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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 1998)
eptemberj ennisPit i Battalion Aggielife Page 5 • Monday, September 28, 1998 .iro. ay I en's te -f singles j the I Beaumorf finished toutetotf-I ifinals, tit >te of Bs, 1 then be- in the fti Arambui; town in: lins tor rban Legends: From Aggieland to Movieland Professor says les represent social fears. m fmi( nvitati BY TRAVIS IRBY The Battalion ke aheac L gela St3"-§ frown wib 14. to . Jennife,' : JCAA cha r nna Jons; ind jumc 75=233 ed wo>r;*- r Roommate’s Death,” “The Pur- J final kuB I loinecl Kidney” and “The Angry 12th Sa'« ^ Student” are among the most pop ular stories in America. Everybody and their tationalB 1 ^ ^ nows at * east one heart. But these Course* 8 aren 1 liste d on any bestseller list, and ew MexictHL 6 are likel V t0 b e found in a library, iked are urban legends, modern society’s continuation of the oral storytelling tradition. *'rban legends are considered a national nomenon, but A&M has some of its own ends. ” ome of the tales unique to A&M include nted buildings and architectural pranks, r. Thomas Green, an associate professor of iithropology, has written and edited several publications on folklore and urban legends, e said many urban legends sum up con- . ^Biporary fears and concerns. r ^4thP la ®c: 0 ii e g e students seem to be ripe with these oral anecdotes. Some of the most fa mous urban legends involve universities. ’ aBfhere is the legend sometimes referred to td fOffwB'The Roommate’s Death.” * c °b e g e student returns from a night of 86 ' partying, too tired to do anything but crash in B bed, so tired she does not even bother ■ning on the lights. The next morning, the ^ ■ wakes up to find her roommate slaugh tered and “Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on m the lights” written on the wall in blood. nished 7 yards: •tions "T- ed the 1 ; withsii tordinaffi said K st whatil efore the a were si pped 1®'* t [the tth ■g] l he crow g fora Another famous college-conceived tale is “The Purloined Kidney.” It starts with a guy clubbing around town. He meets a beautiful woman, and they share some drinks. They go to his place, and the next morn ing he wakes up in a pool of his own blood. He sees a note with “Call 911 or Die” written on it. Apparently, the woman drugged him and stole one of his kidneys. Green said such stories have a special place with students. “Many people are away from home for the first time, with strangers they know nothing about,” Green said. “The legends warn about real, potential dangers by exaggerating them.” Not all the tales have to do with death and violence; one tale might inspire a sense of em pathy in some students. Photo IllustrationJP Beato/The Battalion In “The Angry Student,” it is final time in a class of 400-plus students. The professor no tices one student cheating. The professor de cides to wait until the end of class to take ac tion. When the student turns in his test, the professor confronts him. In his defense, the student asks the professor if he knows the stu dent’s name. The professor replies no. The student takes his test and proceeds to shove it in the mid dle of the pile. He then takes the pile and throws it up in the air, scattering all the tests. Green said this particular story is one of the most commonly told, by both students and professors alike. “I have heard it told by both faculty and students,” Green said. “The perception of right and wrong is different depending on who tells it.” A&M does have its own legends, but ac cording to Green, they are technically not ur ban legends. He said an urban legend is a story that cir culates across the country and has no local history, although many people will localize the legends. “I have had many people come up to me and swear one of these occurrences happened to a friend of a friend,” Green said. Such semantics do not keep Aggies from coming up with their very own campus legends. The elevators in the Animal Industries build ing supposedly are haunted by a professor who lost his life in one. He was slaughtering animals late one night when he accidentally cut himself with a saw. No one was around to help, so he tried to use the elevator to get help. He bled to death in the elevator. As a result of the gruesome death, at night elevators in the building go up and down without any passengers, at least any live ones. There are many legends involving campus architecture. The Reed-McDonald building is rumored to have been built by a sneaky University of Texas graduate. He wanted to play a joke on the Aggies by hitting them where it hurt most, their spirit. When he finished the building, he chose a maroon paint for the building. When it first dried it looked maroon, but as time went by the color changed, leaving a burnt orange building on the A&M campus. Dr. John Hoyle, a professor of educational administration and the author of the Good Bull books, is an expert on Aggie legends and traditions. Each year he visits many groups talking about these legends. He said legends and traditions are part of who Aggies are. “These stories bind the Aggie community together,” Hoyle said. MOVIE REVIEW Urban Legend Starring Jason Leto and Alicia Witt Directed by Jamie Blanks Rated R Playing at Hollywood 1 6 If audiences want to be on the edges of their seats, half scared half laughing and enjoying every minute, then Urban Legend is the movie for them. The stories told around campfires and at slumber par ties are brought to life in this fun flick, which ranks up there with the scariest movie of the ’90s, Scream. College students are systemat ically killed off by a mysterious killer using a vast knowledge of hometown legends. Add a mix of inside jokes, and audiences get a movie that covers many facets of entertainment. Urban Legend makes audi ences jump, scream and laugh. It is a thrill ride that begs for a sequel. Audiences will check their backseats before getting in their car after seeing this movie. It is a definite must-see for lovers of scary movies every where. (Grade: A) — Katie Mish College Ski S Soowtoard Week 4 Resorts lor the Price of One! Luxury Condos, tills, Centals, Lessons, Air, Bus & Parties aEi utonn^er- 725B University Drive TICKETS GO ON SALE MONDAY 5PM www. agcftecen tral. com ole] 2own s ai: dice. ^ catch,; about h nd Coh mchdoW 1 Texaslillc l Services for yarn JCippur ird toU c 5. he teal" action P J ise, anb' terrific- e Chris si - ocum ere a c* el good “ e adva" 1 ; on thet 11 to deal stractiot 1 ' the teat 11 aehind H- e lost [ ;ot to j 1 '' 1 mi said at too t”, od job d ; to tofi ying ed 1H 1: cum# assible >i! ich is i” j. “The ■st qi# erved ^ he’s pi 3 ' se g# ■, 247 p; air. A^'; total f; TTgarie lat so# me “We f f! Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1998 Kol Nidre Services at 8:00 p.m. Weds., Sept. 30, 1998 Yom Kippur Services start at 10:00 a.m. Yizcor about 5:30 p.m. Break-the-Fast after sundown at the conclusion of the Neilah and Havdalah. All holiday events are free of charge and occur at Hillel, located across from campus at 800 George Bush, CS Please contact Hillel for more information at telephone # 696-7313 or e-mail us at: <HilleI@startel.net> Names for Yizcor must be received in the office by Sept. 28, 1998 MON Sep 28 TUES Sep 29 WED Sep 30 CHEM 101 Dr. Pock 6-9 PM CH 1,2,3 CH 4,5 PRAC TEST MATH 151 9PM- MID Part I Part II PRAC TEST LUaulri Ljnu Ul j ie ta pLarj a game? Coffee Talk Come out and join Dr. Southerland and Laurie Nickel for a cup of coffee, cookies, and conversation! Sefttevn&etv 2%: / f :30<z#tc- ? t*t (Cre / 2t/z Gcta6efi 22: f f :30cu*t- / :30yM*t '7tove#ti6en, f 7: f f :30<ztn-f :30fe*pt, t&e D ecember Graduates Official Texas A&M Graduation Announcements 1 on sale August 31 - October 9, 1998 For Information and to place your order access the Web at: http://graduation.tamu.edu All orders must be placed over the Web All payments must be received by October 9 4r MSC Box Office 845-1234 Mon-Fri 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. WHO’S WHO AMONG STUDENTS IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES 1998 - 99 TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY neali iy]-” Who’s Who applications are now available for both undergraduate and graduate students in the following locations: Commandant’s Office (Military Sciences Building) Student Programs Office (2nd floor MSC) Student Activities Office (125 John J. Koldus Building) Sterling C. Evans Library Office of Graduate Studies (125 Teague) Office of the Dean of each College Office of Graduate Studies (128 Teague) Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (IOth floor Rudder) lompleted applications must be received by the Student Activities Office no later than 5:00 pm on tiday, October, 2 1998. They may be hand-carried to the Student Activities Office, sent through lampus Mail, or sent through U.S. Mail. (See application for addresses.) Questions may be addressed o Sandy Briers in Student Activities at 845-1133. Attention INFO & CPSC majors nFORM Technology, LLC Company Presentation September 29th, 1998 7:00 PM College Station Hilton Ballroom #1 Come hear about a new and exciting business and systems consulting company! Attire - Business Casual www.enformtech.com Things that Aggies do! Donate Plasma Donating Plasma, you sit back in a lounge chair & read, study, talk or dream in a place filled with friends. In 60 minutes you’re up & away, cash in hand. Westgate Biologicals 700 University Dr. 268-6050 Come...it’s that easy.