• Welcome back. Here’s what you might have missed between May and August… *

• U.S. Rep. Tim Walz won the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party’s nomination for governor, beating State Rep. Erin Murphy and outgoing Attorney General Lori Swanson, while Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson won the GOP’s nomination over former two-term governor Tim Pawlenty.

• U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison’s (D-MN) ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence just days before he was nominated as the DFL candidate for attorney general in the Minnesota primary on August 14. Ellison will face Republican Doug Wardlow in the general election on November 6.

• State Rep. Ilhan Omar won the Democratic primary to replace Ellison in the U.S. House, and is set to become the first Somali-American ever to serve in Congress next year.

• A report in The Intercept accused Swanson of improperly using the attorney general’s office for political purposes. One allegation held that she refused to hire Macalester graduates because, in the words of her former aide D’Andre Norman, “those would always be the kids who say ‘Man, this is really not right.’”

• Macalester began to roll out its new fundraising campaign. Titled “Mac Moments”, the campaign will officially launch in October and aims to raise $100 million for the college. $40 million will go to financial aid.

• The Health & Wellness Center has been restructured, counseling services and hours have been increased, and other programming expanded as well.

• In early June, Athletic Director Kim Chandler left the college. The circumstances of her departure are unclear. Chandler had been at Macalester since 2009; a LinkedIn profile now identifies her as working as a senior executive assistant at North Star Resource Group. Steve Murray is currently serving as Interim Director of Athletics.

• There were more shake-ups in the athletic department. Women’s soccer coach Michele Cornish resigned in April to become the athletic director Shattuck-St. Mary’s, and was replaced by University of Minnesota assistant coach Krystle Seidel. Two of Seidel’s siblings, Brent and Brian, have played for Minnesota United.

• The men’s basketball program got a new head coach as well: Abe Woldeslassie ’08, formerly an assistant at Siena College.

• The swim program is currently without a head coach after Beth Whittle departed the college.

• The field at Macalester Stadium got new turf, while varsity teams received new (rebrand-appropriate) uniforms.

• Political science professor Adrienne Christiansen resigned her position as Director of the Jan Serie Center for Scholarship and Teaching. An announcement was made last Friday. Christiansen, who led the Serie Center for ten years, will continue in her role through the end of the semester and return to teaching full-time in the fall of 2019.

• Geology professor Alan Chapman received a Southern California Earthquake Center grant to support his research, which aims to provide a better understanding of earthquake hazards in the region.

• Changes were also made to the college’s dining program. Scotty’s is now open for dinner, while The Loch now serves mediterranean-style and halal cuisine.