History Has Its Eyes on Us
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A Q&A WITH PRESIDENT FELLER PAGE 4 AUGUSTAUGUST 21, 30, 2020 2019 History Has its Eyes on Us CASEY AKERS ‘21/PHOTO A group of freshmen make their way to Preisdent Feller’s Chapel Talk on Thursday. In accordance with social distancing measures the talk was held on the Mall. STAFF EDITORIAL • It is quite a Much has changed in that short time. episode of Black Mirror. We cannot help significantly. We long for the days when surreal feeling to know that you are Concern turned to quickly panic for but wonder “when will life begin to feel we can enjoy them again in their true, living through a defining moment in many. For others it shifted to doubt normal again?” unpandemic form. history. For most of us, too young to about the reality of the virus. For Life at The College, too, feels The return of these wonderful events remember the September 11 Attacks or some, it turned to disdain not only for anything but usual. From classes in the is, of course, dependent on all of our the recall with great detail the Great the new rules and measures in place Chapel to masked and socially distanced participation in the guidelines of the Recession, this is the first time that designed to limit the spread of COVID- Coffee and Careers sessions, there is a Gentlemen’s Compact. By now we have we have felt the weight of the future 19, but for those who create and weird ghost of the past that lingers over all heard of the unfortunate fates of on our shoulders. Without a doubt, we enforce those necessary policies. our daily activities. Students and faculty Notre Dame and University of North will all one day look back at this time as All the while our country faced have so far coped with this reality in Carolina. We must understand that a a defining shift in society, culture and growing concern of an economic crisis many different ways, some choosing to similar crisis for Wabash College, an our personal lives. on par with the Great Depression and deny it as much as they can and try to educational institution built specifically It seems like a lifetime ago when a wave of social unrest following the live a normal life, others accepting the with student-residency in mind, could concern about the spread of COVID- deaths of George Floyd and Breonna fate of this semester with a humble and spell disaster for many years to come in 19 first hit campus. The Chapel Talk Taylor at the hands of police. For a accepting resolve. a way that larger colleges could more held right before Spring Break marked brief time in June, it seemed we were But is this moment all about doom and easily bounce back from. In short: the arrival of a widespread realization closer to outright social collapse than gloom? President Feller has called this failure to rise to the moment on our among the Wabash Community that anyone in this counrty had experienced “our kneeling in the snow moment.” part could risk the very existence of our the pandemic was no longer a simple in at least a generation. Meaning, this is a time when this beloved College. matter of discussion, but a stark The mood has eased somewhat since generation of the Wabash Community, But there is a silver lining in these reality which had to be faced. Still in then, and yet most of us still go about stripped from many of the things that times. Though life on campus for the many ways, it is easy to envious of the our daily lives with a tense unease. bring us together, must really consider first time since time immemorial has subtle optimism that filled many of our There are times when this whole those fundamental aspects which define shifted so radically, we still have one conversations back then. moment smacks of a Kafka novel or an who we are as a College. another. We still have those soul- There is no doubt about it: the void enriching conversations. We still have left by the many of the traditions that those sparks of inspiration.We still we know and love that must be cast have late night conversations with A Message From the aside for the time being is unfillable. roommates and fraternity brothers. We Homecoming, The Monon Bell, still have our beautiful campus where Pledgeships: all of these time-honored we can feel the hallowed steps of past Healthy Campus Task milestones of Wabash life will either generations meeting face to face with be absent this semester or altered ours. Yes, we are still Wabash. Force COOPER SMITH ‘23 | ONLINE this fall. Planning involved not only EDITOR •This week, as we watched the HCTF members but scores of other campuses around the country others on campus.” The HCTF will send students home, conversations meet throughout the semester to inevitably turned to Wabash. Can monitor and alleviate the pressures, we stay residential during the Age anxiety, and saefty of all students and of COVID? One of the campus members of the Wabash community. organizations working tirelessly to The work was not, and is not, easy. make our residential hopes a reality is Taylor said, “The biggest challenge is the Healthy Campus Task Force. that every three weeks, the situation The HCTF met throughout and recommendations seemed to the summer, examining and change.” Dr. Roberts explained the recommending policy changes to critical role Wabash students have fight the spread of COVID-19 at in helping us stay residential. “Our Wabash. Ann Taylor, Chemistry biggest fear is what happens outside Professor and Special Assistant to the of the classroom - social gatherings, President for COVID-19 Response and particularly with those from outside Planning, explained how the HCTF the Wabash community as well as partnered with other organizations. travel off-campus to events, that can “We consulted guidance from the easily increase the viral burden on Center for Disease Control (CDC), the campus.” American College Health Association, Wabash has the potential to Indiana State Department of Health, weather the COVID storm – but only the Montgomery County Health with strong leadership and character Department and the Fairbanks from everyone. Taylor put it best: School of Public Health. We have “I do think this is a really good collaborated with the Great Lakes example of what studying the liberal Colleges Association, Independent arts prepares you to do.This is a Colleges of Indiana, and other higher brand-new situation, but we can use education institutions in Indiana to thinking critically, acting responsibly, share ideas and make bulk purchases leading effectively and living at lower prices.” Dr. John Roberts, humanely to come up with strategies Campus Physician and Deputy that are tailored to Wabash and allow Montgomery County Health Officer, us to move forward. There are no also commented. Roberts said, “I perfect answers, but we are doing our think it’s important for the student best to balance the academic mission body to realize that thousands of of the college with the physical and hours of work went into preparation mental health needs of everyone on for residential learning at the college campus.” VOLUME 112 • ISSUE 11 FOOD IN WORLD HISTORY: STEAK CHIMICHURRI PROF. RICHARD WARNER | GUEST home, consumption remained high. Until CONTRIBUTOR • Greetings, Wabash! This recently Argentines consumed more beef is the first in a series of articles I will be per capita than any other people… but in offering in the Bachelor this semester recent years their neighbor Uruguay has about food in history. We all have faced captured that honor. In this matter at challenges in this “viral” period, which least, Uruguay is “their DePauw.” has forced us to draw back from many The Argentine countryside is home to aspects of our everyday life. For me this the “gaucho,” a larger-than-life persona has meant not being able to cook for other who dominates the plains culturally and people, or host them at our house, which at times politically. If you are my age, you we affectionately refer to as “the 308.” remember the Marlboro man in cigarette To fill that void, I will be telling some commercials. These rugged individuals stories about particular dishes and some have been the backbone of rural of their history, and encourage you (when Argentine society, herding the cattle that you have access to a kitchen) to try your are headed to the world’s markets. And of hand at creating these. course, you can imagine what the had for Today’s dish is called Steak dinner. As another commercial once said: Chimichurri. It hails from South America, “beef, it’s what’s for dinner.” specifically the nation of Buenos On the other hand, Buenos Aires has Aires. Believe it or not, Argentines grown to be a very cosmopolitan urban are more attached to eating beef than space over the past couple of centuries. we Americans are! (and that is saying Many Europeans, in particular Italians, something….) When I traveled there immigrated there beginning in the late during my last sabbatical in 2016, I nineteenth century. In the early years literally ate steak seven days in a row. Latin American leaders were looking The portions were outrageously large at to improve their societies by attracting restaurants, and the beef was as tender more European immigrants, though they as any I have tried, save for Japanese were somewhat chagrinned that fewer Kobe meat. (I’m pretty sure that Kobe came from northern Europe. The Italians cattle are fawned over with back rubs and brought with them some serious working COURTESY OF THE BACHELOR ARCHIVES belly massages, creating the most tender class politics, including a tendency In addition to being an historian, Prof.