It’s fairly common in sitcoms to hear characters joke about the failure rate or pointlessness of a long distance relationship. The show How I Met Your Mother described them as “a lie teenagers tell each other to get laid the summer before college,” as well as “all talking and no sex.” In most media, characters generally prefer to end their relationship over pursuing a long distance relationship, and if they do choose to stay together, it ends poorly; usually with one of the characters cheating … [Read more...]
Q & A with Dr. David Murphy
Dr. David Murphy is a Professor of History at AU, and co-director of the Honors program. He studied at Southern Illinois University for his undergraduate years, and the University of Illinois for his graduate and PhD education. He is from Rockford, Illinois, and he met his wife in high school. They have been married for nearly 30 years and have seven children. Q: What drew you to AU? A: When I finished my grad studies, I looked in the history professors’ hiring journal, it’s called … [Read more...]
Underrepresentation in the media
I’ve had many discussions over the past few years about the idea of female-led movies, especially female superhero movies. Most of these discussions have been between me and one or more male friends or relatives, and usually involve me saying that I’m glad that female-led movies are happening, and them explaining to me why female-led movies aren’t important or aren’t as good as their male-led counterparts. It’s incredibly frustrating for me to hear people who have never had to deal with media … [Read more...]
Dr. Strege publishes history of AU to honor centennial
As AU’s centennial approaches, many departments, staff and faculty members are contributing to the festivities in a variety of ways. One of the standouts is a book encompassing AU’s 100 years of history, written by Dr. Merle Strege. Strege retired as a professor in the Department of Religious Studies last year, but is still using his gifts on campus. He was asked years ago by Carl Caldwell, the former vice president for academic affairs, if he would be willing to write a book of AU’s 100 years … [Read more...]
Pistole hosts LGBT+ Forum
Since the Supreme Court Decision this past June, LGBT+ issues have become a big talking point on campus, especially in regard to LGBT+ students. On Feb. 22, President Pistole hosted a forum in order to have a conversation with students, faculty, staff and community members as to how these issues should be handled on campus. This forum is part of an initiative that Pistole has been pursuing to allow for open discussions about hard-hitting topics on campus. Last fall, Pistole held a forum to … [Read more...]
Mental Illness doesn’t discriminate
I have had the privilege of growing up in a fairly safe and comfortable position in life. My family has never had financial hardship to the extent of relying solely on governmental help, both of my parents are very open about how much they love and care for my brothers and me, I’ve never been horribly bullied, physically abused or raped. I’ve gotten good grades and was on the “fast track” all through middle and high school. However, despite all of the amazing opportunities that I have had in my … [Read more...]
Higher One reaches settlement over student account fees
Since 2010, AU has been using the Higher One account service to facilitate tuition refunds to students. With this service, students are given the ability to choose if they want their refunds issued through a Higher One “OneAccount,” or if they’d prefer the funds be added to their personal bank accounts. Gayla Roberts, director of Student Financial Services, explained that a OneAccount “is a bank account with normative fees that you would receive at any bank you choose to use. However, as … [Read more...]