Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold. A staple in my childhood that taught me many life-long lessons was the Girl scouts. Being a scout from early on: from the brown vested “brownie” to hopping over the mirror and becoming a true Junior Girl Scout; and every year my [...]

Social science has finally caught up with social media.  It may have begun with MySpace Tom, but it seems that sociologists can now glean actual meaning from even the most banal of Facebook status updates and Twitter tweets.  Just last month, there was a debate concerning whether or not social media can contribute to depression in a [...]

Last summer, I led fifteen teenagers to Colorado and Utah as part of a summer travel program run by Wooden Acres Camp. On this trip, we hiked, camped, cooked, and bonded as a group. The campers became friends with each other, learned useful skills, and got the privilege to spend nearly three weeks outside. And [...]

This is my second post as an alumni blogger and a trend has begun to emerge.  Since graduating I have moved into Detroit to live, work, and learn.   I will plan to continue to write about the city, but will provide this explanation as to why I think its issues are relevant to the University of [...]

Recently the University of Michigan has gained unwanted attention from almost-nude pictures starring some of our local frat bros.  While the nature of these pictures and the fraternity’s indefinite suspension can be a post on its own, my initial concern after seeing the articles was prospective employment and whether or not this will affect the mostly naked boys in [...]

Last Tuesday was the State of the Union address. I was confident everyone was aware of this until I was sitting in a lecture the following Thursday and my professor asked how many students watched the address. Of the approximate 200 students in the lecture hall only six raised their hands, and more than a few gave [...]