Column
Over the hill
at age 21?
By Sharon Gurfield
• The Daily Targum
Rutgers U.
Old age is knocking at the door,
lurking behind every comer. It’s
there, waiting to get me. A recent
incident prompted the realization
that I, a few days from my 21st
birthday, might be over the hill.
I had accepted a job as a substi
tute teacher in my old grammar
school. It was then that I noticed I
had sprouted two gray hairs. I
quickly yanked them out, unfazed.
I made it to the school at exactly
8:30 a.m., signed in and took my
place on the other side of the desk.
Out of the corner of my eye. I
noticed two little kids peeking
through the window. Donning the
coveted safety patrol belts, the two
were pointing at me. laughing. I
checked my shirt to see if maybe
my bra strap was hanging out and
checked my backside for a “kick
me’ sign. It appeared that all was
normal. The bell finally rang and a
pack of kids filed into the room,
staring, laughing and plotting
their next move.
I think my lack of experience was
evident, even to those little fifth
graders. ‘How old are you?* one of
the little deviants asked before I
could pick up the chalk to write my
name. *Can we go outside?* anoth
er one inquired, raising his eye
brows devilishly. “Are you mar
ried?" ‘Do you have a boyfriend?"
“What kind of car do you drive?"
uo you line i\ew mas on me
Block?" A barrage of questions hit
me in the face, leaving me stunned
and dizzy. Sensing my insecurity,
the little demons proceeded to
climb on their desks, run around
the room, and yes, throw paper air
planes at one another.
Then it came, like a voice from
heaven: ‘Sit Down In Your Seats Or
Get DETENTION!" The room was
silent All eyes, including my own,
were riveted on the teacher from
next door. While her name escapes
me. her voice still rings in my ears
like fingers screeching down a
chalkboard. Slowly rising from my
seat where I had promptly plopped
myself, I mouthed a meek “thank
you’ and waved her off.
Throughout the day, I found
myself saying things like, “Boys
and girls, if you are not in your
See OLD AGE. Page 11
Llf i S I VI t S
Free to good home
Michigan State U. student acts as
a “pet broker" in trying to find cam
pus homes for stray animals.
Pag* 11
MOONl ION T INC'.
Siren sounders
Two Kansas State U. students work
as emergency medical technicians ..
when they’re not in school, that is.
Pag* 12
THt AMTS
Singing out against racism
Tb promote awareness of racism, a
student and professor team up to
produce a full-scale musical.
Page 13
People get into the strangest things
Contests call for students
to swim in squishy edibles
By Katie Good
■ The Auburn Plainsman
Auburn U.
In addition to immersing themselves
in biology, English and other subjects,
students across the nation are getting
into stranger things — food.
Literally
Students at different schools are par
ticipating in contests that require them
to slosh around in dumpsters full of food
and look for hidden objects amid the goo.
Prizes are awarded to those who find the
“treasure."
Watch it wiggle ...
Some might call Auburn U. students
crazy for participating in the school’s
annual Jell-0 Splash, but students are
actually finding their marbles, not los
ing them.
The object of the Jell-0 Splash is to pull
marbles out of a large tub filled with
orange gelatin. The catch is that stu
dents have to use their toes to get them.
“(Students) can use their hands, but
Fm encouraging people to pull them out
with their feet. It’s more fun that way,"
said Julie Johnston, publicity director
for the school's eighth annual Splash
into Spring festival.
“I do it every year," senior Derick
Sutton said. “People always walk by and
say it's gross, but I think it's fun."
Sutton encouraged his friend, senior
Stephen Crafl, to try his luck.
“It seems to add to my tan," Crafl said,
while admiring his legs covered in
orange Jell-O.
RANDY IAAOY. THE DAILY IWYAH U Of IOWA
Students Paul Carlson. Tim Clyne and Scott Lackmann hone around In the oats at U. ol Iowa s
“Oatmeal Odyssey."
Sowing their oats...
‘Oatmeal Odyssey" provided a twist to
the usual fare offered at the U. of Iowa’s
Riverfest '90 festival. For the event,
Quaker Oats donated 50 50-pound sacks
of oatmeal, which was cooked and mixed
into a dumpster. For a dollar, people
could swim around and find hidden golf
balls redeemable for prizes.
Dripping from head to toe with oat
meal, freshman Richard McLain said
that the swim in the sticky breakfast
food was definitely worth it.
“A lot of people were urging me on, so
I had to do it," said McClain, who was
the second person of the day to be beld
enough to jump into the oatmeal.
Few people usually participate in the
Oatmeal Odyssey because it is so messy,
said Eve Pellettiere, a Recreation
Committee member for the festival. "1
am glad that someone did it because a
lot of people looked at the dumpster real
ly funny.”
Doin' the mashed potato...
A new style of Olympics was brought
to Emporia State U. last spring — the
Potato Olympics.
Events in the Potato Olympics includ
ed a potato treasure hunt, potato track
relay's, potato head decorating, french fry
eating, and the messier mashed potato
See CONTESTS, Page 11
Mannequins, pantyhose among collector’s loot
By Christine Paugh
■ Sunflower
Wichita State U.
Traci Furan loves it
when department stores
go out of business. When
Henry’s and Dillards
each closed a store in
Wichita, Kan., Furan
went on the shopping
warpath.
But she wasn't there to
buy clothes or home fur
nishings. Furan went to
buy mannequins.
‘I don’t buy a lot of
clothes. I buy man
nequins," said the
Wichita State U. art
history sophomore. In
addition to half and
whole mannequins, her
collection includes
various hands and one weird-snaped neao. i also nave one
with a really long neck that they must have shown scarves on.
All of them are female.”
Aside from mannequins, Furan also collects two other out
of-the-ordinary things — pantyhose and “Wizard of Oz"
memorabilia.
The first time 1 saw The Wizard of Oz' movie was before I
could talk — around 3 years old.” Furan said “1 loved it so
R0» MOMIM. SUHHOWtR WICHITA STATI U
Wichita State U. sophomore Traci Furan poses with a lew ol her collectibles.
much my mom started
buying me things.’
Furan's Oz collection
includes coloring books,
cardboard cutouts, jigsaw
puzzles, records, porce
lain figurines, doll figures
and several books by
author L. Frank Baum,
who wrote the original
story and a host of sequels.
She started her other
collection, pantyhose, at
age 14 when she went to
England for the first time.
Furan said she was fasci
nated by the unique
designs and styles there.
"I have one pair that is
metallic blue with deroga
tory sayings on them, and
a white pair with black
cartoons on them that is
about going shopping, and
men some plaid ana gingham ones, she said.
Her favorite pair has ‘big, swirly flowers, in really bright
oranges, reds and greens,' Furan said. ‘People always say my
legs look tattooed."
Furan admits that when people hear of her collections, they
sometimes perceive her hobbies as being a little strange.
‘But it's cool,' she said. ‘My friends just kind of accept it for
the simple fact that it’s a part of me and always will be."