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On Campus Blog

Hey, Oles: So you think you're in Norway?

Hey, Oles: So you think you're in Norway?

If you doubt the whole Norwegian/Skandinavian stereotype of St. Olaf, just check out its bookstore: I walked in to check out the hoodies and sweatshirts when I was confronted with a veritable Skandimart: textiles, flags, trinkets, books, jams, candies, cookies, and lots of other themed stuff. Some of it is there year ’round, I hear,…
by Alex Friedrich

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The ethereal sound you'll hear at St. Olaf

The ethereal sound you'll hear at St. Olaf

This is what I was talking about in my post on music here at the college. I’m not normally a wind chime guy, but I find this one enchanting. MPR did a piece on it a while back, and you can read the transcript here, so I won’t waste your time here. But it’s to…
by Alex Friedrich

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Why music is everywhere at St. Olaf

Why music is everywhere at St. Olaf

It seems I’m surrounded by music here at St. Olaf. Walking across campus, passersby are practicing their choral singing. When things get quiet, I can hear the soothing, almost eerie wind chimes from the center of the main yard. And walk around enough throughout the week, chances are you’ll run into some performance or recital.…
by Alex Friedrich

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The environment and my St. Olaf snack

The environment and my St. Olaf snack

Catching a little snack from The Cage, one of the little grills that’s apparently run by the college’s caterer, Bon Apetit. I’m getting a Buffalo Chicken Wrap, large Americano coffee and a great little chocolate-fudge-peppermint cookie thing. (A type of “mudpie” they call it, I think.) Decent grub for $7.50, though the coffee seems a…
by Alex Friedrich

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Don't expect debate over State Grants and for-profit students this legislative session

Don't expect debate over State Grants and for-profit students this legislative session

It’s a debate that seems to come up every few years: Should needy students who attend the state’s for-profit schools receive state money to help pay tuition? Critics say giving those students financial aid from the Minnesota State Grant program amounts to a public subsidy for for-profit schools.  Some lawmakers, who say it’s unlikely students…
by Tim Post

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Some snow graffiti I saw at St. Olaf

Some snow graffiti I saw at St. Olaf

I’m walking through campus and find juniors Meghan Bodie (sociology-anthropology) and Christine Franzel (biology) stamping out some figures in the snow. Apparently it’s World AIDS Day, and the duo just wanted us to know about it. It’s not just a passing fancy — and it tells something about the student body. Franzel is a member…
by Alex Friedrich

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Who goes to chapel at St. Olaf College — and why

Who goes to chapel at St. Olaf College — and why

I’m walking through campus, and around 11 a.m. I hear the Boe Memorial Chapel bells ringing. I head in to find several dozen students, faculty and administrators in the pews. Junior music and psychology major Catherine Oliver tells me these late-morning chapels aren’t full services, just 30 minutes or so of singing, music, and usually…
by Alex Friedrich

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Where Oles sleep and hang out

Where Oles sleep and hang out

When it comes to late-evening socializing and partying at St. Olaf College, it all seems to be about the dorms. Almost everyone lives on campus, either in the dormitories or in “honor houses” on the outskirts. (The administration “encourages” students to dorm it, spokesman David Gonnerman told me, and a student said you have to…
by Alex Friedrich

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How Oles leave their backpacks just hanging around

How Oles leave their backpacks just hanging around

As I walk out of the dining hall, I see book bags strewn around both sides of the walkway. To my right I see rows of cubby holes, but they’re only partially filled. And the ones farther on down the hall are completely empty. Spokesman David Gonnerman says students usually just leave their bags on…
by Alex Friedrich

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Why a winter's morning at St. Olaf is like a vacation

Why a winter's morning at St. Olaf is like a vacation

When I arrive at St. Olaf College, it’s 6:30 a.m. and still completely dark. As I head to Stav Dining Hall in Buntrock Commons for breakfast, I look around campus at all the old buildings, all sprinkled with snow. I feel more like I’ve arrived at a mountain resort and lodge, not a college. Buntrock…
by Alex Friedrich

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