D-Log
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Warm Weather Wisdom
April 13, 2012
Not your typical d-log. This is an email I sent to all students on April 13: Dear Wheaton Students: As we get hints of the warm spring weather on its way, I’d like to ask a few moments of your time to remind you of a couple of important things: First, no matter how warm and sunny [...]
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A Tattoo is a Lifetime Commitment
March 6, 2012
March 6, 2012 Spring Break is fast approaching, and along with it, for some of you at least, a week’s worth of downtime and memorable activities, maybe even a vacation in an exotic location. Perhaps you’ll be tempted to tattoo something onto your skin to commemorate the trip, or a romantic interest, or something along [...]
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Now THAT Was an Interesting Week
February 16, 2012
February 13, 2012 I’ve always been bothered by the lyrics of John Mayer’s song, “Waiting on the World to Change,” thinking that it’s an ode to passivity, rather than a rallying cry to work hard to create change. I've worried that it somehow characterizes a generation that won't do the hard work of change. So [...]
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So Many Other Things I'd Rather Write About
November 7, 2011
Hi folks. Sorry I haven't written much. I've been busy paying close attention to...you. Yes, that's been me looking over your shoulder to make sure you're actually reading the book propped in front of you and not scanning Like-a-Little on your laptop to see if someone has noticed you. That's me watching you run up [...]
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Missing: First Half of Fall Semester
September 29, 2011
Well, at least that's how it feels. Seems like just a few days ago, first-year students were arriving with their anxious parents, siblings and dogs in tow, and now, we can see October Break on the horizon. At least that's how it feels to me. Those of you who have been slogging through Organic Chemistry [...]
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So Long, Seniors!
May 15, 2011
D-log, May 15, 2011 So it's time to say see ya, seniors, and send you on your way into the world beyond Wheaton, where great things await you (provided you have studied reasonably hard and behaved yourselves reasonably well; if that's not the case, I'm not offering any guarantees). It's truly a great time of [...]
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Heartbreak Hill
April 21, 2011
I'm still recovering from my crazy celebration of that uniquely Massachusetts holiday, Patriots Day, and heck, I'm just worn out from the excitement. Each year, I like to dress up in a cotton bedgown, fire a musket and recite "Paul Revere's Ride" in a British accent (I'm a big fan of irony, as some of [...]
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Wellies at Wheaton: Why, It Must Be March
March 2, 2011
One of my favorite poets, e.e. cummings, called spring "mud-luscious" and "puddle-wonderful." Apparently, e.e. never had a basement in Norton, where puddles are not so wonderful. [Insert deep sigh here]. It does seem, though, that spring is on the horizon, with longer days and a sun shining from a higher angle. Though having lived in [...]
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Stopping By Wheaton on a Snowy Evening
February 1, 2011
Today we woke up to a revolution of snow, its white flag waving over everything, the landscape vanished… That's the view from the mind of the poet Billy Collins. Actually, I'm the one about to wave the white flag. The first few snowfalls? Kind of fun. But after that? It's a little like watching episodes [...]
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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Winter Break
December 15, 2010
Yeeeee-HA!!! Whoooo-hoo!!! That whoop you heard coming from Park Hall is the sound of a semester ending, but that second whoop? That’s our reaction to the good news that starting next semester, the Café will be open in the evenings, Monday through Thursday, till 9 pm. I’m so happy about it I’ve got the President [...]
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Autumn Leaves...Winter Arrives
November 10, 2010
Come autumn's scathe -- come winter's cold -- Come change -- and human fate! Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound, Can ne'er be desolate. Or so says Elizabeth Barrett Browning. I guess she liked fall, too. Maybe she was, like I am, a fan of boots and sweaters. I like the way fall smells and sounds. [...]
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Help! It's Fall and I Can't Get Up!
October 6, 2010
October, 2010 Welcome back to the d-Log. For those of you who are new to Wheaton (or just getting around to checking your email from last semester), the d-Log (short for “Dean’s Log”) is my occasional missive to students and anyone else who cares to listen in. I’ll share some things going on around campus, [...]
Warm Weather Wisdom
April 13, 2012Not your typical d-log. This is an email I sent to all students on April 13: Dear Wheaton Students: As we get hints of the warm spring weather on its way, I’d like to ask a few moments of your time to remind you of a couple of important things: First, no matter how warm and sunny [...]
A Tattoo is a Lifetime Commitment
March 6, 2012March 6, 2012 Spring Break is fast approaching, and along with it, for some of you at least, a week’s worth of downtime and memorable activities, maybe even a vacation in an exotic location. Perhaps you’ll be tempted to tattoo something onto your skin to commemorate the trip, or a romantic interest, or something along [...]
Now THAT Was an Interesting Week
February 16, 2012February 13, 2012 I’ve always been bothered by the lyrics of John Mayer’s song, “Waiting on the World to Change,” thinking that it’s an ode to passivity, rather than a rallying cry to work hard to create change. I've worried that it somehow characterizes a generation that won't do the hard work of change. So [...]
So Many Other Things I'd Rather Write About
November 7, 2011Hi folks. Sorry I haven't written much. I've been busy paying close attention to...you. Yes, that's been me looking over your shoulder to make sure you're actually reading the book propped in front of you and not scanning Like-a-Little on your laptop to see if someone has noticed you. That's me watching you run up [...]
Missing: First Half of Fall Semester
September 29, 2011Well, at least that's how it feels. Seems like just a few days ago, first-year students were arriving with their anxious parents, siblings and dogs in tow, and now, we can see October Break on the horizon. At least that's how it feels to me. Those of you who have been slogging through Organic Chemistry [...]
So Long, Seniors!
May 15, 2011D-log, May 15, 2011 So it's time to say see ya, seniors, and send you on your way into the world beyond Wheaton, where great things await you (provided you have studied reasonably hard and behaved yourselves reasonably well; if that's not the case, I'm not offering any guarantees). It's truly a great time of [...]
Heartbreak Hill
April 21, 2011I'm still recovering from my crazy celebration of that uniquely Massachusetts holiday, Patriots Day, and heck, I'm just worn out from the excitement. Each year, I like to dress up in a cotton bedgown, fire a musket and recite "Paul Revere's Ride" in a British accent (I'm a big fan of irony, as some of [...]
Wellies at Wheaton: Why, It Must Be March
March 2, 2011One of my favorite poets, e.e. cummings, called spring "mud-luscious" and "puddle-wonderful." Apparently, e.e. never had a basement in Norton, where puddles are not so wonderful. [Insert deep sigh here]. It does seem, though, that spring is on the horizon, with longer days and a sun shining from a higher angle. Though having lived in [...]
Stopping By Wheaton on a Snowy Evening
February 1, 2011Today we woke up to a revolution of snow, its white flag waving over everything, the landscape vanished… That's the view from the mind of the poet Billy Collins. Actually, I'm the one about to wave the white flag. The first few snowfalls? Kind of fun. But after that? It's a little like watching episodes [...]
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Winter Break
December 15, 2010Yeeeee-HA!!! Whoooo-hoo!!! That whoop you heard coming from Park Hall is the sound of a semester ending, but that second whoop? That’s our reaction to the good news that starting next semester, the Café will be open in the evenings, Monday through Thursday, till 9 pm. I’m so happy about it I’ve got the President [...]
Autumn Leaves...Winter Arrives
November 10, 2010Come autumn's scathe -- come winter's cold -- Come change -- and human fate! Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound, Can ne'er be desolate. Or so says Elizabeth Barrett Browning. I guess she liked fall, too. Maybe she was, like I am, a fan of boots and sweaters. I like the way fall smells and sounds. [...]
Help! It's Fall and I Can't Get Up!
October 6, 2010October, 2010 Welcome back to the d-Log. For those of you who are new to Wheaton (or just getting around to checking your email from last semester), the d-Log (short for “Dean’s Log”) is my occasional missive to students and anyone else who cares to listen in. I’ll share some things going on around campus, [...]
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