Sophia Koch

07 Feb 2018

Learning to learn: The hidden value of dense books

Whenever I encounter a book that’s particularly dull, long or full of complicated words and concepts, I describe it as “dense.” A lot of textbooks fall under this category, as do most scholarly research articles and one or two sci-fi books (“Dune” by Frank Herbert is reminiscent of a college textbook on politics, and you run the risk of knocking the earth out of orbit if you drop a copy of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams).

31 Jan 2018

For students in need, there's no reason to be embarrassed

The River Falls Community Food Pantry offers its services to anyone in need living within the River Falls school district. It is located at 222 N. Main St. in downtown River Falls, and residents are encouraged to walk in whenever it is open. They can then present a photo ID and browse the shelves for what they need as if going through a grocery store.

13 Dec 2017

In the search for student diversity, CAFES still has long way to go

Christian Sosa is one of three kids from a mixed-heritage family. His mother’s side of the family is from the U.S., his father’s is from Honduras, and Sosa was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He’s a native English-speaker, but while he was growing up, his parents tried to teach him Spanish with primer books. He learned some of the language, but it didn’t flow naturally at first.

13 Dec 2017

Start applying: why internships are a valuable part of the college experience

In high school, I never heard much about internships. It was a word I heard from time to time, but I never quite bothered to find out exactly what they were, and it was never impressed on me just how important they are once you get to college.

To all freshmen starting college: start looking for them now.

06 Dec 2017

Reading Vonnegut in the Trump era: How required reads can be relevant

I recently read my second ever Kurt Vonnegut book, the first being “Slaughterhouse Five,” which was a requirement when I went through high school. Vonnegut is one of those authors teachers try to push during high school, but I don’t think we are fully equipped to understand his work at that point in life.

06 Dec 2017

UWRF Honors Program uses pennies to fight hunger in River Falls

A student approaches a table in the UWRF University Center and puts a handful of pennies in one jar, boosting her college’s chance of winning a competition, and then she puts a handful of nickels, dimes and quarters in another college’s jar — increasing her own college’s odds even further.

15 Nov 2017

In trout projects, ‘restoration’ and 'natural' may not mean what many think

When asked how restoration efforts along the Kinnickinnic River should be handled, students and residents in River Falls answered with roughly the same response: they want the river to be more “natural.” This response, however, leads to a different question: What do words such as “restoration” and “natural” really mean, and do definitions of the words match up with what is actually done to environments such as the Kinni?

15 Nov 2017

Providing scientific context for human-caused climate change

In light of the column submitted to the Student Voice by Jack Romanik and his statements regarding the questionable validity of human-caused climate change, I would like to take some time to stop and look through some of Romanik’s claims and provide scientific context.

08 Nov 2017

The little adventures are sometimes the best

I find great value in random, little adventures.

Well thought out, carefully planned adventures are great in their own right. I went to Scotland last summer, and though the trip took a lot of planning and effort, it was one of the most fantastic I’ve had a chance to go on during my college career.

08 Nov 2017

Power of presence: How an active villain can create emotional attachment

Villains are fascinating. A badly-done villain tends to be an extremely underwhelming experience in a movie or book. The protagonists’ victory feels hollow, and the viewer/reader is left to wander away from the experience feeling distinctly unfulfilled.