I love watching videos of little kids testing their patience with the marshmallow experiment. If you have not seen it, I suggest that you log on to YouTube and prepare to be amused. Through a double-sided mirror or hidden camera, observers watch adults place a marshmallow in front of a small child, and instruct that […]

A great historian once told me that she enjoys her job because she “likes to read other peoples’ mail.” As a dedicated scholar of history in the midst of writing an honors thesis, I couldn’t agree more. There is no greater anticipation than carefully opening a crinkly, yellowed envelope bearing someone else’s name. As a […]

Many of you may be fellow fans of shows such as “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” and “This American Life,” but for me, this particular habit of mine remains a black mark on my record of entertainment. It’s because I’m a conservative. You know, the kind that makes you turn up your nose and snicker in disbelieving disgust that one could be so very ignorant.

I recently saw a TV commercial that triggered a long-forgotten memory. While shopping with my parents, my mom saw a coat, on sale, that she wanted. It was a little pricey, and she didn’t have the money for it at the time. Instead of hoping that it would go on sale again sometime in the future, my mom brought the coat to the counter and put it on layaway. It’s that old-fashioned system, where you can put a down payment on an item and come back later to gradually pay it off. Apparently Kmart has decided to reinstate the policy.

In a much-needed and very conscientious break from political pondering and pandering, I am bringing to light one of the more embarrassing but necessarily significant banes of my existence. Whether an attempt to amuse, a plea for help, or just a silly confession, I seek fellow confused or perhaps enlightened students to join my cause, […]

Scattered debates have contemplated the merits and downfalls of Proposition A, one of Missouri’s “hot topic” ballot initiatives. The measure seeks to remove Missouri’s $500 loss-limit at casinos, and essentially raise casino tax in order to funnel some of that extra revenue into Missouri schools.   Proponents say that the loss-limit is an outdated law, […]

How can an idea so progressive, so sophisticated as that of radicalism be associated with our sweet, innocent youth? Easily.

Two weeks ago, the editors of Student Life wrote an editorial encouraging students to engage in politics of “substance.”

Bon Appétit may be acclaimed as one of the nation’s most highly-ranked campus food companies, but Wash. U. students know that the meal plan system certainly has its flaws.

In the past eight months, I have traveled to or lived in seven different countries, three distinct U.S. cities and made approximately 45 new friends. I thought it more relevant to take this first and welcoming issue of Student Life to encourage my peers here at Wash. U. to seek out similar lessons, even in what seems like an established and comfortable environment.