Princeton Review's release of its 2012 guide book, "The Best 376 Colleges," includes a top 20 ranking for college radio stations, and the list includes Carleton's KRLX 88.1 FM. The blog "Radio Survivor" has the top 20 listing, including a link to the last five years' worth of rankings. KRLX has ranked in the top 15 since 2008.

Cliff Clark, Professor of History and M.A. and A.D. Hulings Professor of American Studies, was quoted in the Aug. 15 Star Tribune's article, "Porch Revisted." The story delves into how porches have evolved in the American home and enjoyed a resurgence of late. "The porch is an interesting symbolic space in the sense it's a formal place where neighbors can sit and chat. It's also a signal that this family is friendly," Clark says in the story.

Deborah Appleman, the Hollis L. Caswell Professor of Educational Studies, was quoted in the Aug. 13 edition of the Pioneer Press on a story entitled "Anoka-Hennepin school district stands by gay 'neutrality' policy." The policy forbids teachers and staff, to "remain neutral on matters regarding sexual orientation including but not limited to student led discussions." Two lawsuits have been filed to strike down the policy, according to the Pioneer Press. The push for change in some ways mirrors the battle fought by minority groups to be better represented in schools and reflected in curricula,  Appleman, told the paper. "The majority of schools are a mechanism that...reproduces mainstream society," Appleman said. A call for "neutrality" on LGBT issues really means the prevailing philosophies of the majority - heterosexuals - dominate in school culture and curriculum, she said. "It is only when people at the margins call for change...that we've seen diversification of the curriculum," she said.

Carleton, along with a handful of other Minnesota private colleges, is featured in the July 4 edition of the Star Tribune regarding the schools' sustainability efforts. Carleton sustainability assistant Ryan Noe '12 (Rock Island, Ill.) is quoted in the story. "Some people think they are in a bubble," Noe said. "Changing people's attitudes is important if we really want to help the environment."

Nancy Braker, director of the Cowling Arboretum, was interviewed by Northfield Patch regarding the large numbers of eastern tent caterpillars in and around Northfield this spring and early summer. “They are quite abundant this year,” she said. “But they are not a species that concerns us.” Braker noted one benefit of a bumper crop of eastern tent caterpillars: While most birds do not eat caterpillars because of their prickly skin, black-billed cuckoos love them. In years with many caterpillars, the number of cuckoos seen in Northfield also increases, she said.

On Minneapolis/Saint Paul ABC affiliate KSTP, Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, answered audience questions via Skype about the looming shutdown of the state of Minnesota government. He says the potential for a short-term shutdown "is pretty high." Those governmental services deemed "essential" by the court systems would remain up and running, says Schier. A web extra of his appearance is available.

Jack Schneider, Robert A. Oden Jr. Postdoctoral Fellow for Innovation in the Liberal Arts at Carleton College, wrote an opinion piece in the June 10 edition of the Star Tribune entitled "History bends in the hands of ideologues." In the article, Schneider uses former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's view of Paul Revere's intentions during his ride as an example of public figures using history to serve their own purposes. "Now it's Sarah Palin's turn, and she wants to cast Revere as a proud gun owner. She wants us to see him as someone who supported the wishes of "well-armed persons" to remain that way. She is out to create a new historical narrative," he writes. Schneider points out that Palin is hardly the first one to use Revere's ride to serve their own purpose.

The Washington Times recently covered Carleton’s “Empty Bowls” event, which raises money and awareness regarding hunger relief. Writer Donna Rae Scheffert attended the event on Carleton’s campus and gave her impressions, noting that the six-year-old event has raised more than $26,000 to battle hunger in the Northfield community. Read the article on the Washington Times website.

In a post on the public relations blog "PR Week US," Jenny (Harris) Moede '87 makes the case that a liberal-arts degree serves those who wish to pursue a career in the public relations field. She writes "So although “communications or similar major preferred” may still be the default job requirement for PR jobs, I often find myself seeking out liberal arts grads, my kindred spirits, who have been encouraged to challenge, debate, and write persuasively. And as my daughter prepares for her first year at Carleton, I delight in knowing that anything, any career, is possible." Her daughter, Kelsey, plans to enroll at Carleton this fall and play golf for the Knights.

In the May 27 edition of the Christian Science Monitor, Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, compares two potential Republican U.S. Presidential candidates in current Minnesota congresswoman Michelle Bachmann and former Alaska governor and one-time vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin. “She’s sort of a mini-Palin,” Schier says in the article. Schier feels if both women' run, that Palin has the clear advantage, as she’s got far more name recognition, higher poll numbers, and a dedicated national fan base. “If Palin runs, then the air goes out of Bachmann’s balloon,” he says.

Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, is quoted in the May 26 edition of U.S. News & World Report talking about the stalemate between the Republicans and Democrats on the jobs issue facing the United States. Schier tells the publication ""Both parties are pretty dug-in ideologically about the job issue. The truth may well lie in between these ideological perspectives, but neither side is willing to acknowledge that publicly, because they're so committed to their previous positions."

Matthew Fink '11 (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), an international relations/political science major, was featured on NBC's KARE-11 Minneapolis/Saint Paul affiliate on May 10 as he prepares to graduate from Carleton. The station previously covered Fink when he graduated from Eagan (Minn.) High School, detailing how he'd overcome disabilities that were the result of him being born without a spleen and a resulting Septis infection that necessitated the amputation of his legs and arms below the elbow to save his life. The recent segment talks about how Fink's Watson Fellowship will allow him to explore how gaming connects people with disabilities to the outside world, how his study abroad experience in China has influenced him academically, and how Fink still hopes to attend medical school and become a surgeon.