Features

For most students, it is a footnote in the admission information we leaf through when we first visit campus, but Puget Sound’s status as one of the most vegan-friendly schools in the nation means much more then just another way to sway prospective students. Puget Sound has a loud and proud vegetarian community, within which is a strong group of vegan students trying to sustain themselves through campus meal options. Some universities rarely provide food beyond a salad bar and grill station, but our dining center is significantly more diverse....

Monday, Oct. 24 was an unusually clear night in Tacoma. From the top of the tower in Thompson hall, all that was visible was the orange glow of sodium streetlights, the ever-present cloud of steam rising above the port and the stars. The stars were exactly what brought me up there. I had tagged along with a group of students and Physics professor Tsunefumi Tanaka to take advantage of the uncommonly cloud-free sky and see what lies beyond our atmosphere through the lens of our university’s telescope. Our observatory is...

The persistent hum of a lathe, loud enough to make conversation difficult for those in any room, is barely audible outside of Harned 142.  Switch it off, and little can be heard at all—maybe the occasional crackling hum of a welder, or the squeal of a protesting screw. The machine shop and accompanying wood shop, tucked away in the lower corridor of Harned Hall, rarely garner much attention from students at the University of Puget Sound. Of course, this isn’t entirely unexpected. The University is firmly committed to a liberal...

Your domestic dilemma: “My house doesn’t look like anyone lives there!” Crafty Connie’s Solution: Oh, your roommate’s parents just visited, too? That explains the vast expanse of flat surfaces, the glistening sink, that suspiciously bulging closet door. It’s time to embark once again on everyone’s favorite Sunday activity: Not Cleaning the House. You’ll regain that “lived-in” look in no time, without spending money on stupid things like art or light fixtures. Professional not-cleaners start at the bottom, and work their way up. This is the most efficient way to do...

On Oct. 20, the Chemistry Club presented the much loved annual Chemistry Magic Show. The show started dramatically with a huge explosion, which blew the top off a trash can. Professor Tim Hoyt—fondly known as the Wiz—amazed the audience by performing a series of tricks from changing the color of different liquids to demonstrating the properties of different types of gasoline. The show provided an interesting way to reveal the magical qualities of chemistry with an ease that could not be matched. It was obvious the Wiz could not have...

Last Saturday, the Rotunda was transformed into a bustling market place showcasing the do-it-yourself creativity of the Puget Sound student body at the biannual Student Market. On display were tie-dyed tennis shoes, vegan baked goods, rocks wrapped in wire, those ubiquitous feather earrings, bee balm, homemade pasta, canned pickles and more. The vendors were as varied as their goods. Preston Van Buren of The Hive Minders, the on-campus apiary, wore bee antennas with considerable aplomb while recent graduate Liz Bird had her business cards on display along with her jewelry....

Abgail Taitano doesn’t sit still. She walks quickly from room to room in the upper floors of McIntyre Hall chatting with tutors, engaging older students and making sure the younger ones don’t get too rambunctious. The atmosphere is hectic and informal, but the business is serious: preparing Tacoma youth for higher education. As the director of the Access Programs, Taintano is responsible for bringing students from Tacoma schools together with tutors from the University of Puget Sound on Tuesday evenings, as well as running summer programs, plugging higher education in...

First, I must confess. Due to scheduling problems, this entire interview happened in cyber-space through good ol’ University of Puget Sound Webmail. I have never met Professor John Wesley, an Associate Professor of the English Department, who is currently teaching his first semester at Puget Sound. Luckily, Professor Wesley’s training makes him well-equipped to express himself eloquently and wittily through the written word. Professor Wesley also has the distinction of being the resident professor at Trimble Hall. This means his family, which includes three small children that you may have...