34th Street Magazine's "Toast" is a semi-weekly newsletter with the latest on Penn's campus culture and arts scene. Delivered Monday-Wednesday-Friday.
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Not that clever
To the Editor:
I am amazed, frankly, that Penn undergrads can't be more creative than singing "you suck" at opposing teams.
Way back when, we used to have clever buttons for large sports games, with sayings on them like, "The Tigers have mini-paws.
There's a fine line between sportsmanship and oversensitivity.
It's called common sense.
Unfortunately, the Athletic department crossed that line when it decided to stop The Penn Band from playing the popular "Hey Song."
Officially titled "Rock and Roll Part 2," the song is a mainstay at Penn men's basketball games.
Every Tuesday last semester, I rushed to class in order to arrive early. Not because there was an interesting lecture that day or because I wanted brownie points. The reason I hurried was simple - because if I didn't, I wouldn't get a seat.
For a number of classes I've taken, there simply aren't enough desks, meaning students are forced to play musical chairs.
It used to be you'd find Penn students glued to Facebook, YouTube and bad Chinese soap operas on their computers. Now procrastinators have one more thing to add to their Ivy League idleness.
JuicyCampus.com, an online gossip Web site, guarantees its users complete anonymity to spread any rumor about any student on any campus.
As Ben Franklin once said, an investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
That was the idea behind the original GI Bill. Enacted in 1944, the legislation covered tuition and other expenses for veterans going to college.
Over the past fifty years however, Congress has scaled back the program to provide a flat payment.
I have a confession to make: I'm a Hillary Clinton fan.
I'm always a little reluctant to tell people about my love for the former first lady. It seems so tragically uncool - the kind of thing that Midwestern soccer moms do, not urban college kids.
Obama-mania has hit Penn, and it's hit hard.
It's Valentine's season. If you're lucky, you've received a letter from a lover, finding out someone cares. If you're an AlliedBarton guard, you might have received a letter saying no one cares. And that you no longer have health insurance. Here's a beautiful message one guard (who requested anonymity because Allied forbids media contact) received in early February: "Our records indicate that you have not consistently maintained full-time status; as a result, you have lost eligibility for Health and Welfare Benefits through AlliedBarton.
Pennsylvania's putting all its votes in one basket.
A recent report issued by Common Cause and the Verified Voting Foundation identified the Keystone State as one of 17 states at "high risk" for voting-machine problems.
The reason? While voting machines in Pa.
Thhhwack!
That's the sound of bare skin against foam padding as I smack the daylights out of an oncoming assailant.
Don't worry. Hidden behind the pads is none other than my smiling instructor, Michelle Ray. This simple exercise is part of my first lesson in physical self-defense.
Last Monday, Karl Rove addressed students at Connecticut preparatory school Choate Rosemary Hall, in a lecture setting. Rove had originally been penciled in as Choate's commencement speaker but accepted the less glamorous engagement after a swell of student and parental protest.
When my buddy Eric and I were driving cross country, we stayed a few days with his uncle in Erie, Pa.
He was a great host, buying us dinner and taking us to the shooting range where we fired many weapons that I had previously thought illegal in America. In exchange, he asked us one favor: buy fireworks for him.
Last April, college campuses around the country mourned the shootings at Virginia Tech, which claimed 32 lives.
Only ten months later, five more students have had their lives cut short at a similar tragedy last week at Northern Illinois University.
Our deepest sympathies and prayers go out to the family members of the victims.
I've pretty much made up my mind about this: I would like to have a good job someday.
While I haven't conducted any scientific testing yet (and I'm seriously questioning whether that grant will ever get approved), I'm pretty sure that I'm not alone.
These are different days from those of our parents.
Nothing starts my morning off quite like a parade of e-mails from Career Services.
I typically browse through the various opportunities daily before I hit the delete key. On occasion, something interesting may catch my eye, so I save the e-mail from a quick and easy death.
A few days ago, I received a job offer. Fueled by the prospect of finally having some cash to burn, I ecstatically embarked on a shopping spree downtown.
But somewhere between Sephora and Victoria's Secret, I found myself beset by hapless males doing their Valentine's Day shopping.
Cultural centers are already affordable To the Editor: Ms. Steinberg's column last week ("Catching up with culture" 2/5/08) shows that she is oblivious to the realities of student discounts to cultural institutions in the U.S. as well as our basic system of a federal government.