Excuses and Half-truths

About Excuses and Half-truths

Neil FitzPatrick is a Columbia College sophomore. Excuses and Half-truths runs alternate Mondays.

Articles

Sophomore Wisdom

My column, Excuses and Half-truths, is all about not being an expert—it’s about being a 20-year-old college student who doesn’t know anything yet, and about trying to figure out a few things. And it’s that perspective which I think makes this Sophomore Wisdom different, and worth writing.

In defense of smokers

Blasphemous though it may be to admit this in the Spectator, I love Bwog’s series “Overheard.” I love it because 1.) it makes me feel better about my own penchant for eavesdropping, and 2.) it provides us with such gems as this:

Little kid, maybe 13 years old, wearing a backpack walking with classmates. With a concerned look at the ashtrays outside of Hamilton: ‘I know there’s a lot of peer pressure at college, but why does everyone have to smoke so much?’”

Good question, kid.

Reading Mill at SXSW

I was in Austin, Texas over spring break attending the South by Southwest music festival and I came to the conclusion that Columbia (specifically the Core) ruins you.

City comes together to weather the storm

I don’t love snow for the same reasons most snow-lovers do. No, I love snow because of what it does to New Yorkers.

Searching for certainty

Without getting into specifics, Columbia has destroyed, and continues to destroy, my last vestiges of academic certainty by introducing me to theory.

Marriage and apathy in the Garden State

A look at our paradoxical views (or lack thereof) on marriage equality.