Vreni Gust

Here I am at an airport, trying to write this article, thinking to myself, there is no way I can do this without a cup of coffee.

And then I start to think, am I addicted to caffeine?

Being a caffeine addict is something I joke about all of time. Plenty of college students rely heavily on caffeine to get them through their classes, especially their morning classes. I can think of plenty of friends who can’t function without their morning cup of coffee, especially after a night out.

I think everyone living in Alfred, on or off campus, will agree that there is a problem with stray cats here.

The cats simply seem to be everywhere. I have talked to people on campus that have seen them in the dumpsters, or seen them try to enter dormitories. I live off campus, and from my dining room window I have counted twelve in one field of vision.

A series of three small fires were lit in men’s bathrooms in Reimer Residence Hall at different times this semester.

Each fire was lit in a trash can in the men’s bathrooms, the first occurring on the third floor on Jan. 24 at 4:45 AM, the second also occurring on the third floor on Mar. 21 at 1:30 AM, and the third occurring on the first floor on March 22 at 12:30 AM.

This information was announced to the university by Chief of Public Safety, John Dougherty via email on Mar. 23.

I don’t believe in Facebook addiction, I just think people need to go outside more. I wanted to look up how much time people procrastinate on Facebook but I came across something far more interesting: information on Facebook addiction and Facebook addiction treatment centers.

I love to eat. Eating is good, and it makes me happy. One of the things I eat multiple times a day are clementines. I believe that clementines are the best food ever (other than bacon of course) for several reasons which I will share below.

Mental illness can be an awkward topic to address. Everyone has notions of what someone with a mental illness is like, from depression to schizophrenia. The fact is that too often having a mental illness carries a negative stigma that is difficult to overcome.

After the December 22 repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prohibited gay or lesbian people from serving in the armed forces, many elite colleges and university are reexamining their ban of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) participation on their campuses. With the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the program no longer violates these universities anti-discrimination policies.

It’s that time of year when people start to get sick. I am of the belief that there are people who are “bad” sick people, and “good” sick people. I wish that everyone could be a "good" sick person, but for some, that is just plain difficult. And I must admit, people who are "bad" at being sick really irritate me.

Senior art shows opened to thrilling reviews, Dec. 4 in Harder Hall.

“This year’s Senior show set a new precedent,” Robin Howard, assistant dean of the School of Art and Design, mentioned with gusto.

Senior art and design students George Vidas and Stephen Denman created their own wood shop in the hallway of Binns-Merrill Hall in protest of its temporary closing, at noon Nov. 11.

Art students from all divisions use the wood shop for various purposes. From painters making frames and stretcher bars, to ceramicists making brackets to hang their tiles, to students making pedestals for their senior shows, the wood shop is an extremely important facility for art majors.