Defining Boundaries: An Interview with a Graduated Centenary Student Worker
Student workers inhabit unique positions on a college campus. At Centenary, their contributions are invaluable to the continued successful operation of the school. On one hand, they are workers expected to fulfill the duties of their position. They have job standards to maintain, an image to uphold, and are given a breadth of responsibility more on par with full-time careers. While on the other hand, they are simply students (most barely out of high school), who are just taking a job so that they can afford the bare minimum standard of living while pursuing a rigorous standard of education. At Centenary, our student workers serve not only as students, friends, and peers, but as counselors, babysitters, disciplinarians, emergency personnel, and so much more.
Leaked CRAB Document Reveals Existence of "Evil Skeeter"
The staff of the Conglomerate have recently come into possession of a leaked document that appears to come directly from the desks of CRAB, the Committee to Renovate And Beautify. While CRAB is best known for its bespoke campus renovations, the development of Centenary Film Studios, and our state of the art Simulated College Experience, this document implies more sinister machinations at work. While the Conglomerate cannot confirm the veracity of this document, we believe our readers deserve to be presented with all the evidence. If you or a loved one have recently encountered Evil Skeeter, or have noticed an increase of mold and sludge in the areas you like to frequent, please reach out to our investigative journalism team by emailing IGotSkeeted@centenary.edu.
The Campus Cats at Night
I have spent a large sum of my time at Centenary tracking the actions of the Campus Cats. I’m sure you know, dear reader, the felines of whom I speak—the sweet babies who lay in the sun, hide under cars, and generally provide joy to the human inhabitants of Louisiana College . . .
Bootstrap Harder
Bootstrap Bill here. Read on for my advice on tricky roommate situations, prioritization, where to get the best margarita, and more.
Pt. 2. The Care and Feeding of Your 5-Year Plan; or, A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Attending Graduate School
If you are a frequent Conglomerate subscriber, then you may be familiar with my work. Part one of this cost-benefit analysis — where I provide a breakdown of the average graduate school stipend — was published in the most recent issue of the Congo. Here I provide part two, the sequel, in which I focus more specifically on the benefits portion of this cost-benefit analysis . . .
Tell Me About It…Advice with Bootstrap Bill
Do you have something going on in your life and it’s really bugging you? Do you wish you had someone to share this issue with and get real, (somewhat) genuine advice? Would you just love if that someone was an anonymous person writing for a college newspaper and they were both delightfully funny and disturbingly honest? If you answered yes to any of these, or just want to mess around, look no further – Bootstrap Bill, professional advice giver, is here to help.
Skinamarink
The new film "Skinamarink" is an experimental horror movie by Kyle Edward Ball in his feature debut. It runs for about 100 minutes and consists of grainy shots and audio of a dark house. It's exciting to see something so low budget and experimental get a run in theaters, it managed to rack up $890,000 over the MLK weekend with an unknown director and a budget of $15,000. The film features many old cartoons that are in the public domain such as "Bimbo's Initiation" and a few lines of dialog with inconsistent subtitles.
The Care and Feeding of Your 5-Year Plan; or, A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Attending Graduate School
Heed the disclaimer. This article is published under a pseudonym to keep this piece as it is intended -- confined to the realm of opinion -- based on personal experience and a little bit of math. It is solely an opinion piece that may or may not apply to your situation. Regardless, I hope you are able to get something from my experiences. Whether that be advice on what not to do, sympathy, comfort, or just sheer entertainment, with that said . . .
Study Habits & How to Form Them
For any student, studying can be one of the more challenging aspects of school. It’s difficult to figure out what exactly you need to study for, let alone find time in a busy schedule, and also find the right location to study. And how do you do this multiple times a week?? It’s a process, and one that people don’t learn. Yes, you read that right- in order to study, you have to learn how to study. It may sound like a paradox, but keep reading, and you’ll see why it isn’t.
You’re Doing NaNoWhatNow??
It’s finally November which means it’s officially National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo! If you don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, it’s when writers from around the world try to write 50,000 words in a month. If a writer reaches 50,000 words, then they are considered a winner of NaNoWriMo; it has nothing to do with when a writer finishes or how many writers have won before them. The goal of NaNoWriMo is not to compete with other writers but to develop a writing habit, progress in a new project, and write in a community.
The October 4th Town Hall Meeting: A Lesson in Transparency
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the opinions of the Conglomerate Staff as a whole.
On October 4, 2022, the Student Government Association (SGA) held a Town Hall with the intention to hear from the student population and “to be a place where students could voice their opinions on SGA's performance and to be able to support or not support previous or passed resolutions” as stated by Ethan Little, former SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) President and the SAAC representative speaking.
Ten Things to do for Halloween 2022
Halloween is right around the corner, and if we’re not careful it could catch us with our witch hats off. Even after we outgrow trick-or-treating, some feel pressured to get out and have a life for Halloween. Here are ten easy ways to celebrate the Spooky Season and embrace the autumn atmosphere.
Editorial Discourse
Since its founding, the Conglomerate has experienced many stages of evolution. Such evolution has been essential for the paper to remain a relevant source of information for the student body. Over the years, the newspaper has changed the format it’s presented in, sections have come and gone, and it’s safe to say that reader engagement has fluctuated over the years. One of my favorite hidden gems in the Congo’s history is the “Letters to the Editor” section that ran on and off from about 1996 to 2001.
Centenary Spooks: MLP and Hurley
Centenary is an old college, so it’s no surprise that it has its fair share of things that go bump in the night, and I’m not talking about the raccoons you’ll sometimes see digging through the campus trash cans—I’m talking about the ghosts, the supernatural things that inhabit the various buildings of Centenary. For this Halloween season, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the various hauntings on campus, and today, we’ll be starting with two of the performing arts buildings: Marjorie Lyons Playhouse and the Hurley School of Music.
Rogue Skeeter Mascot Seemingly Stalks Freshmen Classes
Centenary is, as always, eventful at this start of the new school year. And the class of 2026 is going through a frankly concerning amount of tribulations. First, a still-unaccounted-for student gets left behind in Paris, and now many freshmen are reporting seeing Skeeter, beloved Centenary College mascot, in their classes.