Hillsdale: We’re the People by Sam Ryskamp

It’s time for us Hillsdale College students to stop apologizing for our college town. We love to boast about Hillsdale College’s first-rate academics, excellent job placement, and award-winning conservative magazines, but we consider the town to have little value beyond being the punch line of our jokes. In fact, Hillsdale College students surveyed by the Princeton Review recently ranked our college town as one of … Continue reading Hillsdale: We’re the People by Sam Ryskamp

Medium And Message by Caleb Eatough

Separated and alone. The only company, the whisper of one’s thoughts. No images flashing before the eyes, no music dancing inside the brain. The only source of knowledge contained in words on the dusty pages of an old, battered book. The rustle and sway of the habit as the scribe copied word by painstaking word. Such was the beginning of widespread rational discourse on the … Continue reading Medium And Message by Caleb Eatough

A Biblical Critique of the Liberal Arts by Rachael Wierenga

Many Christians on Hillsdale’s campus say that their studies here have deepened their faith and their understanding of God. Such a statement implies that a liberal arts education and the Christian faith fit together neatly and work together for common ends. Unfortunately, this complementary relationship between the liberal arts and Christianity is too readily assumed. Three years of reflection on my Hillsdale experience has convinced … Continue reading A Biblical Critique of the Liberal Arts by Rachael Wierenga

Politics of the Playground by: Andy Reuss

Most of us were children once. Of those that were, many played sports during recess. Whether it was on the court, the field, or the diamond, we were exposed to different kinds of people, different kinds of players. The children we met playing sportsball are very like the adults we know today. Tenacious or docile, careful or careless, the broad spectrum of man can be … Continue reading Politics of the Playground by: Andy Reuss

Stepping Outside the Wardrobe: A Review of CS Lewis’ Narrative Poem Dymer by Matt O’Sullivan

Hillsdale students adore C.S. Lewis. Most students first heard The Chronicles of Narnia in between the essays of the Federalist while they were still in the womb. At the age of three, these wannabe-Narnians chased the family pet crying, “Aslan is on the move!” By fourteen, they are refuting the last vestiges of atheism by posting quotes from Mere Christianity on Facebook. At college, they … Continue reading Stepping Outside the Wardrobe: A Review of CS Lewis’ Narrative Poem Dymer by Matt O’Sullivan

The "Frenemy" Dilemma* by Spencer Amaral

*“Frenemy” is a portmanteau of “friend” and “enemy.” It refers to someone who is purportedly a friend, but who is actually an enemy. Like any middle-school girl, America has BFFs and frenemies. Such relationships on the part of a major power indicate that the United States also has the planning capacity of a seventh-grader, but these strategies have been the basis of American grand strategy … Continue reading The "Frenemy" Dilemma* by Spencer Amaral

Romney-Ryan 2012 by Kelsey Drapkin

While visiting a V.A. hospital, a politician looked through the hospital ledger.  Impressed with the hospital’s financial responsibility, he asked what they might lack in supplies or equipment.  “Milk,” they reported.  The politician, uncomfortable with the heavy press coverage of his visit, jokingly responded in his own awkward way that they should teach the patients how to milk cows.  About a week later, the milkman … Continue reading Romney-Ryan 2012 by Kelsey Drapkin

Math: The Only Liberal Art by Sam Ryskamp

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that, as a Hillsdale College student and avid Forum reader, you probably came here to study the liberal arts. Perusing the diverse institutions of higher education, you discovered that there is no better place to partake in the classical, Greco-Roman pursuit of the liberal arts than Hillsdale. Now that you’re a student, your schedule is … Continue reading Math: The Only Liberal Art by Sam Ryskamp

Drones: Friend or Foe of Liberty? by James Inwood

When America’s leading statesmen met to frame a new constitution for the young republic, they hoped to transform their ideas and principles into a framework of law. Not all of them got their way, however. Elbridge Gerry proposed that the Constitution limit standing armies to five thousand men. George Washington applauded the motion, but added that they should consider limiting invading armies to three thousand … Continue reading Drones: Friend or Foe of Liberty? by James Inwood