September Reed Writes In

September 23, 2025

Dear Will’s Place,

Greetings from Milwaukee, Wisconsin! Since my last column, the feelings of homesickness I wrote about have been much diminished, though I still miss Skokie sometimes. One real highlight of my month was seeing Jill Murphy when she came to Milwaukee on a college visit with her daughter and niece. We chatted and had lunch together, and she brought me up to speed on things that have been happening at Will’s Place. I was impressed to hear that Colleen’s husband Bob and our landlord Jim are trying to turn an unused school near the local Catholic church into a homeless shelter. I wish them both the best of luck! This is my fourth week of classes at Marquette; I have not yet decided on a major, and will likely remain undecided until my sophomore year. I am, however, excited that students in Marquette’s College of Communications (like me) are required to earn a second major or a minor degree. This means that I am not restricted to only one field of study! But while I wait for something to capture my passion, my schedule is a busy regimen of general education courses. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have three or four different classes, plus meetings Mondays and Wednesdays with my executive functioning coach for On Your Marq (see my last column). On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have only one or two classes. Between my classes, EF coach meetings, regular attendance at a study table, a social learning group, and other engagements, it can sometimes feel like I barely have time to catch my breath! What’s more, my homework can be challenging; my assignments demand intense, critical thought, whether about writing styles, historical trends, or processes of communication. Well, I suppose that is normal in a university setting. At least the content we learn in my classes is usually interesting!

My favorite class right now is Introduction to American History. Our professor is clearly enthusiastic about history, and his lectures are always engaging. (His voice, incidentally, sounds rather like that of The Office and Despicable Me star Steve Carrell.) We have been learning about the history of North America leading up to the Revolutionary War, and I find it fascinating. Pre-Columbian Indigenous nations were more complex than most (white) people might realize–I, for example, did not know that once, Indigenous nations all over North America were connected by a vast trade network. Indigenous people also influenced the U.S. Constitution: as I recall, Benjamin Franklin and at least one other Founder took inspiration for the document from the organization of Indigenous societies. Meanwhile, easily my toughest class is Introduction to Digital Media. The abstract information we learn, I admit, is engaging to me–ideas of composition, like the “Rule of Thirds,” exposure, and depth of field. However, I am still learning the ropes with cameras and other equipment we use for this class, meaning the class projects we are assigned have, to a certain extent, chagrined me. Still, I should feel more comfortable as time passes and I get the hang of the equipment. I wonder if Julia and Jessica, being so artistic, might like Introduction to Digital Media? One major difference between high school and college is that my college campus has multiple buildings, and not all of my classes meet in the same building. For the first time in my life, I have had to cross streets to go from one class to another. Fortunately, I can get just about anywhere on campus in around 15 minutes. It is also handy that, although my classes do not all take place in the same building, all of the buildings where I have classes are near each other. Behind the buildings is a beautiful quad (photo above) that I walk through sometimes, when I am on my way to engagements, and when I am just taking a walk. On the next block over is the Wellness and Helfaer Recreation Center (the “Rec”), where I work out less frequently than I should. When I do exercise at the Rec, though, I often use the weight machines on the first floor, and sometimes the free weights on the lower level; if I go up a flight of stairs that are near the weight machines, I find myself at a level of the building that houses a track, where I sometimes run (although when I try to run on the track, I mostly end up walking). Although I do not often leave campus, I have begun to visit a branch of the Milwaukee Public Library, not far from the block where I have classes. I have even acquired a library card there, of which I intend to make copious use. Of course, I will always remain loyal to the Skokie Public Library, but frankly, any decently-sized building filled with books is a home to me, in Illinois, Wisconsin, or anywhere else. Unfortunately, this month has brought some tragic news. On September 5, two students died in an automotive accident. The two were Men’s Lacrosse players; one was studying business, the other biomedical sciences. Although I knew neither of them personally, it troubled me that two people, within my own age range, could have their prospects snatched away with no warning.

They had not yet experienced everything life has to offer, and it was not fair for them to die. In an email about the event, though, university President Kimo Ah Yun shared a litany known as the Quaker Prayer, which touched me. It reads, in part: “...life is eternal and love is immortal/And death is only a horizon./And a horizon is nothing more/than a limit to our sight.”

One more item of interest: early in the month, Marquette held “O-Fest”, a bonanza where clubs, Greek life, and other organizations on campus represented themselves and fished for members. I was already in an extracurricular group, Jazz Ensemble (I play trumpet; my audition piece was the theme from The Pink Panther). Nevertheless, I attended O-Fest, because I wanted to check out the other clubs Marquette has to offer, and see if there was anything I might want to be a part of. (The fact that I was required to attend O-Fest for two different classes might also have had something to do with it.) One great thing about O-Fest is that I did not have to go alone: Molly, my peer mentor from OYM, met me nearby, and we walked around O-Fest together. There were long lines of people moving from one club booth to the next, and Molly and I found the sardine-like proximity uncomfortable. Still, the club offerings were wide, and I signed up for multiple groups. Right now, the club I enjoy being in the most is the Marquette Filmmakers’ Association. I recently pitched the club an idea for a movie I want to make, and people have signed up to help me make it! Looking forward to sharing more about that process with you! As you can tell, mine has been a somewhat busy month, but Will’s Place has still been in my thoughts. Allow me to extend greetings to Shiva, our new hire–welcome to the team! I wish I could greet you in person! I am so jealous that I could not attend the ‘90s night, since many of the entertainment properties I enjoy–Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Simpsons–come from that decade. Oh, well. As I write this, Family Weekend at Marquette is coming up, and I am excited for my parents to visit! I look forward to writing all about that experience in my next letter! All the best to the entire Will’s Place family as we head into October!

Until next time,

Reed Larson-Erf