Talk:St. Olaf College

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	St. Olaf College is part of WikiProject Lutheranism, an effort to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to Lutheranism on Wikipedia. This includes but is not limited to Lutheran churches, Lutheran theology and worship, and biographies of notable Lutherans. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
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Is it just my imagination, of is this page beginning to accrete some rather unencyclopedic material? Williamborg 22:43, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

I went to this page awhile ago, and whoever made it didn't keep their language very "enyclopedic" I am working on somewhat of an overhaul, though it could take awhile.Kalossoter 16:30, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

We also need a good history of the college. Anyone interested in taking that up with me?--Kalossoter 17:21, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

Get it started and I'll pitch in. I've got some materials around here somewhere. Williamborg 03:18, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

Sounds good. I'll get it going (at least a little bit) at some point today or early tomorrow.--Kalossoter 17:03, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

And here I can't find my history of the college. Have to keep looking—must be around here somewhere... Williamborg 02:00, 6 July 2006 (UTC)

Yes, it almost seems more like a brouchure...130.71.241.100 03:48, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Parody versions of song

It seems like people cannot resist adding parody versions of Um Ya Ya. None of the attempts thus far have included any references for the parody versions. People, please ask yourself if this would really be useful information for an encyclopedia article before adding it.--Larrybob 22:02, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Photo request

Steensland Library is on the List of Registered Historic Places in Minnesota. Could someone get a picture of it?--Appraiser (talk) 19:55, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

The construction precludes necessary access at the moment. The Uninvited Co., Inc. 20:06, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Notable alumni

I have pruned the list. In general, there shouldn't be any red links, that is, links to articles that don't exist, unless they are clearly missing. WP:BIO guidelines should apply here. The Uninvited Co., Inc. 20:05, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

Several of those people you deleted meet Wikipedia notability criteria, but don't yet have articles. I haven't researched them all, but several appear to be notable based on their descriptions here. Robert Flaten, former United States Ambassador to Rwanda (1990-1993), can be presumed to be notable (ambassadors are generally notable, but relatively few have articles). Sidney Rand, former President of St. Olaf and United States Ambassador to Norway, is another ambassador. Academy Award winners are notable, so Barry Morrow, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Rain Man, is another notable without an article. Erik Paulsen has notability as former Republican majority leader of the Minnesota House, if not also as a one-time U.S. Congressional candidate. Red links in lists such as the list of notable alumni can serve the useful purpose of encouraging people to contribute articles. Additionally, Eric Fawcett and John Ostby may not have articles of their own, but their band Spymob has an article, suggesting that the band is notable and that therefore their association with St. Olaf ought to be acknowledged. --Orlady (talk) 01:57, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

While what you say is true, I would postulate that many of those individuals are substantially less notable than those other alumni in the list who have made enduring contributions on a national scale. Spymob, for example, is marginally notable at best. The real key is not WP:BIO but parity -- those who are on the list should be substantially more notable than those who are left off, and the value of such a list is in its brevity. A handful of people in each graduating class go on to make a record or two, likewise with runs for political office.

I will also note that, while I am not familiar with the role the individuals you cite played as ambassadors, that such posts are often highly symbolic, perhaps explaining the relative paucity of articles.

The Uninvited Co., Inc. 22:43, 9 February 2008 (UTC)