Lauren Simenson

07 Mar 2018

Best picture nominees display contrary image of cigarettes

For anyone who has spent any time with me since Christmas, the subject of how excited I am for the Oscars has definitely come up in conversation at least once. Award season, in my opinion, is the best season – and I am taking a firm, ‘sorry, not sorry’ stance on that.

28 Feb 2018

RiseUp, Western Wisconsin! motivates people to take action against injustice

This past weekend was the one-year anniversary celebration of the grassroots organization RiseUp, Western Wisconsin! RiseUp was started right here in River Falls and came together shortly after several River Falls community members came home from the first Women’s March in Washington D.C in January 2017

21 Feb 2018

School shootings aren't a problem that will go away without legislation

To almost no-one’s surprise, another mass shooting has torn through another American school. This time it was Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people, with a mix of students and faculty, lost their lives on Valentine’s Day to shooter Nikolas Cruz. He was armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.

14 Feb 2018

Proper planning is key to a positive study abroad experience

Wandering from booth to booth, freshman April Okerson and Alyssa Mori explored the different travel options available during the Study Abroad Fair in the University Center's Falcon's Nest last Wednesday. Okerson and Mori expressed interest in the different education abroad experiences but also had some big concerns about how to go about selecting the right program for them.

14 Feb 2018

Olympics help restore personal pride in America

I have always been an enthusiastic and very dedicated Olympic fan, avidly watching anything from curling in the winter to badminton during the summer Olympics. The pure athletic excellence that is on prominent display every four years makes me feel equal parts wholly inadequate and incredibly inspired. This year, the Olympic games mean something even more to me than they have in the past.

07 Feb 2018

How many women have to be abused before we believe them the first time?

“No one believed, because no one listened,” said Rachael Denhollander in a press conference posted on reuters.com. In 2016, Denhollander was the first woman to publicly accuse sports doctor Larry Nassar for sexually abusing her. Denhollander is now one of more than 265 women who all accuse Nassar of sexual abuse. Abuse that went on for decades by a renowned doctor who was entrusted to treat these women and girls.

07 Feb 2018

Success in the classroom should not be judged by a letter grade

Economics Professor Hossein Eftekari feels very lucky to have been able to teach at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls for the past 33 years. He feels that the university offers its students a great education at a low cost. One of the best parts of his job is interacting with students in class and one-on-one during office hours. The problem is, not enough students take advantage of his office hours and therefore struggle in class.

31 Jan 2018

Trump's State of the Union address provides disconnect from his actions

Tuesday night marked a critical aspect of any new presidency – the State of the Union address. Trump spoke for 90 minutes in a speech that did not sound as though he had any part in writing it. The president spoke to America, but he did speak to me and I am guessing he did not speak to the majority of Americans, who have given the President the lowest approval rating in the history of the office.

31 Jan 2018

Feel like you’re down a rabbit hole? Then try the Creative Writing Club

“I searched for a club where I could express my writing affinity,” says Trevor Heim-Prechter. “I found myself here. I feel like its home.” Heim-Prechter is a member of the Creative Writing Club at UW-River Falls and grew up knowing he wanted to be a writer. He joined the club to seek out a community of fellow writers who would understand his passion for the craft and to increase his exposure to a wider variety of writing styles and writers.

13 Dec 2017

Actively making friends can affect graduating on time

The fall semester of my last year in college is almost over, and for the first time, I am feeling nostalgic about saying goodbye to my seat neighbors in my classes and even to some of my small group members. I have now reached a point in my collegiate career where everyone I know is starting to graduate, which means that the chance to see them for a couple hours each week is disappearing.