The Rag Investigates: Pep Band Mannequin Challenge

HAMILTON, NY — On Friday, March 22, the Colgate Raiders made the trek of a lifetime to Columbus, Ohio to play against the Tennessee Volunteers with the support of the entire school behind them; we all remember this day well — or at least the bits and pieces in between brown-outs—and how our basketball boys made everyone shit collective pant. The rest of the world was shocked. Who are these warriors of the court? Where in the world is Hamilton? Why do all of their band-members look like human dolls?

You may have seen them briefly as the camera panned past 30 identical, robotic faces,. To quote a bystander who walked past them on the court, “They all looked dead, yet stood at attention. They were white, pasty band nerds, but I knew there was a problem because none of them suffered from any acne or anxiety or the willingness to die at any second, you know, like a usual college kid. They were so… smooth… and maybe even a bit slimy… like a bunch of 5’8” newborn babies.”

Immediate outrage hit social media after the game, but not because the Vols literally almost lost to a team that hadn’t been in an NCAA tournament since 1996; instead, many Colgate students were, according to some interviewees, “fucking pissed” that these lifeless automatons had replaced the pep-band we had all come to kind-of-but-not-really know. One sophomore, Sechs Uwalin Nuendo, was available for comment:

“You know, I had always seen some kid wearing some pep-band merch in my class, and I’ve heard that they’re fucking weapons but I’ve never seen them perform. [March 22] was their day to shine—was their day to ‘doot doot!’ or whatever the fuck they do; I don’t know—and the administration stripped that from them and replaced them with sentient mannequins. It was the most Colgate thing I had ever seen, like giving Summer Funding to kids going into finance instead of non-profit.”

As of press time, Rag reporters have launched investigation “Mannequin Challenge” hoping to identify other instances in which members of the student body may have been replaced by these humanoid creations.

Commons Program Events Overtakes Greeklife in Popularity

HAMILTON, NY — As Colgate University celebrates its bicentennial and looks forward to the next two hundred years, fraternities across campus mourn the loss of their social relevance as students opt to participate in the Commons program instead of joining Greek Letter Organizations.

“We have never had an issue getting guys to come to our Super Bowl event,” said senior Jack White of Phi Tau, “but this year Dart Colegrove Commons was hosting a meditation session at the same time and everyone was there instead.”

White is not the only Colgate student confused by the emergence of the Commons as a social outlet. Sophomore David Rossman voiced his concerns with the Commons program to the Rag, saying, “I’m in charge of pledges for my fraternity, and if things keep going this way, we are not going to get enough guys.” Rossman has repeatedly reached out to first-years to invite them to rush events, but has found himself turned down in favor of bubble tea and face masks with Brown Commons. “It has gotten to the point where I check Colgate’s campus calendar to make sure the Commons aren’t hosting anything before I plan a rush event,” said Rossman.

Colgate’s long tradition of Greek life has been dominant on campus for decades. However, many first-year students are choosing to forgo rush in favor of the Commons program. “The Commons offers me every social opportunity I need on campus,” said first-year Trevor Sanders. “I would much rather paint pottery and watch a movie than play pong in some dirty basement.”

The Colgate administration is excited by the success of the Commons among first-year students. “It doesn’t surprise me, really,” said Dean McLoughlin, “I knew that if students just took a chance on trivia and baking, they would fall in love with the Commons program and the opportunities it provides.”

While first-years and the administration bask in the triumph of the Commons program, members of fraternities are left to wonder what this will mean for their social standing on campus. “I guess we took it for granted that guys would want to rush every year,” said junior Charlie Collins. “At least every other frat is in the same boat.”

In a moment of historic transition on Colgate’s campus, the past 200 years are being put to rest as Greek life moves from the epicenter of the social scene to just a distant memory. And in the place once held by sweaty bodies and Keystone, comes friendship bracelets and hot chocolate sponsored by the Colgate administration.

Love Letter

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‘Gate Proposes New Communities and Identities Class

HAMILTON, NY — Colgate’s required Communities and Identities Courses have offered students the opportunity to explore the traditions, history, and perspectives of global nationalities and ethnicities many incoming freshmen have never experienced, and will be unlikely experienced while attending a university whose racial demographic makes a loaf of Wonderbread seem diverse. However, upon realizing the incredibly unique biome Colgate presents, and the shock many first-year students experience upon enteringour hallowed, Key-stone stained grounds, (and that the strongest cultural whiplash most raiders can endure is a semester abroad in Manchester) the CORE Committee has decided to integrate a novel, applicable communities and identities option for the Fall 2019 semester: CORE’Gate. This class will allow students to study hands-on the new society they have entered, analysing texts and media from such integral sources such as Colgate Barstool and the Maroon News (Blotter only). This will be a unique experience compared to other similar courses, as numerous field trips and interactive experiences will be available for students to engage the fullest of the events and opportunities unique to Colgate’s campus, such as being the only five people at the Jug, trying to decide if Frank’s chicken is raw or not, and recognizing the kid in your Econ class as that dude you sloppily hooked up with at DU and then totally ghosted after he baby-burped Four Loko into your mouth.

For those of weaker stomach, in class assignments will also be encouraged to cement greater class unity and prepare freshman for the interactions on campus they will inevitably encounter, like how to react when a Beta screams the n-word while listening to Travis Scott at a party, or how to prevent your friends from jumping off of Curtis after course selection leaves them stuck in Oceanic Histories, the Challenges with the lowest RateMyProfessor score, and waitlisted for the eight class they actually need to take to complete their majors. One of the most exciting, if controversial aspects of the semester will be the culinary traditions investigation, where students will analyze the repercussions of shotgunning four KeyStones and how to properly grind Xanax into a soluble powder for frat punch. Finals will be forced to be taken hungover, and it is strongly recommended students taking this course invest in Pedialyte.

Casey Offers Aid to Prospective Members of Newly Founded Geese-Hunting Team

Hamilton, NY — President Casey, against the best wishes of the Board of Trustees, has introduced a proposal for a new NCAA Division 1 team dubbed  “Gänseteilung,” or “Geese Division.” Complete with a detailed scholarship proposal, its primary objective will be to thin out the herds (flocks? Who cares) of geese on campus by employing a sharpshooter squadron, the members of which will be recruited from private schools across the country. The students of interest will be taken from the list found on page 36 of Gallup’s monthly report on which schools are most likely to produce the next shocking wave of sexual misconduct allegations.

Casey, when asked to comment on his uncharacteristically bold move, said: “Look, geese are nice to see every now and then, flying across a clear blue sky in a V or waddling across a road with their cute offspring trailing them– wait a second, excuse me?  That’s ducks? Well, that just further supports my point that the practical drawbacks of having all these fucking geese around far outweigh their occasional aesthetic benefits.” #BringBackAdamAndSteve

Casey further went on to claim that this new sport will offer students a means of blowing off steam before and following big exams, thus providing an overall boost to student-athlete morale (which has been on the rocks lately, following the Men’s Swim & Dive team’s suspension for not being able to hang– I mean, hazing).  

PETA has issued an ultimatum to the Board of Trustees, ordering them to either stop Casey’s “diabolical plot” or face the grim consequences of operating without PETA’s annual funding (which as of 2017 came out to a 5-pound bag of quinoa, a reverse flea collar that actually gave President Casey’s dog fleas because “flea lives matter,” and a crate filled with some bullshit called “Tofurky” that was graciously – and unanimously – donated to the Hamilton Food Cupboard, where it has sat for 8 months without rotting because it’s not even fucking real).  

When approached for comments, the Men’s and Women’s Club Ultimate teams (who have had to share the field below the Office of Admissions with the majority of the on-campus geese population for years) gave their unequivocal support for President Casey’s initiative.  “Good riddance,” scoffed Men’s Co-Captain Payton Baker. “What, do you think we like picking geese shit out of our cleats all the time? If Frisbees could kill geese, after every practice we’d dedicate 15 minutes to sniping those arrogant, slender-necked sons of bitches.”

We reached out to the head of the Facilities Department to get their take on the issue, as they would undoubtedly be tasked with cleaning up dozens of goose carcasses on a regular basis should the proposal succeed.  Unfortunately, they declined to comment, stating they “wanted to keep [their] employees’ livelihoods free of politics, thus continuing to perpetuate the one-dimensional working-man cliché.”

Colgate Plague: Is this the End?

HAMILTON, NY — Is this how it ends, with not a bang, but a sniffle, followed by a loud-ass (uncovered) cough?  

For the past certain amount of time, virtually everyone at Colgate has been getting sick.  Frats. Sororities. Clubs. Whatever Beta is supposed to be. Faculty. Athletes. The list is endless, with everyone dropping quicker than inhibitions at The Jug.  The theories surrounding the origin of the “Colgate Plague” abound, each more far-fetched than the last.

“Maybe hangovers have, like, mutated.  Cause, like, the only thing here that is, like, more, widespread than this sickness is, like, drinking, so, like, maybe hangovers have, like, mutated.  Like, evolved. It’s, like, certainly something the health, sciency people should look into,” prospective pre-med student Kimberly Kole, class of 2022, said.

Medical officials have been adamant in their belief that The Jug is somehow involved in this ongoing outbreak.  The officials have also been specially (especially? I don’t fucking know. I’m kinda drunk right now.) unshakeable in their denial of the “hangover theory”.

“What?  Fuck no!  Who the hell said that?!  Hangovers don’t “evolve” into whatever the hell is going on here.  No, the most likely scenario is that those freshman-fuckers that jumped into Taylor Lake didn’t follow the rule of avoiding The Jug for three weeks post-dive.  Those horned-up prepubescent nobs probably made-out with someone at The Jug and started this whole epidemic,” an exasperated Dr. Valerie Blathers said from Student Health Services.

The virus is not just affecting the people infected.  The suffering of some at the hands of this sickness-wave has also been greater for some.

“This shit’s really killing my vibe.  My roommate was supposed to go home for the break but then that pussy got sick.  Fucker. I was probably gonna get laid this weekend too!” Known virgin Thad Noplay, class of 2019, said.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are being called for assistance in the diagnosis and treatment of the Colgate community.

President Brian Casey could not be reached for comment.

Colgate Board of Trustees Approves Measure for Thinner Walls

Hamilton, NY — Last week, Colgate’s Board of Trustees met for one of their three annual meetings. The Board includes parents of students, alumni, and the university president. As the governing body of the university, their goal is to provide wisdom and guidance for the school; their first report included information about the two new residences halls, future plans for the bicentennial, and a measure to decrease the width of walls so that students can hear everything that happens inside each room.

“By Fall 2020, every room in this school will have the soundproof capacity of a piece of cardboard,” explains board chair James P. Blackwell ’89. Mr. Blackwell is the founder and CEO of Capital Funds, a private equity firm. “Back when I went to Colgate, the walls were pretty thin. You could hear a muffled conversation in the hall and music from the room next to you if they were playing it pretty loudly. Occasionally, you could hear some nighttime activities. But we plan to decrease the wall width so that students feel more connected.”

The board explains that creating thinner walls will foster a community environment where students feel as if they can connect more. By hearing everything that goes on in someone’s room, students will get to know one another better. The decision came from complaints by students who felt isolated from their peers. Phone calls, parties, and intimate time between students will give them a chance to connected on a deeper level.

Current junior Jake Addams says, “I am so glad that I will be graduated by then. The walls are pretty thin everywhere. I can’t imagine what they’ll be like when they purposely try and decrease their size.” Once completed, the Board of Trustees plans to send out surveys to students in order to assess if they feel more connected with their classmates.

Mr. Blackwell remains hopeful that this measure will create a stronger Colgate community. “You haven’t had a true college experience if you don’t know everything that goes in in your dorm!”

Water Fountain “Too Expensive” to Install in 113 Broad; at Least the Freshmen Look Cool in Their Free Colgate Bicentennial Sweaters

HAMILTON, NY — It seems that each new year, welcome swag for first years only gets better. For the class of ‘21, it was Colgate-themed Nalgenes, while for this years’ freshmen there are maroon knit sweaters with a vintage-looking “C” on them to commemorate the upcoming bicentennial celebration (find them at the bookstore if you’re ready to drop $75!). 

Unfortunately for those ‘21ers living in the sophomore-only dorm 113 Broad, the Nalgenes have been rendered essentially useless; there are no bottle-filling options in the building. No, not really even tap. The sinks are too short to fit a whole bottle so water spills out the top, leaving your sink wet and bottle empty; much akin to the physical vs. mental fulfilment from last week’s DU hookup.

One thirsty sophomore complained about the anti-sust mindset surrounding the fountain debate. “I have to buy a 12 pack of water from P-chops once a week. I hate how much plastic I waste but the desperation to fill my body with fluids overpowers my lust for sust,” he claimed as he poured the contents of a disposable water bottle into his reusable one. Appearances are everything.

An Office of Sustainability intern also shared his thoughts: “we thought about using some of our funding to buy a fountain for 113 Broad, ” he continued hesitantly, “but then we would have to brag about the donation…” It goes semi-unsaid that even after renaming the dorm, Colgate hesitates to draw any unwarranted attention to the questionably shaped building.

Due to the complicated nature of one of the wealthiest colleges in the world buying an $80 water dispenser for an entire building, there are three obvious alternate solutions: 1) Make the sinks bigger. 2) Maybe don’t give a sweaters to one or two of the freshmen and use that money to buy a water cooler. 3) Save up some snow each year, melt it, then serve that to the residents of 113 Broad. 

But on second thought, warm Keystone has some water content in it. So we’ll probably be alright.

Office of Career Services Shocked and Offended by Student Who Doesn’t Want to Go into Finance

HAMILTON, NY — Career services was left reeling this Friday when a student allegedly told one of the office’s counselors during a resume certification that she was ‘actually considering doing something with cultural anthropology, like working with a museum.’

“I was taken aback.” said Career Counselor Taylor Misham. “I asked her if she meant she wanted to do nonprofit or government work and she just sort of laughed and told me that she really wanted to go into a non-finance field. It was – horrifying. I just asked her if she was being serious.”

This shocking news comes days after the announcement of Career Services’ new resume writing pamphlet, which offers three pages of advice on specialized resumes for finance and tech majors, with the remainder of space between its ‘technology keywords’ and ‘NGO tips’ aimed at informing humanities majors of good sites to dumpster dive in New York City and which east coast cities offer the best homeless shelters.

Career Services is expected to add two of the newly-hired Campus Safety officers for permanent residence within their offices, where they will aggressively beat anyone who say the words “art” or “literature” within a 5ft radius of Benton Hall, except in the case of loudly laughing at everyone who has ever set foot within Little, Lawrence, or Lathrop, which Career Services refer to as the ‘Loser Halls’ in internal communications.

The student in question has denied comment and is expected to return to living within her parent’s basement upon graduation.

President Casey Wants You to Have A Bitchin’ Summer!

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