Posts filed under 'College Craziness'
There are some pretty unusual college clubs and organizations out there, but this one happens to be deserving of its own blog post.
Drum roll, please.
The Nap Club at Indiana University was started in 2007 by Michael Duttlinger and Joe Spencer, and frankly, I’m not sure why every college and university in America hasn’t started their own chapter. (A quick Google search tells me that Indiana U. is the only school to have a nap club, or at least an official one.)
The Nap Club is held daily in a darkened room equipped with desks, chairs, and even a few air mattresses. You have to bring your own pillow and blankie, but there is a moderator to wake you up after a while, as well as make sure no one draws on your face with a marker while you snooze
.
Studies have shown that naps increase alertness and productivity, which is good news for sleepy college students. It would be interesting to see how the Nap Club members fare after graduation. If Indiana University starts to produce an unusual number of Nobel Prize winners by way of the Nap Club, then perhaps it should think about making napping a required course.
–Barbara Bellesi
October 14th, 2009
If you’re feeling haunted by the college application process, you’re not alone.
These are the top 10 things that frighten college-bound high school seniors, according to Cappex.com’s survey of more than 600 students.
1. Getting rejected (77%)
2. Writing the application essay (50%)
3. Keeping up with deadlines (31%)
4. Finding scholarships (31%)
5. Applying for financial aid (29%)
6. Meeting a college’s GPA and test score requirements (26%)
7. Filling out applications (22%)
8. Narrowing a list of college picks (18%)
9. Reading all the mail from colleges (12%)
10. Starting a list of college picks to explore (9%)
Those are all scary propositions, but there are ways to face those fears.
The application essay may be a huge worry, but here are some tricks for making it through the fall without looking like the “Scream” stalker all the time. Think of that essay as letting college admissions folks see the real you behind the Halloween costume, as well as to learn more about your personality and dreams – things that aren’t on the basic application. Revealing an interesting side to yourself could be one way to do just that in an engaging essay that people won’t want to put down.
Getting rejected is something we all want to avoid, but it’s nothing to be frightened about.
Instead of waiting and worrying, focus on finding scholarships and applying for financial aid, which can help keep those checklist items from driving you batty. Researching options online and connecting with people in the community with funds available for your education can keep you busy this fall – and getting a head start will allow you to hit those haunted houses with a clear mind.
The ultimate treat? Not a bag of candy, but knowing where you are headed to college.
–Lori Johnston
October 7th, 2009
If there’s one thing I’m glad I didn’t participate in during my time at university, it’s the sorority system. While it’s true that the Greek collegiate system has officially banned hazing, that hasn’t stopped sororities and fraternities around the nation from continuing their practices. Case in point: the Omicron Omicron chapter of Zeta Phi Beta at Colorado State University.
According to a nearly 60-page police report, the sorority was guilty of extreme hazing that actively put their pledges’ health at risk. While other students worried about test scores and where the next party would be, the young pledges were run through the ringer – made to do strenuous calisthenics and even held in a apartment for three days with neither sleep nor food.
The result? Not only did one pledge throw up from being so hungry, two more threw up from being pressured into eating onions, and a fourth student repeatedly passed out due to her kidney problems. After hearing of these and other allegations, the university suspended the sorority.
While I’m glad the university has done the right thing by suspending this sorority, I can’t help but be disappointed by two things: that colleges and the Greek collegiate system exercise so little control and review over sororities and fraternities, and that the pledges allow themselves to be put through these ordeals. While it’s true that they were pressured into these actions, it’s also true that college, more than any other time, is when students should learn to exercise their independence and self-reliance. Once they saw that the sorority was engaging in hazing, which even included being forced to eat cat food, they should have walked out the door and reported them to school administrators.
What’s your take?
– Genevieve M. Blaber
September 1st, 2009
It’s become almost second nature these days; something interesting happens and you rush to update your Twitter account or Facebook Status. Maybe you even take a snapshot so all your online friends can see. But if the Southeastern Conference has its way football fans will be subject to a social network blackout during games.
Earlier this month, the Southeastern Conference — a college athletic conference that participates in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision — released a set of rules and regulations that its fans must now adhere to. In truth, the fan policy was par for the course except for this new section:
“[Ticketed fans cannot] produce or disseminate (or aid in producing or disseminating) any material or information about the event, including, but not limited to, any account, description, picture, video, audio, reproduction or other information.”
That’s right, the Southeastern Conference is afraid that by broadcasting your amateur game photos and updates across the Internet, you’re infringing upon the video rights that they recently sold to CBS and ESPN to the tune of $3 billion.
Fortunately though, the new policy is currently undergoing a few tweaks after members of the media and social media brought attention to the highly restrictive clause. While it’s understandable that the Southeastern Conference should want to protect their interests and the exclusive rights to media coverage that it sold, putting a muzzle on fans is not the way to go about it. Not only is it impractical — are they going to tackle anyone they see taking out a cellphone? — it hurts the relationship between the conference and fans.
It’s also highly indicative of how out of touch certain quarters are with social media. A fan who disseminates info about a football game is really only reaching his/her immediate social circle, and a throwaway mention of a good play — or a mediocre picture of a player that’s taken with a smartphone camera — hardly counts as competition for established sports outlets.
The Southeastern Conference clearly overreacted to what they saw as a threat posed by social media. Now that they’re rethinking their policy, I hope they grow to understand that Twitter and Facebook are not the enemy.
I’ve had my say, now tell me what you think! Was the Southeastern Conference right or wrong? Overreacting or not reacting strongly enough?
– Genevieve M. Blaber
August 19th, 2009
College loans getting to be too much? Why bother trying to pay them back when you can just sue your school?
That’s what Trina Thompson did. After taking out $70,000 worth of loans in order to earn a bachelor’s degree from Monroe College, Thompson graduated this April only to find she had no job. Four months later, and the 27-year-old is still jobless, but now she’s too busy filing a lawsuit against her alma mater to bother sending out resumes.
In her lawsuit, Thompson complains, “They have not tried hard enough to help me [get a job].”
It’s a subjective claim that experts say will likely hold no weigh in court. After all, while Monroe College may have touted its ability to get grads hired and promised to help via their Office of Career Advancement, it’s doubtful they explicitly stated how much they would help or even guaranteed that they would land every graduate a job.
You may be tempted to brush off Thompson’s lawsuit as a frivolous news item — it certainly seems to be — but the truth is that it could have far-reaching effects. Other schools may see her actions and, out of concern that unsatisfied students will launch similar lawsuits, decide not to offer career services anymore. Or, at the very least, they will heavily review the claims they’re making in regard to job placement. While it is certainly sad that Thompson is facing mounting bills without a job, we have to face a fact: Despite the recession, there are plenty of jobs out there and Thompson may just not want to settle.
Perhaps she had in mind a cushy IT job at Google after she had graduated. There’s nothing wrong with that. But there’s no reason why, while she sends out resumes and looks for a full-time position, she can’t supplement her income by working a part-time job in another industry. Instead, Thompson has chosen this attention-seeking move in a bid to somehow either win, or guilt her college into forgiving part of her loans.
It’s a lazy move. But hey, maybe she has a career in law now?
Genevieve M. Blaber
August 4th, 2009
Hats (or, shall I say helmets?) off to the high school guidance counselors who recently embarked on a 12-day bike tour that covered 400 miles and spanned more than a dozen campuses. God bless her soul, but my college counselor barely walked from her office to our homeroom.
The initiative originated from a Florida-based counselor, Taylor Smith, who told The New York Times he wanted to fuse his love of cycling with the college tours he makes every summer, ones he says help him better advise his students. The unique adventure has since become an annual event, with counselors from across the country meeting up to pedal onto campuses in the name of research.
Among their most memorable experiences? According to NYTimes.com article, Kirk Blackard, a counselor at Christ School in Arden, N.C., said it was not “facts you can learn from the Web site,” but the personal stories he heard while settling in from long days of biking to eat in college cafeterias and rest up in dorms.
I’m thoroughly impressed — not only with the drive of these counselors, but how that drive illuminates an unparalleled commitment to their students. The way I see it, if they’re willing to don spandex bike shorts, pack up a change of clothes in a mini bike trailer, and sleep in a dorm after shackling their bike to the campus bike stand, I bet they’ll go to bat for their students when the time of need arrives.
Pedal on!
– Gina LaGuardia
July 16th, 2009
If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s when schools overlook a student’s basic — even constitutional — rights with the excuse that their school rules dictate otherwise.
The latest school to do so is John Liechty Middle School, located in Los Angeles, California. After the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board decided to go forth with teacher layoffs and other cutbacks, a group of Liechty students engaged in a silent protest, turning their backs on Monica Garcia, president of the LAUSD, while she was speaking at their graduation.
But rather than commend or support these young students, the principal of Leighty Middle School, Jeanette Stevens, has decided to withhold their diplomas. Considering that the students have completed all of their graduation requirements, there’s no reason to deny them what they’ve worked so hard to achieve — especially for exercising their right to protest.
While a school will argue that this kind of protest is disruptive and goes against their school’s code of conduct — arguments I’ve often heard during my student years — this is a clear case of bullying if I’ve ever seen one. To hold a student’s diploma because they don’t agree with a school board policy, and choose to make it known at a public venue through civil disobedience, is not only disheartening, it goes against what students are supposed to learn at school: how to be respectful, intelligent members of society who stand up for what they believe in.
Do you agree with the principal’s decision to withhold these students’ diplomas? Chime in below.
– Genevieve M. Blaber
July 8th, 2009
How would you react if you found out that a student in your online course was really your professor in disguise? Would you be outraged or unfazed? Perhaps your response would depend on the level of the offense. Try these transgressions on for size:
- When Indiana University – Purdue University at Indianapolis Professor Barbara Christe felt disconnected from her online students, she decided to create a student alter ego by the name of Bill Reed. When she logs onto Bill’s account, Christe can see messages students send to “all students” and therefore flag potential problems in her courses. But Bill is just a silent observer – he doesn’t participate in discussions or respond to students’ queries.
- As part of a one-time study at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, Instructor Lynette Nagel invented Jane Malan to improve student engagement and prevent dropouts. Unlike Bill Reed, Jane was an active participant in class discussions. In previous offerings of the master’s level Web-based learning course, more than 50 percent of the students vanished before the course ended. But when Jane Malan came on the scene, 80 percent of the students passed the course. Do the ends justify the means?
- At the University of Hartford, Professor Frederick B. King created Joe Bag O’ Donuts to stimulate participation in his online classes. When King posted comments under his own name, discussion died down. But when Joe speaks, students listen. King even discloses upfront that Joe Bags is bogus (as if there could be any doubt), but Joe still manages to get students talking.
Personally, I don’t think it would bother me if a professor invented an alter ego because I don’t envision myself sharing deep, personal information with every student in a course, anyway. If the prof was truly using the alias to spark discussion and improve the learning experience, I probably wouldn’t give the ghost student’s presence a second thought. On the other hand, if it seemed that the faux student was being utilized for cyber-spying, I would obviously be upset by the invasion of privacy. The issue for me would likely be level of intimacy – as long as the professor didn’t use a fake student to connect with me on a personal level, I don’t think his or her presence would affect me too deeply.
What’s your take on online professors posing as students?
Read more about it at The Chronicle of Higher Education.
– Robyn Tellefsen
June 16th, 2009
When it comes to graduation, there’s no shortage of urban legends designed to inspire, frighten, or just elicit a chuckle. Decide if these popular tales are true or false, then scroll down to find out if you’re a candidate for a diploma in discernment.
1. The Graduation Gift
A man asked his father for a sports car as his college graduation gift; he received a Bible instead. Angered by the gift, the son never opened the Bible. He rediscovered it years later, after his father passed away. When he opened the Bible gift box, he found a car key and the words “Paid in Full.”
2. Making the Grade
Henry Kissinger was the last student to graduate from Harvard with perfect grades. He graduated summa cum laude in 1950.
3. The Sneeze
In response to a legal injunction barring invocation and benediction prayers from a high school commencement ceremony, a graduating senior faked a sneeze during his speech so that a group of students could cry out, “God bless you.”
4. Suicide Prevention
A boy befriended a nerdy kid at his high school. Years later, in the valedictory speech at their high school graduation, the nerdy kid thanked the boy for befriending him that day. Were it not for that intervention, the boy admitted he would have committed suicide that weekend.
5. Handshake Ban
In some colleges, congratulatory handshakes at commencement have been banned as a precaution against disease.
6. Virgin Awakening
If a virgin ever graduates from the University of Maryland, Testudo – the school’s bronzed mascot – will rise from his pedestal and fly over the crowd during commencement.
7. Dangerous Caps
A university has requested that graduating students not throw their caps in the air, calling the action a safety hazard.
True or False?
1. Gift: It’s an oft-told tale of hidden treasure, but there’s no record of this ever actually happening. To stay on the safe side, never spurn a gift!
2. Grade: Though Kissinger reportedly received an A in all his courses at Harvard, he was not the only student to achieve that distinction. In 2001, Kevin Schwartz earned perfect grades; in 2003, his sister, Lisa Schwartz, earned straight A’s as well.
3. Sneeze: It’s true, and it happened on May 20, 2001 at Washington Community High School in Washington, IL. Ryan Brown was the student who used a sneeze to protest the court’s prohibition of commencement prayer.
4. Prevention: It’s an inspirational story about the impact we can have on another’s life, but there are no reports of it happening for real. The story is based on a fictional tale that first appeared in “Chicken Soup for the Soul.”
5. Handshakes: Unfortunately, it’s all too true. At the University of Illinois at Chicago, Indiana University, Purdue University, Northeastern University, the University of Hawaii, Florida Gulf Coast University, and the University of South Florida, commencement handshakes were banned this year as a precaution against swine flu.
6. Virgin: Many college students spread superstitions about virgins at their schools, but we’ve yet to see statues come to life.
7. Caps: It’s no joke. Anglia Ruskin University has advised students against throwing their caps in the air because of the potential for injury. Several years ago, a graduating student at the U.K. school needed stitches after being hit by a flying cap.
Are you ready to get your diploma?
May 29th, 2009
Have you ever played the icebreaker game “Two truths and a lie”? Basically, each person tells the group three things about herself, and the group has to decide which two items are true, and which one is the lie.
Sound easy? Try your hand at the game with these college urban legends. Choose the lie before scrolling down for the answers. No cheating!
The Legends
1. Dissect an Aunt
Imagine rolling up your sleeves for gross anatomy lab, only to discover that you are, in fact, seeing dead people – and one of the cadavers is someone you’ve seen before. It happened to a medical student who discovered that one of the cadavers presented to her class was her great aunt. Of course, a different cadaver was immediately substituted by the state anatomical board.
2. Doing Laps to Get a Degree
At Columbia University, a stellar student who completed his degree requirements in three years, finished at the top of his class, and later earned a Ph.D. from Columbia and taught at Columbia was denied his bachelor’s degree because he failed to pass the mandatory school swim test. After informing Columbia that he had since learned how to swim and asking the school to waive his disqualification, he was finally granted his bachelor’s degree – 60 years later.
3. Beware the Brothel
Have you ever wondered why your school doesn’t have a sorority house? It might be because of local brothel laws, which prohibit more than a specified number of unrelated females from living together. In these municipalities, sorority houses are illegal … so members of the sisterhood stay in the dorms.
Truth or Lie?
1. Dissect an Aunt: It’s true, and it happened in 1982 at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. Other urban legends about discovering the cadaver of a long-lost parent or a celebrity, however, are false, including the tale of the corpse of English novelist Laurence Sterne, who died in 1768. But the fact that it could happen and it has happened is creepy enough!
2. Doing Laps: This one’s for real, too. In 1923, Dr. Mortimer J. Adler was denied his bachelor’s degree from Columbia because he couldn’t pass the mandatory swim test. Actually, Columbia and a handful of other schools still require students to pass a swim test before graduation. Untrue urban legends about university swim tests do abound, however, citing that the tests came at the behest of a wealthy benefactor whose own child drowned.
3. Beware the Brothel: Despite constant retelling at colleges across the country, there are no “brothel laws” that tie a building’s classification as a bordello to the number and gender of its occupants. Some municipalities do have zoning laws that prohibit more than a specified number of nonfamily members from living together, but buildings in violation of those codes would only be labeled a brothel on the basis of what goes on inside the house. Plus, sororities and fraternities are exempt from those housing restrictions.
Comment up: What’s your favorite college urban legend?
– Robyn Tellefsen
May 21st, 2009
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