The Forester, Issue Two
The Forester, Issue Two
The Presidential Inauguration of Dr. Baren, advice on how to beat the cold, and much more in this week's issue of The Forester. Don't forget to share and subscribe!
The Inauguration of the Fourteenth President of Lake Forest College
By João Maria Brás Marques
On Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, Dr. Jill M. Baren was inaugurated as the fourteenth president of Lake Forest College. This marks an important moment in the college’s long-running history, as Baren is the first woman to take up the mantle of LFC president.
President Baren is an educator and medical doctor with nearly 30 years of experience in the field. Over the years, she has published over 90 articles alongside a few books in the academic area of emergency medicine. As the first woman president in the college’s history, she has vowed to focus her efforts on diversity, equity, and inclusion around the LFC campus.
The inauguration itself took place in the Sports and Recreation Center with over 100 people attending. The audience consisted mostly of students and faculty from the college, alongside a few alumni and Lake Forest community members.
After a brief musical performance by the college’s chamber choir, the ceremony was formally underway. Throughout, representatives of the community would walk up to the stage and give formal endorsements in favor of President Baren. It was a local star-studded cast, from David F. Gorter, the chairman of the Lake Forest College Board of Trustees, all the way up to George A. Pandaleon, the mayor of Lake Forest.
The ceremony closed off with President Baren receiving the college seal, a symbol of Lake Forest College that dates back to its earliest years. Although it has gone through several iterations across the college’s history, many aspects of its original design remain to this day. The seal that President Baren got contained the oak leaves and acorns from the current logo, the founding date of the college, 1857, and the motto Et veritas liberabit vos, “And the Truth Shall Set You Free” (John 8:32).
With the ceremony over, the remaining people were directed to the gymnasium for a reception with some, quite frankly, delectable snacks to boot. It was here that I took the opportunity to ask around a few passersby what their thoughts were on President Baren. From what I could gather at the reception, the overall general opinion was encouraging regarding Baren’s newly formalized role, with a lot of high hopes for the college’s future.
Overall, it was a grand and delightful ceremony fitting of such a momentous occasion. Only time will tell whether or not President Baren will be able to live up to the lofty expectations now resting upon her shoulders. Whatever the case may be, she will have the full support of Lake Forest College’s community each step of the way.
Adapting to a New Climate
By Drew Carlson &Thomas DeChesaro
As the leaves change and fall to the ground, it previews the inevitable. Winter is coming to the Midwest; for some people, it will be the first cold winter they’ve experienced. This is going to be a massive difference for people who are used to wearing a hoodie and sweats during 40-degree weather in December and January.
Chicago averages 28 inches of snow with an average temperature of 26 degrees. Not only are people getting out of their comfort zones and moving halfway across the country, they are also going to experience a totally different climate. Some may be prepared, some may struggle during the first few weeks. We’re here so you don’t have to do it alone.
Keeping all your clothes dry is a huge must during the winter. As soon as you go out in the snow and get something wet that is touching your body, you’re more susceptible to getting sick because your body temperature is lower, which weakens your immune system.
Another difference people from warmer climates will have to deal with is how much you’ll be staying indoors. Just as they stay indoors to avoid blistering summer heat, they’ll need to do so for the freezing winter cold. As midwesterners usually get lots of Vitamin D from the Sun, they’ll probably need more supplements to make up for it, and to help the immune system deal with the temperature shock.
Getting sick isn’t the end of the world. The CVS and Walgreens in town have exactly what you need to get over any cold or flu. The basics are always to rest, drink fluids, and not give the flu to the rest of your floor. Though, according to the CDC, Illinois is in the green for flu cases, sitting comfortably at the lower end of the spectrum.
Ondine Berg, a Lake Forest senior, explains that winter in Illinois is a far cry from winter in Hawaii, from big coats and slippers (flip flops) at 62 degrees to two pairs of pants and an extensive coat collection at 10 degrees. Berg discusses how it’s the persistence of the colder climate that’ll surprise newcomers, along with how no one seems to go outside.
“You get used to it and then you come back from winter break.”
She makes note of when she returned in a simple long sleeved shirt, praying to not get frostbite. Berg iterates that the only thing she can’t get a grasp on is how to gauge what the cold temperature will feel like stepping out of her building. Luckily, she has her “pants, tights, leggings, long sleeves, sweaters, lots of coats, hats, scarves, gloves, fuzzy socks, covered shoes, comforter, blankets, snow boots, rain boots, humidifier, and vitamin d pills” to get her through the inevitable.
At the end of the day, do whatever it takes to keep yourself warm and healthy as the seasons change. Emphasize keeping your head, feet, and hands warm by having extra warm socks, gloves, beanies, and scarves. And make sure you’re prepared like Ondine and expect the unexpected when it comes to the winter weather.
The Facts and Opinions About Halloween Movies
By Marybel Sacramento
As Halloween decorations are slowly taken down at stores to make room for Christmas decorations, the holiday is creeping around the corner this coming Monday. Halloween is in the top ten most celebrated holidays in America (according to a June 2021 study from Statista.com) and is one of the oldest holidays in human history. Halloween movies make the holiday even better.
I was fascinated with the topic of what people thought about Halloween and the movies that are associated with the holiday, so I did my research about the holiday and what people thought about Halloween movies: here is what I found out.
I went on the internet and discovered on History.com how Halloween is primarily an American and European holiday but originally has roots dating back to 2,000 years ago from the Celt tribe. The Celtics would celebrate “All Hallow’s Eve” through a festival called Samhain (Sow-in), where they would have bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts (also known as spirits). Originally, they believed that Oct. 31 was the last day of summer and that the harvest would have to take place before the brutal, cold winters would begin. It was also the one day when the living and dead souls emerge and would converge with each other - similar to how the Day of the Dead is observed in Mexico. Halloween didn’t become more widely celebrated in America until Irish immigrants migrated during the potato famine between 1845 and 1855.
Fast forward to the 20th century, filmmakers had already made horror movies that were adapted from goth classics, (such as Frankenstein,) legends, myths, and even true stories. After the success of the movie “Halloween,” which came out in the late 1970s, the film industry saw that “Halloween” and its franchise can inform its audience on how scary and superstitious the holiday can be. It virtually reinvented the holiday with a spooky story that involves Jamie Lee Curtis and a man that escaped from a mental institution that wears an inside-out Star Trek William Shatner mask and carries a knife. Similar, Steven Spielberg changed people’s perceptions about sharks with the “Jaws” franchise, as did Stephen King with his killer clown. But how the two film movie categories became closely identified with one another is how people instinctively identified a horror movie with a Halloween movie. The two film categories automatically collaborated because of how people demanded horror movies for the holiday.
For the interview portion of my research, I placed purple flyers all over campus that had a QR code that would open up to a Google form that asked what were people’s favorite Halloween movies and what type of genre people prefer to watch on Halloween. I was surprised by the results.
Although several people responded to the poll, I additionally interviewed to two people. International student Urvee Singh told me via email how Halloween isn't celebrated in her country of Nepal, but she would celebrate spirit week in school or at private parties. “So to me,” she wrote, “the horror genre of movies isn't about Halloween at all unless the film is a Halloween-special slasher or something specifically marketed for Halloween.”
To me, what she wrote is an interesting perspective to have because I’m an American and she’s Nepali. I've always identified horror movies such as “Scream” and “It” as Halloween movies because of how people would dress up as them for Halloween and the movies would always play on cable. But then again, those two movies, in particular, you can watch any time of the year. Singh also told me how she loves the movie “A Tale of Two Sisters” because it has great plot twists and is a psychological horror. The movie may not have high recognition like “The Shining” or “Psycho,” but it is a foreign film that has gotten excellent reviews and can be enjoyed any time of the year, especially for a holiday like Halloween. Also, Singh did remark that she’s not into Halloween because Nepal does not celebrate the holiday. Still, the holiday is spreading all over the world, and has taken an interest in celebrating more as she settles into the United States.
Cara Goldstone, another student I spoke with, wrote to me how she thought, “different kinds of horror stories are associated with different things, but I definitely associate the more cheerful, spooky kind of stories -- "fun scary," if you will -- with Halloween.”
Goldstone told me that her favorite Halloween movie is “Coraline,” because it’s more on the spooky side than Halloween, but is praised by Gen Z as a Halloween movie. She stated how the movie and the book have a beautiful fall aesthetic to them and yet are terrifying and philosophical.
She wrote: “Halloween as a holiday is really prevalent in American culture, and I definitely think it's influenced our perceptions of festival celebrations in general. I think Halloween has kind of disrupted the idea of what holidays should traditionally look like by being such a cheerful, celebratory event despite the dark aspects of its aesthetic. There are a lot of holidays that I feel like tend to be treated very seriously, but Halloween is just a time to be chaotic, eat candy, and have fun, and I think that idea of loosening up for a celebration has been embraced by our culture, at least in some part due to Halloween's popularity itself. This seems to be in line with recent trends toward more macabre, dark themes in media and fashion and such; I feel like I've seen an uptick in "creepy"-themed TV shows and clothes in the past few years, and I love it. Halloween presents a way to look at things that can be really scary-- death and monsters and the like-- in a safer atmosphere and allows us to think about these concepts in a more positive light. It's really interesting how Halloween has been embraced by our culture. I think it's great.”
So before you hear Mariah Carey playing on the radio and on the grocery store speakers, take a night off from homework or from life and watch a new or a classic Halloween movie because they are underrated. What I usually would watch during this time of the year is Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” movie starring Eddie Murphy or “The Simpson’s Tree House of Horror” specials. I recommend both because they’re both in words in the comedy genre and are perfectly made for this time of the year. If you are not a Disney or a Simpsons fan, “The Shining” and “Psycho” are two of my favorite horror and psychological thrillers to watch. Both of them gave me chills when I first watched them and the story becomes more horrifying as you dissect what the plot is really about.
Bottom line is that if you prefer watching Halloween movies, I recommend my two suggestions. If you’re into horror movies more, definitely consider watching two of the greatest films to ever be produced in the horror genre, one of which gave me nightmares and made me want to sleep with a bat next to my bed just in case anyone decides to barge through my bedroom door with an axe.
Slice of Life Working at The Lake Forest Sports and Recreation Center
By Jaslyn Jimenez
I am a senior and I work at the school's gym. This is my first and last year working here as I’ll graduate.
I oversee walk-throughs which involve checking doors that should be locked. I take turns with whoever is working with me at the time every hour around the half of the hour. I also check in on people by ensuring they are scanned into the computer system and can enter. I answer phone calls. I usually have simple questions to answer like if we are open, but some calls involve memberships and those get transferred or saved and emailed to my manager Mike.
I enjoy this job because I enjoy giving a good start to people's days especially when I wear my cheetah furry hat. I also try to remember names so people have an easier time on the days I am there where they can just walk in.
I would recommend this job to students of any age. It can be a great place to get work done for classes along with getting paid which is a win in my opinion.
2022-23 Lake Forest Basketball Season Preview
By Hani Ali & Ryan Campos
The men’s basketball season is less than two weeks away and at Lake Forest College, the players, coaches, and fans are all very excited for the season and all the twists and turns it may bring.
The team is looking to elevate their game under the direction of head coach Ryan Davis, who is preparing to embark on his second season at the helm after just narrowly missing out on making the Midwest Conference playoffs. During the 2021-22 season the Foresters finished 9-7 in conference play, just one loss from qualifying for the conference tournament.
Junior guard Zach Foster gives us his mindset coming into the season.
“The key to winning a game is that we need to rebound and play great team defense,” he said. “I feel that we have a great offense but need to really lock in on defense and make sure that we get stops.”
Ripon, the defending Midwest Conference Champions, is the biggest team circled on the Foresters’ calendar. The two teams will play each other twice this season; Jan. 17 at Ripon, and Feb. 14 in Lake Forest.
Illinois College is an anticipated conference matchup for the Foresters, as they will meet on Saturday, Feb. 11 for the Foresters senior day.
Junior big man Jamal Clarke is looking forward to returning after suffering a major leg injury that cost him all of last season.
“It's more of a mental challenge than a physical one for sure,” he said. “It’s the most excited I’ve been for anything in a very long time. It’s like a part of me is coming back.”
The Foresters will open their season on Nov. 8 when they make the 120-mile trek to Plymouth, Wis. where they will face off against Lakeland University. Their home opener will be Nov. 15 against Benedictine.
Harry Styles Love on Tour 2022- Chicago Residency
By Sydney Foulon
Seeing Harry Styles live is not only a concert but the event of a lifetime for anybody attending. I was lucky enough to attend two out of the six nights of his Chicago Residency at the United Center, which was not an easy task. It begins with the stress and anxiety of logging into Ticketmaster, trying to secure a ticket, and finally seeing the tickets in your account. All the way to planning your over-the-top, extravagant outfit for no other reason than being able to dress however you want without anyone batting an eyelash. However, every moment was worth the money spent and the stress that came along with it when the sold-out arena saw him rise up from the middle of the stage and the beginning notes of “Daydreaming” began to play.
He is currently touring for his third solo studio album, Harry’s House, meaning most of the songs he played were from that album. However, he did play some songs from his previous two albums including the fan favorites, “Golden” and “Kiwi” and the viral unreleased song, “Medicine”, which he sang on the last night of the residency. Although the song was never included on an album, it still seems to be everyone's favorite Harry Styles song, especially because he only plays it at certain shows.
Although he does not use backup dancers or huge visuals like other artists in the pop category, it was still incredibly entertaining. He relies on the fan energy throughout the arena to keep him and the fun going which was amazing to be a part of. There was never a dull moment throughout the show. When the incredible opener, Jessie Ware left the stage, the 30 minutes we had to wait for Harry to come on felt like nothing as the fan excitement was circulating throughout the arena. Even when he left the stage for a couple of minutes throughout the show, nobody sat down to take a break. We waited in anticipation for him to return to the stage and chanted for him to come back.
I had never gotten the opportunity to see him live in concert before as his previous tour throughout North America had been canceled due to covid, but I can now say it was worth the wait. The energy. The anticipation. The feeling. It was indescribable and I can not wait for him to return to Chicago.