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A Fraternity, a Goat, and Some Introspection
Tweet Share on Facebook June 22, 2007 CommentNot 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
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Iowa Really Doesn't Want You to Drink
Tweet Share on Facebook June 22, 2007 CommentOld 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
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Students Upset About Antimarijuana Policies
Tweet Share on Facebook June 22, 2007 Comment (1)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
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'I Like Girls, and I Like Money,' Says Calendar Man
Tweet Share on Facebook June 20, 2007 Comment (1)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
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Webcams Are Officially Not Fun Anymore
Tweet Share on Facebook June 20, 2007 CommentTroy 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
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Trail Mix
Tweet Share on Facebook June 20, 2007 Comment*The name of a former Ku Klux Klan grand dragon still graces street signs at the University of Oklahoma, the Hub reports. At least one student is upset about it.
*University of Minnesota students loiter too long in coffee shops to use the free wireless Internet access, the Minnesota Daily reports. Store owners don't like it and have begun resorting to desperate measures, such as posting passive-aggressive signs.
*A 100 percent increase in bike thefts (from five to 10) at the University of Pittsburgh has forced university police to step up enforcement, the Pitt News reports. Risking their lives for the common good, officers have "bolstered their presence around campus bike racks." —Alison Go
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Trashing Student Newspapers: Protection from Fire? Or Bad Music Reviews?
Tweet Share on Facebook June 19, 2007 Comment (17)Conspiracy theorists originally cried foul when more than 5,000 copies of the Ohio State's Lantern commencement issue wound up missing, resulting in $3,000 worth of advertising lost, the Lantern reports. The issues were originally placed outside the stadium where former President Bill Clinton was to give the commencement address.
But OSU's office of facilities operations and development is taking the blame for the disappearing issues after a groundskeeping supervisor admitted removing the papers. The employee says an unidentified security official told him to move the newspapers to eliminate a potential fire hazard: "When a security official tells you to do something, you do it."
Gotta love the "just following orders" defense, but we at Paper Trail aren't quite convinced that 5,000 newspapers could burn down an entire football stadium. But hey, at least the guy recycled. —Jackie Mantey and Alison Go
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Trail Mix
Tweet Share on Facebook June 19, 2007 Comment* According to a University of California study, GPA is a terrible predictor of college academic success, but turns out, it's not quite as terrible as standardized test scores, Inside Higher Ed reports.
* Strip clubs and lap dances have been in the news a lot lately: Ohio, California, D.C., and now Seattle. No surprise, then, that campus coverage of the phenomenon is far from lacking. The University of Washington Daily is the latest example. —Alison Go
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If a Giant State School Isn't Safe From a Budget Crisis, Who Is?
Tweet Share on Facebook June 18, 2007 CommentFlorida State University announced Friday that it will freeze enrollment for the coming school year in order to stabilize its budget, reports the FSView. A combination of factors has resulted in the freeze, and officials say they simply "just do not have the money to admit more freshmen and transfer students."
Potential students won't be the only ones affected by the tightened budget, as faculty will be forced to teach more classes and certain perks of being a college professor could be sliced. Students already at the school may also face fatter fees and shorter library and computer lab hours. But at least it's not Antioch College. (Too soon?) —Jackie Mantey
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Trail Mix
Tweet Share on Facebook June 18, 2007 Comment* Apparently the police at UCLA are much more appreciative of some skin than those over at Notre Dame. The California cops blocked traffic and got an eyeful as almost 9,000 Bruins (and a rubber blow-up doll) shed their clothes and celebrated the end of the year during the school's triannual Undie Run, reports the Daily Bruin.
* Indiana University launches its Mini University this week, the Indiana Daily Student reports. Contrary to what its name suggests, the program will enroll nearly 500 normal students, not only those who are 4'8" and shorter. —Jackie Mantey and Alison Go