"Hongs receive recognition"

Howard and Edna Hong, the founders and past directors of the internationally reputable Kierkegaard library, greatly enhanced the personal collection of works in the library. "Kierkegaard's works basically address the question of what it means to be or become a genuine human being." The Hongs were involved in a massive translation project, which consisted of over 25 volumes of Kierkegaard's writings that were to be published by the Princeton University Press.

As a result of their work, the Hongs were the first recipients of the Annual Public Literature Award, which is given by the Minnesota Humanities Commission. "The award was designed to honor distinguished contributors to the field of humanities, as an attempt to encourage further scholarly study and research in the area." The Hongs also received a $1000 cash prize on top of the award, which they donated to the endowment fund of the Kierkegaard library to help visiting scholars with their research.

"Graffiti: writing on the wall"

During the first semester of the 1983 school year, graffiti found its way onto study carrels, bathroom stalls, desks and even the lunch trays. The chapel, the library, Holland Hall, and Ytterboe seemed to be the most popular places to write, while the Science Center, Christiansen, and Skoglund were kept clean and free of any unnecessary writings. The lack of respect for St. Olaf property stemmed from a sociological phenomenon: based on the evidence, it would seem like St. Olaf students were "down in the dumps often." Remnants of the graffiti can still be seen on desks in the English and religion classrooms, yet current St. Olaf students have found a new way to publicize their ideas: chalk on sidewalks.

"Rumors persist at St. Olaf"

Rumors about two of St. Olaf's big donors, the Skoglunds and the Mellbys floated around campus. The Skoglunds supposedly insisted that St. Olaf stop the sale of cigarettes when they donated $1,750,000 for the construction of the new gym. The second rumor was that an anonymous donor for Agnes Mellby Hall specified that the campus alcohol policy would not be changed and that Mellby Hall would always be a women's dorm.

"In the first case, H.D. Skoglund was himself a chain smoker at the time of his gift. On one visit to St. Olaf in 1967 Skoglund was surprised to discover that no cigarettes were sold on campus. This in itself makes the possibility of secret instructions against the selling of cigarettes highly unlikely."

The second case, also proved to be false. Records show that Mellby was funded through loans, as were the rest of the dorms on campus. "The accusations showed an inclination to suspect the school's policies as being directed by outside donors. While St. Olaf does accept donations for specific purposes such as the construction of the gym, according to Dean Helgen, only the administration and the Board of Regents set policy for the college."