Entries for June 2007

Like something out of a bad CW television show, an E-mail circulating around Drexel University sororities accuses the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity of posting scandalous pictures and offensive content on its internal website, the Triangle reports. The E-mail reads: "Under headings such as 'jawn spotting' and 'smuts,' brothers can access your pictures, Facebook profile links, a list of brothers who have been with you, nicknames, comments about you and even a place where the men can rank you...Not only is it voyeurism, and pornography, it is also morally wrong." The letter also claims the site issued "derogatory 'falsehoods' against the women" and listed whether they had any sexually transmitted diseases.

As a result, fraternity alumni have suspended the Drexel chapter and will "reorganize" the group in the fall. The chapter denies many of the most severe allegations, but an alumni official says plans for a shake-up were underway even before the letter came to light. The alumni had worried whether the chapter had "the 'right' group of men" since March. —Alison Go

*It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a giant flying Rubik's cube made by six Virginia Tech engineers and architects, the Collegiate Times writes.

*The roommate of a would-be car theft victim fired a gun at two burglars making the attempt, BYU NewsNet reports. After hearing the car alarm, the two resourceful Brigham Young University students "quickly arose, grabbed pistols, and went to the underground parking to check on the vehicle." —Alison Go

Indiana Jones has raided the tower of ivory at Yale University in the first crusade to shoot the fourth film in the 26-year-old series, the New York Observer reports. New Haven storefronts have been transformed into 1957 (how specific) scenery, and a cloud of secrecy (via confidentiality agreements) has befallen the sleepy college town. A "pretty blond" student, who also happens to be an extra, has been shirking her summer school duties in hopes of making it big, while the rest of the campus is aflutter with gossip and supposition. "Some underclassmen callously commented that Mr. Ford was getting a bit long in the tooth for action flicks...[but others said he] was still worthy of being clutched while dangling from a rope over a snake pit—or something along those lines." —Alison Go

You know what we usually call people who live in cars? Homeless. Or hippies. But for a month in Georgia, we can call them "local celebrities," apparently with no job but with big dreams. A University of Georgia student and seven other contestants are calling two SUVs home until July 13, according to the Red and Black. The vehicles are parked in the middle of a mall and are free of any "luxury items" like books and iPods. The point of all this? Whoever lasts longest gets to take a car home—and, one hopes, some air freshener, too. —Alison Go

*A theater group at the University of Kansas will perform Pageant, featuring a bevy of guys in drag, the University Daily Kansan reports. The production is not a drag show but redundantly described by the director as a "parody of beauty pageants."

*Besides past experience in putting out fires, what do Iceman, Storm, the Flash, and Superman have in common? They pseudo-ironically helped burn down an Ohio University comic book store, the Post writes. —Alison Go

In an effort to create a more "refined" look for a University of Pittsburgh logo, school administrators have inadvertently stirred up a maelstrom of discontent among Panther fans, the Pitt News reports. According to one sportswriter, the change "turns the Pitt Panther into a Cowardly Lion, except the lion draws a strange resemblance to a dog." Or according to others, a pit bull, a pig, a prairie dog, or (our favorite) an otter. There's a poll and even a Facebook group ("Boycott the new Pitt logo—it looks like an otter"). —Alison Go

You know that rule about not talking politics when drinking? The same does not apply when it comes to talking drinks when politicking, and definitely not in Champaign. Home of the University of Illinois, the city of Champaign has recently tackled alcohol problems at a council meeting, the Daily Illini reports. A short list:

1. Excessive intoxication.

2. Lack of routine contact between servers and patrons at bars.

3. The sale of 1.5-liter bottles of wine at bars, stemming from problems caused by campus "wine nights."

4. "Happy Hour legislation."

5. Sale of distilled alcohol in quantities greater than 750 milliliters (a.k.a. a "fifth") in bars.

The restrictive policies, most of which stemmed from problems at campus bars, were shot down because of their "overwhelming" influence on off-campus establishments. The mayor suggested many of the problems would be lifted "simply by raising the entry age to 21," since that's going real well at the University of Iowa. —Alison Go

Teaching assistants at UC-Santa Barbara held a "grade-in," conducting their work out in the open to showcase the "excessive" workloads caused by burgeoning class size, the Daily Nexus reports. "We wanted to emphasize the fact that we are workers, a fact which we feel is often lost to the university," said one of the protesters. The local United Auto Workers chapter teamed up with the student employees—because we all know how well that worked out for the American auto workforce. —Alison Go

In response to faculty discontent over a football team chaplain at Iowa State University, the school's athletics council approved a "volunteer life skills assistant" position instead, the Iowa State Daily reports. Critics say that the guidelines would offer a bogus "one size fits all" religious counseling experience and that "life skills volunteer" is really just a superfluously syllabic way of saying "chaplain." Unsatisfied with the changes, opponents of a religious counselor of any kind are prepared to take the athletic department to court. —Alison Go

*UC-Davis is opening its own Robert Mondavi Institute, the California Aggie reports. Best final exams ever?

*A college rivalry taken to the courts (the legal kind) ends with a Texas A&M store owner adding white splotches to a "Saw 'Em Off" parody logo to appease University of Texas attorneys, according to the Battalion.

*Instead of going to Europe, spending tons of money, isolating themselves among other American students, and learning almost nothing about foreign cultures, more students who want to study abroad can choose Africa, the Daily Pennsylvanian reports.

*What to do with a communications degree from Michigan State? Build a giant cupcake tower in pursuit of a Guinness world record, writes the State News. —Alison Go

Not satisfied with ordinary punishment, Louisiana State University is calling for its Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity chapter to sing "Kumbaya" during an "introspection period"—designed as reprimand for housing a live goat last fall, reports the Daily Reveille. Members claimed it was a chapter mascot.

One definition of a goat: "a licentious or lecherous man." The goat is also traditionally associated with Satan. DKE boys, you trying to tell us something? —Christina Mueller and Alison Go

Old news: Alcohol is linked to bad decisions. Sort-of-new news: Alcohol is linked to bad decisions over time, the University of Iowa's Daily Iowan reports. Researchers, however, did not go so far as establishing a causal relationship: "It's unclear what comes first: the binge drinking or the bad choices."

Speaking of poor decision making, an Iowa county ordinance that has been almost unanimously panned as pointless will become state law in July, according to the Iowa State Daily. Clearly, if it doesn't work on the county level, then it will definitely work across the state. The law requires every keg sold to identify who purchased the booze as an effort to curb distribution to minors. —Jackie Mantey and Alison Go

While George Washington University students complain about their school's harsh antipot policies, Kansans lament a bill that makes the possession or sale of almost all drug paraphernalia illegal in the state, leaving some tobacco-licensed shops near Kansas State University worried about a loss in income, reports the Kansas State Collegian.

The bill authorizes special task forces to inspect shops they suspect could be breaking the law. Owners of the shops say they will comply but aren't too happy that the bill rode on the coattails of a "partial-birth" abortion act politicians knew would pass. —Jackie Mantey

Joining the ranks of schools with calendars that objectify women, Michigan State, Lansing Community College, and a nearby upscale beauty school will offer up scantily clad models for East Lansing Girls Next Dorm—the project of LCC business student Tyler McClure. According to a State News article, the young entrepreneur trolled MySpace to find models, about half of whom go to MSU and none of whom live in dorms. After sinking $25,000 into the venture, the former ticket broker plans to sell the calendars at local promotional events and community pool parties.

Some quotes from the man himself:

On the impetus for the calendar: "I like girls, and I like money."

On the 40 to 50 MySpace applicants he rejected for being "subpar": "It kind of cracks me up that they spend all the money on that stuff [portfolios]...East Lansing guys want quantity, not quality."

On the controversy surrounding the calendar: "I don't really feel that it's exploiting anyone if they're agreeing to it. I don't have them at gunpoint."

On being accused of using the calendar for purely monetary gain: "It's the first year, and since I want to expand, I need all the money I can get...Eventually, I'll look out for a charity." —Christina Mueller

Troy University in Alabama will give cameras to 11,000 of its online students to be used during exams, reports the Boston Globe. The move is an attempt to prevent cheating scandals plaguing so many colleges and to boost the online degrees' credibility. Some worry that the cameras are a little too Big Brother-ish. Paper Trail is more worried about a deluge of bad test-taking videos on YouTube. —Jackie Mantey and Alison Go