Saturday, May 18

Tag: Featured

A Boy and His Cows
Personality

A Boy and His Cows

By JT Russell, Contributing Writer Lebanon, Ill. - As the birds begin to chirp and the grass once again turns a vibrant green, college students can’t help but envision the imminent summer break.  For most college kids, summer break means sleeping in until ten o’clock, road trips with your friends and consuming a few too many adult beverages in an activity that the music group Little Big Town characterizes as 'Day Drinking.' However, for 20-year-old Bradley Robert Wyss II, summer days consist of 5 A.M. alarms, immense amounts of Colombian dark roast coffee, Waylon Jennings radio on Pandora and a fair amount of cow excrement coating his Ariat work boots. Brad, a Junior at McKendree, is currently studying marketing. In addition to his studies, he is a defensive end on the football team and ...
The Truth About Studying Abroad
Perspective

The Truth About Studying Abroad

By Magdalena Knapp, Contributing Writer Each year, 3.7 million students study abroad throughout the world. I am one of these 3.7 million students, and my journey began eight months ago at the airport of Milan, Italy. People told me ‘Studying abroad is a great experience. You meet new people, get to know a new culture and learn a new language.’ They were right; it is an amazing and unique experience. However, no one told me about the dark sides of studying abroad – the tears, and the obstacles. When I left my hometown in August of 2016, I knew I would face new situations, but I did not know that the first of these situations would come so quickly. When I arrived at the airport in New York, my connecting flight to St. Louis was cancelled. It was 7 p.m. local time. I tried, with my poor Eng...
Spotlight on Art: Hubris
Campus News

Spotlight on Art: Hubris

By Benjamin Richter, Cartoonist/Contributing Writer Lebanon, Ill. - Hubris is an exhibition of work by McKendree art faculty members Kevin Kao and Amy MacLennan. The show recently had an open reception on March 23 and is available to view until April 2. This show is a rare treat, as it is the first show collaboration between veteran art faculty member Amy MacLennan and new art faculty member Kevin Kao. Hubris is defined as excessive pride or self-confidence. With its earliest use being in Greece during the late 1800’s, hubris was noted as excessive pride or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis. MacLennan, primarily a painter, and Kao, dominantly a ceramicist, tackled this concept through various pieces- both collaboratively and separately. I reached out to the artists to gather the...
Al Alone: Issues Three & Four
Cartoons, Entertainment

Al Alone: Issues Three & Four

By Benjamin Richter, Cartoonist/Contributing Writer   Issue Three It is weird being human. There are so many opportunities and ways to connect. We can convey so many emotions and articulate exactly how we feel. Why don't we do this to help each other? Why is understanding not a priority? Sometimes the world is cruel. At least there are puppies. Issue Four Education. Is it about how much we learn, or how much we don't learn? Support me and see more! Instagram: @brichstudios – Facebook: B-RICHstudios. For questions or concerns, comment below or contact Benjamin Richter at bjrichter@mckendree.edu. All images created by Benjamin Richter.
A Crash Course in Flirting Through Different Cultures
Campus News, Perspective

A Crash Course in Flirting Through Different Cultures

By Magdalena Knapp, Contributing Writer Many of you have heard of pick-up lines such as “Do you know how much a polar bear weighs? – Enough to break the ice! Hi, how are you?” Pick-up lines are a common way of flirting or starting a conversation. The language of love is spoken by everyone all over the world; however, is there a flirting “standard” that works in every country of the world? According to many movies, like Titanic and every Nicholas Sparks movie ever, one deep look in a girls’ eyes is enough to win her over. However, this is not what typical flirting is like in the real world. When a guy goes out and talks to a girl, it rarely goes as smooth as seen in movies. Some flirts end with a glass of water in the boy’s face. Others end with a fake phone number given. Many of my femal...
Lean on Me: Helping Through The Crisis Text Line
Perspective

Lean on Me: Helping Through The Crisis Text Line

By Allison Donofrio, Staff Writer Lebanon, Ill. - While on winter break last December, I saw a volunteer opportunity I could not pass up. On 'To Write Love on Her Arms’' Facebook page, I saw an advertisement asking for volunteers to be a Crisis Counselor on Crisis Text Line. I had never heard about this organization, so I considered it further. Crisis Text Line is a non-profit organization that provides free crisis intervention through text messaging. Strangers can text 741741 and will be put in a queue to discuss their crisis with a counselor. I applied to be a Crisis Counselor before New Year’s Eve. On January 4, I received an email stating my acceptance into the program. At first, I experienced a lot of anxiety as to what sort of crises I would encounter. Within two weeks of training...
More Than a Game
Sports

More Than a Game

By Grant Riggs, Editor-in-Chief Lebanon, Ill. - To many people, basketball is just a game, and a silly one at that. Players run up and down the court, repeatedly banging away at each other in hopes of putting a small ball into a slightly bigger hoop. To some extent, these people are correct. At the end of the day, it is just a game, with a winner and loser. However, on countless occasions, basketball has touched people in a way that transcends winning and losing. Sports, particularly basketball, have been a crucial part of my family for as long as I can remember. It began with my great-grandpa Otto, who had a passion for following sports in his hometown of Highland, Ill. He became known for being a part of the “chain gang” who operated the first-down markers at every home Highland High Sc...
Behind the Success: Andrew Best
Sports

Behind the Success: Andrew Best

By Zach Breeding, Co-Editor of Sports LEBANON, Ill. - Anyone who has followed the McKendree men's hockey team as of late is well aware of their success. And anyone who pays attention to the stats or watches the games is also aware that much of this success falls on the shoulders of starting goalie Andrew Best. This previous season, Best was a standout performer. He limited opponents to just a 2.06 goals against average prior to entering the team's last tournament of the season. Considering that the Bearcats regularly scored more than seven goals in each game makes this statistic even more impressive. However, looking back on the path that brought Best to Mckendree, it's clear that he faced many trials and tribulations along the way. From a young age, it was clear what sport Best would pl...
Al Alone: Issue Two
Cartoons, Entertainment

Al Alone: Issue Two

By Benjamin Richter, Cartoonist/Contributing Writer Issue Two Al is just like the rest of us. He has been friend-zoned. Is there a more alienating experience? Support me and see more! Instagram: @brichstudios - Facebook: B-RICHstudios. For questions, comments, or concerns, contact Benjamin Richter at bjrichter@mckendree.edu. All images created by Benjamin Richter. 
McKendree’s Biggest Fans
Personality

McKendree’s Biggest Fans

By J.T. Russell, Contributing Writer "We just love the people and the atmosphere. Everyone is so nice to us. I mean, who doesn’t like going to McKendree games? It’s our favorite thing to do.” This is a quote from 29 year old Mark Junior Reinacher. Mark is part of a tenacious tag team duo with his twin brother, Robert Lee Reinacher. Together, they are, (cue in John Williams’ Superman Score), McKendree’s Biggest Fans. Before Mark and Robert became widely recognized by the Lebanon community as McKendree super fans, the twins could be found roaming the halls of O’Fallon high school. “I loved high school.” says Mark. “Playing volleyball and basketball during P.E. was fun, but talking to all the girls was my favorite.” After high school, Mark and Robert moved down to Carbondale, IL, for a short...