October 08, 2008
- Hug for me, germs for you: This semester has seen the formation of a group that gives out free hugs in public spaces around campus. According to the group, members are trying to inject some social stimulation into a “digitized” community. The ELEPHANT always enjoys a warm embrace, especially one from the gentler sex, but can’t help but wonder if this latest initative is merely a desperate ploy by World of Warcraft players to move beyond the Ventrilo stage of social interaction.
- What’s next, a buddy system?: TCU President Duncan Pickard recently delivered a State of the Senate address. He stressed Senate improvements, mainly the state of the treasury and the new website. According to the Daily “Pickard also urged senators to consider how to incorporate the growing numbers of students of color at Tufts into the mainstream of student life.” After hours of pondering what constituted the “mainstream of student life,” the Elephant would like extend an invite to all black students to this Friday’s Shabbat dinner followed by a gathering at the Tisch stacks.
- Where’s our bailout? The Tufts Mountain Club recently announced its plans to build a Trips Cabin near the university owned Loj in New Hampshire. Katie Bond, the project’s public relations director told the Daily, “We’re almost ready to break ground. We have all the plans, we have all the permits, the only thing we’re lacking right now is the money.” Perhaps the club would have fared better if it had taken those steps in reverse?
- Desperate times call for desperate measures: TUPD responded to a fire on the Carmichael Hall roof on September 26th. Apparently, someone had thrown a lit stuffed animal onto the roof, causing a small fire. The Elephant may not be a financial expert, but burning small bears in effigy is not an effective solution to ending the bear market on Wall Street.
- Astoundingly tone deaf: The new Higher Education Opportunity Act, signed into law last week, would require colleges with large tuition increases to publish information on why the increases were necessary. Director of Financial Aid Patricia Reilly complained that the requirements and regulations in the bill were “astounding.” The Elephant is sympathetic to complaints about burdensome government mandates, but wonders if Ms. Reilly considers the bill’s requirements more astounding than this year’s 5.3% tuition rate increase?
- Bringing home the Bacon: The TCU Senate announced plans to divide Senators into “districts” composed of dorms. The Senate hopes this approach will make student leaders more aware of student concerns and more relevant in creating a better student experience. If the Senators aren’t too busy trying to fulfill these useless platitudes, The Elephant wonders if Senators will begin requesting earmarks for their dorms. ESPN and wireless internet might be a nice place to start.
- Publication of record, indeed: As part of its “dedication to in-depth reporting, journalistic innovation, and honest dialogue” The Tufts Observer recently published a column entitled “Going Green.” The Elephant was surprised to find out the column was not devoted to tips on eco-friendly living, or a buyer’s guide to new hybrid vehicles, but instead devoted hundreds of words and step-by-step photographs to illegal drug use. Is this what The Observer means by its tradition of “jounalistic innovation...poignant writing and artistic elegance [aimed] to entertain, inform, and above all challenge the Tufts community?” If the editors believe so, The Elephant finally understands the magazine’s choice of content over the past few years.
- The ELEPHANT never forgets.
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