Students Chillin'

One of my favorite traditions in teaching The Sámi: Traditions in Transition, is when we spend one day outside reading the poetry of Nils-Aslak Valkeapää. So much of what he writes about is about the harsh arctic climate.  So, why not read his poetry in the surroundings that he loved?  Below is a picture from Feb. 24.  It was -14 F with windchill.  That's -25.5 C.

Don't Give

St. Olaf College's 2011 Senior Campaign is a student-driven program that educates seniors about Partners in Annual Giving, the St. Olaf annual fund and the importance of giving back to their alma mater.  

This year the student committee decided to do something a little more creative to get seniors' attention.  They made a video, a spoof of the Don't Vote video that went viral a few years back.  And guess who made an appearance?  I'm at 0.48 and 4.41.

Tomson Hall

The Norwegian Dept. is now located in the new Tomson Hall.  It is a beautiful new space that we're slowly making our home.  So, we decided to explore a bit.  This is what we learned about our new building and office space:

 The pillars are more slippery than they look.  You can just trust me.

Skoglund has a climbing wall, but the Norwegian Dept. has a climbing window.

 

The lounge area is super comfy.  White couchy-thing looks nice for now, but it is going to get dirty.

The two wings on the third floor are exactly what the doctor ordered, especially in the winter time.

And maybe most importantly, we've confirmed that the halls are wide enough for two rolling chairs to race down the long hallway. YES!