Campus Conversation

It was “lights out” by Moore last weekend when a group of unknown individuals took the campus lighting issue into their own hands. While most students would like additional lights around campus, these mavericks thought the school would be better off with less and subsequently knocked down a lamppost last Saturday night.

“We shouldn’t just hack [lampposts] brutally and leave them prostrate on the ground,” said Jenny Rada ’04. “The campus is already pretty dark, and sure you get used to being in the darkness, but now it’s going to be even darker-creepy dark.”

Unfortunately, the hooligans apparently did not realize how heavy a tall, metal lamppost would be and left it discarded on the ground. They even failed to properly dismantle the lamppost. “It’s still lit, which is the funny part,” said Aaron Butler ’02. “It’s just lighting up the ground nearby.”

Although the identities of the perpetrators are still unknown, some concerned students have already formed their opinions as to the cause of the incident.

“I think it was Bigfoot-come on, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” asked Janak Chandrasoma ’04. “I’m sure there were massive clumps of fur on the spot. I’m sure he’s demolished Fayerweather, too. Look at it, it’s a mess.”

While some may be quick to blame the damage on rowdy TAP-goers, others are not so certain. “I don’t think people can knock over a lamppost, but I don’t know if a car can get around there,” said Grace Kay ’04. “Maybe it was the construction people-actually, maybe it was a skunk. There are a lot of them around here, and it’s just as likely as any other person.”

TV dinners

“Seinfeld,” “ESPN Sports Cen-ter,” and “Friends” are edging out cheesy potato soup, veggie dogs and pulgogi as the staples of Valentine’s nightly lineup.

Conversation, which once created a fairly loud din, particularly in the annex, has been replaced with glazed faces catching the latest gossip on “The View.” Students are more and more often tuning out their dining companions and tuning in to the inane banter tossed around by John McLaughlin’s panel for the evening.

“It’s only OK if it’s sports,” joked Jacob Appelbaum ’03. On a more serious note he added: “Having served its purpose after Sept. 11, it should be removed.”

The TVs were informative and appreciated during a time of national crisis and uncertainty, but now, when students are more concerned with the Mariners than the Marines, the final TV has overstayed its welcome.

The lone TV that wanders from section to section of Valentine no longer simply spits out CNN during the day; some feel no qualms about changing the channels.

“I just wanted to see what was going on in Afghanistan,” said Gabriel Ravel ’05. “Some girl comes up and changed the channel to watch her daytime soaps … I just kinda stared her down, and she changed it back.”

“I wish they would get rid of it,” said Robbin Williams ’04. “I turn it off usually. It’s fine if they wanted to cover the war, but not for this [baseball game].”

The TV’s coaxial cable snakes across the floor, threatens to trip oblivious passersby and causes a mess that even the most ambitious clean-up crew is loathe to mop up.

CNN’s presence in Valentine has gone the way of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It may return someday,

but it is no longer the flavor of the month.