With this week’s release of the second movie in the Twilight saga, “New Moon,” here are a few of my thoughts on vampires.

Back in the days of Lord Ruthven and Dracula, vampires were confined to the role of the villain and there were several characteristics that made vampires easily identifiable. They subsisted on blood (preferably that of babies or beautiful female virgins), they never went in the sun, they slept in crypts, and they could be combated with garlic, crucifixes, wooden stakes, etc.

This is no longer the case with your average twenty-first century vampire. Now, vampires are much more complex characters. They can be the villain, hero, anti-hero, or just a normal “person.” Vampires no longer have to prey on humans; they have the dietary options of animal blood, synthetic blood, or a dealer in the local blood bank. Some vampires are able to go out in the sun, some of them no longer sleep, and the usual means of killing vampires are no longer effective.

Instead, vampires grace the pages of teenage romance fiction such as Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga, or they revamp classic literary characters like Mr. Darcy, or they move on to adult romance, hence All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire. Now, everywhere you look, vampires are there—in the movies (Underworld 1-3, Van Helsing, and the many Dracula adaptations), TV shows (“Trueblood,” “Moonlight,” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), the bookshelves of Walmart and Barnes and Noble, and maybe even next door. Thanks to Meyer’s new take on vampires, anyone could be, at least superficially, a vampire.

The only requirements for being a vampire seem to be pale skin, sex appeal, and a good dose of melodrama (and maybe a taste for blood and spying on teenage girls while they sleep). Therefore, ye be warned—vampires are undead and well, and taking over the world.

Ronald Reagan challenged the youth of America to get involved in politics.

In Ronald Reagan’s 1989 farewell speech he inspired the youth in America to dream of change and pursue active leadership for the good of America. “All great change in America begins at the dinner table,” Reagan told America. And he was right.

Yet as a college student, I am aware of how many of my contemporaries across this nation see little reason to devote themselves to the world of politics. Millions of college students around the country would rather stay in their comfortable safe havens of youthful apathy than dare to engage the complex political world surrounding them.

Many young American intellectuals are scared. Scared to engage in a fearless way in the world of politics, for the sake of the future of our country. A temptation for college students is to keep the dinner conversations merely dinner conversations. To keep the transformative ideas and dreams of what America could become only in term papers and research assignments. College students are tempted to keep the questions they raise in classrooms about their stake in America’s future only to themselves, their peers, and their professors.

Yet if transformative 40th president Reagan was still with us today, he would demand that we take our dreams for America’s future and cast ourselves into the world of politics. Reagan himself lived this out when he dared to take the conversations he had around his dinner table concerning ending the “evil empire” of the Soviet Union, and pursued the presidency fighting for the freedom of those in political bondage.

We ought to learn from current President Barack Obama who wisely saw former president Reagan as one of the greatest transformative presidents of modern times. Reagan still matters. His message still matters. His legacy still matters. And most importantly his optimistic spirit, his grand yet specific dreams for his country still matter.

Aspiring leaders of our country can only change America in a more responsible way when they understand that America needs their ideas to be expressed not only in the safe comfortable world surrounding the kitchen table, but in the scary, complex world of local, state, and national politics. Youth with a vision for the future of the America, step up. Take the risk of expressing your ideas publicly—take the risk of taking part in the world of politics.

As Kate Harrison discusses in her article, Brad Voyles was recently promoted to Vice President of Student Development / Dean of Students. On behalf of Student Senate, we would like to congratulate him on this honor.

Among other things, Dean Voyles has worked tirelessly to increase the number of student leadership positions and strives to listen to student concerns. The orientation team was Dean Voyles’ “brain child”.  In its first year, O-Team had six members. Now O-Team typically includes fifty student leaders who are dedicated to welcoming new students. All of us have benefited from this change and, without Dean Voyles’ vision, this would not have occurred.

Similarly, Dean Voyles created the Director of Student Leadership position to help with the development of student leaders. Even with the creation of this position to care for leadership, however, Dean Voyles still attends every Senate meeting to listen to the interests of the student body and offer advice when needed.

Furthermore, Dean Voyles actively seeks opportunities to listen to student opinions. At each Enrollment Management Committee meeting, he brings in several students to share their experiences with the Board of Trustees, because he values highly the opinions and perspectives of the students he serves. Even when dealing with difficult issues like the disciplinary process, parking regulation or the Contract, Dean Voyles always listens to students’ concerns.

We are incredibly blessed to have him in this new capacity and I hope that Covenant will continue to grow under his leadership for years to come. If you have the opportunity, please congratulate him.