(/., with AN AUDIENCE OF 6.6 MILLION, is the most widely read lifestyle and entertainment magazine among 18- to 34-year-old college-educated young adults. Editorial content focuses on the diverse interests, activities, attitudes and concerns of students attend ing four-year colleges and universities. J.\assistant editors, selected each year from top graduating seniors, read campus newspapers, commission original articles and photography by the best student journalists, and maintain an ongoing dialogue via the Internet and (/.-Views line with students at hundreds of campuses nationwide. PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR 1991-1996 Gayle Morris Sweetund PUBLISHER & EDITOR Frances Huffman ASSOCIATE EDITOR Colleen Rush Buckneu. li. ’95 ASSISTANT EDITORS Carrie Bell Humboldt State U.'96 Melissa Greco li. of Michigan '% Amy Helmes Xavier U. '96 James Hibberd U. of Texas, Austin'96 ART DIRECTOR Dave Druse ADVISORY COUNCIL Dr. David L Adams Indiana U. W.B. Casey U. of Iowa Dr. Jan T. Childress Texas Tech U. Mona Cravens U. of Southern California Mark Goodman Student Press Law Center Dr. Les Hyder Pastern Illinois U. Kathy Lawrence U. of Texas, Austin Richard C. Lytle Southern Methodise U. Lesley Marcello Nicholls State U. Dr. Frank Ragulsky Oregon State U. Dr. J. David Reed Eastern Illinois U, Tom Rolnicki Associated Collegiate Press Richard Sublette Past President, CMA Martha Sprigg Michigan State U. Chuck Stone U. of North Carolina Laura Widmer Northwest Missouri St. U. ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES Main Office Director of Sales k Mktg. Aiexy Coughlin 1800 Century Park East', Suite 820, Los Angeles, CA 90067 Tel. (310) 551-1381 FAX (310) 551-1659 or 552-0836 New York U. Magazine, 170 E. 61st St., Suite 400 New York, NY 10021 Tel. (212) 980-2800 FAX (212) 980-2811 Fern Kershon, Eastern Advertising Director Carole Rynston, Eastern Mktg. Services Mgr. Midwest & Detroit Jol Guenther, Peter Guenther, Tf.l. (312) 335-9001 FAX (312) 335-8578 Dallas Phii Ganz, Nancy Wiiiis Tfi. (214) 991 -4994 FAX (214) 991 -4995 San Francisco/Pacific Northwest Patrick Doyle Tel. (415) 777-4383 PAX (415) 777-4385 Entertainment Ad Director Pa rriKAY Gottlieb Tel. (310) 836-7808 FAX (310) 841-6607 American Collegiate Network, Inc. President Maria Spirtos Vice President Thomas J. Mitchell Vice President Paula Perisic Operations Director Kevaleen Ryan Circulation Manager Tiracy Matthews-Holbert Assistant Controller Marihtte Mercado Receptionist Rhea Singh Web SITE: HTTP://WWW.UMAGAZINE.COM F-Mail: Editor: editor@umagazine.com Asst. Editors: edit@umagazine.com Advertising: adsales@umagazine.com Contests: contests@umagazine.com Circulation: circ@umagazine.( :c >m f/.® is published nine times a year and printed in the I'.SA. on recyclable pap. Subscriptions are SI8. Copyright® 1996. U„ U. Magazine and U. The National College Magazine are registered trademarks of American Collegiate Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. U. VIEWS 4 U. Mail, editorial cartoons and (shocker) more poll questions. QUICKIES 5 Fat-, sugar- and cholesterol- free campus anecdotes. U. NEWS 6 Buy four years of under^rad education, get your master’s in a fifth year for free. Read all about Clark U. s too-good-to-be-true offer. Or find out how to slam your professors — and get away with it! And, as always, we’ve got Bits & Bytes, The Buzz on campus and a girl and her dogs’ 15 Minutes of fame. U. LIFE 10 Home / Give Me a Break Going home for the holidays means more than clean laundry and home-cooked meals. It means curfews, chores and family-bonding time. Are you ready to regress? 10 Class / Staying Power Whether it’s homesickness, school-sickness or just plain burn-out, some freshman won’t survive their first year. Find out what schools are doing to keep the freshman spirit alive. 11 Dollars / Scholarship Scam Take your grandpa’s advice: You can’t get somethin’ fer nothin’. Some students are learning that the hard way after scholarship companies reel them in with false scholarship promises. Don’t be the next little fish to fall hook, line and sinker. 11 Etc. / Big Returns on Crime Prevention You might feel safe in that big academic bubble you’ve built around yourself, but campus crime is increasing everywhere. It’s a big, bad world out there — find out what some campuses are doing to protect their students from it. COVER STORY 14 Have Change, Will Travel Pop quiz, wise guy. How much money does it take to travel around the world? More money than you’ll ever have? WRONG! Check out our tips for cheap trips and find out how to stretch your meager travel budget. Plus, we’ve got the scoop on the new hip, happenin' places to travel. Bon marche voyage! FEATURES 16 The Grade Debate Since when does an “A” stand for average? According to some grade hounds, the meaning of an “A” ain’t what it used to be. Others argue that us students are just getting smarter. Find out what all the grade inflation fuss is about. 20 Back to Schoolhouse Rock Retro-madness doesn’t stop at frosted lipstick or Scooby Doo lunch boxes. Yes, that’s right. Your favorite Saturday morning sing-a-long session is making a comeback. Go ahead. Put on those footie pajamas and rock out with the Schoolhouse gang. R + R 18 Rock The last and latest from Blind Melon, plus Pocket Band, Our Picks and the U. radio chart. 16 Reel Hollywood’s last-ditch efforts to woo Oscar, plus Reel Deal and a Screen Saver on John Cleese’s “equal” to A Fish Called Wanda. 22 Contests Wanna win big money? Turn to our world-famous contests page now! And find out what little student Grinches want with U. Magazine's annual Holiday Gift Wish List. WRAP 23 Exit: Stage Dive Getting felt-up at a concert by a stranger isn’t that unusual. But what if that stranger is a hairy, 350-pound security guy? Maximum security isn’t an uncommon sight at most concerts these days. GUEST EXPERTS: Beavis and Butt-Head Alienated, obtuse, brooding, inarticulate — these are just a few of the adjectives that leap to mind when contemplating our December Guest Experts, Beavis and his longtime socialist companion Butt-head. The iconoclastic duo have been deconstructing bourgeois sensibilities every week on the avant-garde MTV. Following in the tradition of Un Chien Andalou, this month the auteurs offer un expurgated discourse on our postmodern condition in Beavis and Butt-Head Do America. Cover Photo by Michael Palmier), Penn State U. There’s one born every minute. Rage 11 Hitch-free cheap travel plans. Page 1<4 Where we all learned to love our grammar. Page 20 Campus Shots An ad for Tide? Nope, just boys being boys at James Madison U. Photo by Melissa Palladino, James Madison U.