Canceling classes gave students a much-needed break

By Emily Schutte

When classes were canceled because of the ice storm, education did not stop at Hillsdale. These unexpected free days were a blessing to Hillsdale students and were an education in themselves. Semesters move so quickly that it can be easy to become overwhelmed with the stresses of deadlines. It can be easy to forget about what is most important to us. The two days off gave students the opportunity to refocus mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Some friends and I returned from Ash Wednesday Mass Feb. 22 to a darkened dorm. While we tried to do some work, it was practically impossible with only flashlights and no internet. Our phones were dying, and so the only plausible option was to go to bed early. We were all exhausted and this early bedtime was just what we needed to rest our minds in the midst of a challenging semester. It is common for students to overwork themselves and run on little sleep. This can often lead to sickness and burnout. The stress of academics frequently pushes students to emotional breakdowns. In an article from the Harvard Law Blog, Meg Kribble found that some have even died due to over studying. Whether it be lack of sleep and nourishment or an abscess on the brain, the constant atmosphere of “gogo-go” leaves little space for emotional resets.

These snow days were spent catching up on sleep, homework, and friendships.

I was so pleased to see students taking advantage of this pause to grow spiritually, as well. Every day from Ash Wednesday to the first Sunday in Lent, we were able to attend Mass.

Other students took the time to engage more fully in the day of prayer at Christ Chapel.

Often we are too busy to fully enter in the season of Lenten preparation, and this year we were able to step back and root ourselves in faith at this important time.

At Hillsdale, we are constantly reminded that “It’s the people.” It’s the people who bring Hillsdale to life. It’s the people that bring the faith alive. It’s the people who struggle and strive to meet the standards of this school.

I was able to meet new people, create new friendships, and deepen ones I already made. I introduced myself to new people at the spontaneous events we planned, I was kindly offered a ride home by a new friend, and I had a sleepover with friends I already had.

There was beautiful comradery and ingenuity as the campus sought to keep itself occupied. Whether it was spikeball in the Olds Residence lobby or a spontaneous bonfire at the Grotto, we were able to rest, recuperate, and root ourselves in faith and the people around us.

The students had an opportunity to live out what they have been learning. In the midst of a challenging experience, we were able to glean the benefits.

Hillsdale College certainly did not fail in educating its students in these days. The rest and reset with Christ at the center rooted the students as they prepared to return to the daily grind of academics.

Emily Schutte is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

Hillsdale’s classrooms should be beautiful and aesthetic

By Kate Cavanaugh

Each advertisement for Hillsdale’s online classes reminds in-person students just how plain our classrooms really are. The YouTube ad for Professor Justin Jackson’s Genesis class features old-fashioned desks, bronze and blue globes, framed paintings, diffused lighting, and paper memorabilia tucked into a wooden-framed chalkboard. But this classroom is just a film set. Those old-fashioned desks are never used by students.

Contrast that ad with almost every classroom on campus: Plain tan walls. Leftover chalk messages like “Augustine: not a mumble rapper.” The occasional Datea-Delt poster. It’s functional, not beautiful. We don’t need to learn on a film set. But Hillsdale could do better with its classrooms. We don’t need to remodel Kendall or Lane. We could just decorate.

The best example of this is the most beloved classroom on campus: the Classics Room in Kendall 232, where many upper-level Greek and Latin courses take place. The paintings, snacks, and tea kettle say it all—students love this classroom.

The seminar table is blanketed in Greek to English dictionaries. Little figurines are scattered across it: a mini helmet, a little stuffed toy owl (the symbol of the classics honorary), and a figurine of Romulus and Remus with Lupa, the wolf love of learning, each major should have a designated classroom. The classics room originated because someone cared enough to decorate.

. In this classroom, you can learn just by looking around. Yawn during lecture? A bust of Julius Caesar will glare down at you.

But why is this the only classroom with any personality? To further cultivate a

“It started being called the classics room within the last decade,” says Elyssa Witsken, a classics major and former president of Eta Sigma Phi, the classics honorary. “A lot of the decorations are donations. Some are souvenirs, like the tiny replica of the

Nashville Parthenon.” Several bookshelves full of books on Plato, Polybius, and Plutarch were left by Professor David Jones, a retired classics professor. A are gifts from Professor Gavin Weaire’s parents which he shares with the classics students.

Not every classroom needs to be sponsored by rooms won’t belong to the major alone—other classes can take place there—they’ll just be a resting place for them and an expression of the students’ and professors’ love for their subject. painting by our own Professor Joshua Fincher sits atop a bookshelf. Professor Joseph Garnjobst puts snacks out on the table to encourage classics students to study together. And it’s rumored that many of the decorations

Decorating our classrooms would express the love for learning that each Hillsdale student and professor holds. It would help contest the commodification of education which our nation has experienced in recent years. Education at Hillsdale is not utilitarian. Students are not meant to learn in cubicle-esque classrooms so they can become productive members of society. Rather, Hillsdale intends to form each student’s mind and soul. By making classrooms beautiful—or at least wellloved—students will enjoy classes more.

Weaire’s parents. The college should designate several classrooms for specific majors and bring them to life through well-loved details. Each honorary could make this a yearly project for their designated major. Class-

Shelves of Tolstoy, Kierkegaard, Lewis, Friedman, or Hayek will inspire non-majors as they explore the core curriculum. A poster of Marie Curie, a bust of Homer, a figurine of Socrates, or a Reagan bobblehead will remind students why they love their science, English, philosophy, or politics major. Hillsdale’s classes live up to the marketing. Its classrooms should, too.

Kate Cavanaugh is a senior studying English.