GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Garden Weasels

Under the leadership Cecilia Ruth Lance and Mary Minter, the Strong College Garden Weasels began their work last week to beautify the lawn and woods behind the College. Much trash was picked up and a path was cleared, and the College Garden Shed was cleaned and readied for use. Their work will continue throughout the year—if you want to help out (as many, many people did last week) stop in at a College Council meeting or speak to Cecilia Ruth or Mary. And stop by the College Office to see the pictures of the Garden Weasels at work taken by Dr. O’Hara—some are on the Office door and bulletin board, and the complete set is in the Office.

Adopt-a-Lemur!

Last year Strong College adopted a lemur (more specifically, a Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur) at the Duke University Primate Center. It’s time to renew our adoption certificate, and the Treasurer of the Lemur Fund, Jon Buford, is now collecting contributions in the College Office. Thanks to donations from Eric Harrington, Ryan Kelly, Bob O’Hara, Laura Poe, Greg Shealy, and Amanda Waterhouse we only need another $11 to reach the $50 total we need. If you’d like to see a picture of our lemur or make a contribution to the Lemur Fund stop by the Office!

The Cultural High Point of the Fall

The season premier of Star Trek: Voyager is scheduled for Wednesday evening, September 3rd, from 8:00–10:00 p.m. (Two hours!) Join the crew of the U.S.S. Cornelia Strong in the Star Chamber to watch it!

And speaking of cultural high points, an ER watching group will be meeting in the Star Chamber on Thursday nights from 10:00–11:00 p.m. under the direction of Eric Harrington. Be there, and don’t forget to scrub first.

Poetical Visitations

North Carolina poet John York was a special guest at the Cornelian Literary Society this past week, where he read a number of his own poems as well as favorites written by other North Carolina authors. Strong thanks go to Laurie White and Jennifer Rogers for hosting his visit! And we now have a presentation copy York’s book Johnny’s Cosmology to add to our special collections—stop by the College Office to see.

Ad Astra

The first Borders Bookstore Breakaway of the year will take place Sunday, September 7th, at 1:00 p.m. in the JCR. Join Strong College Fellow Pam Bulgin and friends for a ride out to the best bookstore in town. Don’t miss it!

Strong College’s own Adam Cox and Durenda Johnson are serving as student members of the University Planning Council. If you have any Big Ideas about what needs to be done at UNCG let them know!

Many thanks to Kathleen Lance and Amanda Minter, the Strong College Garden Weasels Sub-Committee on the Interior, who have taken charge of all our indoor plants for the year. They will help to keep our College green!

Strong College congratulates Nikki Aquilina and Amanda Waterhouse for their architectural mastery as seen by the repeated construction of the Strong College Theater Education Yurt in the Junior Common Room. It may be recreated at Tea next week, so be sure to come!

Thanks also go to Kyle Webster, College Trickster, for his excellent demonstration of card tricks last week at Casino Night. Kyle will be glad to do further demonstrations for anyone with a large supply of unmarked bills. Photos of Casino Night are also on display in and outside of the College Office.

There may be a group forming under the leadership of Jennifer Rogers to watch Daria every Monday night at 10:30 p.m. in the Star Chamber. La la la la la.

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. This week’s poem is Stanley Kunitz’s “The War Against the Trees” (1958):

The man who sold his lawn to standard oil
Joked with his neighbors come to watch the show
While the bulldozers, drunk with gasoline,
Tested the virtue of the soil
Under a branchy sky
By overthrowing first the privet-row.

Forsythia-forays and hydrangea-raids
Were but preliminaries to a war
Against the great-grandfathers of the town,
So freshly lopped and maimed.
They struck and struck again,
And with each elm a century went down.

All day the hireling engines charged the trees,
Subverting them by hacking underground
In grub-dominions, where dark summer’s mole
Rampages through his halls,
Till a northern seizure shook
Those crowns, forcing the giants to their knees.

I saw the ghosts of children at their games
Racing beyond their childhood in the shade,
And while the green world turned its death-foxed page
And a red wagon wheeled,
I watched them disappear
Into the suburbs of their grievous age.

Ripped from the craters much too big for hearts
The club-roots bared their amputated coils,
Raw gorgons matted blind, whose pocks and scars
Cried Moon! on a corner lot
One witness-moment, caught
In the rear-view mirrors of the passing cars.

STRONG COLLEGE CALENDAR

1 September (Monday), 10:30 p.m., Star Chamber — A trial showing of Daria. (Jennifer Rogers)

2 September (Tuesday), 4:30 p.m., Junior Common Room — College Tea! It’s the social event of the College week.

2 September (Tuesday), 9:00 p.m., Committee Room — College Council Meeting. (Scott Thomason)

2 September (Tuesday), 10:00 p.m., Committee Room — Blue Lemur Coffee Bar. (Tim Owens)

3 September (Wednesday), 9:00 p.m., Star Chamber — Star Trek: Voyager! (Michelle Marcelais and Bob O’Hara)

4 September (Thursday), 4:30 p.m., Senior Common Room — Cornelian Literary Society. (Laurie White)

4 September (Thursday), 9:00 p.m., Committee Room — Casino Night at the Blue Lemur! (Scott Thomason)

5 September (Friday), 12:00 noon, Strong College section in the Caf — Fellows’ and Students’ Lunch.

7 September (Sunday), 1:00 p.m., Junior Common Room — Borders Bookstore Breakaway! (Pam Bulgin)

OFFICIAL DISCLAIMERS: Nothing here is official. Please don’t sue us. I love Vulcans. Fasten seat belts. 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. Lava is a philosophy. Lava is here to stay. Machine washable and dryer safe. Choking hazard. This does not represent the official policy of the United States Government, Rollo the Lemur©, Barbie of Borg™, the Varmint Masters Association, Doris Hinkle’s School of Dance, or Tickle-Me Elmo. It does represent the official policy of the Theater Education Yurt. Eye irritant. Crayons not included. Do not inhale. I really like lizards. If swallowed or lodged in ear or nose, promptly see doctor. 100% undetermined man-made fibers. Hold handrail. Read cautions on back. I’m a doctor, not a counterinsurgent. Rules subject to change. Point away from people while opening. Not a significant source of calories. Not intended for use in combination with husbands and fuzzy, footy pajamas. Those who appreciate quality enjoy it responsibly. 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. 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!