Uncategorized

By Caylin Dean, Contributing Writer As my group and I creep through the door frame, struggling to get through with our full bags of craft supplies- construction paper, markers, scissors, and glue galore- we are greeted with the smiling faces of the residents who have waited so patiently for our arrival. I volunteer at a site that provides care to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Due to limitations at the site, I am prohibited from using any identifying information. Some of the people that we work with have Down’s syndrome, autism, or other forms of impairment. However, they are so much more than their disabilities; they are humans like you or me who long to have love and interaction, participate in meaningful activities, and make friends, which is why it has become such a passi...

By Tiffany Davis, Contributing Writer Did you know that intellectual wellness doesn’t always have to be about learning a new skill, reading a book, or journaling? Working on activities like puzzles, brain teasers, card games and crossword puzzles can also improve your intellectual wellness while enhancing your mood. They can even improve your social skills when you do them with friends. Game play can help to increase the capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding and other mental activities. To close out the week on learning about intellectual wellness, we are going to focus on why it’s good to take a break and play a video game, card or board game, and even work on a puzzle from time to time.  When we think of playing video games, we might think of shutting off our mind and relaxi...

By Victoria Sananikone, Assistant Editor Featured image and last picture by Victoria Sananikone Bearcat image by Lazar Lestaric An excerpt from the McKendree Swimming and Diving GroupMe: Swimmer 1: Like if you want to have a snowball fight *16 people like the message* Swimmer 1: 9:30? Swimmer 2: Wait tonight or in the morning? Swimmer 3: We should do it in place of our workout tomorrow Swimmer 4: We can have more than one bro Swimmer 3: TRU Swimmer 1: Okay football field at 9:30 tonight *insert snowflake and snowman emojis* It took my roommate and me around ten minutes to don layer after layer of our winter apparel in order to guard ourselves against the severity of the cold. Frozen rain was currently falling from the sky, an endangered element for Lebanon, Illinois; one that h...

By Greg Kassen, Contributing Writer When I first entered Dr. John Greenfield’s home just a few blocks away from the university to interview him for this article, I was welcomed by a set of cats named Darcy and Janey. As most of his students know, Dr. Greenfield is a big fan of the European rugby leagues and named his pets after the players Darcy Lussick and Cory Jane respectively. Not really. What his students will actually attest to is his love for Jane Austen and how he shows that love by naming one cat after the author herself, and the other one after the Pride and Prejudice character Mr. Darcy. “They’re usually not so friendly to strangers,” he told me as they approached. I spent the rest of the interview concerned that I may have smelled like food. For those who may not know him, Dr....

By Greg Kassen, Contributive WriterI remember hearing once from some source of knowledge I deem credible that technological advancement is not marked with the creation of new technologies, rather, it is when the new, innovative technologies of the past decade can be produced cheaply enough for the working class to own that milestones can be achieved. This holds true for many facets of society. One can buy a new laptop for $200, a new smartphone for $150, and then a new Blu-ray player for $50. These all, at one point within the last twenty years, were called great advancements in their fields. Music appears to follow the trend as well. Digital albums can be bought as cheaply as a few dollars, and brand-new CDs of popular artists come out as low as $10. Yet, with examples such as the Blu-ray...

By Gabrielle Madewell, Contributive Writer One magical thing McKendree has to offer, outside of its great wifi and very organized housing arrangements, is something that does not even factor into tuition: the night sky. While you may just think of stars as a silent backdrop to your everyday life, there is a lot more to learn about them besides just being bright dots scattered across the sky. Stars are bright, luminous bodies of energy that are so large and bright that we can see them down here on earth with just the naked eye. Constellations are groups of stars, forming imaginary lines and creating representations of images, including animals and mythical gods, goddesses and creatures.   Living near a city is drastically different from living in a generally rural town. There is one hu...