Capitol times. (Middletown, Pa.) 1982-2013, September 12, 1990, Image 8
CAPITAL TIMES, September 12, 1990 Antics EVER FEEL LIKE JUST A PAWN? Upperclassmen who return to Saint Vincent College (PA) this fall will feel just that when they play "Human Checkers." A team captain will decide who moves where on a giant game board on the gymnasium floor. And, to capture an opponent's piece, er, player, students will physically jump over the potential captive. No word on what fate awaits those who are captured. Around Campus LIKE A SWARM OF HUNGRY MOSQUITOES. That was the scene in Long Beach (CA) at the Society of Automotive Engineers Air Cargo competition in July. Teams from 40 universities in the U.S. and Canada spent months designing remote controlled airplanes with one goal only: to lift and land the heaviest payload using a 200-foot runway. And the winner is: the U. of Saskatchewan entry--its 21 pounds edged out runner-up Oklahoma U.'s entry by three pounds. "I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT ART, but I know what I like." And artist Mags Harries likes a giant human hair ball that would cost $70,000 and hang in the atrium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Actually, it would be a replica of the four-pronged hat of a shaman from Lapland, woven from student hair. But several hundred students object to the display, on aesthetic and sanitary grounds. AREA MERCHANTS ARE ENTHUSIASTIC about the newly Fire behind Jamesway Plaza Victoria Cuscino The contents of a waste-management truck caused a fire behind the Jamesway Plaza on Tuesday, September 9. " I don't know what started it," the driver of the truck said. "I smelled smoke and dumped it ( back of the truck) to keep from burning my $140,000 truck. He then used his extinguisher and tried to put out the fire before the fire department arrived. The cause "could be something one of the vendors put in their dumpsters," said John Rubic, a Lower Swatera fireman. The fire lasted about 10 minutes. The driver collected trash from two garages in town and then emptied the dumpsters from Domino's Pizza and Movie Merchants when the driver noticed the smoke. There must have been something in one of the dumpsters that caused a combustion, said Jeff Meyers, Supervisor of Waste Management. This type of fire is "something you usually don't find the cause of," Meyers said. Incidents of this type occur once ever two years and the drivers carry fire extinguishers. The driver let his truck cool down and then continued on his rounds. Lower Swatara Fire Department, a rescue squad and an ambulance responded. CAMPUS CAPSULES renamed Teikyo Westmar College (IA). Last year Westmar had an enrollment of some 570 students. Early this summer about 200 Japanese students arrived. And "they had bucks burning holes in their wallets," according to one shopkeeper. The townspeople describe the new students as courteous and cheerful, but say their spoken English is weak. Luckily money talks. MOUNTAIN BIKES OFF CAMPUS! There are over 1,500 acres of wooded and natural areas on the U. of Wisconsin-Madison campus--terrain tailor-made for mountain bikes. But in the past few years, use of the fat-tired bikes has expanded dramatically on the many narrow footpaths. The bikes have a tendency to etch grooves in trails, accelerating soil erosion. UW officials recently announced they were restricting access, to keep bikers away from lakeshore trails and Indian burial mounds. Student government WE AGREE TO DISAGREE. That was the feeling at Penn State in July, when student leaders from nine of the Big Ten (Eleven?) Conference schools met. Originally planned as a meeting of the Big Ten Student Association (BTSA), leaders agreed to sever ties with the BTSA to form Net 10. But they won't represent branch campuses, at least not necessarily. And three of the student body presidents at the meeting represent undergrads only, while three represent graduate students as well. They plan to meet again in October at Michigan State U. Student groups IT TOOK 18 MONTHS, but Penn State Veterans Organization is back home. A fire destroyed their house in January 1989, but members raised funds to buy and renovate another house, which will open to 17 students this fall. The organization is also pushing for legislation for five-year aid from the state higher education financial aid atsociation. Security GOOD SAMARITANS, FEAR NOT! Despite a new alcohol policy at Dartmmouth College that makes underage drinking a violation of college rules, the committee drafting the new policy left intact the "Good Samaritan" clause of the prior policy. When students or others bring intoxicated individuals in for medical care, neither party will be disciplined. Athletics IF YOU'VE GOT ROCKS IN YOUR HEAD, Oregon State U. is the place to be. Volunteers recently converted two raquetball courts into a rock climbing center. Funded by the department of recreational sports and the Outdoor Recreation Center, the project cost $7,000. The climb features more than 2,000 holes, with bolted rocks which can be moved around to change climbing routes. MY CAR WAS CREAMED! Not a demolition derby, but a sign-painting episode led to several recent complaints at the U. of Oklahoma. Seems the Athletic Department was refurbishing the scoreboard in Memorial Stadium in crimson and cream, the school colors. The wind blew some of the cream colored spray onto cars parked nearby. OU security says about 20 cars became Sooner boosters unwittingly. College Market ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH? A Colorado entrepreneur, Kelly Green, is dealing a psychedelic novelty, the Day- Dreamer. The product, completely legal and safe, is a sort of mask that "allows the user to experience intense, near hallucinatory visual effects." Green promotes his product as ideal f the new age: "We exercised our rights in the '6os and '7os, our bodies in the 'Bos, and we will be exercising our minds and imaginations in the '9os." THE NEXT CATALOGUE IN YOUR MAILBOX may feature marketing campaigns by college students. Land's End sponsors a "Big Idea" contest that selects three winners in When you party remember t 0... Don't get wrecked. If you're not sober— or you're not sure— let someone else do the driving. A message pro ided by this newspaper and Beer Drinkers of America 1 0 ( * * , 0 BEER DRINKERS OF AMERICA PARTY*SMART National Headquarters 150 Paularino Ave., Suite 190 Costa Mesa. CA 92626 71 4 / 5 57-2337 1-800-441-2337 Beer Drinkers of .America is a non-profit consumer membership organization open only to persons over the age of 21:. a marketing contest. The kicker: entrants must devise a plan aimed at college students. Land's End targets college-educated consumers and "Big Idea" is part of a strategy to begin tracking those consumers before they graduate. DOES YOUR CALC BOOK STINK? If so, you might do better on your next exam. Frank Schab, formerly a researcher at Yale U., recently published results of work linking odors and memory. Students completed two word exercises, at a one-day interval. See Capsules on 9