It's a slow afternoon at Station One, and Gina McClure is leaning against the tomato red brick wall behind the cash register, as far away as possible from the side door that used to lead out to the open-air patio. A pungent chemical odor pervades the whole building, and Gina is trying to get her mind off the smell by reading her latest vampire novel – Shades of Grey by Amanda Ashley.
"They're staining the floor of the new cornhole room," she explains. "It's giving me a headache."
This recently added "cornhole room" is the latest of the many renovations that Station has undergone within the last two years. After adding two more bars, two new bathrooms, a spacious back patio and covered performance stage, the building's original size is more than twice what it was four years ago, when Gina, 33, first started working here as a bartender.
She's in charge of making the drinks, pouring the draughts, refilling the kegs and managing the cash register out front, but sometimes has to do double-duty making food in the back kitchen when the regular cook isn't in. This isn't Gina's preference, especially when she has a good book sitting under the bar.
"I don't like working in the kitchen. I'm not a cook, I'm a bartender. But when it's slow like this, I can read. I got through that whole Twilight series in about three weeks."
A Springfield native, Gina has worked in the restaurant business for quite awhile. She started as a waitress at Scooter's before taking a bartending position at Savoy Lounge, which closed in 2009 to allow for the renovation of Station One – "Springfield's Finest Waterfront Restaurant," according to the sign out front.
There is another sign inside the building, mounted right above the cash register, which reads "Warning: The barmaid is a bitch." However, in a Samuel Adams T-shirt and sunglasses on top of her head to keep her short brown hair out of her face, Gina the barmaid is just doing her job – which means requesting to see an ID from every person with an alcoholic drink in their hand.
"I know some of these younger Wittenberg kids probably think I'm a bitch because I won't serve them, but they don't realize how much of a risk that is for me and for this business. I'm not gonna wind up in jail because of some stupid underage kid who can't handle his alcohol."
The sign might serve as a warning to the younger patrons of Station, but Gina is on friendly terms with many of the more seasoned regulars. While wiping down the chrome countertop of the bar, she glances up at the two gray-haired gentlemen who just walked in.
"Hey there Danny. You having a PBR? And what about you Rodney?"
The man orders a double-whiskey. Gina shakes her head. "You sure that's a good idea? I remember last time I gave you one of those, you thought it was too strong."
If being a good bartender means knowing the loyal customers, then Gina is a good bartender. She likes her job, saying, "It's not bad. I really can't complain."
Though she claims that she hasn't seen anything "too crazy" during her day shift at Station, she does refer to the Wittenberg crowd as most likely to attempt the "Station Gauntlet" starting at 11 am, when the place opens. What exactly is the Station Gauntlet? "It's when people try to drink a pint of every type of draught we got. Everyone thinks they can do it, but I've only seen one kid actually finish it, and I'm pretty sure he puked right after."
Gina herself doesn't mess around with the variety of Great Lakes brews and imports that she's so used to serving. "Just give me some Bud Light and Jaeger bombs. That's all I need."
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Cigarettes Feature - Draft 1
In the US, cigarette smoking causes one in five deaths per year. About 60 of the chemicals in cigarettes are known to cause cancer. In the year 2000 alone, 1.7 million smokers died due to heart disease – the leading cause of death in this country.
We've all heard about the dangers that cigarette smoking imposes on our health. These facts are becoming more prevalent every day thanks to the efforts of anti-smoking campaigns like the TRUTH ads. The health risks and negative aspects of smoking are so publicized that it would be impossible for anyone who isn't living under a rock not to realize that smoking cigarettes is bad for you.
However, Americans still spend over $80 billion per year on cigarettes. And these smokers aren't just uneducated people from the lower class. Recent studies reveal that about 20 percent of college students smoke cigarettes on a regular basis. So why are millions of intelligent, well-educated young adults choosing to indulge in such a risky habit?
"It's a form of social bonding," says Wittenberg senior Lynsey Smith, a former smoker who recently quit her cigarette habit. "Smoking was a good way to meet people who I might not have otherwise spoken to if we hadn't spent a few minutes each day smoking outside the dorms and classroom buildings."
Ed Aldrich, a junior, agrees that smoking cigarettes was a good way to break the ice with strangers. "I've met people by asking to borrow a lighter, even though I had one in my pocket."
It's not that students are ignorant of the hazards of smoking – in fact, most of them are fully aware of the health risks and intend to quit the habit in their post-college years. In a survey conducted in 2004, 56 percent of college students who indulged in occasional "social" cigarette smoking identified themselves as non-smokers.
The social context of smoking, especially amongst American college students, is an entire culture of its own. For some, a cigarette is just one of the more enjoyable ways to pass the ten minutes in between classes, or to spark a conversation with a fellow smoker.
We've all heard about the dangers that cigarette smoking imposes on our health. These facts are becoming more prevalent every day thanks to the efforts of anti-smoking campaigns like the TRUTH ads. The health risks and negative aspects of smoking are so publicized that it would be impossible for anyone who isn't living under a rock not to realize that smoking cigarettes is bad for you.
However, Americans still spend over $80 billion per year on cigarettes. And these smokers aren't just uneducated people from the lower class. Recent studies reveal that about 20 percent of college students smoke cigarettes on a regular basis. So why are millions of intelligent, well-educated young adults choosing to indulge in such a risky habit?
"It's a form of social bonding," says Wittenberg senior Lynsey Smith, a former smoker who recently quit her cigarette habit. "Smoking was a good way to meet people who I might not have otherwise spoken to if we hadn't spent a few minutes each day smoking outside the dorms and classroom buildings."
Ed Aldrich, a junior, agrees that smoking cigarettes was a good way to break the ice with strangers. "I've met people by asking to borrow a lighter, even though I had one in my pocket."
It's not that students are ignorant of the hazards of smoking – in fact, most of them are fully aware of the health risks and intend to quit the habit in their post-college years. In a survey conducted in 2004, 56 percent of college students who indulged in occasional "social" cigarette smoking identified themselves as non-smokers.
The social context of smoking, especially amongst American college students, is an entire culture of its own. For some, a cigarette is just one of the more enjoyable ways to pass the ten minutes in between classes, or to spark a conversation with a fellow smoker.
Monday, April 12, 2010
The BA is in the Eye of the Beholder
When May 15th finally rolls around and Wittenberg's seniors look back on their four (or more) years at this fine university, one common question will loom on everyone's minds: was it worth it?
The answer to this question might not yet be available for many grads-to-be, most of whom are still in the searching and applying stage of the career process. When it comes down to the competitive job market and pursuit of a salary, we're all crossing our fingers in hopes that that single piece of paper serving as proof of a bachelor's degree will be the golden ticket to our dream job.
However, statistics are telling us that this may not be the case.
In today's society where nearly 70 percent of high school graduates continue their education at a college level, the value of a basic degree isn't nearly as high as it used to be – and students know it. In 2008, 42 percent of college students said they planned on getting a master's degree, compared to only 31 percent of students asked in 1972. In light of the country's current economic state, graduating seniors are aware of the benefits of getting a degree at a higher level in order to stand out in a sea of bachelor's degrees.
As an English major, the average salary I will earn with a BA in English will be around $40,000. A stint in grad school could land me a job that pays about $20,000 more per year. Based on this information, many people could agree that I'd be stupid not to continue my education.
But unlike many of my fellow Witt seniors, I didn't take the GRE this year. I didn't apply to any graduate schools. In fact, I didn't even really look twice at the numerous postcards and e-mails I received concerning Masters programs for English majors.
And I'm not worried about it.
The truth of the matter is that I'm tired of being in school for the past 16 years of my life. I'm looking forward to getting paid for my work, rather than paying in order to do work. Grad school at this point would tack on thousands more for me in student loans and merely postpone the supposed impending doom when it comes to the job search.
It's not that I don't see the appeal of pursuing a higher degree – in all honesty, I'll probably end up back in classes at some point in my future. And with the unemployment rate currently sitting at a record high percentage of 10.6, perhaps that time will come sooner rather than later.
Someone recently said to me that "grad school is the snooze button on the alarm clock of life," and from where I'm standing here at the end of undergrad life as I know it, I fully agree. As sad as I am to see my fantastic college years come to a close, my wide open classroom-free future is the exciting end result of thousands of dollars spent and borrowed in loans for a four-year liberal arts education.
Is a bachelor's degree really the most worthwhile thing one should be expected of accomplishing in life? The answer is infinitely debatable. The real value of a college degree can only be determined by the person who has earned it.
Gretchen Dellner
April 12, 2010
Journalism
Column
The answer to this question might not yet be available for many grads-to-be, most of whom are still in the searching and applying stage of the career process. When it comes down to the competitive job market and pursuit of a salary, we're all crossing our fingers in hopes that that single piece of paper serving as proof of a bachelor's degree will be the golden ticket to our dream job.
However, statistics are telling us that this may not be the case.
In today's society where nearly 70 percent of high school graduates continue their education at a college level, the value of a basic degree isn't nearly as high as it used to be – and students know it. In 2008, 42 percent of college students said they planned on getting a master's degree, compared to only 31 percent of students asked in 1972. In light of the country's current economic state, graduating seniors are aware of the benefits of getting a degree at a higher level in order to stand out in a sea of bachelor's degrees.
As an English major, the average salary I will earn with a BA in English will be around $40,000. A stint in grad school could land me a job that pays about $20,000 more per year. Based on this information, many people could agree that I'd be stupid not to continue my education.
But unlike many of my fellow Witt seniors, I didn't take the GRE this year. I didn't apply to any graduate schools. In fact, I didn't even really look twice at the numerous postcards and e-mails I received concerning Masters programs for English majors.
And I'm not worried about it.
The truth of the matter is that I'm tired of being in school for the past 16 years of my life. I'm looking forward to getting paid for my work, rather than paying in order to do work. Grad school at this point would tack on thousands more for me in student loans and merely postpone the supposed impending doom when it comes to the job search.
It's not that I don't see the appeal of pursuing a higher degree – in all honesty, I'll probably end up back in classes at some point in my future. And with the unemployment rate currently sitting at a record high percentage of 10.6, perhaps that time will come sooner rather than later.
Someone recently said to me that "grad school is the snooze button on the alarm clock of life," and from where I'm standing here at the end of undergrad life as I know it, I fully agree. As sad as I am to see my fantastic college years come to a close, my wide open classroom-free future is the exciting end result of thousands of dollars spent and borrowed in loans for a four-year liberal arts education.
Is a bachelor's degree really the most worthwhile thing one should be expected of accomplishing in life? The answer is infinitely debatable. The real value of a college degree can only be determined by the person who has earned it.
Gretchen Dellner
April 12, 2010
Journalism
Column
Monday, April 5, 2010
Deerhunter's Spectacle of Sound
Deerhunter, the self-described "ambient punk" band, has a reputation for unconventionally weird live shows that often feature the male lead singer in a sundress, or the occasional smear of fake blood across his face.
But at their March 31st show at the Wexner Center in Columbus, lead singer Bradford Cox went against these expectations, clad in a simple grey striped t-shirt and jeans.
One of my fellow concert-goers initially expressed her surprise at the fact that this performance was, in comparison to high expectations of eccentricity, "kind of boring."
This may have been true in regards to Cox's lack of cross-dressing, but as far as the music goes, the concert left this writer feeling anything but bored.
Opening with the swift and rhythmic head-bob-inducing "Cryptograms" from the 2007 album of the same name, the group set the tone for a show that emphasizes cyclic riffs and combinations of seemingly incompatible noise for an unexpected but surreal kind of sound that somehow is able to produce a unique listening experience for every individual in the crowd.
As the show progressed, it became obvious that Deerhunter is the rare kind of band that specializes in perfecting a show that can be experienced to the fullest extent without any need for visual aid. Accompanied by nothing more than unremarkable dim lighting and the black and blue backdrop of the Wexner's Mershon side stage, the band members relied solely on their instruments and amps for a spectacle that requires ears only.
This quality of creating vision within sound is characteristic of the subgenre of alternative rock under which Deerhunter falls – the category called "shoegazing," named for its distinctively introverted performers who seem to be staring at their shoes during the majority of the show.
While bearing much similarity to their influences David Bowie and My Bloody Valentine, Deerhunter stands out in the contemporary scene today with their overwhelming ability to convey a strangely moving melody amongst the musical fusion of balance and distortion.
After playing an hour-long set, the band left the stage in a vibrating whir of stirring soundwaves from the remaining audio feedback emanating from the instruments still left onstage, returning minutes later to loud applause and requests from the audience for an encore when they played the popular "Agoraphobia" to a cheering crowd.
The lyrics of the song summarize the atmosphere of the concert and the band's philosophy of music simultaneously: "After some time/ I know I would go blind/ But seeing only binds/ The vision to the eye."
Gretchen Dellner
April 5, 2010
Journalism: Review
But at their March 31st show at the Wexner Center in Columbus, lead singer Bradford Cox went against these expectations, clad in a simple grey striped t-shirt and jeans.
One of my fellow concert-goers initially expressed her surprise at the fact that this performance was, in comparison to high expectations of eccentricity, "kind of boring."
This may have been true in regards to Cox's lack of cross-dressing, but as far as the music goes, the concert left this writer feeling anything but bored.
Opening with the swift and rhythmic head-bob-inducing "Cryptograms" from the 2007 album of the same name, the group set the tone for a show that emphasizes cyclic riffs and combinations of seemingly incompatible noise for an unexpected but surreal kind of sound that somehow is able to produce a unique listening experience for every individual in the crowd.
As the show progressed, it became obvious that Deerhunter is the rare kind of band that specializes in perfecting a show that can be experienced to the fullest extent without any need for visual aid. Accompanied by nothing more than unremarkable dim lighting and the black and blue backdrop of the Wexner's Mershon side stage, the band members relied solely on their instruments and amps for a spectacle that requires ears only.
This quality of creating vision within sound is characteristic of the subgenre of alternative rock under which Deerhunter falls – the category called "shoegazing," named for its distinctively introverted performers who seem to be staring at their shoes during the majority of the show.
While bearing much similarity to their influences David Bowie and My Bloody Valentine, Deerhunter stands out in the contemporary scene today with their overwhelming ability to convey a strangely moving melody amongst the musical fusion of balance and distortion.
After playing an hour-long set, the band left the stage in a vibrating whir of stirring soundwaves from the remaining audio feedback emanating from the instruments still left onstage, returning minutes later to loud applause and requests from the audience for an encore when they played the popular "Agoraphobia" to a cheering crowd.
The lyrics of the song summarize the atmosphere of the concert and the band's philosophy of music simultaneously: "After some time/ I know I would go blind/ But seeing only binds/ The vision to the eye."
Gretchen Dellner
April 5, 2010
Journalism: Review
Monday, February 22, 2010
coffee feature story - ROUGH draft
Coffee and the College Student
Every morning on Wittenberg's campus, hundreds of students wake up and smell the coffee.
Some people get the hot beverage because they love the dark robust taste. Some people buy a large cup o' joe in order to sit through an 8 am lab without dozing off. And some people brew it in their houses or dorm rooms on a daily basis without giving it a second thought – it's just another part of their morning routine.
Witt students have varying reasons for their coffee habits. Senior Janelle Mahowald is a self-described "coffee addict." Drinking the beverage mostly for its caffeine benefits and not for particular enjoyment of the taste, she estimates that her average intake of coffee on a daily basis is between 8 and 9 cups. As a chemistry and French double major, Mahowald credits her busy class and work schedule as incentive to keep the pots brewing. She says that her body has gotten so accustomed to the daily coffee intake that she can't function as well without it. "When I get up in the morning, I can't see straight until I have my first cup of coffee. On mornings when I don't have time to make it, I get pretty severe headaches."
Other students helping to fuel the international coffee trade have chosen to do so because they just plain enjoy it. Katie Torrey, a 19-year-old freshman, has been drinking coffee since she was in high school. "I started drinking it regularly because my friends liked to, and then I really started liking it." Torrey owns her own coffee maker to use in her dorm room because it is more economical and she doesn't enjoy the coffee from Post 95.
Although many students like Torrey prefer to brew their own coffee, there are still many others who take advantage of the coffee options offered through campus dining services. Mary Black is the supervisor of Cafe a la Carte, the grab-and-go dining option for students passing through the Science Center. She says coffee is probably the most popular item for students who stop by the food and drink stand, especially in the mornings. "I make six pots every morning at 7:30, and by 8:00, half of them will be empty." This trend continues throughout the morning schedule, fueling the tired minds of students on their way to class. Even past noon, Black doesn't get a break from keeping the coffee pots full. "I feel like I'm making coffee all day, all the time."
Whatever the cause for coffee habits, it is easy to see that the popularity of the hot beverage won't be declining anytime soon, especially for Wittenberg students.
Every morning on Wittenberg's campus, hundreds of students wake up and smell the coffee.
Some people get the hot beverage because they love the dark robust taste. Some people buy a large cup o' joe in order to sit through an 8 am lab without dozing off. And some people brew it in their houses or dorm rooms on a daily basis without giving it a second thought – it's just another part of their morning routine.
Witt students have varying reasons for their coffee habits. Senior Janelle Mahowald is a self-described "coffee addict." Drinking the beverage mostly for its caffeine benefits and not for particular enjoyment of the taste, she estimates that her average intake of coffee on a daily basis is between 8 and 9 cups. As a chemistry and French double major, Mahowald credits her busy class and work schedule as incentive to keep the pots brewing. She says that her body has gotten so accustomed to the daily coffee intake that she can't function as well without it. "When I get up in the morning, I can't see straight until I have my first cup of coffee. On mornings when I don't have time to make it, I get pretty severe headaches."
Other students helping to fuel the international coffee trade have chosen to do so because they just plain enjoy it. Katie Torrey, a 19-year-old freshman, has been drinking coffee since she was in high school. "I started drinking it regularly because my friends liked to, and then I really started liking it." Torrey owns her own coffee maker to use in her dorm room because it is more economical and she doesn't enjoy the coffee from Post 95.
Although many students like Torrey prefer to brew their own coffee, there are still many others who take advantage of the coffee options offered through campus dining services. Mary Black is the supervisor of Cafe a la Carte, the grab-and-go dining option for students passing through the Science Center. She says coffee is probably the most popular item for students who stop by the food and drink stand, especially in the mornings. "I make six pots every morning at 7:30, and by 8:00, half of them will be empty." This trend continues throughout the morning schedule, fueling the tired minds of students on their way to class. Even past noon, Black doesn't get a break from keeping the coffee pots full. "I feel like I'm making coffee all day, all the time."
Whatever the cause for coffee habits, it is easy to see that the popularity of the hot beverage won't be declining anytime soon, especially for Wittenberg students.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Carl Loney Interview - Draft 1
Gretchen Dellner
Chief Carl Loney Interview Story – Draft 1
Alcohol infractions. Sex offenses. Can-collecting thieves. And…snakes in the urinal?
These are just a few examples of the kinds of reports that Wittenberg Police Chief Carl Loney has received in his eight years in charge of the university's Police and Security unit. The Springfield native has been at work in the law enforcement field since he was 18 years old, and since becoming head of crime-fighting on a college campus, the excitement of police work has not diminished.
Loney visited Professor D'Arcy Fallon's Intro to Journalism class on Wednesday, February 3rd to discuss the role of the Wittenberg police on campus and in the everyday lives of students. He talked about the many facets of his job as chief of police and the differences between a city-wide police department and a college security unit.
"Lots of people think of me only as 'the e-mail man.'" Loney said, referring to the constant stream of messages sent out to campus regarding any severe weather warnings or crimes, on-campus or just nearby. The chief asserts that his main goal is to keep the public informed, no matter how trivial the subject might be. "I firmly believe in giving information as fast as I can."
With 13 police officers, Wittenberg's security department is a force significantly larger than that of most small college police units. The department has full authority of the campus, handling around 90% of all crimes at Wittenberg. Major criminal cases are handed over to the Springfield Police Department on occasion.
Loney cited alcohol infractions as the most common crime on campus, although he stated that these reports have decreased significantly in recent years. "Things have changed for the better," Loney said of the climate of alcohol abuse on campus. "Students seem a lot more respectful."
He credits the Witt police force for being relatively understanding of the student atmosphere, saying that the officers who provide escort rides for students late at night are not necessarily looking to arrest anyone walking home from a party, but rather are just trying to "prevent underage trouble." However, Loney stated that there is one thing the police officers prefer when they are driving students home – "please, just don't puke in our cars."
Concerning the long-standing yet technically illegal Wittenberg tradition of streaking the hollow, the Chief once again prefers to approach the situation with a grain of salt, saying "it ain't like robbing a bank in my book." Loney is leading the security department with the intent of preserving safety and overall well-being of the students at Wittenberg, which he understands to require a certain degree of lenience on his part.
Loney's attitude about his job reflects his good feelings about the campus student body. "I wouldn't trade it," he says. Streaking, snakes, and all.
Chief Carl Loney Interview Story – Draft 1
Alcohol infractions. Sex offenses. Can-collecting thieves. And…snakes in the urinal?
These are just a few examples of the kinds of reports that Wittenberg Police Chief Carl Loney has received in his eight years in charge of the university's Police and Security unit. The Springfield native has been at work in the law enforcement field since he was 18 years old, and since becoming head of crime-fighting on a college campus, the excitement of police work has not diminished.
Loney visited Professor D'Arcy Fallon's Intro to Journalism class on Wednesday, February 3rd to discuss the role of the Wittenberg police on campus and in the everyday lives of students. He talked about the many facets of his job as chief of police and the differences between a city-wide police department and a college security unit.
"Lots of people think of me only as 'the e-mail man.'" Loney said, referring to the constant stream of messages sent out to campus regarding any severe weather warnings or crimes, on-campus or just nearby. The chief asserts that his main goal is to keep the public informed, no matter how trivial the subject might be. "I firmly believe in giving information as fast as I can."
With 13 police officers, Wittenberg's security department is a force significantly larger than that of most small college police units. The department has full authority of the campus, handling around 90% of all crimes at Wittenberg. Major criminal cases are handed over to the Springfield Police Department on occasion.
Loney cited alcohol infractions as the most common crime on campus, although he stated that these reports have decreased significantly in recent years. "Things have changed for the better," Loney said of the climate of alcohol abuse on campus. "Students seem a lot more respectful."
He credits the Witt police force for being relatively understanding of the student atmosphere, saying that the officers who provide escort rides for students late at night are not necessarily looking to arrest anyone walking home from a party, but rather are just trying to "prevent underage trouble." However, Loney stated that there is one thing the police officers prefer when they are driving students home – "please, just don't puke in our cars."
Concerning the long-standing yet technically illegal Wittenberg tradition of streaking the hollow, the Chief once again prefers to approach the situation with a grain of salt, saying "it ain't like robbing a bank in my book." Loney is leading the security department with the intent of preserving safety and overall well-being of the students at Wittenberg, which he understands to require a certain degree of lenience on his part.
Loney's attitude about his job reflects his good feelings about the campus student body. "I wouldn't trade it," he says. Streaking, snakes, and all.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Convocation Speaker - Final Draft
Poet Appeals for Peaceful Fight
On a day that commemorates an important political fighter in the country's battle for civil rights, Elizabeth Alexander chose not to focus on politics and interracial discord – instead, she focused on love.
The speaker at Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation stressed the importance of the tougher kinds of love – love of labor, love of justice, love of one's country – "the kind of love that takes work, but moves us toward the future." Alexander, who is chair of the Department of African American Studies at Yale University, spoke about Dr. King's legacy as a legacy of love that was first instilled in the hearts of Americans fighting for justice when Dr. King was alive - a legacy that is still prevalent to this day.
Alexander cited Dr. King numerous times in her speech, occasionally repeating phrases of his various speeches to emphasize their importance to the audience. Like Dr. King, Alexander maintained that peace will most effectively preserve its place in society if a focus on love and tolerance triumphs over negative worries about war and political conflicts.
Alexander borrowed a phrase from one of King's many speeches to emphasize to the crowd that in order to bring about this positive change, we must "transform our imminent cosmic elegy into a psalm of creative fulfillment." This balance between the struggles of reality and the encouraging prospects of peace is, according to Alexander, the responsibility taken on by poets to convey their message to a larger audience.
She introduced used various excerpts of the poetry of June Jordan, another female writer who believes strongly in the power of love as a weapon for peace. Referring to Jordan as "simultaneously a pacifist and a fighter," Alexander not only praised the poet's ideals but also her method of transferring them to paper. Stating that poetry has the responsibility to create "images that compel through the specificity of language," Alexander praised Jordan for her moving words, which she credits as inspiration for her own poetry.
Alexander's poetic ability garnered enough national recognition in recent years to earn her the honor of delivering the invocation at the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009. The speaker ended her address with a reading of her poem "Praise Song for the Day," which was written specifically for the inauguration. She mentioned that she thought she would never read this poem in a public setting after the inauguration, assuming it had already served its purpose. However, on the holiday that Alexander called "a happy measure of progress" for the civil rights movement, the poem was decisively full of "words to consider and reconsider."
The air of the crowded Weaver Chapel remained still and silent while Alexander gracefully delivered "Praise Song for the Day" until stepping down from the pulpit, when the audience responded with loud applause and a standing ovation.
Gretchen Dellner
Elizabeth Alexander Convocation
Final
On a day that commemorates an important political fighter in the country's battle for civil rights, Elizabeth Alexander chose not to focus on politics and interracial discord – instead, she focused on love.
The speaker at Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation stressed the importance of the tougher kinds of love – love of labor, love of justice, love of one's country – "the kind of love that takes work, but moves us toward the future." Alexander, who is chair of the Department of African American Studies at Yale University, spoke about Dr. King's legacy as a legacy of love that was first instilled in the hearts of Americans fighting for justice when Dr. King was alive - a legacy that is still prevalent to this day.
Alexander cited Dr. King numerous times in her speech, occasionally repeating phrases of his various speeches to emphasize their importance to the audience. Like Dr. King, Alexander maintained that peace will most effectively preserve its place in society if a focus on love and tolerance triumphs over negative worries about war and political conflicts.
Alexander borrowed a phrase from one of King's many speeches to emphasize to the crowd that in order to bring about this positive change, we must "transform our imminent cosmic elegy into a psalm of creative fulfillment." This balance between the struggles of reality and the encouraging prospects of peace is, according to Alexander, the responsibility taken on by poets to convey their message to a larger audience.
She introduced used various excerpts of the poetry of June Jordan, another female writer who believes strongly in the power of love as a weapon for peace. Referring to Jordan as "simultaneously a pacifist and a fighter," Alexander not only praised the poet's ideals but also her method of transferring them to paper. Stating that poetry has the responsibility to create "images that compel through the specificity of language," Alexander praised Jordan for her moving words, which she credits as inspiration for her own poetry.
Alexander's poetic ability garnered enough national recognition in recent years to earn her the honor of delivering the invocation at the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009. The speaker ended her address with a reading of her poem "Praise Song for the Day," which was written specifically for the inauguration. She mentioned that she thought she would never read this poem in a public setting after the inauguration, assuming it had already served its purpose. However, on the holiday that Alexander called "a happy measure of progress" for the civil rights movement, the poem was decisively full of "words to consider and reconsider."
The air of the crowded Weaver Chapel remained still and silent while Alexander gracefully delivered "Praise Song for the Day" until stepping down from the pulpit, when the audience responded with loud applause and a standing ovation.
Gretchen Dellner
Elizabeth Alexander Convocation
Final
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