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Sophie Jacques and Sophia Najarian laugh as they make eggs for breakfast in their newly renovated Turnwall dorm. The two roommates had lived in Heritage Hall for two months, where they weren’t able to cook like they had originally planned.
Turnwall residents temporarily evicted due to mold
A new addition to the archives
Who are Bethel students voting for?
Ready set vote
Deciphering the 2024 presidential candidates’ policies
Bethel students Alivia Wulff and Grace Christensen serve CLUES by providing food to its clients and restocking items in the food shelf. At the food shelf, Wulff and Christensen interact with Hispanic clients and families. “It's just been really eye opening to see the same families come every week and they have their kids with them, and they're just all so happy and funny and just very nice and warm,” Wulff said.
Bridging the gap
Edgars Yarmolatiy sits in his freshman dorm room in Nelson Hall, a computer coding assignment on his desk behind him. Yarmolatiy is a freshman computer science major at Bethel University and a Ukrainian refugee. He fled his home once for Latvia in February 2022 and again for the United States in April 2023.
Home away from home
Chris Moore stands in front of his students during his Foreign Relations class Friday Nov. 1. As Election Day approaches, Moore and his co-host Andy Bramsen want students to be equipped to have political conversations with those around them. "We created the podcast with the goal of modeling talking about politics civilly and not so divisively," Bramsen said.
“Election Shock Therapy” with Chris Moore
Graciela Pérez joins the Department of Languages and Cultures
Graciela Pérez joins the Department of Languages and Cultures
No Intro Needed
No Intro Needed
Bethel University sophomore quarterback Cooper Drews and freshman wide receiver Teagan Viebrock embrace each other after a tough 24-21 loss to Susquehanna University in the national quarterfinals Saturday afternoon. The loss knocked the Royals out of the 2024 NCAA Division III playoffs, it’s the third time since 2018 Bethel has seen its season end in the elite eight.
Royals fall to River Hawks in all-too-familiar fashion in national quarterfinal
After running through a couple of warm-up drills the Bethel Ultimate Club team begins to scrimmage at their practice in the Sports and Recreation Center on Wednesday, Nov 11. Jeriah Young attempts to tip the frisbee away from the other team. “The program has had so much development this year… we have so many super passionate freshmen and new members on the team that the trajectory is definitely upward,” Shady said.
The ultimate goal
Fifth year captain Will Swanda rallies the Bethel University men’s soccer team before the first home MIAC playoff game in team history against Carleton College. The Royals went on to lose to the Knights by a score of 5-2 putting an end to one of the most successful seasons in team history. “One of the things we talk about as a team quite frequently is, you need to be in big games in order to win them next time.” Will Swanda said. | Photo by Bethel Athletics.
Today is a gift
Tyler Braccini found the back of the net for a team-leading eighth time this season with 1.9 seconds to go in overtime. His score gave the Royals a season sweep over St. John’s and a 3-1-0 MIAC record heading into Christmas break. | Photo by Bethel Athletics
Royals prevail in overtime to earn series sweep over Johnnies
Bethel University safety Matt Jung and defensive lineman Merrick Stacy celebrate after a defensive stop during the Royals 24-14 win over Wartburg College in the third round of the NCAA playoffs Saturday afternoon. Jung collected 7 total tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown in the win to help the Royals advance to the national quarterfinal against Susquehanna. “Our defense as a whole, we’re always ready,” Jung said. “If we get our hands on the ball we’re trying to score.”
Royals charge past Knights and into the elite eight
Does anyone know what a pink Pilates strut pop phase is?
Amy Holmberg poses with her older brother sporting their matching St. Mary's Point hockey jackets. Pigtails had been her go-to style until learning later that maybe they weren't as cool as she thought. | Photo submitted by Amy Holmberg.
Am I woman enough?
Like a quilt
From SportsCenter to the MIAC sports network
Stream “The Edge of Sleep”
Cooper Drews and Tyler Gustafson!
Cooper Drews and Tyler Gustafson!
No Intro Needed
No Intro Needed
Homecoming recap, ASMR and Aiden’s Roman Empire
Homecoming recap, ASMR and Aiden’s Roman Empire
Double Coverage Episode 2: Peyton Howie!
Double Coverage Episode 2: Peyton Howie!
Records, siblings and Cows
Records, siblings and Cows
Cooper Drews and Tyler Gustafson!
Cooper Drews and Tyler Gustafson!
No Intro Needed
No Intro Needed
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Homecoming recap, ASMR and Aiden’s Roman Empire
Double Coverage Episode 2: Peyton Howie!
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TFTB: What's the most embarrassing thing you wore in middle school?
TFTB: What’s the most embarrassing thing you wore in middle school?
TFTB: Tell us about your first crush
TFTB: Tell us about your first crush
TFTB: What's something your mom doesn't know about you?
TFTB: What’s something your mom doesn’t know about you?
The Student News Site of Bethel University

The Clarion
The Student News Site of Bethel University

The Clarion
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Does anyone know what a pink Pilates strut pop phase is?

Kathryn Kovalenko • December 13, 2024

Are you a Patagonia Noah Kahan granola Zach Bryan acoustic guitar person? Or a vanilla latte mini Uggs Taylor Swift hair ribbon Gracie Abrams girl? Maybe a Doc Martens grandpa sweater 1975 Phoebe Bridgers listener?

My brain might be rotted from TikTok girlhood slideshows and Evan Gray Smith’s Instagram ratings. But opening my Spotify Wrapped while brushing my teeth at 8:27 a.m. Wednesday was more exciting than Christmas morning. Spotify Wrapped is a gift. After looking through a few brightly-colored geometric graphs, I can find out what kind of person I am. How people and AI algorithms perceive me. I can find comfort in a label, commit to an aesthetic and have five top songs that match my personality and hobbies. 

Brat summer. Clean girl. Cottagecore. Gen Z loves labels, auras and tier lists. This obsession with self-categorizing is probably rooted in some primal instinct to find identity and community in an isolated digital world. Or something like that, I don’t really know. But I do know that Spotify Wrapped packages all our obsessions of the year into one concise, postable image that supposedly shows how good our taste is. 

My 2024 Spotify Wrapped says I like Mk.gee, Clairo, Dijon, Eliza Mclamb and Samia. Does that make me a granola girl? A sad girl? A cool girl? A Y2K girl? 

What my Spotify Wrapped doesn’t say is that my best friend Ana and I waited 90 minutes outside of Mike Gordon’s tour bus after the Mk.gee concert in October to meet him. (Because we’re convinced he’s going to become super famous and one day we’ll tell our kids we made eye contact with him in college.) Or that my sister Sofia and I got matching “As You Are” Samia lyrics tattooed on our arms in November. (Fine. Yes, I cry every time I listen to that song.) Or that I convinced my mom, sister, best friend from third grade and high school cross-country teammate to drive four hours to go to a $15 Eliza Mclamb concert with me in April. Instead of texting my brothers that I love them, I send them a Dijon song. And I talk about my favorite album of the week with my dad on FaceTime every Sunday night.

This year was messy and uncool and doesn’t fit neatly under a label. But it was more interesting than my Spotify Wrapped. I have my top five artists of the year, but I also have ink on my skin and inside jokes with Ana and Sofia and long FaceTime calls with my parents. Which may not match my “twee 90s soft rock thrifted” daylist, but I’ll take it.

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Amy Holmberg poses with her older brother sporting their matching St. Mary's Point hockey jackets. Pigtails had been her go-to style until learning later that maybe they weren't as cool as she thought. | Photo submitted by Amy Holmberg.
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About the Contributor
Kathryn Kovalenko
Kathryn Kovalenko, Managing Editor
Kathryn Kovalenko, 20, is a junior media production and journalism major. She enjoys eating ice cream cake with her roommates, wandering around thrift stores and spending all her money on concert tickets. Ask her about her most recent Letterboxd review.
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