Jack Erickson
-
House plants are worth the work
Whoever said plants are too much work for the reward of having them has obviously never considered a plant’s true potential. Tending plants in your home has been linked to increased happiness, reduced stress and anxiety and an increase in life satisfaction. It’s true that owning a plant comes with a level of responsibility, but…
-
Biology professor shares her love of storytelling
Open the door and look around. Let your eyes fall on any of the objects in her small, windowless office: a coyote skull on the shelves to your left, a fossilized chunk of crinoids — a type of aquatic plant — straight ahead, student drawings and paintings of birds lining the walls among numerous other…
-
Enrollment projection drops
As of March 3, 2023, only 261 students were enrolled to attend Augustana University next fall as incoming freshmen, down from the same time last year when over 300 students were enrolled. While final enrollment numbers for the 2023-2024 academic year are still months away, 553 students was this year’s total, registrar Joni Krueger said…
-
New anthropology professor kicks off archeology seminar series
In fourth grade, Phyllis Johnson was already dreaming about becoming an archeologist. She grew up in Ohio where the social studies curriculum included an archeology unit. At one time, there were an estimated ten thousand Native American burial mounds in the state, and her fourth grade class visited some of them. When her teacher told…
-
Students share stories from J-term study abroad
In one part of the world, Augustana students and faculty exit an airport past midnight to find a dusting of snow before them. They walk, as snowflakes fall, through the quiet streets of Oslo, Norway. In another part of the world, students weave between stones on the rocky shores of Carrickfergus Castle, the low tide…
-
Angles: Are store-bought or homemade gifts better?
As the holidays are quickly approaching, questions arise about gift-giving etiquette. How much is it appropriate to spend on a gift? Should you get a gift for all of your professors or just your favorites? If someone gets you a gift, are you obligated to get them one in return? The right way to get…
-
GSA club creates security for LGBTQ+ students
It’s 3:52 p.m. Junior Alex Gaspar, co-president of the Augustana Gender and Sexuality Alliance, leans a sign reading “All are welcome” against the wall outside the organization’s meeting room. He turns the cold knob on the metal door and swings it open to a small hallway on the first floor of Tuve. He ducks under…
-
Back-to-Back Sweep
Cross country’s strong showing at NSIC championships brings confidence heading into NCAA central regional Two miles into senior Matt Steiger’s race at Wayne State College on Nov. 5, he ran ahead and overtook the first-place runner. Soon enough, he came running through the finishing tape with a time of 24:50.70. This was Steiger’s first time breaking…
-
Science writing minor joins list of studies
The university’s center of interdisciplinary studies added science writing to their list of minors on Oct. 26 to fill the gap between the sciences and the humanities. The first classes will be offered next fall. The minor is intended for students who want to connect science and journalism. It will be 20 to 22 credits…
-
“Ada and the Engine” takes the stage
Blue, purple and turquoise light filled the darkness and illuminated golden pillars and twinkling string lights that dangled from the rafters like a waterfall. Actors and audience members alike were showered with lights from the towering set — a mechanism of mathematics, music and light. The machine set is an analytical engine. The woman standing…