Guest Writer: Erin Smith Shop local. Small Business Saturday. Support the Makers.  The whole idea of “bloom where you are planted” has always been important to me. Advocating for and supporting people who are brave enough to make their dreams come true is something I try to do as often as I have the opportunity.  I also believe this mentality should not stop with business owners. Supporting local and growing musicians is just as important as supporting brave entrepreneurs. Listen … [Read more...]

Guest Writer: McKenzie Marsh Conan O’Brien, Mitt Romney, Emma Watson, Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Thurgood Marshall, Steven Spielberg, James Franco, Empress Michiko of Japan and Ben Shapiro. What do all of these names have in common? That’s right, they were all English majors. All students, regardless of major and intended career path, need to know how to write and how to write well. Any field of study could be better augmented with an English or writing minor as a strategic … [Read more...]

Guest Writer: Elijah Neal Mackenzie Fair once told me that “grief is like walking through peanut butter.” I really connect with the truth behind her comment. Not only is grief sticky, it is tough. Grief is not creamy peanut butter; it is extra crunchy. Grief is a long process of wading through pain and loss.  I lost my best friend Tim Haurez last year. He was the most encouraging person in my life. He affirmed me, and he was sincere when he did it. I miss him a lot. Pain struck me … [Read more...]

Guest Writer: Lane Webb I have seen the rise and fall of many fads throughout the years. These fads range from being both good and bad, however, the worst of these fads is the rise in popularity of Minions.  Minions have risen from the deepest chasm in Hell to plague humanity. The origin for this evil idolatry stems from the movie “Despicable Me.”  The lighthearted comedic relief that the Minions presented quickly became the true love for many because of their simplistic design, … [Read more...]

Guest Writer: Alexis Martinez Out of the 7.4 billion people on the third planet from the sun, you are only one. What makes your life more valuable than any other?  Humans are slowly killing the Earth.  The United States uses around 500 million straws daily, which equals 14 billion every month, or 168 billion every year. That’s around 4.4 billion pounds of straws that could end up in the oceans, and that’s just from the United States.  Non-biodegradable plastics that are casually … [Read more...]

Guest Writer: Elijah Neal “Welcome back / Your dreams were your ticket out / Welcome back / to that same old place that you laughed about,” John Sebastian writes in his number one 1987 Blues Rock Hit, “Welcome Back.”  It is a great road trip song for the eight-hour journey back to Georgia. It creates a nostalgic longing for my family, my friends and the well-kept roads of The South. I just want to be welcomed back to the place I know best.  When I was a freshman, I wanted to go home a … [Read more...]

Guest Writer: Jordan Baker Are you a Pacers fan? If you’re an AU student, your answer should unequivocally be yes.  Now, I’m not saying that you have to only be a Pacers fan, but you should carve out a small place in your heart for them at the very least. Whether you are from Indiana originally or not, you are living in Indiana while attending AU.  Why does this matter? Indiana is known around the world for its love of basketball. Fourteen of the 15 largest high school basketball … [Read more...]

This fall, Nike released an ad campaign featuring prominent African American athletes. One ad in particular celebrates Colin Kaepernick, former San Francisco 49er quarterback, for his controversial National Anthem protests two years ago. "Believe in something," reads the black and white poster, "even if it means sacrificing everything." Kaepernick came under heavy fire in 2016 for kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem before several games with the goal of raising awareness for … [Read more...]

Guest Writer: Olivia Winslow The average person spends five years of their life on social media. That adds up to the average person spending over 100 minutes a day on social media.  In those 100 minutes a day, you are bound to post at least one thing on one of your profiles. A lot of times, people think “no one important is going to see this” or “no one is going to care that I post this.”  But the reality is the things you post now will follow you around forever.  A study shows that 51 … [Read more...]

Guest Writer: Josh Senft Why is it that we as human beings fail to offer each other the courtesy of being honest? Of being frank. Of telling hard truths.  Many of us walk on eggshells, cowardly, as though every critical word we utter will render deep, negative consequences or “trigger” someone.  Now don’t misunderstand me — mental health is a serious concern. I’m not saying we need to be callous. But our subjective definitions of callousness, of “hate" and being “offensive” are limiting … [Read more...]