Opinions

I read with interest the story “Examining Academic Dismissal” (Feb. 28), and am heartened that Chips is investigating issues that are so central to the academic integrity of Luther. I will not in any way comment on the particular student who was interviewed for the story; my intention here is to clarify for all readers what it means to be placed on academic probation.

Though I haven’t been able to pick up an issue of Chips since I moved out of Baker Village in 2007, I came across a recent opinion piece, “Lutheranism and the Luther Presidency” (2/28/13), via Facebook. I’m glad to see that questions of faith and learning, and more specifically our Lutheran heritage are still being discussed at my alma mater.

I was delighted to see the coverage of the recent community conversation on guns and public safety in the most recent issue of Chips. Both Eve Christensen's reporting and Michael Crowe's editorial were good additions to the broader conversation on the role of guns in our country.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am pretty nerdy (although I like to use the word awesome). I love science fiction and fantasy of all kinds, and I get my fix of these genres through various mediums, including books, video games, movies and even comic books.

I am the son of a clergy couple in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and as such, grew up with an acute awareness of the differences between the three major Lutheran denominations in America—the ELCA, the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).

A zombie carnival on Feb. 24 marked the start of the Third Annual Luther Energy Competition. With this year’s theme being a zombie apocalypse, I started to wonder: in the event of a zombie apocalypse, how long would I last?

I am not a fan of Seth MacFarlane. I haven’t enjoyed “Family Guy” since I was in high school, and recently watching “Ted,” MacFarlane’s raunchy talking-teddy-bear-centered comedy, made me question why something so stupid could be so popular. My distaste for him makes me especially sad considering that I feel I need to start defending him after the unnecessary blowback from his Oscar performance.