TresSugar

Game Over: Beer Pong Spreading Swine Flu

TresSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Frat boys have been called pigs before, but now they might be responsible for spreading swine flu. College partiers are being warned that they can catch H1N1 from beer pong.

Administrators from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute released this statement after a student contracted swine flu from the classic drinking game:

"While it might seem fun over the weekend, it will not be enjoyable when you and your friends are sick and missing class or midterm examinations."

Wait. Doesn't missing midterms sound more enjoyable than taking them?

I've always been wary of beer pong's potential health risks, so here's one more excuse to stay away from beer cups with dirty ping pong balls floating in them. Cheers!

Source: Flickr User wolfsavard

Tufts to Dorm Dwellers: Get a Room!

TresSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:30:00 -0700

Tufts University has just instituted a policy you'd think wouldn't need to be an official rule: don't have sex in your dorm room while your roommate's present, and don't "sexile" (sex + exile) your roommate, say at 3 a.m., because you want to get it on with your college sweetheart (or random hookup). So basically, if you're dwelling in a dorm, either have enough money to get a hotel room, find a comfy broom closet if passion strikes, or go without.

The Tufts policy arose because students were complaining that their horny roommates were intruding on their privacy and interfering with their studies by either having sex while they were present (ewww!) or asking them to leave for a few minutes. I am so glad I never stayed in a dorm - I just moved in with the boyfriend when I was in college! Problem solved.

How was dorm sex negotiated when you were in college?

Do Shows Like Gossip Girl Accurately Reflect College Life?

TresSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:30:19 -0700

In an article in the New York Post today, real-life NYU students respond to Gossip Girl's depiction of NYU freshman orientation. What do they think of the show's fictional keg parties on rooftops, characters requesting who they want to room with to the Housing Office, and the notion that NYU is cheaper than Yale? (Here's a Buzz recap of this week's goings-on to refresh your memories!)

Although one blogger gives the thumbs up to the show's reference to an "Art & the World" class he actually took his freshman year at Tisch, another one disses the idea of a rooftop party. "Don't the writers know," he snipes, "that in NYU housing we're forbidden to peek outside of our windows for the slight chance that we might kill ourselves?"

Do shows like Gossip Girl and Greek reflect college experience (fairly) accurately or is it all just fun and fantasy?

Classy Ladies: 20 Actresses Who Are College Grads

TresSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:00:00 -0700

When Emma Watson arrived at Brown University earlier this month, the paparazzi were ready. They snapped up pictures of what looked like her freshman orientation, while tabloids made up stories that she arrived by helicopter, which she later denied. But I believe her. A chance to be normal is a common reason for celebs to put their careers aside and start college. What's not the norm? Graduating. Check out these 20 actresses who have.

View Slideshow ›

Head of the Class: How Was Your College Transition?

TresSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:00:00 -0700

One day you're in, and the next day you're below New York's 14th Street where, as Blair puts it on last night's Gossip Girl, "there's no class system." Is anything going right for poor Blair on her first day of college? Her gift bags and maid fail to impress her dormmates; her archenemy is her roommate; and that sushi/sake party is an epic fail. Seems like the former queen bee of the Upper East Side is struggling to get her well-heeled foot in the doors of NYU.

Worst of all, rags-to-riches and former social outcast Dan and childhood friend Vanessa find instant popularity. This role reversal might force Blair to confront the age-old - or old-age! - question: have I already peaked?

Nah. She's way too narcissistic for such negativity. So despite losing her headband, which I am pretty sure symbolizes her crown, I am confident Miss Blair will find her way to the head of the class of 2013. Besides, if I remember college correctly, nothing that happens the first week stands for four years.

Did you experience a role reversal in college, or were you just happy to be free from "roles" altogether?

For more Gossip Girl coverage, check out Buzz's recap, CelebStyle's fashion breakdowns, and the quizzes on Bella, Fab, and Geek.

Photos courtesy of The CW

College Offers Class in Stupidity - Hilarious or Horrifying?

TresSugar — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:00:00 -0700

It's about time we took a smart look at stupidity. Occidental College is offering a critical psychology course on the topic of dumbness. Get a load of this excerpt from course description - which, by the way, misspells "Beavis":

Stupidity, which has been evicted from the philosophical premises and dumbed down by psychometric psychology, has returned in the postmodern discourse against Nation, Self, and Truth and makes itself felt in political life ranging from the presidency to Beevis and Butthead.

It's definitely not the craziest college course I've ever heard of, but it's still pretty out there. What do you think?

Video: Don't Let God Be a College Casualty

TresSugar — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 02:00:00 -0700

When I came across this video, I couldn't tell if it was satirical or serious. In it, sweet Kim leaves for college after saying goodbye to her parents and boyfriend. Nine months later, she returns pregnant, angry, and spouting off information about the South American rain forests.

The College Casualty from Mark Nauroth on Vimeo.

At the end, the dad reveals the video's purpose: it's an ad for College Weekend Workshop, a course broadcast live over the Internet and into churches with the purpose of preparing Christian students for college so they can get a degree without losing the faith. College Weekend Workshop says that too often, saying yes to college means saying no to God.

Using some confusing humor, the group wants to tap into parents' fears that their children will come back from college completely different. (Namely, radical feminist, heavy metal, spiritual hippie types.) Parents need not fear, though, because there is a way to continue to influence your kids' values. All you have to do is sign up for (and pay for) the workshop!

Do you think there's some value in reinforcing an adolescent's beliefs, or should young adults be encouraged to think for themselves?

Study Abroad Sans the Glamour: Soldiers Take Classes in Iraq

CitizenSugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:01:55 -0800

Study Abroad in Iraq? The headline jumped out of the Daily Beast, and I knew I had a story. Until, that is, I read it and learned the average American student cannot register for a semester in Baghdad the way they can in Strasbourg. But mon Dieu!, someday soon they will.

As for now, only US service members can sign up. Courses like child psychology, American government, and cultural anthropology are offered in makeshift classrooms, ranging from tents to conference rooms once reserved for Saddam Hussein.

Last November, the University of Maryland began offering these classes, as it's been doing for over 50 years on military bases in Asia and Europe. Students, who juggle six to seven 12-hour work days per week, usually only take one course at a time, but can earn two- and four-year degrees along with masters.

The fact that classes are being offered indicates Iraq's increasing stability and new sense of normalcy. It allows students to leave the rigidness of military life, if only for an hour, to be called by their first names and discuss ideas openly.

Source

Scientists Say Taking Adderall to Get Through Day May Be OK

CitizenSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:30:38 -0800

College students and other concentration seekers know it's not hard to score a 'script for ADHD drugs. Fidgety, disorganized, forgetful. They know the symptoms and they work the system.

But while using Ritalin and Adderall to edge out competition in school and life is nothing new (though the science journal Nature disagrees), a vocal group of scientists supporting it is. They argue that "cognitive enhancement" should no longer be a bad word because it's no different than using education, good health habits, and technology to get ahead. Another similarity? Access to prescription drugs requires a certain degree of privilege, too!

Opponents argue that it's cheating, unnatural, and on par with drug abuse. If they want to curb this trend, I recommend showing young teens Requiem For a Dream at just the right age. But until then, is it just best to accept and regulate it?

Source

Where the Ladies At? Fewer Girls Going Into Computer Science

CitizenSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:30:15 -0800

The number of girls interested in computer science peaked in 1982. Yes, 26 years ago, before people even had computers at home. After a sharp decline, it held steady until 2000 and now it’s at an all-time low - back to where it began in the early ‘70s.

Why? That was the funny part of the New York Times article "What Has Driven Women Out of Computer Science." Nobody actually knows. But everybody speculates! Here’s what was said:

Before the male subculture of gaming, women felt more comfortable pursuing computer science.
The girls game movement of the '90s backfired: It made girls think computers were boy toys and girls didn’t play with computers.
Women went into web design so it all evens out. Nope. Web design and other “nontraditional” forms of computer science don't count to the people counting. The pay is less and the work is less influential on how computers are used.
The perception of being a “geek” or “nerd” that comes with majoring in computer science The theory? Girls don’t want to be that person. I know a geek who would disagree!

The one thing everyone can agree on is that the younger girls are when introduced to computers, the better. Expect to see video games for newborns soon!

Source