"I'm going to drop out of school and become a stripper." - a female student frustrated with class work
"Let's play hangman...where's the chalk?"
(Professor walks in.)
"So much for that...my word was going to be 'falcon punch.'"
Guy A: "How much for an eight ball?"
Guy B: "Fifty dollars."
Guy A: "OK. Um...maybe that was too loud."
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hofstra University!
It seems like every other person I see on campus - and I mean that quite literally - has a phone or similar device out and is gabbing away or furiously texting. That's quite a departure from the first time around, when cell phones were rare and checking your e-mail away from home often meant waiting for a a machine to free up in a library or computer lab.
There are plenty of other differences between Cornell at the start of the decade and Hofstra at its end; I'll highlight two in particular. Here and now, student-athletes have access to Margiotta Hall for their fitness needs. But the rest of the campus gets nearly as good a deal, as access to the Recreation Center facilities carries no additional charge. At Cornell, you had to pay extra for a membership in Cornell Fitness Centers. Unless, of course, you played an intercollegiate sport, that was entirely unnecessary - you had complimentary access to the Friedman Strength and Conditioning Center, arguably the best gym on campus. (This was also a point of contention due to the absence of athletic scholarships.) As a result, I went the first two and a half weeks of the semester without knowing I could work out anytime during the Rec Center's hours. I haven't gotten up there yet, but that'll change.
Something else that made itself highly visible to me last week was how the Hofstra Chronicle differs from The Cornell Daily Sun. Apart from the Chronicle being a weekly, its website hadn't been updated until this past weekend, after all the newsworthy events regarding the "rape hoax" had passed. Thus, when I went there looking for updates on the situation, I was treated to articles on the Pride men's lacrosse team's preparation to face Cornell in the opening round of last May's NCAA tournament. And on page five, the editorial claims the Chronicle was of less concern to University Relations than "the media." Um, isn't the student newspaper part of the media? When the paper is a fully independent entity - as is the Daily Sun - it is so treated. I'm actually giving some thought to the possibility of writing for the paper in the future.
I am currently in the fourth day of working through a nasty coughing spell; the stuffy nose resolved itself over a day ago. Thankfully, none of these conditions has impinged upon my academic activities. And of course, I wouldn't dream of letting this prevent me from seeing I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell tomorrow, the day of its limited release. (FYI - list of all theaters showing the film this weekend.) I do, however, intend to abandon all hope of ever understanding women's fashion. The justification for wearing knee-high boots with two-and-a-half inch stiletto heels is absolutely beyond me. And personally, I restrict my use of open-toed footwear to the pool or beach; the number of flip-flops I saw around campus today borders on staggering.