This is my least favorite week of the year. For many, this week is overwhelming with assignments and last-minute preparation for finals. Although I can't say that I personally enjoy "Hell week," as it is so aptly called, I can say this much: academic Hell week holds no candle to the heartache that is watching your dear friends head off into the sunset. With only one semester left to tackle, I can't imagine how unrecognizable this place will be without so many people who have made AU home to me. … [Read more...]

While walking down a city street recently, a member of the Andersonian staff encountered a woman, disheveled and worn-looking, sifting through a trashcan for plastic bottles and aluminum cans. The staffer, never having encountered such a situation, looked away and continued walking. After the staffer passed, the woman said hello to another passerby. When the person didn't respond, the woman said, "Why is nobody smiling at me? Is there something on my face?" Over the next few hours and … [Read more...]

The Easter season: a time filled with Easter egg hunts, pastel colors and bunnies. For many, the powerful nature and culture that surrounds Easter is often hidden behind baskets and shiny, too-green fake grass. In a world that markets to what sells, to what is fun, to what is  consumeristic, even the most important death and most meaningful act of perfect love in all of history is shrouded by frills and bows. The Easter Bunny was most likely a pivitol figure in your childhood. Waking up to … [Read more...]

As students, we are coached to work diligently to “achieve” something, whether that be a prestigious internship, fellowship or job opportunity. We know we’re supposed to be racing toward that goal, but it’s easy to get lost along the way. What if we return from summer break, struck with the fear that our majors might not be the best fit for us? What if someone warns us that this career we’ve been daydreaming about isn’t the most financially secure option? What if, while walking across the … [Read more...]

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." - The Second Amendment America's children are not being taught how to spell, determine the slope of an angle or to cite the preamble to the Declaration of Independence. Instead, America's children are learning to use textbooks as projectiles. They are learning how to fight. They are learning that fire alarms are just as useful for gunfire as … [Read more...]

It’s 11 a.m. You, like most AU students, have probably endured a whirlwind of a morning that began with a thrice-snoozed alarm, lectures, possibly a presentation or two and have ended here—in the audience of Reardon Auditorium. Of course, your first impulse after sinking into your cushy seat is to check your phone. Who knows what you could have missed on Twitter this morning while you were confined to the classroom? It’s only natural to scroll through social media, reply to a text or … [Read more...]

In 2016, a Pew Research Center survey found that 26 percent of American adults had not read a single book in the previous year. The survey results were broken down further by the research center, stating that men were less likely to have read a book than women and that people in lower income households were less likely to read than those with higher incomes. Younger adults were more likely to have read than older adults, with 23 percent of respondents in the 18-49 age range not having read … [Read more...]

An emergency alert notification was sent out to all of Hawaii on Saturday, Jan. 15., evoking panic and affecting everyone involved. The emergency alert read, “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” The warning was immediately deemed a mistake, and the governor of Hawaii claimed that an employee pushed the wrong button. The man intended to press “Test missile alert” instead of “Missile alert,” as the drop-down menu contained only these two … [Read more...]

In the last several weeks, the only things that have gotten me through are cheesy Christmas movies, staring at pictures of my dog and hot cocoa. Without these things, this semester would have done me in. Truly, I have never been so thankful to see a semester come to a close. The grown-up world is tiresome, and college is no exception. I am grateful for this place and for the people who make AU everything that it is. I am thankful that Christmas vacation is upon us, and I wish everyone a safe and … [Read more...]