The Monday Catchup

As I sat down to write this week’s catchup, I thought to myself, “oof this is gonna be tough, nothing really happened this weekend.” But, as I really reflected, I remembered more and more of the events from the past few days, and realized how perfect it all is. I’d describe the weekend as a collage. Or maybe a tapestry of life at Kenyon. An amalgamation of social spheres— a true microcosm of Kenyon’s student culture. Not only was there original musical theater happening in an art gallery, but there was an a cappella concert both nights, some Greek life cult events, AND some sort of sporting excitement that warranted hordes of loud drunk people around Hanna Hall at 10:30 in the morning. And finally, I’ll expose myself, with as little shame as possible, and say that I attended a murder mystery party and I didn’t hate it. THIS is the Liberal Arts. At Kenyon YOU WILL, GODDAMMIT. 

How Kenyon History Predicted the Fall of the Olin Wall

The Wall. Our humble and benevolent Olin Wall that provided us with security and safety from the reality that was asbestos and demolition. Beyond the rumble and bustle that we heard from the great beyond, the Wall was simply just a wall. But then, tragedy struck. We all saw the snapchats of that fateful October evening as the wind gusts blew over our beloved while we sat shivering in our damp dorm rooms, waiting for the apocalypse to begin, as it surely must when such a wall is reduced to nothing. For when our wall came crashing down, so did our inhibitions and the notion that we were in fact safe from the horrors that lay beyond. But is it really such a surprise that such a monument came crashing down upon us? I think not. Slap on your conspiracy theory caps, because after careful digging and consideration, I’ve somehow attempted at trying to understand why this day, why October 28^th , 2018?  Here are some of my attempts at making sense of this tragedy.

I MISS OLIN DON’T YOU?

I’m just gonna go right out there and say it…. I miss Olin. Yes. I miss that ugly looking, depressing, cinder block palace and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Walking past the wall, ash falling from the sky, I think back to a time when I had a finite location to procrastinate, bother people in periodicals, and draw on whiteboards I never needed to be touching at all. It’s a sad fact that the mods just don’t do it for me like good old Olin. Olin was sexier, cooler, more low key. I have desperately attempted to find my “spot” for this year’s studying. I tested the waters of multiple locations and yet somehow most all of them failed me.

Kenyon Statues with Big Dick Energy

“La Montagne” by Aristide Maillol

Open up the Kenyon College instagram. What do you see? Interspersed between photos of grinning first-years and intensely saturated flowers are Kenyon’s unofficial mascots: the campus statues. They see us when we’re sleeping, they know when we’re awake, and they know when we take cups from Peirce so stop for goodness sake! But which statues have the power, the drive, the big dick energy to command our attention by emitting mind-controlling vibrations? 

Jack Halberstam at Kenyon!

~via inperfectu.com

Tonight at 7:30, gender and queer theorist Jack Halberstam will be giving a talk in the Community Foundation Theater in Gund Gallery! The lecture’s called “Trans* Bodies, Hapticality and Popular Culture.” It’s always interesting to learn about queer theory and gender, so if you have time, you should go!