Tee’d Off
Blame it on feminism or cranky copyright
laws — either way, a little lighthearted tamper
ing with the good name of William and Mary
almost caused the school to lose its shirts.
Since the late 1960s, T-shirts
bearing the name “Mary and
William” and the slogan “Never
underestimate the power of a
woman” have added a touch of
satire to the 303-year-old institu
tion, where even sidewalk bricks are
considered pieces of history.
In December, the shirt was
brought to the attention of the
school s lawyers, who said it was
copyright infringement because of
the unauthorized renaming and use
of the official seal.
The campus bookstore pulled
the shirts from shelves for several
weeks but resumed sales when the
college pursued a copyright of the
reversed name and slogan.
“ 1 he shirts have been around for
the better part of 20 years, and peo
ple always enjoyed them,” says
Mr. T meets Ms. T.
X Marks
the House
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO EBONY AND IVORY?
Living in perfect harmony? Not at Con
necticut’s Wesleyan U.
Wesleyan relocated nine stu
dents last spring after dorm resi
dents protested the placement of
non-black students in a black hous
ing facility.
Just hours after the students
requested to live in the Malcolm X
House, residents posted flyers saying
their house was at risk.
Residents say the students —
four Asian, three Latino and two
white — had little connection to
the African-American studies pro
gram and picked the house in order
to live in singles. Administrators say
the nine spots remained unfilled at
the beginning of the housing lot
tery, leaving them no choice but to
fill the rooms with non-black stu
dents who had requested singles.
Ashraf Rushdy, professor of
African-American studies and Eng
lish, says residents felt the presence
of non-black students would dimin
ish the house’s role as a safe haven
Stewart Carnage, vice president for
public affairs. “[The controversy]
became a bigger deal than it really
was. We had to protect the copy
right laws.”
After the new copyright was
attained, the shirts resurfaced in
local shops as well. “The shirts sell
well enough to warrant continu
ing to keep them,” says Sam Wal
lace, a local store owner who sells
the shirts.
Perhaps the most ardent sup
porters of the pro-queen camp are
the students who have kept the shirr
in constant demand since its cre
ation. Mina Kerr, a ’77 graduate,
has had her shirt since 1973.
“It was something funny and
different,” Kerr says. “William and
Mary isn’t just old-fashioned,
straight-laced stuff. It’s a modern
university."
Once in danger of going the way
of the powdered wig and the three
cornered hat, the T-shirts are safe
from becoming an out-of-produc
tion collector’s item.
“The shirts are on the shelves,”
Carnage says. “We don’t want to
suggest that the college Cannot make
fun of itself in the best way.”
King William probably didn’t
think twice before putting Iris name
first, hut as the saying goes, behind
every great man there’s an even bet
ter woman.
By Samantha Levine, College of William
and Mary, I/a./ Photos by Logan Wal
lace, College of William and Mary
After a week of negotiations
between students and Wesleyan
president Douglas J. Bennet, univer
sity officials agreed to place the nine
students in other dorms and
assigned black students to the house.
Administrators have yet to
resolve whether non-black students
can live in the house because they
can’t find the house’s original char
ter. Current residents say they will
work with the university to write a
new charter this fall.
By Seth Stern, Cornell U. /Photo by
Brenda Chapman, Wesleyan U., Conn.
ror black students
on campus.
“The Malcolm
X House gives us
a place where we
don’t think about
race. We can be
ourselves,” says
Angie Mont
gomery, a junior
and the house res
idence adviser.
“Our house was
going to be taken
away from us.”
“A place where we don’t think
about race."
Bookin’ it.
Text
Trade
M ore than 300
national univer
sities have made
the switch. And we’re not
talking about coffee. Cam
puses are opting for a
change from the traditional
campus-run bookstore to
the Barnes and Noble Col
lege Bookstore.
Many universities no longer
want the financial responsibility of a
bookstore, says Stan Frank, market
ing manager of Barnes and Noble
College Bookstores Inc. He adds
that the majority of college-run
bookstores don’t make any money.
Barnes and Noble pays the school
whether the bookstore makes money
or not, so schools don’t have to wor
ry about finances. In fact, Frank says,
Barnes and Noble is able to pay
schools with profitable stores even
more money than they make when
the university is holding the reins.
“For the schools, it’s a win-win
situation- There are no negatives
involved; only positives,” Frank says.
Those “positives,” according to
Frank, include maintaining better
quality and service, keeping prices
constant and increasing merchandise.
“It’s easier [with a Barnes and
Noble bookstore] to get what 1 need
and get out quickly and avoid all the
confusion,” says Pennsylvania State
U. junior Geoff Mosher.
However, some students aren’t
buying the hype of a commercially
owned campus bookstore.
Danial Sord, a Columbia U.
sophomore, says there are snags in
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■I
A Modest
Proposal
Franc Del Fosse wanted to get his
girlfriend's attention when he proposed
to her. He ended up getting a little more
attention than he bargained for.
Del Fosse painted “Alison, will you
marry me?! Franc” on the concrete “A”
embedded in Arizona State U.’s Tempe
Butte in the wee hours of the morning
last spring. This unique way to pop the
question caught the eye of his girl
friend, Alison Wright, a psychology
senior at Arizona.
It also caught the eye of local
police and members of the ASU Alumni
Association.
“I thought everyone would see it and
it would be a good way to let her know I
was proud to ask her,” says Del Fosse, a
junior. “I was surprised when it got so
much publicity. I wasn’t ready for it.”
The publicity included a police
investigation. Del Fosse faced a possi
ble $1,000 fine, four months in jail and
two years probation. The “A," which
adorns the side of a butte, has long
been a target of vandals, especially
those who attend rival schools.
Arlene Chin, university traditions
and student programs coordinator,
says the “A” is painted a couple of
times a year for school functions, but it
receives more than half a dozen unoffi
cial paint jobs.
Fortunately, the police and the
alumni association realized the good
intentions surrounding the case, so the
lovebirds weren’t caged for their Aug.
23 wedding.
“[The police] were really cool about
it,” Del Fosse says. “They were happy
for us but made it clear it was vandal
ism.”
But don’t get any wise ideas, says
Toby Dyas, a Tempe police spokesper
son. Future vandals will be prosecuted.
“It isn’t a billboard to be used by
everyone.”
Tim Baxter, Arizona State U.
the system. “Generally, it’s a nice
store, and people are friendly, but
they have trouble staying organized
with inventory.”
Now, if only Wolfgang Puck
could do something about the
dorm food.
Story and photo by Marty Lerman,
Ohio State U.
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