What a Week

It’s been a fascinating week at The King’s College. I want to highlight a few things that underscore the dynamism of life on our campus. Last Saturday, as the student body gathered for the ninth annual House Drama Competition, our community displayed its creativity. The House of Bonhoeffer portrayed what it is to be “drafted” by The King’s College. The House of Churchill managed to fuse Middle Earth with Men in Tights.

As we arrived to campus Monday morning, we made our way through a mob armed with placards and bullhorns. Occupy Wall Street (OWS) descended upon Lower Manhattan for their one year anniversary. (It is ironic that, three months ago, King’s ‘occupied’ their space. The former OWS headquarters is now the College’s street level entrance.). A number of bold King’s students—including Sam Tran, Sean Spurlock, Nadia Barduson, Jacob Cooper, Michael Sutton, Doug Holmes, among others—seized the opportunity to engage OWS. Sam Tran, Student Body President, shares his interactions: “It was fascinating to me that each person had a specific issue they were protesting. The first, a libertarian anarchist, feared that we were relinquishing our liberties. The other, a self-employed mother, worried about corporate greed. The movement was a great reminder that people [in America] have the right to protest whatever they desire.” The Empire State Tribune surveyed 120 protesters on how they plan to vote in the presidential election. The results are intriguing.

On Tuesday, in one of most bizarre episodes I’ve seen in NYC, freshmen Jesse Owen was struck by a mattress that fell out of the sky. Though temporarily knocked out, Jesse is okay—and even learned something about manhood through the ordeal. This week brought some distinguished campus guests. The Media, Culture and Arts department featured Jennifer Lahl (Center for Bioethics and Culture) and a screening of her latest documentary. Anonymous Father’s Day explores the troubled stories of the children of sperm donors. The House of Truth hosted Patty Montgomery, who discussed the disturbing global trends in human and organ trafficking.

We ended this week with our annual duty—the Interregnum test. As your dutiful Dean, I joined you in your suffering. Thankfully, I managed to pass the test and thereby avoided public humiliation. However, having spent so much time in the dark tragedies of Antigone and King Lear, I’m now thoroughly depressed. Thankfully, the weekend is here and I can watch Saturday morning cartoons with my daughter.