It’s another year, another large class of new freshman and junior transfers to mingle with. Last year’s freshmen are now today’s sophomores who have learned a thing or two. Juniors have either mellowed out and accepted their continual status of being single or are more desperate than ever to find a mate before having to make looming decisions about moving back home or going to grad school. Most seniors are either busy trying to graduate or busy fighting the urges to meet new freshmen. It is a complicated social world out there. Relationships and the complications of dating aren’t getting any easier.

Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan in the gospel of Luke chapter 10 shocked the Jewish listeners.

For so long, Jewish culture was segregated from the rest of the world. Even when under rule of a foreign government (Rome), the Jews saw themselves as set apart from secular culture. They likely sympathized with the Levite and the priest, who passed up the unclean man in order to keep themselves pure.

Jewish laws existed to keep God’s chosen people pure and distinguishable from everyone else. But Jesus came proclaiming that things were different now. Jesus praised the man who to people around him. The Samaritan who engaged his surroundings rather than sequestering himself from the corruption is who Jesus tells the experts of the law to imitate.

It has been tough for me to watch the first two Penn State football games this year.

Indeed, over the last 18 months, the nation witnessed firsthand Penn State’s football program slowly burn to the ground as a result of the Jerry Sandusky trial. The scandal not only battered the football program, but also the legacy of its legendary coach, the late Joe Paterno.

I am sitting here at 1 a.m. as I write this.

My days have seemingly blended, melding into an endless stream of papers, projects, meetings and deadlines.

I have had a tough semester.

Besides taking the maximum number of credits, being on floor leadership and enrolling in time-intensive courses, my mom passed away over Christmas break, taking the support I counted on during times of high stress.

I know I am not alone in this mindset of complete exhaustion.

These stressors orbit around a fledgling social life and sleep schedule.

Ah, but the end is in sight.

Finals are right around the corner, and then it’s the best time of the year for a student: summer break.