40 Nights Without Stalking: Students Giving Up Facebook For Lent

Youths Try A Different Lent Focus: Facebook

The 40 days and 40 nights of Lent cause some people to sacrifice things in their lives as a tribute to their savior. I gave up green beans and heroine, but other college kids are giving up real things like social networking sites.

Maura Toomb, a junior at Loyola College, decided to give up Facebook for Lent. Wow, what was she thinking.

"I'm going to use the extra time" - dozens of hours a month, Toomb said - "to reflect, to pray, and things like that."

"Facebook is a huge part of life, almost something that's abused," says Sam Hager, a freshman at the University of Minnesota who's boycotting Facebook until Easter Sunday. "I look at Lent as a time to resist temptation and a season to sacrifice."

"The second day, I almost went on," says Analiza Saraza, a 19-year-old international business major at Mount St. Mary's. "It was like, 'www.F-A-C ... .'" Saraza took it one step further than the others - she gave up AOL Instant Messenger too.

Lent ends Easter Sunday. Good luck on your fasts of Facebook stalking!

"If You Can Dodge a Wrench, You Can Dodge a Ball"

Fraternity Dodgeball Contest Raises $2.8k for Cystic Fibrosis

As reported by Ari Learner of The Wildcat Online:

Kappa Sigma fraternity raised more than $2,800 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in their second annual dodgeball tournament yesterday, choosing the organization because one of their members has the disease, according to event officials. More than 200 students and nearly 100 spectators met yesterday morning at the north gym of the Student Recreation Center for the friendly competition and pizza.

"(The teams) were intense, yelling and screaming; whistles were blowing and everyone was having fun," said Matt Mayberry, economics junior, vice president of Kappa Sigma and coach of Delta Delta Delta's first-place team.

"Not only are we able to give them $2,800 from another nonprofit organization, but it helps give publicity about the disease," Mayberry said.

Andrew Rozen, an animal sciences sophomore and event organizer, said his fraternity holds annual fundraisers because they want to give back to the community. Rozen, philanthropy chair for Kappa Sigma, said the event was partially influenced by Rawson Marshall Thurber's movie "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," but that this year's event was also motivated by last year's success.

Rozen also said a member of Kappa Sigma has cystic fibrosis, although the member could not be reached for comment. Fraternity members have volunteered 116 hours at local nonprofits and plan to increase the number of volunteer hours throughout the semester, Rozen said.

Nationally, Kappa Sigma's more than 200 chapters donated about 170,000 hours of service and $724,000 to various charities, said Patrick Corr, deputy commissioner of national service effort for Kappa Sigma's "A Greater Cause Commission."

Bott said the fraternity encourages chapters to do service projects in their local community as it "is such an important part of what we do." Rozen said the chapter plans to continue the dodgeball tournament in the future as part of the fraternity's service projects.

"This year, we will have all the kinks out," he said. "Hopefully, we will make this an annual tournament."

Textbook Put To Good Use

ΑΔΠ Sisters Get Handcuffed

Sorority Members' Fundraiser Slaps on the 'Cuffs

The girls of Penn State's Alpha Delta Pi chapter took fundraising to a whole new level last weekend. To raise money for the Ronald McDonald house, the girls handcuffed themselves to strangers, and had to walk around campus and raise money until they gathered enough money to post pail.

"We tried begging people in the line at the Waffle Shop, but mostly they just laughed at us," Jon Slomka said, who was handcuffed to a junior sister. "So we rode the bus around for a while, begging for money from tour groups. Even the bus driver gave us some."

The girls raised over $500 this year in their first try at the event. That's pretty good for making a fetish a reality.

Theta Chi Back at Stephen F. Austin

Theta Chi Fraternity to Return to SFA

A longtime Stephen F. Austin State University fraternity that was disbanded in 2001, is now recolinizing at the college.

Theta Chi has set up shop at SFA, and is looking to recruit new members. The frat plans to stress leadership, academic excellence, and community service.

"We see SFA as an ability to build a very strong group on campus," said Marcus Scott, a leadership consultant for the fraternity. "We are looking for gentlemen with high GPA and community involvement."

"What makes unique from other fraternities is that we don't fit the stereotypical frat image," Scott said. "We emphasize on values, gentlemanly conduct, person development, reaching for high academics, while taking an active stance against hazing and alcohol abuse."

More Girls Causing Problems

The Frat Boy News daily campus police report for Tuesday:

Loyola College (compiled by The Greyhound)
Feb. 20 - 4:40 p.m.: A campus police officer observed a female walking. She appeared young enough to be a student. As the officer watched her, she appeared intoxicated because she was having difficulty walking straight. She proceeded to walk to Aquinas, set her bags down, and knocked on a door. The officer approached her to ask what her business on campus was and she told him that an Aquinas resident owed her money. She requested a pen to leave him a note, and after writing the note, she asked the officer to give it to him sometime later when he got home. She left an address on the note but the officer could not make out her name. The officer attempted to contact the Aquinas resident with negative results.

Penn State University (compiled by StateCollege.com)
March 2: An East Halls Resident Assistant reported Friday that someone had attached cups of water to his residence hall room door causing water to spill into the room when the door was opened. Cost of clean up is unknown.

March 3 - 5 a.m.: A male visitor reported a female student was striking him and causing a disturbance at Eastview Terrace. The female left the scene prior to police arrival. The female was identified.

Don't Make Bad Decisions

The Frat Boy News Daily College Column
By Claire St. Amant, Staff Writer, The Baylor Lariat

Pizza binges, parking tickets, forgotten bills and mysterious tattoos. Some choices in college are worse than others.

"A lot of things kids do in college are not the end of the world," Maxey Parrish, journalism lecturer, said. "But there are some decisions that have a lifelong impact." Parrish identified a newfound sense of freedom and a desire to "test the boundaries" as factors for deviant behavior in the college years.

"For many students this is the first time in their lives where they don't have someone telling them right from wrong," he said.

Dr. Tamara Rowatt, senior psychology lecturer said students in college are particularly vulnerable to impulsive behavior, often resulting in harmful consequences. Rowatt cited unsafe and premature sex as one of the common mistakes students make.

"In college, it's a time where men and women are interested in not only pursuing their identities but also relationships," she said.

Jacob Taylor, a 2006 graduate, said he is already realizing how different things are in the working world than in college.

"I feel like college is the only time in your life when you can act impulsively and get away with it," he said. "In the real world it doesn't work like that." Although Taylor said he didn't do the "typical college party scene," he remembers having plenty of "crazy times" with friends.

"I've done some stupid things that were drinking-related," he said. "I don't really regret it, but I wouldn't do it now."