The Bowdoin Orient

February 9, 2001
Volume CXXXII, Number 15

The Tom and Nicole breakup, or why the N.Y. Times should be free

by KARA OPPENHEIM - COLUMNIST

   The other day I was walking down a hallway in my dorm when I stopped to read what someone had written on their dry-erase board. It was late at night so I can't quote precisely, but it said something along the lines of "NEWS: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman are separating," and then went on to bemoan the breakup of Hollywood's supercouple. Later that night, I was speaking to some friends from home and generously shared my newfound knowledge. "Yeah, I heard that a few days ago," one said. "I know!!!" exclaimed another. "I think someone told me that yesterday." "Old news." OLD NEWS???? How had I not heard this earlier? What was wrong with me? Is the Bowdoin bubble that impenetrable?
   Well, the answer to the first question is that I, as well as some friends who agreed to participate in an informal survey, shamefully gather most of our news from either those little news tickers that appear when we sign on to AOL Instant Messenger or from our professors. The answer to the second question is nothing-I'm just a Bowdoin student. And the answer to the third question is absolutely, unless some effort is exerted. This is a little disgusting. It does not reflect well on us at all. The overwhelming percentage of students at the sixth-best college in America who do not have any idea of what goes on beyond their campus is not a figure that we would want the U.S. News and World Report adding to our data alongside SAT scores and percentage of alums who donate money. We are here to become educated, interesting, well-rounded citizens of the world and yet none of the friends that I asked could tell me who had just won the recent Israeli election. It does seem, in the students' defense, that we are not merely a group of self-absorbed, lazy brats. Most of us are actually pretty interested in what is going on in the world. But Bowdoin students work extremely hard (and play extremely hard) and the fact of the matter is we just don't have the time to follow the news between classes, work, meals, sports, sleeping, extracurricular activities, and uh, letting off steam on the weekends. I mean, technically, I could be at www.nytimes.com right now, but instead I am writing for the Orient. I know that we have the lockbox of papers by the mailboxes and my parents actually signed me up for that service at the beginning of the year. But because anyone can learn the lock combination and the newspapers are just placed there by quantity of orders each day, it is anybody's guess as to whether or not there will even be a whole newspaper in there on the days that I have time to check.
   Fortunately, the Administration or the Executive Board or whoever it is, has come up with a fabulous solution to all of our lack-of-knowledge-of-current-affairs problems. It has been proposed that newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Boston Globe continue to be distributed throughout campus for students to read and/or buy. I, as well as other students whom I have asked, think this is the best idea Bowdoin has had since putting mints outside of the dining halls. This way, students can learn about the world as well as eat, research methods of torture in Ancient Greece and Rome, go to lacrosse practice, work at Bears and Cubs, write that Orient article and whatever else it is they do. As a matter of fact, this week as I was getting lunch at the Pub (since my hectic schedule is not always in compliance with meal plan meal hours) I was able to read The New York Times that was lying on a table in Smith Union.
   I wholeheartedly encourage Bowdoin College to continue to go through with this newspaper distribution. It will only benefit the student body and add to the breadth of the liberal arts education that strives to help us become active participants in the world (in addition to letting some of us know right away that Tom Cruise is finally single once again-or fuel the rumors that it was a sham marriage).