Fighting grime
Of all the social issues college students have stood up for over the ages--peace, gender equality, racial acceptance, democratic rule--the recent one at Yale University is something of great inspiration.For 10 long years, Yale students have been pounding on administrators' doors to change the university's "no soap" policy--a simple yet hygienically cruel cost-cutting measure that dates back to the university's founding in 1701.
Now, the lack of soap in college dorms is unusual, but to have such a situation at an Ivy League school is even more unusual. Yale administrators cited lack of appropriate funds as the reason for no soap in the bathrooms. Apparently, the $9,540 per year for dormitory residency wasn't enough to cover the cost of soap--even if they shopped at Costco.
Finally, the administrators caved in. Word leaked to the press. Yale's reputation was at stake due to the hygiene-centric attitudes of newer generations. (Some insiders blamed the Japanese and their sanitizer influences on American culture.) The decision was made to wipe the no soap policy clean from campus balance sheets.
Yale students and grads cheered in celebration. "Victory at last," wrote Ted Wittenstein, a 2004 grad who analyzed weapons of mass destruction intelligence for Congress, to a friend in an email message, as reported by the AP.
There's nothing more fulfilling than working hard for something you believe in. Life is full of struggles. But, when the struggles get you down, just think about those poor Yale kids. They perservered, they fought the big fight, and they won. So can you.
posted by tanagrame @ 7:49 PM
6 Comments:
Yeeesh. God forbid those poor little Yalies are held responsible for their own personal hygiene responsibilities.
New computer up and running, I see.
Thank the Lord, the over privileged kids can finally have clean hands!
I think this policy was an attempt by the Yale administration to get the future politicians of America used to the idea of not having clean hands.
Anyone feel like a road trip to Yale? I hear there's soap in them there dorms!
(pssst...Segue got his Secret Santa gift)
Hey! I could swear I left a comment the other day about us public university students having to fling our own poo out the bathroom window, and washing up in the storm drain. We'd save the lard from the cafeteria and use it as soap.
Damn, I'm sure I put that here.
Maybe I left it on someone else's site by mistake.
Crap!
(Gotta go search the internet now for my floating smart ass comment...)
(I miss you. Where you going spring break? We may need to push back a month.)
I always wondered where my stepdad got his rather European attitude toward hygeine!
Thanks for enlightening me :-)
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