It’s good to be back. This is the second year of Omnium Gatherum, and while I have grown to loathe the name, I am proud of what this column has grown into. For first time readers, Omnium Gatherum is a variety column that covers campus happenings, as well as culture and politics at the local, state, and national level. I aim to inform, humor, and maybe even expand some horizons. But mostly, I rant.

NH Republicans had a disheartening primary and face the possibility (probability) of a blue sweep next month. There were three competitive federal primaries last Tuesday where Republican candidates vied to challenge Congressmen Kuster and Pappas as well as Senator Hassan. In each primary there was a clear “Trumpy” candidate with little chance of winning in the general election. They competed against more traditional insider candidates who often polled ahead of their would-be Democrat rivals.

In each case, the establishment candidate lost to the most visibly pro-Trump candidates: Bolduc, Burns, and Leavitt (a Saint Anselm alumna). All three claim the 2020 election was stolen. Bolduc and Burns had millions in out-of-state Republican Democrat money behind them in an effort to prop up their weaker campaigns. The outcomes of these three races make it likely that NH will retain its entirely Democratic federal delegation. But, should these candidates win, Republican primary voters and Democrat PACs both deserve scorn.

We’re getting four new majors: health sciences, legal studies, business analytics, and information systems. Three of the four majors are bachelors of arts, while health sciences is a bachelor of science. The new additions represent a move away from the liberal arts and humanities and towards a more vocational model.

Only the class of 2023 remembers Davison Hall before the twin disasters of Covid and AVI. Covid was more destructive, closing the entire campus, but AVI seems like it will stick around longer. For the Freshmen who don’t know their Hilltop history, there used to be operational cafes in the Jean Student Center and NHIOP. C-Shop was open seven days a week, and its menu was more extensive. Our sanguisuge dining service has throttled one of Saint Anselm’s greatest draws, our food. We have plunged in national college food rankings. Administration ought to be actively looking for a replacement.

At some point, before you graduate, you ought to attend a few of the musical events put together by our Fine Arts Department. Generally held in Koonz Theater, events like the near-weekly Common Hour Concerts give Saint Anselm students a valuable chance to see their peers and professors in a cultural setting largely absent from the 21st century. An hour of concentration, where screens are unmistakably rude. The music is generally good, with pieces ranging from the classical giants to jazz and more modern arrangements. The concerts are well worth your time.

My Chemical Romance is back, and the pop-punk legends are touring with a new vibe. The band, founded in the ashes of 9/11, changed music as they took the grimy darkness of their predecessors and refined it into generational anthems like “Teenagers,” “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” and “Welcome to the Black Parade.” But, despite their success, the band dissolved in 2013. The hectic energy of their early days had been fueled by an unstable mixture of emotions that took a physical toll on the band. After six years of rest, they played a comeback performance in 2019.

Then Covid struck. Fans were forced to ask an agonizing question; would we ever see MCR live again? By the grace of God, we would.

The band began touring again this year, and I had the absolute pleasure of seeing them live at TD Garden earlier this month. Let me tell you, they’ve still got it. The band has matured and, much to our horror, aged. But they seem healthy in a way rockers rarely are. Personally, professionally, and musically, all seems in order. Musically, the band has released one song since their reunion, “The Foundations of Decay.” It is a paragon of MCR’s style, perfectly combining the gritty talent of “I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love” with the referential scale of “Welcome to the Black Parade.” It’s great.