An Iowa College in the Liberal Arts Tradition
Student Blog - Eric Head '23
Introduction
Updated March 2022
Hi there, Luther Alumni! My name is Eric Head ‘23 and I’m a junior at Luther from Fairmont, Minnesota. This spring, I’ll be blogging on this page—giving you an inside look at what it’s like to be a Luther student (and, telling you about my work in the reunion giving office!)
At Luther, I’m studying Music and Communication Studies, along with a minor in Management. On campus, I participate in Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, where I play violin; Concert Band, where I play piano; and occasionally I have fun playing on the Pound Ultimate Frisbee team!
I am currently the Reunion Giving Student Assistant, which means that I work closely with Megan Buckingham, Allie Scott, and all the staff in the Development Office. I started working in this position in the fall of last school year, and it has been quite a blast!
As the student worker in the reunion giving area, what I work on from day to day is varied, from stuffing envelopes to developing trivia for the spring 2021 virtual reunions, and everything in between. Of course, these last two years have brought their own unique set of challenges. Even so, I feel lucky to be able to work with such a kind, helpful, and fun department!
Over the next few weeks, I plan to share some of my Luther experiences with you, so stay tuned!
Giving Day!
March 2022
Trivia time: what happens in early March, raises over one million dollars for Luther College, and causes me to crush my goal of 10,000 steps a day? If you guessed Giving Day, you’d be correct! This year, Luther’s Giving Day landed on March 10th - about a week ago. As the Vice President of Student Philanthropy Council, I got the chance to help out with this awesome day!
I spent most of the day camped out in Loyalty Hall, ready to help out where needed. For the most part, this meant delivering personalized thank you notes all over campus to faculty and staff who donated throughout the day. I made the rounds with other members of the Student Philanthropy Council, as well as other workers in Loyalty Hall! Naturally, this meant a lot of walking - 17,486 steps, to be exact! When we weren’t making thank you note deliveries, we volunteers were busy signing thank you note postcards to donors all across the country!
This is the way that Giving Day has been run in the past, aside from a few adjustments to make the day possible in 2021. Last year, most of the day was executed remotely, meaning that instead of hand-delivering thank you notes to faculty and staff who donated, volunteers made individual thank you videos. I remember making video after video in a practice room in Jenson-Noble, which seemed to be the only quiet space that I could find. While making these videos was fun, it could not compare to the great experience of an in-person Giving Day. I was able to meet and get to know new students, faculty, and staff, (including President Ward!) as well as just having a good time, all while helping to raise money for the school that we all love so much.
The amount raised on Giving Day totalled an incredible $1,143,556! This money will go to support the Luther Fund, a fund that will help students in about any way that you could imagine, from scholarships to textbooks. While it was great to watch the total number rise, what I found even more inspiring was hearing the special stories and reasons behind their donations. Whether alumni, friends of the college, or just giving to support the school, hearing all of these stories made the day that much more special!To me, the best part of experiencing Giving Day in person this year was seeing just how much gratitude there was all around; it seemed to be a day that was as focused on thanking as it was on giving. The day seems to encapsulate all of the best parts of Luther and the communities surrounding it. Here’s to another great year until Giving Day 2023!
Awake, and Greet Christmas at Luther 2021
December 2, 2021
As December rolls around again, it can only mean one thing here in Decorah: preparation for Christmas at Luther is in full swing! (And of course, the Caf has started making some delicious soups again. So, it can only mean two things). It’s so easy to appreciate the coming of the holiday season at Luther; Campus is getting decorated, we’ll see occasional flurries, and of course, countless musicians, conductors, and technicians are busy at work to make [email protected] successful. As we round the corner from rehearsals to performances, hundreds of students, faculty, and staff continue to work tirelessly to make this year's program, "Awake, and Greet the New Morn!" happen. Especially this year, though, this busy season feels incredibly meaningful, as it marks the preparation for the first in-person Christmas at Luther in almost two years.
I fondly remember sitting in my very first Christmas at Luther rehearsal in November of 2019. As a first-year student in the violin section of Symphony Orchestra, this was the largest musical performance I had ever been a part of. I was absolutely in awe of the sheer amount of beautiful sound that surrounded me, a feeling that would only amplify as performances continued that week. I remember walking into the Center for Faith and Life for the first mass rehearsal, mesmerized by the gorgeous decorations and incredible scale of the artwork.
Being together in-person for Christmas at Luther was one of the things that I missed the most last year. While the virtual performance was incredibly powerful and represented the continuation of an important tradition for many students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends during a difficult time, it simply was not the same. It was admittedly strange to film our Christmas-themed music in late October, not to see a finished product until early December. That being said, though, we are so incredibly thankful and appreciative for all of the tireless work that went into the production behind the scenes.
As we prepare for a live Christmas at Luther again this year, there are so many aspects I cannot wait for: performing in the same room with hundreds of musicians, sharing the joy of our performance with audiences in-person and virtually, and experiencing the magic of Christmas at Luther with fellow musicians and friends, many of whom have not experienced anything like this before. For many of us, Christmas at Luther represents so much more than just an annual concert tradition. The massive amounts of musicians on stage, swells of music as the entire room stands and sings Christmas hymns, and the sea of candles surrounding us on stage like a warm hug represent the incredibly special Luther community: A community that is beautiful, resilient, and caring. I cannot wait to experience the joy that this event brings so many people in the Luther community!
40-Year Reunion… 42 Years Early!
October 21, 2021
Hi everyone! Homecoming was just a few weekends ago, and that meant I was lucky enough to attend and help out with the Luther class of 1981 40-year reunion! Since I have yet to actually experience my own class reunion, I was so excited to get a glimpse of how exciting these events can be!
One of the aspects of the reunion-planning process that surprised me the most was simply how much time these events take to prepare. Due to the unpredictability of the world around us for the past couple of years, it was hard to know exactly what Reunion Weekend 2021 would look like. While this made life in Loyalty Hall stressful at times (many times), it was super interesting to see how plans would adapt and change with the world around us! I loved being able to watch the weekend start as ideas and come to fruition over the course of many months (of course being led by the amazing staff in the Alumni and Development office!).
Earlier this year, my job had been helping to drive engagement, primarily through class Facebook Pages. Along the way, I helped out with whatever needed to be done in the office to ensure a smooth Homecoming weekend, whether that be stuffing envelopes, searching for vintage photos, or drafting social media posts.
Everyone’s tireless work culminated in early October, just a few weeks ago, with Reunion Weekend 2021! Luckily, the cards seemed to align for us to have in-person reunions, albeit slightly altered. I was fortunate enough to get to help out at the Class of 1981 40-Year Reunion, which took place on a beautiful Saturday evening at De Novo Barn, a gorgeous event space outside Decorah. I was there to help with anything that needed to be done, which meant that I spent time directing traffic, stuffing nametags, and assisting at the registration table, obviously the most exciting jobs at the reunion! I was able to meet and connect with a ton of alumni, which was definitely the best part (along with the food. The beef empanadas were AMAZING.)
Overall, I continue to be incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities that I get to connect with incredible people - especially Luther alumni! I’ve got 42 years to wait before my own 40-year reunion, but I’ll be looking forward to making lots of Luther memories until then!
Back to School!
September 10, 2021
As much as we hate to admit it, summer is coming to a close. While our days spent floating down the river and eating copious amounts of Whippy Dip Tornados and Sugar Bowl waffle cones may be behind us, the coming of fall brings countless exciting new things. As students return to campus here in Decorah, Luther seems to be buzzing with excitement for the year ahead.
The COVID Task Force recently returned our alert level to level Blue - meaning that campus life can return to (somewhat close to) normal in many ways. This is extra exciting as classes can return to their normal spaces, ensembles can rehearse and perform with fewer restrictions on masking and playing time, and the Caf incorporates more seating again.
For me, I cannot wait to get back into the swing of things here on campus. I’m looking forward to playing the violin with Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, being on the Student Philanthropy Council, working as a Resident Assistant in Olson Hall, and of course, working in the Development Office! I’m also preparing piano repertoire for my Junior recital, which will hopefully be early in the Spring Semester.
This semester, I’m taking a variety of courses, which always keeps me on my toes! For my Communication Studies major, I’m taking a Relational Theory and Research Methods class, as well as Concepts of Media Production, which teaches the basics behind producing quality video. Although we’re only a few days into the semester, I’m also taking my third and final semester of Music History for my Music major. This course examines musical traditions from a variety of cultures, like India, West Africa, and Indonesia, as well as an overview of Western Classical Music post-1900. Along with this, I am accompanying for the Fall Opera Scenes class, which means that I get to work with some outstanding vocal students and faculty!
There’s so much to be excited about for the year ahead - I can’t wait to cheer friends on at their sporting events, perform in Christmas at Luther, and go see live talks and lectures! Luther is a very special place to all of us - it’s so exciting to see everyone coming back for a new year!
Spring has Sprung!
April 29, 2021
It is officially spring, and the Luther College campus is starting to show it! Everywhere you look, there’s buds on the trees, flowers beginning to bloom, or something new is starting to peek out of the ground. Even so, we’re still very aware that the midwestern weather can bring in a period that we call second (or third…. or fourth….) winter. However, there is definitely an excitement for warmer weather on campus. Frisbee throwers have returned to the Library Lawn; the Student Activities Center is organizing kayak and canoe trips down the river; athletic practices are happening outdoors again; even classes are headed outside whenever possible.
This year, due to COVID, spring break was cancelled, so students are ready for a bit of relaxation, and the warmer weather is bringing just this. I find, though, that more than anything, it’s so refreshing to see people gathering again (safely, of course!). After months of isolation followed by months of winter, we students are itching to be able to see our friends and family (safely, of course). Seeing people eating dinner with friends outside on Bentdahl Commons or taking a walk down to the Sugar Bowl or Whippy Dip seems like a little piece of normalcy returning to our crazy world.
While it feels like we have a ways to go until we reach either summer or the end of the pandemic, feeling a little sunshine on your skin makes it seem like it may not be so far off.
A Weird Year: Luther College During the Pandemic
April 24, 2021
It seems just about impossible to plan anything without hearing the phrase “it’s been such a weird year” - and truly, it has been! For us students, it has taken quite a bit of time to get adjusted to life at Luther this year, but we’re incredibly grateful for the leadership of our faculty, staff, and administration.
The year got off to a crazy start as what would usually be January Term was moved to September. During this month, most students took a complete 4-credit course. Most first-year students were on campus while older students took classes online. During this time, I took a Communication Studies course called “Cultivating Quality Communication”, which surveyed differences in our communication patterns and discussed how we can be better equipped to communicate effectively. I know of others taking biology, religion, and even theater classes!
At the end of September, most all Luther students came back to campus to start the fall semester! Typically, students would take about four 4-credit courses during the semester. However this year, in order to limit classroom exposure, we implemented the “quarter system”. This meant that the fall semester was split into two 2-month quarters, and during each quarter, students took two of their classes. Still, the quarter vs. semester system question is one of the most hotly debated topics on campus! While it was nice to only focus on two classes at once, the limited number of course meetings made each class period twice the length, about two and half to three hours. It’s fair to say that by the end of each class, students were pretty exhausted, but still, it was so refreshing to see how resilient and willing to adapt students, faculty, and staff were.
This adaptation was absolutely vital come December when our classes were moved online for a “circuit breaker” due to an increased number of cases. Some students chose to go home for this time, and some stayed on campus.
In February, second semester began, with it came the return of the semester system. While it may seem like somewhat of a small adjustment, it has been so nice to have a piece of normalcy back in our everyday lives. However, it must be mentioned how far everyone on campus has gone all year to try to make the year as “normal” as possible. Ensembles have been rehearsing all year (although schedules have been vastly changed to accommodate various protocols) and athletic practices and events have happened. Even the cafeteria is open for minimized indoor seating, although everything is packaged for grab and go so students can eat where they feel comfortable.
A great deal of this has been made possible by Luther’s testing system, which includes both random and scheduled tests.Overall, in all of the craziness that has been the last year, we students have been so incredibly thankful to have even just a sliver of normalcy back. As the weather warms up, we’re looking forward to getting outside and gathering with friends again!