Karma's a Bitch

Last May, just over a month after this blog was born, I received a facebook message from someone with the name "Mark W Huddleston." Obviously, I knew it wasn't the UNH president, but just some random student.  In this message the kid made fun of the blog, it was actually kind of funny because I could tell he took everything I wrote way too literally.  However, I will admit that in the beginning I had no idea what I was doing or what direction to go in. I actually saved this message, even though I ignored it's content. And am I glad that I saved it after coming across this article: (From seacoastonline.com click to see full story. And more from the Union Leader.) 

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A recent University of New Hampshire graduate is facing misdemeanor criminal charges after police said he used the Internet to falsely claim he had beaten up a student on Halloween and impersonate the university's president.

Scott Holbrook, 23, of Manchester, was arrested Thursday after turning himself in, university police said Friday.

Holbrook also was charged with criminal defamation for allegedly identifying himself as University President Mark Huddleston in instant messages and Facebook postings that included "inappropriate and suggestive comments." Sgt. Steven Lee declined to elaborate, but described the comments as crass and inflammatory.He was charged with hindering apprehension, unsworn falsification and disorderly conduct for allegedly posting information online claiming responsibility for the attack that left a 21-year-old student seriously injured.

So this kid gets arrested because he made a fake facebook account claiming to be President Huddleston  and pretends to be the assaulter. I am not positive but I believe the AIM screen name was "unh," which has been around for a while. (Even before I started my blog I remember seeing that he left messages in different facebook groups such as the incoming freshman class ones.) Wow, nice life. I mean this is absolutely the greatest thing ever. I knew when I read his message that he was a little off, but I never would have guessed it would lead to something like this. Here are a few lines from the message he sent me last year: "first off, your blog is meaningless; as your opinion is shared by almost all of the other ignorant cavemen on our campus... the only people reading your blog are these indie faggots and other fat slobs who are interested in journalism... get your act together. you're only impressing nerds and scene kids. what a disgrace you are... you are so cliche, so stereotypical."

Hey dude, I hope you're happy. If you still read this, which I wouldn't doubt, congratulations. I hope that you have accomplished all of your intended goals. Does it make you feel cool to make fake facebook accounts to and make fun of people? Really, what did he think he would accomplish with that? I'm glad that he was caught because I read some of the things he wrote about the assault and he went over the line. I don't know if the charges will stick, but hopefully it will teach him a lesson. 


Stay classy, not UMassy.

TKE to lose recognition?

Word around dirty Durham is that the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity is in some major hot water. Do not quote me on anything but from what I have gathered a pledge (possibly a former pledge) informed Greek life coordinator Adam McCready about some hazing incidents. It is believed that TKE national representatives came to Durham to negotiate with McCready and that possible arrests are not out of the question. This raises the question of how many fraternities do haze (probably all of them) and what they actually do. Please realize that hazing is very general and UNH policy defines it as anything "that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person's willingness to participate." The "humiliation" portion is key, because something as simple as making a pledge sing could be considered hazing. Although, if the losing recognition rumor is true, these hazing incidents must be pretty severe. 


Stay classy, not UMassy.

Power to the Students

“It is very important to learn, early in life, that you can beat City Hall and that You can change the System. You might be beaten and gassed by Police a few times before you succeed, but that stuff goes with the territory. And you will be proud of it later, just as you will make many smart friends who will stand with you all your life.”- Hunter S. Thompson

The students of UNH need to realize that we can have a voice on issues. Over the past few years the administration has made it very difficult for the student body, and even the student senate, to make changes.  College is a place where teenagers become adults by gaining more responsibilities. How the fuck does society expect us to adapt to this "real world" if the universities we attend control our every move? The administration is scum. We should not fear them. They should fear us. We make the university run, so why can't we run the university? Our tuition money, which is increased every year, allows UNH to continue to expand, so I believe that the students need to have a greater impact on that expansion. Where is that money going? To help pay the contract of hockey coach Dick Umile, who is the highest paid state employee? In 2007 he made $170,000 and in 2008 he made $382,299.  Don't get me wrong, I fully support UNH hockey and have been a die hard fan for years, but at this university, in this economy $382,299 a year is absolutely ridiculous.

I don't care what the issues are and what side you take, but let your voice be heard. Whether it is this whole Smith Hall fiasco, passing a Good Samaritan Law, or changing the advising system - make a stand. I feel like I don't go through a day without being told that it is up to our generation to make changes, from environmental issues to the economy. "The children are our future" has been a slogan for change for decades. Why not start right now, right here?

There will be a rally On Monday December 14th, at 1PM  about the issues with Smith Hall. (facebook event page here.) Students plan on meeting at T-Hall and marching down main street. No matter which side you take this could be a great opportunity to show the administration that you care and that you deserve a voice. Not voicing your opinions only tightens the universities grip on us. They have their cold dead hands around our necks, don't let yourself become a puppet. Speak for yourself. Show them that you care.


Stay classy, not UMassy.

On A Warm December Night

The semester is almost over and it is a rare warm December night at UNH. That means we must get in some good partying before finals and the holiday break. So I'm going to keep this short today. Go get trashed and do you're part in helping UNH reclaim that party school reputation. In other news, Stephenson Billings commented on an older post. He called me a pervert for naming my vaporizer "The Investigative Journalist," but he actually found the blog by Google searching his own, albeit it fake, name. Google searching yourself is pretty much like masturbating in the mirror, so who is the pervert now? Here is a good life lesson: If you ever find yourself in an intense match of hangman, use the word "sphinx" it is a guaranteed stumper. Also, I refuse to play "Farmville" on facebook until you can grow weed or use the barns as meth labs. It isn't realistic enough for me. Did you know that British Columbia's top export is marijuana? Fuck apple orchards...

This is an awesome performance of one of my new favorite songs, hope you like it.


Stay safe, stay smart, stay drunk and most of all,
Stay classy, not UMassy.

The UNH advising system sucks.

 I can't put it any simpler than that. Well, maybe I shouldn't go that far... but my advisor is absolutely terrible at advising and the secretaries in my major's department aren't any better. For the first time in blog history I'm admitting that I am only sophomore. Yeah, I started this as a freshman... I'm an arrogant bastard blah blah blah, I know. (Not really... ladies)
So anyways, I emailed my advisor over the weekend about setting up a meeting and she is yet to reply back. I feel like our advisors should try and be a little more communicative, especially at this time of year when students are stressing over finals and registration. If I recall from last year she treated me like a child and was extremely bitchy, so this actually doesn't surprise me. Last year she said right in front of me that she hates that she has to be an advisor and just wants to teach.
Anyways, back to my previous point. I already know what classes I need to take, what I want to take and what I can take and in the past these meanings have been pretty meaningless. So today I go into the department office and I explain to the secretary my situation. I ask her if I can get my RAC and time and she seems shocked and appalled by that question. Which angered me because I tried to schedule a meeting, it's not like I was being lazy or ignorant. She treated me like I had no idea what is going on and told me to fill out one of those registration first and second choices sheets and bring it back before she would give me my RAC. Those sheets are absolutely pointless and a waste of time to any student with common sense. I don't understand why we need to fill them out before choosing our classes on blackboard. Last year I only took one class I had on that list. I guess they come in handy for students who can't keep track of their requirements and pre-requisites, but we are in college so it shouldn't be that difficult. Anyways, I think this prompts the question of whether or not the UNH advising system (and maybe even registration system) needs to be changed.
 Maybe not all professors within each department should be advisors. I know that some actually enjoy it and it makes it much easier for their students. Another thing that could be helpful would be if the entire registration times were moved up so students don't have to deal with that and preparing for finals. I know that at Maine all registration was completed a few weeks ago. I feel like it is very last minute and can be kind of hectic, especially if your advisor (like mine) doesn't respond to emails or honor their office hours. What the fuck? Really? She has office hours for 1 hour once a week and she isn't even there. Whatever, I know what I need to do and how to do it, it just seems that as a professor and an advisor she should be more available and at the very least reply to emails. It's not like she is sick or gone for an emergency, she is just being a bitch. (I know this because I asked the secretary who told me she was around earlier.)

But I'll end this with some good news. Over 800 people have already joined the facebook group asking for UNH to adopt a form a the Good Samaritan Law. A member of student senate, who is working on it already, contacted me and provided the group with a bunch of info. Hopefully this will generate some interest around campus, because the students can have an impact.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Good Samaritan Law at UNH

After talking with several friends today, we decided that a Good Samaritan Law would be excellent for UNH. The student senate has already discussed it and with your support we can make it happen! The students of UNH have the power to make a change. State funding is down, which means that our tuition makes UNH run. This means that we have the power. Join the facebook group to Bring a Good Samaritan Law to UNH. Making this a reality could save a life. If you oppose this idea think about this: students will not stop drinking if it fails, we already drink without it! So why not support it?

Think about it.
Bob Dylan says it best:

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Like a Pro: Good Samaritan Law

"Like a Pro" can be found in the Tuesday issues of the UNH student newspaper "The New Hampshire." This is the blogified version:

Just a few months ago Saint Anselm junior and New Hampshire State Representative Brian Poznanski, D-Hillsborough, proposed the “Good Samaritan Law.” This law would protect underage and intoxicated students who need medical assistance from an immediate arrest. The idea behind this piece of legislature would be that students would be less fearful of the law when they, or a friend, had a few too many alcoholic drinks. The bill had begun to build steam as more representatives began to sponsor it in order to protect students across the state. However, all of this changed on Oct. 30. The emergency brakes where thrown on and the bill screeched to a halt. It died faster than McNeese State’s defense did against UNH’s spread offense last Saturday. All of the progress that had been made was lost because of the ignorance of the one person the bill most heavily relied on: Brian Poznanski.

You see, Representative Poznanski is just 20 years old and on that night he was arrested for underage drinking. Yes, Mr. Trebek, I’ll take the definition of irony for 1000, please. His arrest forced him to be dropped as the sponsor of the bill, which will not be brought before state legislature in January as it had previously been planned. The bill is still being pursued by the New Hampshire College Democrats, who are looking for a new sponsor for next fall. The Dartmouth College Democrats, who had worked with Poznanski on the bill, has been supported by various student organizations from nearly every college in the state, including UNH.

I ask you today to help make this bill a reality. Writing to your state representative can make a difference. Every weekend college students face the debate of “Should I call an ambulance, or will they be all right? If I call an ambulance they will be arrested, but they could actually be in fine health.” Most of the time the student is okay after some time goes by, but alcohol poisoning can also be a quick death. Students should not have to make this decision, because second-guessing yourself for just three seconds could be the difference of life and death. Life is already a gamble as it is; this added decision does not help anyone. I think that it is terrible that students would be afraid to call for help, but it is the truth. Of course being alive is more important than having an underage drinking arrest on your record, but it is not that easy. It is a scary situation to be in. No one wants to be the kid who got their roommate arrested when they were going to be fine, or to have the worst happen without making a call.

This passing of this bill could save a life of a young college student. It is a travesty that because of the poor decision of one person, the rest of our state’s college students have to face the consequences. Before you call me a hypocrite because I have admitted to underage drinking, also remember that I am not a state representative. I am not trying to pass a piece of legislature that would, indirectly, create amnesty for underage drinkers. It is important for college students to explore everything that a university has to offer, including new social opportunities.

I have said it before and I will say it again, it is time for everyone to face the fact that college students drink alcohol. UNH health services have advertised around campus that 27 percent of students do not drink alcohol. Using simple subtraction it can be said that 73 percent of the students do drink, which is a huge majority. Why not make it a safer campus and make this bill a priority? Alcohol, when not consumed responsibly, is a dangerous substance and the result of this bill could mean life or death for our future students. I know there will be doubters out there, but what happens when a student dies of alcohol poisoning? What if that student is your friend? Or your brother or your sister? Or son or daughter? Would you say that “he shouldn’t have been drinking in the first place” if “he” was your son?
Stay classy, not UMassy.