While I was a student at Augustana College (now Augustana University), I was always weary of starting a blog because I didn’t want to put out content that was sub-par or would make me look bad later on. That concern had me hesitating for a long time, but it was probably unwarranted. These days, almost everything can be tracked down. So I figure, while my old articles for Augie’s school newspaper are laying around on the net, why not rake them together?

I didn’t get to write for the Augustana Mirror as often as I would of liked. With constant rehearsals for whatever show was next in our theaters, “I can’t, I have rehearsal” was my Viking battle cry. I went to a grand total of maybe 6 Mirror meetings, usually requesting this or that section or story ahead of time or picking up the slack when interest was low and an editor was in a pinch, with my main involvement during my junior year. Feel free to peruse what’s below, keeping in mind I’ve grown as a writer since this… And I didn’t write the headlines.

In chronological order, of those I found (nothing before my sophomore year seems to be posted):

October 26, 2012 – Minnesota voters determine gay marriage rights

September 26, 2013 – Meet Your Match: One student’s choice to donate his bone marrow

October 3, 2013 – Lewis gives fresh face to Sodexo

October 10, 2013 – From ACTS’ Executive Director: Why the Pillowman? – An editorial I wrote about our choice to produce Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman.

October 17, 2013 – Augustana reacts to government shutdown

November 7, 2013 – Elmen for more than just students

November 14, 2013 – Interim shifts focus to required classes

December 5, 2013 – Choirs increase rehearsals, performances

February 20, 2014 – Augie dances under review by UBG, ASA

February 27,2014 – Wrestling enters regionals in fourth

March 27, 2014 – Rest in Peace, Dearly Departed Homesteading – A satirical piece written in response to Augie’s discontinuation of a process through which students coming back to campus the following year could choose to return to their current dorm room or apartment in the fall.

April 10, 2014 – Hicks’ First novel prompts readers to revisit the holocaust – Patrick Hicks is Augustana’s Writer-in-Residence and a passionate professor of English literature and writng. He was my academic adviser from my first day on campus, and he published his first novel, The Commandant of Lubizec, on March 25, 2014. I had the pleasure of interviewing him about the book in this story. The conversations we began having after this interview led to Patrick doing me the honor of serving as my senior thesis adviser and editor. You can find more information about Patrick here.

May 1, 2014 – Vikings on track for NSIC nationals after Iowa relays

May 16, 2014 – Campus safety cracks down on parking

October 29, 2014 – Boe Forum Recap: Privacy At Risk – The Boe Forum on Public Affairs is often the pinnacle academic visit of Augie’s school year (more information should be here). In this piece, which had an uncharacteristic fast turnaround, I covered former Microsoft executive Robbie Bach’s presentation on cyber security and the reaction among students.