Great Expectations

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Rebel Girl dedicated a few minutes of her day to investigating a breaking story: the disappearance of feminine hygiene products from the restrooms.

She discovered that many of the now empty dispensers sported a helpful notice that directed women in need to the nurse's office in the Student Services Center. Of course, the helpful Health and Wellness Center is located some distance from many of these facilities and, most importantly, has limited hours while the phsyical needs to students, staff, faculty and visitors do not. This is perhaps especially pertinent for students who take classes in the evening.

In some facilities, the entire dispenser has been removed from the wall, leaving an unsightly depression and no helpful signage.


But, over in the new Beefsteak Building, Rebel Girl was happy to find that the facilities possessed shiny dispensers, recessed into the walls.

She was hopeful.

However, when she tried to purchase the product, her quarter remained stuck in the slot and the dial refused to turn, leaving Rebel Girl to believe that while the shiny dispenser was there, it too was unstocked, incapable of providing what was promised.

A brief inquiry suggests that the new policy has been in place for a few months.

Rebel Girl expects that this discussion might be uncomfortable for some readers but no more uncomfortable than for the occasional evening student who has arrived at the college with certain expectations about the minimum services provided.

Turkeys

From this morning’s Inside Higher Ed:

● [THEIR STUDENTS MUST BE SUPER SMART.] The Brown Daily Herald has noticed some interesting data about grades at Brown University. Last year, for the first time, a majority of all grades given to undergraduates were A’s. In 2007-8, 50.6 percent of grades were A’s. A decade earlier, the percentage was 42.5 percent.

● [SEW?] The British design world is aghast at the quality of fashion and design graduates from universities and art colleges, The Guardian reported. The key problem: They can’t sew.

Animal Rights Video Shows Turkey Abuse in W.Va.:

● A video released by an animal rights group on Tuesday claims to show horrific abuse of turkeys at West Virginia farms operated by major global poultry grower Aviagen Inc.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said the video, which includes workers stomping on turkeys' heads and twisting their necks to kill them, was shot by an undercover investigator who worked on the companies' farms for more than two months…. (New York Times)