The Valpo Core Reader (formerly the Freshman Reader: A Magazine of Student Writing) collects and honors excellent writing from Valparaiso University students who have been through the Valpo Core Program the previous year. These essays address a wide variety of texts and topics and include many genres of writing, including argumentative papers, personal narratives, and more. Main themes are drawn from the curriculum of the Core Program, which is arranged according to important aspects of human experience: origins, education, love, leadership and service, work and vocation, and matters of "life and death."
Definition Essays
The Definition of Leadership (1997), Mark Kerins
"So, Brent, Where's Home?" (1994), Brent W. Klettke
Maturity (1989), Kristine Lloyd
Me, Myself, and I (1996), Cheryl Lohrmann
My Early Learning (1987), Russell Martin
Sissy (1994), Joel T. May
Underground (1987), Joe Mitchell
Blind but I See (1984), Kimberly Neisch
Theta Chi (1995), Joe Nowak
Who's Mom? (1990), Sara Plackner
Girls Will Be Girls (1994), Mayra L. Quiroz
Attention Deficit Disorder (1993), Jennifer Redding
VU? (1986), Mark D. Ruesch
Prejudice (1989), Erin Schneeberger
My Best Friend (1997), Angela Seitz
Respect (1995), Jennifer Sloan
Why I Want a Teenager (1992), Shonda Smith
No More Mr. Mom (1988), Karen Sooy
Can We Discuss This Like Adults? (1985), Mary Speckhard
Real Horror (1991), Michelle Switt
Culture Shock (1997), Leonardo Velazquez
Description Essays
My Coach, My Teacher, My Friend (1994), Katie Adrian
The Old Man Played (1986), Ingrid Anderson
The Tyrant of Central High (1988), Tom Anders
Whoa, I Didn't Know You Had Running Water! (1993), Rebecca Belmont
The Inner Circle (1994), Heather Benedick
Rass-el Barr (1996), Minerva Bishay
Past Civilizations of the Backyard (1996), Erin Carey
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, Where Are Your Branches? (1995), Rebecca Catlin
My Grandfather (1996), Jenna Crowther
An Old Barn's Ghost (1984), Frederick R. Curr Jr.
Mountain Landscape (1996), Matt Dexter
The River (1990), Amy Doornbos
Backyard Jungle (1994), Joshua Ellwein
The "L" (1984), Mary Ann Fergus
Looks Can Be Deceiving (1995), Larry Fritzsche
The Devastation of War (1985), Stephen M. Frucht
Misconceptions of Lifeguarding (1993), Emily Grana
No One Just Like Him (1990), Johanna Hauschild
Belfast--East and West (1987), Paul Held
Where Life is Earned (1989), Mike Horn
Flyfishing (1994), Matt Howard
Grandma Mueller (1991), Brian D. Klemstein
Home Sweet Home (1995), Kyle Kopper
Starting My New Life (1996), Sara L. Lister
The Greenhouse Experience (1996), Cheryl Lohrmann
We Treat You Right (1995), Erica Maas
My Mom, So Precious (1997), Linda Matera
My Youth Through a River Flowing (1997), Amy Mead
An Image of Holiness (1987), Kristin Meyer
Isua (1986), Timothy M. Miller
Shark (1984), Lisa Moore
High School Renovation (1991), Kevin Palmer
View from the Terrace (1989), Alexandra Papp
A Special Gift (1990), Belinda Penick
A Hidden Treasure (1996), Brad Pierce
They Ain't Drunk, They Ain't Beatin' Their Wives, and Their Dogs are Still Alive (1992), Christa Pitcher
A Pakistani Eid (1991), Syen Adnan Raza
The Swim (1995), Rebecca Lynn Reichardt
The Brown Bag Deli (1995), Angela Rick
Moving into College (1993), Robert Rosetti
Solitude (1997), Allison E. Rubow
Leaving Dachau (1995), Amy Seldon
Accident (1992), Ellen Shiels
My Die-Hard Father (1991), Julie Sieving
Faith (1988), Karin Sigdestad
Plunging Into Summer (1985), Mary Speckhard
Morocco's Medinas--Mazes of Humanity (1992), Kathy Staehling
Crazy Campbell (1992), Patty Stoddard
Summertime Adventures on the Farm (1996), Christi Thieme
Nightmare Summer (1997), D. Rachelle Turley
Barn Sweet Barn (1996), Emily Waddle
The Organ (1986), Sonvy Waidler
Division and Classification Essays
Just When You Thought it was Safe (1989), Anne Austin
To Clean Or Not To Clean (1990), Marcie Brown
Church Goers (1991), Mindy Buster
A Style for Everyone (1994), Susan Campbell
The Tourists I Meet (1994), Stephanie Catlin
They Have a Dream (1993), Ralph Chester
A Rule of Thumb (1984), Thane Dykstra
What is a Basketball Player? (1984), Oliver Eaton
The Women of the Soaps (1987), Jennifer Haertling
Three Types of Immigrants (1992), Lyvanh Hanlotxomphou
Playing it Cool with the Heat (1985), Steven Kiefer
Movies and Growth (1986), Anne Lombardi
Domestic Transgressions: The Art of Marriage is a Game of Anticipation (1988), Tim McKinney
Sometimes for Them--Sometimes for Me (1988), Melissa Moryl
Car Commercials: Reality vs. Image (1990), John Mueller
Orchestral Decomposition (1991), Brad Natzke
Kindergartners on the Go (1985), Debby Naumann
All I Want for Christmas (1986), Jennifer Olski
How Engineering Jobs are Advertised (1989), Gerald Sang'udi
Attitudes Toward Running (1987), Gretchen Schmidt
Remote Control: How Much Does TV Control Your Life (1989), Susan Snyder
The Four Phases of the Beatles (1985), Mark Steffen
Hodgkins Disease (1994), Michelle Sunderman
First Date (1983), Maryann Trela
Tales of Telemarketing (1991), Erin Turner
Study of an American Icon (1992), Jason Webb
Investigate Before You Eat (1988), Stephanie Whitmore