April 1 Issue of Daily Gazette - Spec Weekend

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
1

<p>I am cutting and pasting because the link becomes obsolete tomorrow:</p>

<p>"Spec weekend 2005 to be "sexed up" </p>

<p>Despite the 11% increase in applications this year, the college administration is redoubling its ongoing efforts to improve Swarthmore's admissions profile. To that end, the admissions committee today announced a series of changes to the "Ride the Tide" program (formerly informally known as "Spec Weekend"). </p>

<p>The new program, to be titled "Ride the Tide in Your Sweet-Ass Ride: XTREME," will attempt to alter the prevailing view of Swarthmore as an academically rigorous school with a socially and sexually repressed student body. It will feature events that promote Swarthmore as an "institution of FUNducation," in the words of Dean of Admissions Jim Bock '90. </p>

<p>New events will include a dance party with the deans, featuring Dean of the College Robert Gross at the turntables (under his stage name, "DJ Gro$$tastic"), a wet t-shirt contest on the Parrish steps led by the a capella groups, and a Battle of the Department Bands on the LPAC mainstage. Current odds favor the Biology Department's hair metal outfit, HAMSTYR, with the Astronomy Department's power pop trio "The Copernicans" as a possible dark horse contender. </p>

<p>In order to accommodate the new events without preventing prospective students from visiting classes, "Ride the Tide in Your Sweet-Ass Ride: XTREME" will be spread out over the course of two weeks, during which hosts will be restricted from attending class more than twice a week, in keeping with what Bock enthusiastically describes as "the slacker theme." </p>

<p>Bock summarized the changes thus: "For too long has the name 'Swarthmore' been associated with 'stodgy,' 'strenuous,' and 'so f***ing dull.' It's time to replace those words with 'sexy.'"</p>

2

<p>Just in case anyone missed it--this is part of their April Fools' Daily Gazette. Not to be taken seriously!</p>

3

<p>sounds like it might be more fun than parents week-end?!</p>

4

<p>Achat, I was just going to post that here, but you beat me to it!</p>

5

<p>My son called me up and we laughed about it just now!! That's why I was alerted.</p>

6

<p>Ha! Brilliant!</p>

7

<p>hahha its nice to see the awesome sense of humor at swat!</p>

8

<p>Haha this is terrific! FUNducation!</p>

<p>Read the entire Gazette online at <a href="http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily/&lt;/a> it's awesome!</p>

9

<p>I thought last year's was even funnier, especially the article "Real World Teams up with Swat to Liven Up Admissions".</p>

<p><a href="http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily/archive/spring_2004/20040401.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily/archive/spring_2004/20040401.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>BTW, the references to Interpretation Theory majors are kind of insider jokes. "Interpretation kids" is kind of a Swarthmore shorthand for the geekiest of the geeks, students so engrossed in the deepest of academic pursuits that they never see the light of day. It's almost a thing of legend, kind of like sightings of Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster.</p>

<p>Also, it's worth poking around the Photo archives in the Daily Gazette. Terriffic photos of the campus and various events from the last five years:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily/photo/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily/photo/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

10

<p>Under the Upcoming Events section, I loved this little barb at schools that go on and on and on and on and on about their Honor Codes:</p>

<hr>

<p>Tomorrow:
Lack of trust walk at Haverford, 5:00 p.m.</p>

11

<p>The best one though:</p>

<p>Bio Dept. Gives Tenure Track to Intelligent-Design Professor</p>