Around the Ivies
BY HEATHER ROBINSON
ESP 101
Perhaps more than anyone else, Ivy League students love discussing cognitive abilities-particularly their own. Yet there is one arena of mental phenomena that these elite universities have yet to conquer: telepathy. On Tues., Feb. 27, the Ivy League lost its last outpost in the world of psychic science when the doors to the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory closed for the final time. The lab sought to investigate and publicize the existence of telepathic phenomena-particularly the ability of humans to influence "random event generators" using only their minds. However, due to the recent deaths of many of the lab's biggest sponsors-not to mention the fact that the university barely acknowledges the lab's existence-funding has practically disappeared, forcing PEAR's shutdown. Fortunately, now those who wish to continue this admirable research can do so on their own: The lab's equipment is already on sale. Crystal balls on Ebay, anyone?
Frat feminism
Sometimes even honorable intentions are laughable. That was the popular opinion on Mon., Feb. 19, when the Dartmouth fraternity Kappa Kappa Kappa held a forum on respecting women's sexuality and creating safer social spaces for women on campus. At the discussion, Kappa Kappa Kappa truly seemed interested in opening dialogue between two campus groups that traditionally have not understood each other: men and women. One of the main points raised was the need for more female-dominated spaces in order to counterbalance the overwhelming number of spaces monopolized by Dartmouth frat boys. The frats seemed very eager to share their space with more women-perhaps a little too eager?
Elite kiddie porn
Tenured professors can get away with a lot: eccentricity, cockiness, and child pornography? Apparently not. Penn professor Scott Ward faced an angry court on Tues., Feb. 20, when he pled guilty to producing child pornography for importation into the United States. The government has already amassed a large amount of evidence against Ward; Searches of his personal items turned up child pornography on his computer, a digital camcorder, and mini-DVDs which explicitly showed Ward engaging in sexual acts with a young boy. All this on top of a prior criminal record of sexual misconduct. Philadelphia criminal attorney Patrick Artur responded to the prosecution's evidence by stating that "The facts seemed to be against [Ward]." Congratulations, Artur, on uttering the understatement of the year.
-Compiled by Heather Robinson from The Daily Princetonian, The Dartmouth, and The Daily Pennsylvanian 
© 2005 The Yale Herald | The Herald is an undergraduate publication of Yale University.
