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Stanford Impostor Dupes ROTC, Too
Tweet Share on Facebook May 29, 2007 CommentThe Stanford Daily continues its coverage of the Stanford imposter and reports that Azia Kim was able to infiltrate the Army ROTC detachment at Santa Clara University. (Because of a campus ban on ROTC, Stanford undergrads who want to participate have to take do so at other nearby colleges.)
Kim took classes on Army tactics and history (which she excelled at), received military equipment, and earned official military awards for her top grades at Stanford (which she proved with forged documents).
When a fellow cadet once asked, "Wouldn't it be funny if you went to Housing and they said that you weren't a Stanford student," Kim "didn't even flinch," says an acquaintance. "That just shows her awesomeness." --Alison Go
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Trail Mix
Tweet Share on Facebook May 29, 2007 Comment- A kooky comparative lit professor at the University of Washington has retired, leaving behind the memory of him prancing about in his underwear while dramatizing Dostoyevsky, the Daily writes. The 1960s really were a magical time.
- The Michigan Liquor Control Commission has increased the security deposit on kegs from $10 to $30, the Michigan Daily reports. Supporters of the change say it will deter thieves from taking the stainless steel containers and selling them as scrap metal; they are lobbying for an even bigger increase, maybe up to $90 a keg. --A.G.
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When the Lights Go Out in the Cities
Tweet Share on Facebook May 25, 2007 CommentPower outages at two schools caused considerable consternation, actually forcing students to go outside into the perfectly nice weather. At Michigan State, some students complained that an outage affecting almost 4,000 residences and businesses, including a student bookstore and a Starbucks, has caused rampant boredom and frustration, the State News reports. "I just bought a new video game," yelled one student. At Ohio University, an outage canceled the earliest showings of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie at the campus theater, according to the Post. The scene at the theater was described as "pandemonium." --Alison Go
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Trail Mix
Tweet Share on Facebook May 25, 2007 Comment- Eschewing cover charges, several enterprising Ohio University students have funded private house parties, thanks to sponsorship from a calzone restaurant and a caffeinated malt beverage company, the Post reports.
- Northwestern University, which ranks ninth of the 11 Big Ten schools for the male-to-female ratio of tenured faculty, faces criticism for allegedly discriminating against women, the Daily Northwestern reports.--A.G.
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Many Charged In Duke Cheating Scandal Were International Students
Tweet Share on Facebook May 24, 2007 Comment (1)A new twist in the Duke Fuqua School of Business cheating scandal: Many of the accused are Asian international students and have been in the country for less than a year, the Chronicle reports.
The lawyer representing 16 students who are appealing the school's sanctions, which range from failing grades to expulsion, said his clients did not completely understand the Honor Code or judicial proceedings. "There is something else going on here, something that needs to be explained before we go forward with this, because it doesn't look right," he said.
He also said that many of the students wrote letters of confession when pressured by faculty, accelerating the trial process and leaving them little time to defend themselves. International students who are expelled would lose their student visas and would be deported. --Alison Go
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Faking It: Stanford Impostor Gets Caught
Tweet Share on Facebook May 24, 2007 Comment (1)If you can't get into Stanford, then do like Azia Kim and fake it. For eight months, using excuses and explanations ranging from housing mix-ups to "roommate" issues, Kim was able to dupe at least two unsuspecting (and legit) sophomores into thinking she was a full-time student for the fall and winter quarters, the Stanford Daily reports. Kim bought books, attended classes, and even broke into a roommate's E-mail account to cover her tracks. She was eventually busted after several resident advisers finally started wondering what was up.
Without a Stanford ID or a key, she was forced to sneak into meals and enter her room through its window. Spending much of her time at her boyfriend's, Kim's roommate never noticed. "She took off the screen and always left one of the windows wide open and the blinds up," the roommate said. "I just guessed she always wanted a breezy room."--Christina Mueller and A.G.
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Trail Mix
Tweet Share on Facebook May 24, 2007 Comment- A year and a half of demonstrations and two cancelled commencement speakers later, the University of California system and union officials reached agreement yesterday over a custodial worker wage dispute, the Daily Californian writes. The agreement will increase hourly wages at Berkeley, Santa Cruz, and Santa Barbara by $1.75, and by 50 cents at the other UC campuses, affecting about 3,000 custodians.
- The "Women of UW" calendar, awash with scantily clad University of Washington students, has been pulled from university bookstore shelves after an E-mail campaign charged the calendar with objectifying women, the Seattle Times reports. The calendar features 13 women because, as the Times points out, "one month shows twins."
- More than 100 Iowa State faculty members signed a petition opposing a chaplain for the football team, according to the Iowa State Daily.
- The Daily Barometer writes about the "barefoot man," an Oregon State sophomore who isn't much a fan of shoes. With long hair and beard, he is often described as looking like Jesus. He also carves garden gnomes. --A.G.
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Indecent Exposure: Ohio U. Vulnerable to Hack Attacks
Tweet Share on Facebook May 23, 2007 CommentThe FBI continues to investigate a series of security breaches at Ohio University starting two years ago, which exposed the personal information of almost 300,000 university alumni donors and the medical records of at least 60,000 more and allowed the perpetrators to use the school's network to hack other computers all over the country, the Post reports. A controversial report says the infiltrated system had gone undetected for months and in one case more than a year, partially owing to institutional problems like high turnover in the information technology department.
At least two IT officials have been fired because of the breach, according to the Post. A class action suit also has been filed by alumni, blaming the school for negligence and asking for compensation for any injuries related to identity theft.
After two years, authorities still have little idea who is behind the attacks, but they did trace the increase in traffic to computers in Asia. --Alison Go and Christina Mueller
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Trail Mix
Tweet Share on Facebook May 23, 2007 Comment- University of Minnesota officials are considering a smoke-free campus after the governor signed a statewide smoking ban, the Minnesota Daily reports. "You shouldn't have to walk five blocks to have a smoke," says a smoker who opposes the ban. True, especially if you can't make it halfway there without feeling winded.
- Perhaps that Maytag man from the commercials should wander over to the campus of Northeastern University to help fix the 284 dishwashers affected by a February 1 recall, the Northeastern News suggests.
- Making a tough, life-changing decision, the Dartmouth student association earmarked $8,000 for new vending machines that work with the school's debit card system instead of more television channels at the cardio machines in the gym, the Dartmouth reports.
- A University of Oklahoma senior makes and sells electric bicycles for $864, the Hub writes. Should the Segway makers be worried? --Alison Go
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One Band Flees, but the Cicadas Are Still Coming
Tweet Share on Facebook May 22, 2007 CommentNorthwestern University's annual music festival, Dillo Day, will be short one band but expecting thousands of winged party crashers, the Daily Northwestern reports. Motion City Soundtrack has canceled its concert because of the lead singer's "medical problems," and organizers are now scrambling to replace the Minneapolis-based pop-rock band.
Meanwhile, students' ears very likely will still be ringing as "huge, deafening flying insects emerge from the darkness . . . flood the air, scream out their mating calls, reproduce, and die" on Dillo Day weekend. After their regular 17-year hiatus, thousands or even millions of cicadas will descend upon Evanston and will basically behave like many college students: They will indulge in food and sex. "But it's not like it's locusts or anything," says one optimistic festival planner.
As a bonus, if partyers get a little hungry, there are plenty of the high-protein fliers to snack on. Do they taste like chicken? Not so much. Cicadas are apparently reminiscent of canned asparagus when eaten raw, and their texture is more like shrimp when cooked. "My favorite recipe is to barbecue them with garlic and butter," says one enthusiast. Kind of like lobster. But disgusting. --Alison Go