Guest Speakers at Carleton

There are (admittedly rare) days during the term in which I decide not to use my free time mindlessly scrolling Instagram reels. Sometimes, one wants to feel educated. Cultured. Refined. It’s during these brief moments of clarity in which I click on the Campus Calendar website to check if there are any guest speeches happening.

One of the upsides of the school being located in a small, slightly isolated town, is that on-campus events actually draw crowds. When you can’t romp around in a city whenever you’re free, you might as well listen in on a visiting speaker! It’s always nice to see the community genuinely interested in what the speakers have to say—even if the topic isn’t related to their major.

Guest speakers come in all the time, but convocation lectures are specific events that happen every Friday at 10:50 AM. They take place in the Skinner memorial chapel, and always feature an expert in some field bringing an interesting perspective to a particular topic. Television writer Bob Daily ‘82 recently lectured about his career in the entertainment industry, his journalism background, and gave lessons on creativity. Previously, Noah Tarnow ‘97, creator of The Big Quiz Thing, talked about his experience with stand-up comedy and how it led him to become a game show host.

Yesterday, after my philosophy professor informed our class about it, I listened to a talk given by a postdoctoral student concerning AI—and what it means to be capable of thought. It was fascinating (but made my brain hurt!), and truly felt like an enriching use of my free time. There was also free pizza. Which is a plus.

If you find yourself at Carleton, drop in on one of these events. You might find a flyer for one in the dining hall. Or see an email notification pop up in your inbox. Even when they don’t seem to be in your field of interest, whenever I attend one, I find myself extremely appreciative of the knowledge on display.

Inigo (he/him/his) is trying very hard to turn interests in subjects like film, english, and psychology into a manageable course load. Originally from Somerville, Massachusetts, he can often be found running in the Cowling Arboretum (and getting passed by everyone on the cross country team) or rock climbing at the bouldering cave in the evening. He loves Carleton’s walkability: it didn’t even matter that he forgot to bring his bike to campus. He considers bad horror movies to be the ultimate form of entertainment.