didn’t eat in the Commons cafeteria on Wednesday, you missed a treat. The students in SBS 100: Environmental Connections prepared a scrumptious meal using locally grown and produced foods including greens they planted and harvested in Augsburg’s greenhouse. Congratulations class on a job well done!

Joe Underhill, one of the SBS 100 instructors, said he, Michael Lansing, and the students in the class had a lot of fun with the project but are also glad it’s done now. “My favorite comment was from two of our students, one of whom said he felt ‘warm inside’ after the meal, and the other who felt ‘full in a different way than I usually do’ after the meal, and in a good way. I think a lot of people have rarely or never really eaten this kind of fresh, really nutritious food.” Continue reading “Recipes from SBS 100”

Student sculpture featured in "Ana’s Playground"

anasplaygroundThey received fairly ambiguous instructions and a sketch showing stone slabs apparently hovering in the air. Their task: turn an artist’s vision into reality by creating a sculpture that would protect a young girl from a sniper’s shot.

This fall, the students in robert tom’s introduction to sculpture class worked to construct a fountain for the set of Ana’s Playground, a not-for-profit film about children in armed conflict. Written and directed by Eric D. Howell, “The film is intended to expose new audiences to the fact that children are being used as tools of war around the world.” (filmmakers blog) Continue reading “Student sculpture featured in "Ana’s Playground"”

Mixed Blood show features talents of alum

SindibadA message from Aaron Gabriel ’00

I recently had the privilege of composing a score for Interact’s new musical Sindibad: Artist and Outlaw, playing at the Mixed Blood Theater through December 20. The score is a mix of musical ideas from the past five decades as well as minimalism, world music, and polytonality. It’s been a great challenge and I have really enjoyed the creative freedom it has allowed. I have a great pit that includes Mindy Eschedor, Patrick Charbonneau, and Ryan Hughes.

From the Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts:

Sublime and ridiculous; literal yet abstract; wrenching, ethereal and humorous, Interact once again dissolves the expected boundaries in this world premiere of Sindibad: Artist and Outlaw, opening Saturday, November 29, at Mixed Blood Theatre. Through song, dance, historical clips and shadow puppetry, the performance weaves the real events of one man’s extraordinary life with actual events of the times. Continue reading “Mixed Blood show features talents of alum”

Free food and a break from finals

holiday_parties The end of the fall semester always brings a rush of events designed to help students get ready for or take a break from finals. We’re also blessed (or cursed, depending on our metabolisms) with an abundance of holiday open houses for Augsburg staff, faculty, and students to enjoy homemade goodies and each other’s company.

So this week and next, wear your stretchy pants, get out of your office or your favorite study spot, and get together with other Auggies at one of these special events.

To ameliorate that after-party remorse: Fitness Center Hours

Continue reading “Free food and a break from finals”