Universal Databases

...Few limits on institution's access to web traffic, Google accounts, detailed Moodle activity ... When a St. Olaf student was summoned to a January Honor Council hearing for a suspected Honor Code violation, they were perplexed by the council`s accusation - that the student had accessed a class document during a November exam, information which their professor found by checking the student`s Moodle history. ... The incident provides a window into the College`s vast surveillance capacity: if it so chooses, the institution can gather community members` web traffic, access all emails and content stored in Google accounts and obtain granular data on students` Moodle activity....

...The Events Management Office and Lutheran Center for Faith, Values and Community moved into new spaces in Buntrock Commons (BC), transitioning from their previous locations during January. ... Before this change, the Lutheran Center, which was founded during the past academic year, occupied a temporary office space in Holland Hall. The Center was moved to BC 146, the space previously occupied by the Camps, Conferences, and Events Office, to serve as a more permanent location. ... Due to this conversion, the Camps, Conferences, and Events Office joined with the College Events Office, which was previously located in Alumni Hall, into a renovated space in Buntrock....

...Dear Eleanor, ... Hey sweetheart! Dad misses you and your tank mates so much and he can`t wait to see you again. Did you know you`re coming to St. Olaf soon? More on that later. First I wanted to explain to all my friends here at St. Olaf just why fish (yourself included) are so awesome! ... As you may know, I first fell in love with fish in December of 2016. Sure, I had had the occasional goldfish before then but I hadn`t become a fish fin-atic. What really got me into marine life was learning about different species of fish....

...Recently, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has been under fire for considering the implementation of facial recognition software on their campus. After outcry from students, the university eventually went against this move. UCLA is not the only school considering puting facial recognition technology on their campus. Several other institutions such as the University of Illinois, Iowa State University and the University of Alabama are currently using the technology, and schools such as Princeton University, Duke University and George Washington University are still considering doing so....

...Often companies advertise products under the guise of self-care whilst they prey on our impulsive decision to hit «purchase» in a moment of stress. Though the term self-care has recently been commodified in ways that undermine its true goal, it remains crucial to reflect on self-care and how we practice it when classes demand so much (often too much) of us. ... I don`t think of self-care as buying products because advertisements tell me «I deserve it» and attempt to tie my self-worth to the possession of material things....

...One of my most memorable bonding moments with my father came on Christmas Eve 2017. My grandmother was staying at a rehabilitation facility, and we dropped her off after a day of festivities. On our way out, my dad and I noticed that every television was tuned to Fox News. ... In an effort to spread holiday cheer, we went around and switched them all to cheesy Hallmark movies. My father`s rationale? «The old people don`t need to be hearing hate when they wake up on Christmas morning.» ... My dad`s opinion is not unique: Fox is renowned for negativity....

...By noon Wednesday, Joe Biden had received 566 total delegates, with Bernie Sanders trailing behind at 501. With 2,764 delegates left to achieve a 1,991 majority, it is becoming increasingly likely that a contested convention with superdelegates and pledged delegates will occur. ... Superdelegates consist of 771 politicians, past presidents and Democratic National Committee members (DNC) and differ from pledged delegates in that they can cast their ballots for whomever they want. They could be a deciding fac tor in the event of a contested convention....

...The Democratic party is in a terrible situation. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is facing down perhaps the highest stakes election in modem American history and a detestable but electorally viable Republican incumbent. As the first states have voted, the massive field has begun to winnow, although not quite as quickly as the party had hoped and analysts predicted. ... FiveThirtyEight is one of the top poll aggregators in the country, and has created an incredibly sophisticated model using polls, demographic data and media aggregation to forecast the results of the presidential primaries....

...For anyone else who typically shies away from concerts in the Pause, I am sorry to say that you missed out on the Music Entertainment Committe`s (MEC) concert this past Saturday. Personally, I don`t usually like concerts. The music is too loud and the crowds are too crazy. When I decided to go see campus bands Bazeen and Ladder in the Woods at their concert, I was hesitant, but after a few minutes there I was glad I went. ... I have been to a few other concerts in the Pause, mostly to cover them for the Messenger....

...You`ve probably heard of the classic love triangle between Lancelot, Guinevere and King Arthur - the tale has been told countless times, but the story usually boils down to Guinevere and Lancelot in a steamy romantic tryst, hiding their undying love from the kind but rather boring King Arthur. Lancelot is Camelot`s noblest knight, but at the same time he betrays his king by scandalously sleeping with Arthur`s wife. The term for such a relationship - courtly love - is trademarked by a religious dedication to one`s lover and unfulfilled passion, usually extramarital....

...On Thursday, Feb. 27 at 11 p.m., four first-year students were playing pool and chatting in the Pause. They all had classes the next day and still decided to hang out at odd hours of the night. This phenomenon is not uncommon for St. Olaf students, especially since the new air hockey table made its first appearance. ... For many, staying up late might not be an issue. Since the Pause closes at midnight, many students have no problem playing a game of pool or air hockey before bed. ... «This semester all my classes start at 11:50 or later, so I can go to bed whenever I want,» Luke Springer `23 said....

...Every spring, junior theater majors can apply to direct the next year`s spring department show in Haugen Theater. Only one candidate is selected. The recipient gains experience directing, budgeting, and collaborating. This year`s director is Rachel Ropella `20 and the show is «Proof» by David Auburn. ... Ropella is a senior theater major from Menomonie, Wisconsin. Her previous St. Olaf directing projects include «Horse Girls» and «Interrupting Vanessa.» She also produces shows with her theater company Melancholics Anonymous outside of college....

...The Messenger is running a multi-week series on the Fifth-Year Emerging Artists (FYEA) at St. Olaf. The program allows artists to create and display artwork, use St. Olaf studio space and remain in community with current students. The fifth-years have their artwork currently displayed at the Emerging Artists Show at the Northfield Arts Guild. ... David Morrison `19 nearly dropped out of ceramics when he took the introductory class his first year here at St. Olaf. Sitting down with him for an interview - hearing him describe his love for pottery as he leaned into his work, almost mindlessly kneading the clay with his hands - I could not believe that this fifth-year artist ever doubted his career path....

...Now that this year`s Oscars have put the South Korean feature «Parasite» on everyone`s radar, let us identify some likely reasons why it received such impressive accolades from the Academy, as well as was so warmly received by the western public in general. A significant part of this movie is social commentary, but limiting one`s view to merely that aspect of the movie does not do the film justice. ... «Parasite»` tells the story of two South Korean families that are situated on opposite poles of the modern capitalist society: one is extremely wealthy, the other is barely getting by....

...March 7 ... "MEC Prsents: One Direction Night" in RNS 150 at 7 p.m. Music, trivia and fun! ... March 7 ... Spring Swing Dance with Live Music from the St. Olaf Jazz Bands Lesson from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. in RML 515. Dance from 8:30 p.m. to midnight in the Pause. ... March 5,6,7,8 ... "Proof" play at Haugen Theater on March 5 - 7 at 7:30 p.m., March 7 at 2 p.m. and March 8 at 1 and 6 p.m. ... March 8 ... Deep End Student Theater will present a staged reading of "the Vagina Monologues" at 6 p.m. in Rolvaag 525....

...There are few pastimes more American than sports. Sports fandom has the ability to bring immense joy, overwhelming sadness and everything in between. Sports traditions are deeply ingrained in this country`s history for a number of reasons, but one has always stood out to me for its peculiarity: the White House visit. ... The tradition started on Aug. 30, 1865, when President Andrew Johnson welcomed the Brooklyn Atlantics and Washington Nationals amateur baseball clubs. In 1869, President Ulysses S....

...Another engaging men's basketball season has finally come to a conclusion. With leading scorer Nate Albers '20 sidelined by injuries, the Oles lost a tough MIAC semi-final playoff game to the nationally-ranked St. John's. Noah Beck '20 led the Oles with a team high 13 points, but it wasn't enough to stop the Johnnies, who shot 53 percent from the field as a team. This was a tough ending to the season, but there were bright spots along the way - most significantly, the revenge first-round playoff victory over Augsburg....

...In an exciting move for the St. Olaf hockey program and for St. Olaf athletics as a whole, defense-man Roshen Jaswal '20 has officially made the jump from intercollegiate to professional play, signing with the Kansas City Mavericks as of Feb. 23. ... Jaswal's transition into professional hockey is no surprise for diehard fans of St. Olaf hockey, as the 24-year-old British Columbia native had an illustrious career while donning the black and gold. While Jaswal managed to achieve an honorable mention for the All-MIAC conference team in both his sophomore and junior years, he truly broke out as the star of the team during the 2018 - 19 season....

...Friday, March 6 - 4:00 p.m. Women's Tennis at Central College ... Saturday, March 7 - 6:00 p.m. Softball vs Wisconsin-Eau Claire ... Sunday, March 8 - 12:00 p.m. Softball vs Wisconsin-La Cross ... Tuesday, March 10 ... Men's and Women's Nordic Skiing at USCSA ... Tuesday, March 10...

...On March 2, Hiawathaland Transit launched a new bus route connecting Northfield to the neighboring city of Faribault. The additional line was created after a survey of transit users showed that Faribault was their most requested location. ... The new line runs between the city halls of Faribault and Northfield and operates Monday through Friday between the hours of 6:45 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Riders can utilize local transit routes to reach their points of transfer. The red and blue routes in both cities stop at their respective city halls....