Mr. Constitution

We had our first official, full class today. Again I got up at 7:15 on the dot. I hope this trend continues. Professor Kramnick did say that if we wake up late we could come in quietly and he would not ridicule us, but I do not plan on testing that. Fortunately it seems like we are beginning to fall in to a comfortable schedule already. Alex, Calvin, and I got to breakfast just as our Hotel Management friends were leaving. Then, after eating, we headed off to class at 8:30.

Our friend, Matt, playing the bagpipes

Our lecture today discussed The Old and New Testaments. I feel like this will probably be one of my favorite topics, because I love reading the Bible and the messages it contains. Even though I am not religious I still appreciate the lessons it teaches. In our discussion groups we delved further into the teachings of the Testaments and talked about our own interpretations. We then compared the Old and New Testaments. The last thing we did before lunch was a quick group activity in which we identified the kinds of justice (formal, retributive, distributive, or restorative) in various passages from our readings.

This time at lunch I had a better understand of how Trillium's dining system worked, and I used that to my advantage to get a spicy beef burrito, a small drink, and a muffin. Needless to say, I was excited.

After lunch we returned to the lecture hall for a guest lecture from a local lawyer. His name was Ray Schlather, or (as Professor Kramnick dubbed him) Mr. Constitution. This was made immediately evident when he handed out a pocket Constitution to everyone. He spent his time telling about how the Constitution and the law are living entities. They change throughout time and we "the people" breathe life into them. He told us a few stories of cases (three of which he was involved in) in which Constitutional rights, or the denial of them, were exemplified. It was a moving lecture. We could tell he was extremely passionate about the Constitution and creating a just society.

The Discussion Room

The rest of the day was calm. We did our assigned readings, hung out, and ate a particularly big dinner. I love the college experience so far. I really feel my horizons expanding in this environment of higher learning.