I’ve lived in Texas for most of my life, but one thing I will never understand is the gun-happy culture that is so prevalent here. My own sister got a gun as an anniversary present from her uncle-in-law. And now our state government wants to take this love of guns one step further and allow students and professors to carry concealed handguns on public university campuses.
Yeah, you read that right. Guns in school. Apparently Gov. Rick Perry thinks that guns are the new black. Excuse me but wasn’t it just LAST SEMESTER that a student came onto my campus with a gun, opened fire, and eventually killed himself?
I can see why some would support this. Back in 1966 when Charles Whitman went to the UT Tower with a rifle and opened fire, he received return fire from not only the Austin police, but armed civilians as well. Some believe that with guns on campus, students would be protected if a shooter were to show up. But personally, I think this is way too preemptive viewpoint.
I woke up yesterday morning like I usually do. I rolled out of bed at 8:15, threw on some clothes, and started cooking breakfast. But then I got a text. I figured it was my friend from class reminding me to print out our paper that was due at 9:30. But I click “Read” and instead I see “UT ALERT: Armed suspect reported last seen at Perry Castaneda Library on 09/28/2010. Details to follow.”
My immediate thought was of my friend Louise who was spending the night in the PCL to study for a test. I texted her to see what was up. I kept getting ready because we’ve had armed suspects who had been fleeing a crime scene come through campus. I wasn’t too worried by it. Until the next text arrived, “UT ALERT: armed subject reported last seen at Perry Castaneda Library. SHELTER IN PLACE. STAY WHERE YOU ARE AT. MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW”
This is probably going to sound terrible, but it was 9am and I had class at 9:30 where a major paper was due. I checked the emergency page on the University of Texas’ website and it said the university was open, so I headed out the door to the bus stop. I figured the cops had the situation under control and that campus was OK as long as I didn’t go near the library, which I wasn’t planning on. But when I got to the bus stop, there was a gathering of people. Someone was telling everyone that the bus system to campus was shut down and that the university was closed.
I went back to my apartment, into my room and turned on the TV. I got on Facebook and Twitter to see what was going on. The news interrupted whatever show was on to start the coverage on campus. I was so lost. All I knew was that there was a guy with a gun seen at my school. I decided that being safe was more important than a paper. I crawled back into bed and watched the news. As the information was coming in, so were the calls and texts from all of my friends and family. Among those, the text saying classes were canceled and that UT was on lockdown. Read More »
While it’s obvious that there are situations common to all college students whatever campus they may call home, every campus has its own unique traditions. Some, like walking through a certain fountain upon graduation, date back hundreds of years. Others, like puking under a table at the late night Mexican restaurant on the night of your 21st birthday, are simply infamous amongst the student body.
And it is these things that unite students and make us proud to call our specific school home. So this week I asked the CollegeCandy writers to show a little school pride and share their university’s eccentricities with the world.
Tell us: what campus “tradition” sets your school apart from the pack? Read More »
An historic election is only 19 days away. No matter which candidate you support, it is more important than ever to get involved and assist in electing our next president. Students and young people across the country are taking their role in this election and the political process very seriously. From volunteering for the party of their choice to registering voters, and everything in between, our generation is getting involved like never before.
And some are going even further.
David Modigliani, a Harvard grad with an MFA from University of Texas, is an ordinary 20-something who went to extraordinary lengths to involve himself in the political process. Modigliani saw an issue in the Bush administration and politics in general and wanted to get the real story. Read More »
This is awesome! Women smell better when they are menstruating.
UT – Austin surveyed 52 men who were asked to test the scent of 18 worn t-shirts worn by women in various phases of their menstrual cycle. Almost all of the guys in the experiment, 1 guy was gay – so his doesn’t really count, found the shirts worn during the girl’s period to be the most enticing.
Sadly, this is when a woman is least fertile…therefore, least likely to get pregnant.
But, when Aunt Flow comes over to stay no one is really excited to jump into bed anyway…
So, other than all those religious fundementalists who think womens’ ovulation is dirty and unnatural, every other man thinks it is when we are at our sexiest.
The question is, how eager are WE to have sex during our period?
I pored over the U.S. News and World Report’s college rankings when I was a senior in high school. How far up could I go, I wondered? What was the most-highly ranked college I could get into?
I mean, I knew I was Harvard-caliber, I just didn’t have the grades– I was above grades! I could have totally gone Ivy-League if I had wanted to, but I chose the route of a small school with a philosophy, a mission (and a respectable ranking).
My freshman year, I ended up at a small liberal arts school that was ranked #30. Not bad, considering it was ranked #25 in terms of selectivity. I figured its teeny endowment brought the main ranking down. I was satisfied, my family was satisfied, my peers were satisfied. I had landed.
But when I got to college, of course, I realized that these rankings meant absolutely nothing. What did I care about my college’s freshman retention or alumni – giving rate? And the insidiously low student to faculty ratio was moot if you were in a crappy class in which none of the other six students talked. I found myself pining for large, anonymous lecture classes. Did I wanted a lower – ranked education?
The old, corny adage rings true over and over again: college is what you make of it. Seriously. All campuses have pretty trees and old buildings. All student bodies have geniuses and idiots. Yale has a dining hall. Podunk University in Mississippi has a dining hall.
I’m a sucker for a good urban legend, and I more often than not fall victim to them. I still check the backseat of my car ever time I get in to make sure there are no escaped convicts hiding in it, waiting to kill me. A little dramatic, maybe, but who doesn’t like a good, creepy story that seems so real it couldn’t possibly be a work of fiction?
The list of urban legends unique to college is miles long. College students are believable characters in these tales, many of which don’t seem so far – off from your average Friday night frat party antics. There are three legends in particular that are incredibly pervasive, withstanding the test of time. But are they true or false? Let’s see…
This legend has been making its rounds on the internet since 1995 and may have been concocted way back in 1960. Unfortunately, it’s false. While some cities have zoning ordinations concerning how many people can lawfully occupy a single building, there are no “brothel laws.” Many campuses still cite this legend as fact to explain why they don’t have sorority houses. Read More »
I’ve lived in Texas for most of my life, but one thing I will never understand is the gun-happy culture that is so prevalent here. My own sister got a gun as an anniversary present from her uncle-in-law. And now our state government wants to take this love of guns one step further and allow students and professors to carry concealed handguns on public university campuses.
Steven Colbert and Spiderman
This is awesome! Women smell better when they are menstruating.
I pored over the 
I’m a sucker for a good urban legend, and I more often than not fall victim to them. I still check the backseat of my car ever time I get in to make sure there are no 
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