By Graham Ravdin

Middlebury College

Middlebury…more like Middle-boring

What does Middlebury do when students complain about their social lives? They do what every college administration does: start a task force.

The Middlebury Campus reported that the college is creating a task force on student social life, in order to respond to student complaints about lackluster fun on campus. The task force will survey students on what activities are entertaining, and help students enjoy campus without alcohol.

Student complaints have come in response to tighter alcohol policies brought about by new state laws, causing fewer parties. Social houses, which were typically a hub of weekend drinking, are now required to have regulated guest lists, a major buzz-kill for underage partygoers.

Ironically, the stricter rules have been met by a spike in vandalism and fights near campus, reportedly caused by off-campus binge drinking.

Dartmouth University

Students’ otherness questioned at Dartmouth

Do you have trouble defining your race by checking a box? Did you choose the “other” box when you applied to college? If so, you are part of a growing number of applicants, and if you applied to Dartmouth, you are probably white.

The Dartmouth reported that a new study by the Campus Diversity Initiative at Dartmouth shows most applicants who checked the “other” box were actually white. The number of “other” applicants nearly doubled from 1991 to 2001, growing from 3.2 to 5.9 percent.

The Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenberg denied this phenomenon distorts minority enrollment at Dartmouth. Furstenberg dismissed the possibility that applicants would intentionally deceive admissions officials to get into college. While he has not responded to calls as of press time, it is uncertain as to whether Furstenberg also believes in Santa Claus and unicorns.

Union College

Macalester, mind your manhole

Fall into your local college manhole, you just might wake up rich. The Chronicle reported Union College was ordered to pay $15.8 million to a student who fell into an uncovered manhole.

Mary Ann Nolan, a political science major, took the unfortunate hip-deep plunge into manhole. Reportedly, the hole in question had been accidentally uncovered by a snowplow. Afterwards, Nolan complained of lower leg pain.