Archive Posts
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Confessions of a One-time St. Patrick's Day Grouch
Editor's note: Jim Rogers, director of the Center for Irish Studies at St. Thomas, submitted this guest column to The Scroll. Not that long ago, I wore black on March 17. Not that long ago, I was very arch about all the parading. I used to look down my nose at all the four-leaf clovers,…
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It's March Madness – and Sweet Sixteen – Time!
How do I know when spring is nearing? It’s March Madness time! During the long, cold winters living in North Dakota and Minnesota, basketball carried me through! From my old playing days at the University of North Dakota, practice, weights and games made the seemingly long winter season go by fast. It’s hard to believe… -
St. Thomas Day Winners Leave one Inspired
Go to enough award ceremonies and you can get pretty blasé about the awards and the people who get them. I have a good reason to be jaundiced, given my background in broadcast news, where the local Emmys have an award category for everything but cleanliness of the newsroom. That’s why St. Thomas Day (March… -
If You Only Had Six Words
If someone asked you to develop a six-word statement of your identity – a half-dozen words capturing your entire life story - what would those six words be? Six words: No more, no less. Inspired by bestselling book “Not Quite What I Was Planning,” (which, by the way, was inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s famous tale… -
"Slumdog Millionaire" Offers Realistic – but Narrow – Slice of India
Editor's note: Dr. Kevin Sauter, professor of communications and journalism, submitted a guest column to The Scroll. MUMBAI, India – It added a different level of interest and intensity to be sitting in the middle row of a theater filled with Indians, in the middle of the city of Mumbai, on the second day after… -
Defining Ourselves can be Tricky at Times
Who are you, anyway? Some of us have well-defined roles in our professional lives. Some of us overlap categories. In any case, we define ourselves at work in many ways. Sometimes our sense of self is so complicated we have trouble with a simple name and role introduction. When I introduce myself these days, I… -
St. Thomas Community Lives out University's Mission
Editor's note: Karen Harthorn, director of Purchasing Services, submitted a guest column to The Scroll. St. Thomas: What a great place to work. I can’t even count the ways! I have been employed by St. Thomas for just two and one-half years and LOVE it! Where else can you do a retreat series over lunch… -
Flower bed Caretaker is our True Harbinger of Spring
Somewhere in the middle of the rain storm last week. I got to thinking that maybe spring isn’t far away. The thought of people unbundling, ice melting and robins returning made me almost giddy. But I know when spring officially begins its entrance: Steve Trost starts roto-tilling his campus flower beds. Trost is my harbinger… -
Love: Not a Spectator Sport
One of my favorite concepts to teach in the Family Communication course is how, in our families and intimate relationships, we need to understand each other’s “relational currencies." Relational currencies are those symbolic acts or statements used to express our love, care or concern for another person. For example, to some, receiving chocolate on Valentine’s…