Dickinson College

The Academic Planning and Standards Committee changes the wording on Dickinson diplomas for the first time since 1879. They now acknowledge women graduates as alumna instead of alumnus and state that the student has graduated with a degree in liberal arts and sciences as opposed to just philosophy. The DPS safety walk is a success and many parts on and around campus are recognized as needing more adequate lighting. A recent Peace Corps recruitment session attracts a record-breaking number of students not only for Dickinson but for Central Pennsylvania more generally as well.

The second annual Run for Steph is set for Homecoming Weekend in order to preserve the memory of this beloved deceased Dickinsonian. For the first time in the past four years, a nominee for a Student Senate committee is rejected. This candidate, a sufferer of autism, was recommended to the Student Senate Judicial Board twice by the college's discipline systems administrator and yet denied. Grab-N-Go promotes the sale of reusable lunch bags to reduce Dickinson's paper usage.

The room draw system is updated to an online program, eliminating the horrors of the HUB housing lottery. DPS Officer Charles Weekley is dismissed from his position after supposedly lying about abandoning a pet of a faculty member. The Mermaid Players and the Dickinson Department of Theater and Dance present the fall theatrical production "Urinetown." Football defeats Franklin and Marshall and retains the prized Conestoga Wagon Trophy, a symbol of the rivalry between the two schools.

Dickinson Dining Services refutes the rumor that they put laxatives in their food as doing so would cause major issues with the state. As a response to Penn State's regulation of Greek parties, Dickinson's Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils consider such reforms as registering parties to prevent run-ins with public safety or the police. The First in America campaign makes its off-campus debut, beginning with its Philadelphia launch. Dickinson participates in the nationwide "Up 'til Dawn" campaign to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Dickinson is named the most fit college by Men's Fitness Magazine. The Department of Public Safety holds a "safety walk" open to the entire campus. This event will allow students to voice their opinions regarding ways in which the campus could be safer. This is the first time students have been given the opportunity to express their ideas about campus safety. The Men's Lacrosse Team holds a Volleyball-A-Thon on the new sand volleyball court to raise money for the Red Cross.

Both Carlisle residents and Dickinson students complain about noise levels in Residence Halls and at parties such as a dry one that was recently broken up at the Arts Haüs. President William Durden launches Dickinson's "First in America" capital campaign. Funds from this campaign will go toward faculty development, the Rector Science Complex, strengthening endowment and expanding the scholarship program.

The various alcohol distributors in Carlisle have invested in ID scanners in order to report underage buyers to DPS. ROTC cadet J.D. Dolan is named number one cadet in his regiment at the Leader Development and Assessment Course attended by all ROTC students between their junior and senior years of college. Dickinson invests in a service called DormAid which does laundry and grocery shopping for busy students, though most seem to react negatively to the program.

A record-breaking 143 sophomore girls sign up to rush sororities. The newly-formed Paintball Club seeks funding while clashing with public safety over having paintball guns on campus and whether or not they can be considered weapons. Spectrum, after receiving 100 new signatures at activities night, retains over 60 members, a number 15 times greater than it was in 1992.

The new safety flag stations installed at crosswalks, while intended to make the community safer, are viewed as a joke. However, other proposed safety measures such as more lighting and blinking signs near crosswalks were denied by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation so the flags must be used. Dickinson is ranked 11th among the top 50 colleges for African Americans as rated by Black Enterprise magazine for its diversity initiatives and the POSSE program. The new Rector Science Complex begins to be constructed, expecting to be finished for the fall of 2008.

The Robert Randolph Family Band is revealed as the act at this year's annual fall concert. The class of 2010 is welcomed as orientation begins.