Well folks,

Though I would like to post something more substantial and much closer to a recap before the term officially ends, I wanted to keep you up-to-date about what’s been happening. The end of term, particularly the end of spring term, is one that truly demonstrates the range of class experiences we have here. Some folks are done with all class material and all classes (I know a senior in this camp) after today, and some folks have final projects due tomorrow, and next week, as well are a variety of final exams. I am in the camp of still having both projects, papers, and a final exam, but I can’t complain – I’ve had a term or two with very sparse end-of-term work. And of course, the projects and papers wouldn’t be so pressing if I’d started earlier, but we know how that goes.

Also a quick reflection on something I brought up around midterms: you can, in fact, save yourself if you find that you have not done so well on the first half of the class. I’ve had a professor here (not this term) who made it a policy to say that if your cumulative grade after a midterm was a D, and your cumulative grade for everything (including the final exam) after the midterm was an A, you would get an A in the class. But even without a policy that so strongly believes in this concept of redeeming your academic performance, you really can do well if you pull yourself together. I’ve seen people, even this term, do remarkably well working under that philosophy.

Cardinals on Wheels looks to have some really fantastic events next term, having gone through finance committee and receiving our funding. So we look forward to seeing some of you, dear readership, at our events.

Alright, enough rambling for right now.

Again, I hope to post again before term is out, at least to reflect on this year from an academic, extra-curricular, and yes, even blogging, perspective. See you then. Well, sort of.

Free speech! No beating around the bush this time.
So, there was a recent court case that is in the great machine of our Federal Court system. Case goes like this: a professor, in a constitutional law class (as I recall) is discussing affirmative action. He makes comments that, while possibly provocative, were meant to foster debate in his classroom. His comments were not inappropriate to either the class (constitutional law) or the subject matter (a government policy). Two students, finding his remarks offensive, get the student organization of which they are a part involved. This student organization then claims – based on the statements of these two students – that the professor said inappropriate, racially insensitive, things. These are the facts of the case as I remember them -except for a couple I’m neglecting for dramatic effect – and if I am incorrect in any particulars the spirit of the issue is there. The professor sued for defamation on his character, because the things said by the organization were untrue, as both sides now admit.
The question is whether or not the professor, being the professor, should be allowed to sue them, as students. The dean of this college says no on the grounds that it will prevent active debate and will act as a detriment to the overall learning of all students if students do not feel safe saying what they believe.

I was discussing this case with some friends (after the discussion began in my Constitutional Issues class) and the friends were concerned about the entire case, as I was telling it to them. I told them the facts in the same order I have listed them here, and then proceeded to say “the student organization proceeded to tell the dean and the college community the untrue remarks about the professor…” My friends were still uncomfortable about the idea of a professor suing students. And I continued “… and every local media source that would listen.” And then my three friends, in unison, went ‘oh okay then that is totally defamation.”
Without going into my beliefs on the subject, I feel it is not unfair to say that the inverse of the dean’s perspective could also be true: as a professor, I would be afraid to teach in a way that is conducive to engaging students if I was constantly afraid of being defamed while I had no recourse.

So in short, North Central fans: intelligent conversation inside and outside the classroom. Take that.

On the COW front, we had a ball at Medieval Times, and everyone hopes we can return next year.

Classes are relatively wrapping up, which will prove interesting for all manner of reasons, not the least of which being folks’ concerns about final projects.

I was (yesterday) recognized as the Outstanding Major in Computer Science, so that was quite exciting. I shared the award with my fellow blogger, Kelsey Wiseheart, which was pretty nifty. During our professor’s speech on us, our professor mentioned the subjects of our respective honor’s theses. While I was trying to keep somewhat of a lid on mine, my professor spoke in a way that now compels me to speak more openly about its subject, so here goes.
The nutshell version is that I feel that story-based, non-episodic, single-player role playing games are in a serious decline as a sub genre (to those of you who play them: when is the last time you saw a new one?) and I believe I know a possible cause and I believe I have a possible solution.
Quite the challenge, I know. But frankly I feel its a sub genre worth saving, and I hope it isn’t lost to the ages amidst massively multiplayer role playing games and role playing games that are mission-based, or episodic.

Oh, and for everyone who won awards yesterday, congratulations. I know many of you, and I’m glad to see that everyone did so well.

Okay, I know I have more to say, but I lost the thread. Many apologies.

Good luck everyone!

I return!

Which sounds like a good I poster, now that I think of it. But it needs to be something cool like coming back from Asia, not ‘writing a post in notepad, forgetting to actually post it, and then having to throw that post away because it was out of date.’ Oh yeah.

So new information!

Let’s start with the simple: COW is going well, Study Abroad classes are going well, as are my other classes. My honors advisor and I are continually hashing out the details of my honors thesis, and my father and I are having some interesting conversations about some of the finer concepts (like the nature of magic in role playing games). Relay for Life went really well, and while I wish we were able to raise more money, I think we can have a really good experience on that end next year, particularly since, now that I’ve been to Relay once, I am super-pumped about next year (insomuch as such a thing is possible a year away from the event). We had a study abroad meeting today that was really cool because we got to talk with folks who went on the China / Japan trip last year and the year before, and while I am friends with two people who have gone on the trip in previous years, it was nice to hear more people’s experiences in a group setting. Oh, and in one of my courses, we are talking about how – essentially – certain types of free speech are being eaten away here in the good ol’ US of A.

So enough ranting. For this post, let’s talk about Relay… and probably a few other things. But Relay for Life was incredibly fun. For those of you who don’t know what Relay for Life is, it essentially is a giant fund raiser to support cancer research and jazz of that nature. And it is an amazing coming together of survivors, family members, friends, and people who have been touched by cancer. And it is an incredibly emotional experience for some folks. In COW’s group, there were a significant number of individuals who had lost a close family member to cancer, and so it was a really remarkable experience for them to be able to be in a place with other people who have been in their situation, and further with people who have actually fought the disease and won.
In terms of the activities, it was tons of fun, though I have to say it was really really hard. The idea is that someone from the team must at all times (12 hours period from 6pm to 6am) be walking around the track (we were in a gym, though it is customary for some Relays to be outdoors). Often we were on the track together, but the point is that there is always someone representing. This – which I didn’t know until I was there – is supposed to be symbolic of the journey of a cancer survivor: dusk settles, and you are diagnosed with cancer. The light of your life, like the light of the day, seems to dwindle and fade out, seemingly never to return. It gets darker and colder and while you still have energy you start to feel fatigue. At one or two in the morning, they say, one experiences the kind of despair that sometimes takes hold of a cancer patient: one thinks they cannot keep going, in the context of the Relay, one wants to go home to their bed, and in the context of the cancer patient, may not want to continue with treatments. Finally, at four or five, dawn shows up, symbolizing the end of treatment and the realization that, while you have some distance to go, you can see the end. At first I admit I was not quite clear if the experiences would live up to the symbolism, but I have to say at like 2:30 / 3 am, after all the other activities that were going on at Relay, I just wanted to drive home and sleep. But we all persisted, so that was good.

A note on the activities one does at Relay: there are tons of things set up by the wonderful organizers, and those things are really fun, but I have two things of note to say. The first is simply that, if you are going to play in the basketball tournament, note that there are people who probably play basketball more seriously than you do, and you may get beaten horribly. Which isn’t to say I wouldn’t do it again, but next time I need to play a little first. Also, if you are going to play a Risk-like board game which simulates world war two, try not to play it while guys are throwing a Frisbee around you. To quote a friend. “Hey Chris do you know who won World War II?” “Uhm…” “The Frisbee.”

So yeah.
And now, I fear, I must run. But I’m shooting for another post this week, as I want to get in something from my Constitutional Issues class, because it’s pretty awesome. And terrifying.

And Happy Commuter Appreciation Week everyone!