(/., 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.
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President Maria Spirtos
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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.