GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Greetings and Happy New Academic Year!

So much has already been happening in the College we hardly know where to begin!

Cookout and Opening Tea Were Grand Successes

We had a wonderful cookout for all our new students on August 13th, and a grand time was had by all. The College Council arranged the whole event (with a cash infusion from the Senior Tutor), and special thanks go to Scott Thomason, Council President, for his very hard work. Wendy Hood, one of the University’s official photographers, took pictures of the whole crowd and we hope to have them available soon.

And not only that, the Grand Welcoming Tea this past week was a grand success! Friends were made, cookies were consumed, and a fun time was had by all. The beautiful souvenir page designed by Gwen Kovalak made the rounds and received everyone’s signature—take a look at it in the College Office before it goes out to be framed.

Library and Blue Lemur Coffee Bar Open!

Under the skillful guidance of College Librarian Lonnie White, the Strong College Library has opened for business again. The hours for the semester will be: Sunday evening 7:00–11:00 p.m., and Monday–Thursday afternoons and evenings 3:00–5:00 p.m. and 7:00–11:00 p.m. Stop by the Library to read, sleep, send e-mail, type a paper, or push back the frontiers of world civilization. And while you are there say thank you to our crack team of volunteer librarians, without whom the Library would be but a dream: Julianna Bowman, Ellen Hadley, Cicely Holland, Cecilia Ruth Lance, Lisa Meserve, Darren Overcash, Sara Pulley, Che-Von Rodwell, and Amanda Waterhouse.

And when you’ve had your fill of studying for the evening, step right down to the Blue Lemur Coffee Bar on Tuesday evenings from 10:00 p.m. until midnight (more or less). Free refreshments (though contributions will be gladly accepted), good company, occasional movies, and all sorts of other fun. The Blue Lemur operates under the charmingly despotic rule of Tim Owens, a true Strong College legend—freshmen who want to know where several years of Strong College life will get them are advised to watch Tim closely.

College Council, Casino Night, Literary Hour, and Voyager

The College Council has resumed its regular schedule, meeting under the leadership of President Thomason every Tuesday evening at 9:00 p.m. in the Committee Room (followed by the Blue Lemur Coffee Bar). If you want to get involved in College Life the Council is a great place to begin! The Council-sponsored Casino Night has begun on Thursday nights, as well. Stop by to get fleeced, er, learn various games of skill and chance from the College Croupier and his crew. The Cornelian Literary Society has also been reborn for the new year under the eye both prosaic and poetical of Laurie White (last year’s rumors of a coup by Pam Bulgin seem to have dissipated, but who knows what the year ahead may bring). The Literary Society meets every Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. in the Senior Common Room, and they want you to join them! And the Star Trek crew (headed by Bob O’Hara and Michelle Marcelais) also seeks your allegiance, every Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m. in the Star Chamber. Qapla!

Ad Astra

Our own Lisa Meserve just donated a complete set of the World Book Encyclopedia to the College Library. Thank you, Lisa, for your generous gift that will last for many years to come!

Strong College staff member and UNCG Student Government President Durenda Johnson spent several days in Montana this summer at a national conference on student government. Ask her to tell you about it!

Strong College Fellows Joan Glynn and Laura Hill have donated a copy of the brand new UNCG Alumni Directory to the College—several Strong College students have already found their parents and grandparents among the listings. Stop by the College Office to browse the directory before it migrates up to the Library to be part of the permanent collection. Thank you, Joan and Laura!

Campus Security Officer Alice Chavez very generously donated a large collection of magazines to the College Library. Thank you very much!

Natural history notes from the Senior Tutor: a muskrat has taken up residence in Buffalo Creek along the Regatta course. We hope she will help the Strong College Corps of Engineers clean up the course in the spring. The Crane-fly Orchids are just past their peak of bloom in the Peabody Park woods. Dr. O’Hara has collected an unusual natural object which is now on display in the College Office, and he will award $1Strong to anyone (not in his class) who can identify said object to his satisfaction.

Poem-of-the-Week

The Strong College Poem-of-the-Week is posted on the bulletin board outside the College Office and is usually reprinted here. The first Poem-of-the-Week for 1997–98 is “From the North” by Christopher de Vinck:

Before we stepped into the summer cottage
My father and I leaned back upon the
Grass to guess the direction of the next
Falling star.

I do not know much about constellations
Or the fortunes hooked to each.

I do not know if God chose
To keep earth in one position.

That night, with all the world’s weight
To our backs, and the arch of the universe
Above us, my father in that hidden season
And I stopped time between us.

“There, Chris! From the north!”

A flare and streak of light which I
Still keep in all that I am and in
All that I wish to teach my children
Before they sleep: “From the north.”

STRONG COLLEGE CALENDAR

The weekly Strong College Calendar will ordinarily appear in this space, but there was so much news this week we had no room for it! All Strong College members should have received a copy of the calendar for the whole year; keep your eye on that, and on the bulletin boards, and on future issues of the Newsletter to find out what is happening in the College! If you missed a copy of the annual calendar stop by the College Office to pick one up.

OFFICIAL DISCLAIMERS: Nothing here is official. Please don’t sue us. Two game wardens, seven hunters, and a cow. Fasten seat belts. There’s a lemur tail in my eye. Mind the gap. May be harmful if swallowed. No caffeine. For external use only. Do not eat. Refrigerate after opening. Use only in a well-ventilated area. When I get tired of using English I just meow. Blasting operations are currently in progress at Arlanda airport. Machine washable and dryer safe. Choking hazard. Product and colors may vary. This does not represent the official policy of the United States Government, the Order of the Octopus, the Angolan Christmas Tree Mining Company, the “Spawn” of “Homer,” the King Biscuit Poetry Hour, Gerald Finzi, Rollo the Lemur©, Barbie of Borg™, the Varmint Masters Association, Doris Hinkle’s School of Dance, the fabled Lost City of the Lemurs™, Boris the spider, Selima the cat, or Tiney the hare, may they all rest in peace. It does represent the official policy of James Elroy Flecker. Eye irritant. Crayons not included. Do not inhale. Artwork is for illustration purposes only. If swallowed or lodged in ear or nose, promptly see doctor. Figures sold separately. Hold handrail. Read cautions on back. I’m a doctor, not a counterinsurgent. Rules subject to change. Elvis has left the building. Point away from people while opening. Endorsed by writers and professional hunters everywhere. Not a significant source of calories. I just love scanning for life forms. Strawberry fields forever. Easy to clean vinyl lining. Will not craze most plastics. Easily slips beneath outerwear. Contains no squid. Shown actual size. Do not shake. When dry, brush lightly. I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that. Rubber ducky, you’re the one. No cheerleaders were harmed in the making of this Newsletter. The most common things in the Universe are hydrogen and stupidity. Vapors may cause flash fire. Second star to the right, and straight on till morning. If we succeed there will be many songs sung in our honor. The better our fantasies are, the better our realities can become. Think continually of those who were truly great. A decent boldness ever meets with friends. Risk—risk is our business; that’s what this starship is all about; that’s why we’re aboard her. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Resistance is futile. Assimilate this. Per aspera ad astra!