Photo via The Yale Daily News

According to The Yale Daily News, police officers raided an off campus More-Ezra Stiles “screw” (a Yale version of SPG?) as part of “Operation Nightlife” to “curb violence in the downtown entertainment district.” Apparently, a dozen police officers stormed the club with SWAT gear and assault rifles, ultimately resulting in the Tasering of one student and arrest of 5…and I thought Brown was supposed to be a dangerous place.

So in the problem-free utopia that is New Haven, the question begs to be asked, why is the NHPD spending $15,000 a weekend targeting college kids, especially Yalies?  Has ResCollege competition gotten out of hand? Are the Whiffs at war with the Doox? Is tapping stirring up strife between secret societies?   We Brunonians may never know. But hey, that’s why we didn’t choose Yale.

A video, clearly showing that the popo meant business, after the jump.   [Read more →]

Courtesy of Chattahbox

Don’t get us wrong; we relish saving the environment as much as the next college blog, but ever since Brown discontinued the sale plastic water bottles, other (more trivial) issues have surfaced.

According to the Providence Journal, Brown is the first Ivy League school to purge itself of the environmentally-offensive plastic water bottles. (And that is pretty tremendous. Of course Brown had to be first. That’s who we are.)

“While plastic water bottles are often more practical, Brown has been really good about distributing reusable ones,” freshman David Jacobs commented while sipping from his aluminum canteen.

Based 100% on anecdotal and flimsy evidence, however, some Brown students seem slightly insulted by the dearth of expendable, portable potables.   [Read more →]

Graph made using GSS by Blog staff

Okay, not quite. But someone over at Discover had a bit too much time on their hands. Using apparently existing stats on alcohol consumption and demographics, the blogger produced drinking data on various cross tabs of the population, including religion, gender, and region.

But perhaps the most relevant to Brown students would be the finding that people who drink more scored higher on a vocabulary test.

Obviously that’s not to say that the drinking made these people have better vocabularies. It’s correlative, not causative (or some mumbo jumbo I don’t remember from high school Stats class). But it may make you feel a little less guilty about the Friday night activities you’re about to engage in.

In case you have an entirely different conception of an awesome Friday night, you can create your own cross tabs if you want to check Discover‘s work or if you’re curious about other demographic trends.

Party on, Garth.

Company of fish
No seafood, but hot bodies
Flutter in the breeze

…Be safe children, but don’t forget to submit your fishkus (FishCo themed haikus) to fishco@browndailyherald.com.

Students at Bates, the liberal arts college in a quiet town in Maine, got excessively rowdy at a party last night, according to the Sun Journal.

Police were called in from neighboring districts, and several people were taken away in ambulances.

Let’s hope Campus Dance doesn’t end with quite this much excitement.

Due to the insanely bizarre freak thunderstorm that just happened (you may have noticed the thunder, lightning, pouding rain and hail), SPEC has sent out this message via Facebook regarding its Carnival, which was due to be on the Main Green at 5.

Hey everyone. We just wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of your support these past few days. Due to rain, rides and carnival games cannot be set up outside. Fortunately, we still have PLENTY of food!

COME TO THE BLUE ROOM between 5-8 TONIGHT FOR SNOW CONES, COTTON CANDY, POPCORN, HAMBURGERS AND HOT DOGS!

See you then!

Thanks,
SPEC

P.S. Stay tuned for Carnival Part 2!

Terribly disappointing news for all those who hoped to partake in some inebriated inflatable obstacle course races. Of course they’ll still have food in the Blue Room. And not sure what that Carnival Part 2 thing means. Maybe we’ll have another day of inflated fun on the Green?

Anyway, thanks, Rhode Island weather.

As the “weekend” approaches, it’s time to set priorities straight. Is your wallet still hurting from last weekend? Using the knowledge you picked up in stats (knew it would come in handy someday!), analyze this chart to determine your best drunk-to-dollar ratio.

If your priorities fall along a different dichotomy, get the bang for your buck (err… calories). And hey, there’s good news…

If you’re still trying to nail down your plans for next Wednesday’s drunken celebration of Irish culture, look no further.

This morning, Brown students who actually read Morning Mail woke up to an invitation from WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering) and MathWiSE to the St. Patrick’s Day Sci Li Challenge, their evening of “good ol’ St Patrick’s Day fun.”

Anyone familiar with Brown traditions knows what the Sci Li Challenge is, and it’s probably not quite what WiSE is advertising with their “hunt for treasure (well, sort of)” (although the meaning of “sort of” is very ambiguous). They should realize it’s dangerous to throw that term around lightly, especially when it’s linked to St. Patrick’s Day! [Read more →]

Glenn Beil / MCT

1962 — To freshmen living in Andrews Hall who feel like they’re living in prison: At least you aren’t 1960s Pembroke girls. This December 1962 story headlined “University Takes Action” teaches us that not only did Brown once employ someone with the title “director of food, plant and housing,” but that things can always get worse. In an effort to stop peeping Toms who plagued the all-girls school, administrators decided to add barbed wire to the protections surrounding Andrews, which already included a wall, iron gate, floodlights and locks preventing windows from being opened more than a little. The Pembroke Sing-Sing was, of course, “for the girls’ safety.” Lucky for us, we only have to deal with Grad Center.

After the jump, drugs and booze! [Read more →]

…we’re tipsy.

Providence clocks in at number 56 when the top 100 American cities are ranked by drunkenness. The city was awarded a “C,” but hey — that’s satisfactory on the Hill.