In honor of the last Beacon of the year, we give you an extremely wise wisdom courtesy of The Beacon news editor Philip Ellefson. Philip drops some seriously true wisdom on giving a damn about school and that the cool guy with the IPA is really just a guy with an IPA.
Name: Philip Martin Ellefson Hometown: West Richland, Washington Major: English
What is your UP claim to fame? I showed up for Freshman Orientation looking like Steve Prefontaine and quickly became “Mustache Guy.” I made it worse for myself when I wrote a half-satirical piece for the Opinions section of The Beacon asking people to stop thinking of me only in terms of my facial hair. At this point, I don’t know whether people still think of me as “Mustache Guy” or whether I have an identity apart from that. I suppose it doesn’t matter much to me anymore.
When I was a freshman…. The Commons fries were covered in herbs and potato skins. Do you remember that? Those fries were the best.
Best piece of advice you received from someone during your time here? Lindie Burgess in the Moreau Center once told me that “Sometimes a thing can be good and not good at the same time. It can be both.” I don’t even need to talk about the context of the advice, because everything is good and not good at the same time. In all situations, try to maximize the Good and minimize the Not Good, acknowledging they’ll both always be there.
What are three pieces of wisdom you learned during your time at UPortland that you want to impart to those coming next? 1. Everyone is just as afraid/overwhelmed/intimidated as you are. That cool senior in your history class who dresses flawlessly and always has some brilliant insight was once an awkward freshman trying to make it through her first semester. The ultra-chill guy sipping IPAs in the back of the party is not really cooler than you - he’s just figured out how to hide behind an IPA.
2. Give a damn about your studies. Do the reading, go to class, speak your mind. Give a damn. Figuring out whether Descartes was right or not isn’t just an assignment, it will make you a better person by helping you understand yourself and the world. Go to office hours, write good papers, ask for help. Give a damn. Never again will you be surrounded by so many people devoted to spreading knowledge. Talk with them, learn from them. You’re not in high school anymore, so knowledge is actually cool now. Give a damn.
3. Everything is changing all the time. As a freshman, you think you find your best friend, your ideal major, but before long you have a different best friend and a different major. As a senior, you sit on the steps of Franz Hall when the cherry blossoms are falling from the trees and you realize you’re different than you used to be. You also realize four years felt like four months. We’re hurtling, of course, towards a cliché, which is carpe diem or whatever.
The Commons or The Cove? Bon Appetit’s fine, but if you want to feel satisfied by food, learn to make a hearty lentil stew or bake a loaf of bread.
Best advice for experiencing Portland? Leave. Portland is a city defined by its proximity to natural beauty. Go to the coast, go to the Gorge, go hiking, go camping, go somewhere.
The infamous… what’s next? In August, I’m moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and joining the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. I’ll be working with an organization called International Institute of Wisconsin, where I’ll help recently resettled refugees gain skills for employment.
Any regrets? I regret not going to office hours more. Professors are the coolest people, and they want to help you, and I don’t think I made the most of their willingness to hang out.
