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."
Division and Classification Essays
Serious Play: The Yuppie Syndrome (1991), Cheryl Witham
Real Swingers (1983), Vivian Woodruff
The Many Tasks of a Baseball Catcher (1992), C.J. Young
Potential Problem Campers (1990), Lois Young
Education Essays
"Teachers and Tennis Shoes" (2002), Alisha Hoffman
Don’t Bank on Today’s Education (2012), Donny Scheffler
Defining the Purpose of Education (2012), Emily Steinbacher
The Best Education Lies in the Middle (2011), Chuandi Zhao
Film Review Essays
Billy Elliot Film Review (2012), Louise Conces
Freshman Essays
Untitled (2002), Annie Abel
The Genesis of a World (1984), Laura Blair
Why Do Creation Stories Matter? (2003), Michael Engstrom
Just Another Journal (1997), Doug Favero
Untitled (2003), Kristin Mueller
"Camp Castaway" (2002), Megan Nelson
Elizabeth Taylor, Cow Manure, and the Pennsylvania Dutch (1997), Jeffrey Rau
Freewrite: Hard Times (2001), Andrew Sadjak
Journal Entry: Narrative of the Life of a Slave (2001), Jim Summers
Is Rambo A Real Man? (1990), John Sundquist
Frederick Douglass (2002), Chris Wolf
Freshman Seminar Essays
"The Envelope Please": The Oscars (1986), Colleen Affeld
Songs of Persuasion Still Exist (1989), Amy A. K. Albers
John Stuart Mill Confronts Rev. E.J. Hardy (1995), Pam Alessia
An Intense Spirituality (1991), Suzanne Armstrong
am i old? (1984), Julie Bosma
The Lot of the Immigrant Woman (1986), Mary Brackman
Dinner Guest (1986), Laureen Bretzman
Three Interpretations of a Single Event (1987), Laura Browning
Back in the Old Days (1992), Anita Bryant
Blind to the Web of Social Change (1986), Susan K. Coe
"Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" (1984), Stacy Costidakis
Change the Charter Not the Games (1992), Kirsten Davies
A Fine and Private Place (1984), Cindy L. Deichmann
The Role of Defense Mechanisms in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1984), Liz Donohue
"The Horla," By Guy de Maupassant (1987), Susan Emery
Nature's Remarkable Engineer (1983), Rochelle Erhart
Working Women (1990), Brent Ewig
Images of War: Loss of Innocence (1985), Kristine Fagerman
The Developing Magnolia (1989), Michele Garber
Prior Restraint (1983), Mark Glibota
The Cost of Freedom (1988), Sarah Graham
Political Experience in the 1960s (1985), Laura Griffin
The Walk of Life (1989), Joseph Guettler
The Dreams of the Oppressed (1993), Angela Haupt
A Mother's Role in Facing Racism (1986), Cindy Hayward
Kevin Vandam: Concentrating on Fishing Success (1993), Nathan Hayward
Skins (1991), Meagan Hennessey
A Modern Arcadia (1990), Edil Hersi
Blind Duty versus Moral Duty (1995), Jay Hodgson
A Future with Computers (1986), Mike Holtz
Hard Times During the Great Depression (1985), Paula Immormino
War: The End of Youth (1983), Kristin Jass
Apathy Toward the Government (1984), Dawn Jeglum
Mill versus Sewell and Gender Roles (1995), Amy Kalchbrenner
"Fiat Lux" (1985), Gregory Scott Karras
Barchester Towers (1987), Kathleen A. Kisner
The Great American Gas Station (1990), Dean Kleronomos
Beauty and the Beast--War (1987), Rebecca Kloostra
A Victim of World War II (1995), Jennifer Latham
Learning: A Continuing Desire (1988), Cynthia Layman
Architecture Meets Technology (1991), Karen Marie Lebeda
Granny (1983), Steve Leege
People Who Need People (1985), Meghan Light
To Anyone Who Has Lost Hope (1997), Tami Long
Good-Bye to the "Good Ole Days" (1989), Suzanne M. Loose
"The Moth Incident" (1997), Christy Lose
Symbiosis of Plants and People (1989), Steve Ludwig
Ozone Layer: Who Cares? Do You? (1993), Lisa Lyons
The Wide Angle (1986), Kristine Manglesdorf
Today's Runaways (1991), Apryl Matusak
Zebrahead: Movie Review (1997), Haoyu Meng
Open Minds (1990), Heidi Meyer
To C. Itt Awl Or Not To C. Itt Awl (1986), Tina Musgrove
Stabbing Westward (1997), Rob Neal
Battle of the Ages (1995), Michael Ostrowski
Run in with Teacher (1985), Christopher S. Peet
"Bloody Brenda" (1992), Brenda Petersen
"In Dubious Battle" Continued (1985), Suzy Peters
Dottie Mi Buh-de (1992), Dana Regopoulos
The Jury (1988), Michelle Rietschel
Realistic Imagery in Chandler's "Red Wind" (1984), Julia Rohaly
The Ultimate Student Athlete (1989), Tammy Rohleder
The Gateway to the West (1990), Susan Roth
The Voice of Art (1988), Stephanie Schauer
It's Hard to Become a Hero (1988), Eric Schroeder
Subliminal Advertising (1997), Andy Schuetze
These Changing Times (1988), Jeff Schultz
The Unpredictability of Sports (1997), Jason Stockrahm
Zenobia: An Idol in the False Community of Blithedale (1984), Lori Sundquist
Join in a Century of Equal Opportunity (1997), Susan Thoney
The Indifferent City (1992), Rebecca Toczek
Family and War (1995), Emily Ulbrich
Separate but Unified (1987), Susan J. Vinci
The Senselessness of the Extremes Presented in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1983), Matthew Vranicar
Mother Chuckle and Ms. Snide (1991), Liberty Walker
Two Views of Money (1985), Robert Whippo
My Declaration of Independence (1992), Julie Wilczynski
Two Views of Nature (1984), Erica Wissmueller
Looking Back: Our Country's Heroes (Inaugural Address) (1997), Molly M. Wohlert
Irony and Character in Bierce and Crane (1983), Sara Wolfersberger