NU Intel

Half of all college students could be considered alcoholics

kkahler — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:44:20 +0000

Good news from psychiatrists — you’ve got an even better chance of being an alcoholic. Not actually, but thanks to the new classifications of alcoholism and addiction problems, over 40-60% of college students could be considered alcoholics according to a recent study. The streamlining of all addiction diagnoses no longer distinguishes between substance abuse and substance dependence which previously separated heavy binge drinking from chronic addiction. Heartening news from doctors.

[TIME]

Half of all new college graduates are jobless or underemployed It’s time to take off the shades, Northwestern students, the forecast for our future isn’t as bright as we may have predicted. Seniors getting ready to graduate in June should quit reading this now. The Associated Press released an awfully pessimistic study last week declaring that ,”About 1.5 million, or...
New study finds that college students drink more than others in same age range We’re not sure if this is surprising or completely predictable but a new study shows that college students drink more than non-students of the same age. Researchers at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration branch of The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services collected data showing that...
NYPD caught spying on Muslim students, considered “constitutional” The discovery that the NYPD has secretly been spying on Muslim university students in Northeast colleges, such as Columbia University, sparked protests and outrage this weekend. The Associated Press obtained documents showing that various Muslim student groups have been monitored as part of the department’s anti-terrorism efforts, going so far...

Freshman switches it up and gets frisky with a sailor

sjiao — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:00:11 +0000

Female | Freshman | NMQ | Medill

As a freshman, I hadn’t heard any stories about out-of-town guys visiting Northwestern and figured they’d be fun. As a female, I figured any mildly attractive man in a uniform is worthy of my time and worthy of getting in my pants. It is these two unfortunate miscommunications that led to a fateful two weekends full of mental roller coasters…

It was fall quarter and I had zero desire to get with anyone that night. I threw on leggings and a button up, definitely the least of my revealing party clothes. Some friends and I took a shuttle north and arrived at a frat. Our night has begun.

Across the room I spotted a group of men in Naval uniforms. I repeat: A GROUP OF MEN IN NAVAL UNIFORMS. Damn, they were hot and damn, I was drunk. I scoped out the hottest one and did my best to look sexy in my denim button-up as I introduced myself. Sexual innuendos about sailors flew back and forth and I found out his name was Kurt (he even showed me his naval I.D. and his name sewn into his uniform to prove to me that he was for real). Clearly, a man in uniform was a horny, drunk girl’s dream-come-true.

This entire time, all I could think about was how I wanted to get this kid into my bed. We flirted a ton and downed too many rum and cokes to count. I was feeling extra bold and sexy. I asked him if he wanted to dance and we sloppily (and publicly) made out on the dance floor (next to two other pairings of my friends who had decided to hook up that night as well).

We kept going at it and friends would stop by to tell me they were leaving, but I drunkenly would tell them to stop interrupting what was clearly me finding my soul mate in uniform.

Eventually, the party wound down and we were determined to keep hooking up. We went upstairs to get our coats and even ended up hooking up in the coatroom for a while before deciding to leave. Problem: I have a roommate and couldn’t just bring Kurt back to my dorm.

We left the party and Kurt walked me back to my dorm. We hooked up outside for a while and he took down my phone number.

The next night, Kurt texted me to let me know he’d be back at NU the next weekend because he was off duty. I told him of a party we could go to together and told my roommate that she may be in need a place to stay overnight. The next weekend rolled around, and I met up with Kurt at another frat party.

We made our way into the basement and started going at it. He was definitely drunker than me, but I didn’t even think about it. Eventually, we came up for air, and when we did, Kurt started throwing up in a trashcan.

We took a cab back to my dorm as Kurt puked on himself and everything around him. A friend and I took him upstairs, where he planted himself onto my bed and passed out. I ended up sleeping on the floor.

Waking up the next morning, I was literally disgusted by the idea of ever finding Kurt attractive. I used to want to jump his bones but at this point I wanted to vomit on myself at the thought of ever hooking up with him again. He insisted on staying a large portion of the day and ended up meeting my roommate’s father. Awkward. He stayed all afternoon and I wanted to die. Eventually, he left, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Moral of the story: Sailors literally want two things – sex and to get absolutely obliterated – because they can’t have them on base. Don’t. Do. It.

Garbage-can jungle juice, boiling vodka and other tales of dorm ragers As your chances of getting into a frat party dwindle during Winter Quarter, there’s surely a void in your social life that you’re going to need to fill. With that in mind, Intel decided to compile a collection of some of the best and most-typical dorm parties. Glean from the...
A week of awkward dorm formals and golf attire Cheers to Spring Quarter: The first week back yields a masquerade-themed dorm formal, bros in plaid shorts, and an overflowing toilet. ...

Tracy Smith addresses femme fatales and Sad Keanu

Shiraz Ahmed — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:00:15 +0000

Is the life of one worth more than the good of many? Junior Theatre and Psychology major Tracy Smith’s character in The Visit probably doesn’t give a shit – she’s out for vengeance. The Visit will be playing in the Norris Louis Room on Thursday, May 17th at 8 PM, Friday, May 18th at 8 & 11 PM, and Saturday, May 19th at 2 & 8 PM.

Tell us about The Visit.
It’s about a small town in Germany called Gullen. This old lady named Claire Zachanassian comes back to town after Gullen has become completely impoverished. She says she will give the town $1 billion if they murder her ex-lover. The show is following her as she waits for this to happen, the guy dealing with it, and how the town and society deal with this decision.

And your character?
Claire Zachanassian wants what she wants and always gets what she wants. She is Gullen’s icon. She is a multi-millionaire. When I was thinking about her, I tried to think of icons of the past. She’s got a lot of Lady Gaga and a lot of demon-possessed Audrey Hepburn in her.

If you could pay $1 billion to have someone disappear, who would it be?
Keanu Reeves. I don’t dig him. Life would be better without a Keanu Reeves. I love the Matrix, but it’s the memes I don’t like. They’re so sad, and I want to put him out of his misery.

Do you think your character is a good role model for the Teen Mom stars out there?
No, she’s not a good role model. But if they’d like to go kill the guys that knocked them up, I’m all for it.

What’s in your personal arsenal to get people to do what you want?
My massive sex appeal.

Describe your character in three words.
Devilish, manipulative, vindictive.

What could someone get you to do for a billion dollars?
I’d eat a whole bucket of peanut butter. I’d probably explode because I’m terribly allergic to it, but I’d do it for a million dollars.

Do you think it’s worth killing one person to save the lives of many?
I’ll just say that it depends on the reason and the circumstance. I’ll get back to you when it happens.

Would you call your character a femme fatale or an angry bitch?
Femme fatale. She’s totally femme fatale.

Any funny anecdotes from rehearsal?
There was, at one point, going to be a live chicken in the show in the place of a typewriter. There’s a part where someone says, “Here’s your typewriter,” and they were just going to hand him a live chicken.

No related posts.

Adam Lambert is back, gearing up to sit on pop throne

sautar — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:00:40 +0000

Pop music, especially of the trashy variety, has been a woman’s game as of late, but there’s one boy not named Justin who’s planning on infiltrating – and he very well could be successful. Adam Lambert, of American Idol fame, released his second album, Trespassing, on Tuesday and it’s a heavyweight pop record to be reckoned with. It’s just as addictive and exciting as anything our fave girls have been releasing this past year.

Lambert’s new record is unabashedly pop from the first second of the first song to the final moments on the last. Missing are the pop/R&B hits you’ll find on an album by any other male signed to a major label, which provides it with a degree of sonic cohesiveness. There is a slight break almost halfway through the album, however. It slows down to feature a handful of slower, midtempo jams. Thankfully the change is not jarring; it’s almost expected given the strength of Lambert’s vocal prowess. He masterfully exerts perfect control, changing pitch, intonation and volume effortlessly as his voice remains sharp, clear and at the forefront of the music. It’s not often I make note of the talent of those I write about in this column, but Lambert has proved himself the exception.

Lambert worked with major players in the music industry for this record, including the likes of Pharrell (affectionately known as my baby daddy), Cirkut, Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and Bonnie McKee, as well as enlisting help from some lesser-known pop/rock writers and the result is a tight, sonically flawless and fun record with stirring lyricism.

A lot of these names Lambert worked with have spent the past few years crafting hit records for some of our favorite trashy pop princesses and that influence is not lost on this record. In fact, it’s made apparent on a song like “Cuckoo” – my favorite off the album – which sounds like a mixture of “Blow,” “Last Friday Night,” and “Hold It Against Me” (only because of the dubstep breakdown) and it could have easily been sung by Katy, Ke$ha or Queen B, but Lambert brings his own sound and artistic value to it, transforming it from anything our ladies would have released.

On the whole, the album’s most redeeming quality is perhaps its inability to fall into the trap of dance-pop monotony. From the stomping beats and clapping of the title track, the fresh, youthful summertime sounds of “Naked Love,” the Sam Sparro-assisted “Shady” and the falsetto on the Scissor Sisters-esque “Kickin’ In,” there’s enough variety in sounds waiting to excite and pull you in. The slower songs sound like most other midtempo pop/rock tracks but that’s par for the course. Thankfully, the instrumentation and his incredible voice keep it from becoming a stale moment.

Trespassing hits every mark on the checklist for a standard 2012 pop album and it’s an album I wouldn’t be surprised to hear on the radio or coming from someone’s headphones at Blomquist, but Lambert’s talents really add on an extra layer of substance that make it a breath of fresh air from acts like LMFAO, our beloved Carly Rae and professional song-ruiner Flo Rida. It’s nothing new, groundbreaking or game-changing – this is a trashy pop post after all – but it rightfully asserts Lambert as a pop act to pay attention to – one who’s ready to be on top.

Marina and the Diamonds returns, blonde and still brilliant In music, it’s easy to spot a sellout. Especially when an “indie” darling becomes an Artist to Watch and then suddenly dyes her hair blonde and enlists top-notch pop heavyweights for her second album. Simple enough, right? Not quite. In the case of Marina and the Diamonds, she somehow manages...
Rihanna gets lukewarm with Talk That Talk Rihanna is getting ready to release Talk That Talk, her sixth studio album, at the end of the week, except — oops! — the entire thing already leaked on the Internet. Early reviews for the album—like first single. If you don’t know what it sounds like by now, go back...
Jenny and Onika feed pop stereotypes, fail to move forward If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, amirite? That resounding “yes!” you didn’t just hear was the sound of practically every pop star on Top 40 radio agreeing heartily. Pop isn’t always the most innovative or substantive genre, and it gets harder to defend my love when my chanteuses keep...

“Smart Dillo” will help you have a safe Dillo Day

Shiraz Ahmed — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:30:50 +0000

Debuting on Facebook on Wednesday, Norris marketing campaign introduced its latest campaign. All around campus armadillos are helping Northwestern students prepare for their namesake festivities. The “Smart Dillo” can be seen in a number of settings holding red solo cups (“Dillo day is a marathon not a sprint”), demonstrating consequences aka dressed up in police uniforms , and even sporting full graduation regalia (the ominous “Keep your future in mind.”). Smart Dillo offers students helpful reminders of what to do if a friend passes out (represented by an armadillo lying down with x’s on its eyes) and what to bring to stock up on the day. According to an insider on the photo shoot, the armadillos were sold as beer can holders on Amazon. Only at Northwestern would we find a way to utilize armadillo beer can holders for educational purposes. And only at Northwestern would it make so much sense.

[Facebook]

Mayfest to bring a beer garden to Dillo Day 2011 The only thing missing from Dillo Day? Booze on the lakefill. Until this year, that is: Dillo Day will include a beer garden just south of the lacrosse field. Beer will be available for $5, with options ranging from Miller Light for the frat stars to 312 for the slightly...
Mayfest announces two DJs to perform at Dillo, campus wide scavenger hunt to announce final act Mayfest announced yesterday that DJs N.A.S.A. and Kill the Noise are joining this year’s Dillo lineup. But if you want to know the last act performing at Dillo, you’re going to have to work for it. Mayfest will place 15 “presents” around campus at 10 a.m. today. The gift boxes...
ASG wants to know if you’re a safe student A promo ad on NU Link for ASG Safety Week was too funny and strange to not research further. Turns out, it was just linked incorrectly....

Storage Wars: Northwestern

Mac Irvine — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:08:22 +0000

The newly-colonized BoxCo. and the tried-and-true Campus Solutions seem to be facing off at the Arch today (and probably the foreseeable future) for your precious summer storage business. Who will you trust your mini-fridge and winter coats to? Related posts:Northwestern community commemorates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with candlelight vigil In celebration of Martin Luther [...]

Northwestern community commemorates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with candlelight vigil In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the MLK Day Planning Committee organized the 33rd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Candlelight Vigil at Alice Millar Chapel. Keynote speaker Tim King drew parallels between students at Urban Prep Academies—the non-profit organization he...

Twitter: death to CAESAR, cats in costumes, and tofu dresses

vcastro — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:00:50 +0000

This week on Twitter: We should totally just stab CAESAR, Central Evanston dares Lady Gaga to wear tofu, Norris provides online hammock reservations, and Evanston community is apparently sick of all the Purple Pride.

Registration Week can really bring out the worst animosity towards our dearly beloved Emperor of Registration—all hail CAESAR.

#ApartmentComplexesThatTweet

If you’re still not sure if dressing up kittens as frogs is cute, this will assure you that it is not.

I wonder if they also do reservations for lakeside chaise-lounges and provide cocktail service.

Oh really now…

Haterz gon’ hate.

Kellogg makes mom proud, Chet Haze celebrates Osama’s death on Twitter The Twitter-spehere is blowing up in all the right places. ...
Twitter: Cat circus in DM tent, Mobile Leprechaun Youtube video snubbed Northwestern Twitters were buzzing this week. With registration, midterms, and the Oscars, everyone had something to say. We also witnessed the birth of possibly the best new fake Twitter account: @NorrisCatLady. Find out what everyone’s talking about, after the jump. It is so sad how easily CAESAR can be compared...
Evanston attempts to solve budget woes with Facebook and Twitter Apparently Evanston’s budget balancing problems have become so dire that they’re looking to the populace for solutions. Residents of E-town are being asked for suggestions of what programs should be cut from the 2011-2012 budget. Democracy! City manager Wally Bobkiewicz predicts an additional $1.5 to $2 million of city programs will have to...

The Jam Sesh—Season Finale

Shiraz Ahmed — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:25:02 +0000

After three episodes of our host’s wisecracks and phallic jokes in abundance, we come to the conclusion of NUCH1’s reality TV music competition, The Jam Sesh. It’s been a long road to JJ Java for our contestants Jacqueline Citrin, Lenny Kim, Almost All Purpose and Jet Jaguar, but, with the caffeine-infused audience and a nook of stage, can they deliver?

NU’s resident Pop Princess Jacqueline Citrin starts off with her discotheque rendition of the challenge song. Oddly enough, it sounds like a much more euphoric B-side of Swedish dance-pop star Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” with the slowly pulsing backbeat, but I don’t think that anyone would be complaining about this comparison. Robyn’s tripartite album Body Talk was an underrepresented gem of 2010 that all electro-pop and electronic fans must check out at one point or another. Citrin’s southern voice glides sweetly over the song and there truly is nothing to complain about: The lyrics are sweet and the timid delivery is endearing to watch. Yet with the comparison to “Dancing On My Own,” where was the dancing? If you’re going to be a pop princess in this day and age, you’ve got to be dancing! Unless you’re Adele, that is. Then you can just keep doing your thing.

Lenny Kim, our other southerner this time hailing from South Korea, comes into JJ Java with a completely different approach to the challenge song. Let’s call it the LMFAO approach if you will. And by this I mean, let’s talk about ladies and partying, I can be Redfoo and you can be SkyBlu, and let’s make a sputtering, dancing, dubstep-breakdown-filled duet that is a siren call to have fun. That comment I made last time about Lenny Kim hopefully getting a huge help from the crowd in the final performance? It definitely came into play here. Bringing along his friend MJ Kim to be the Ebony to his Ivory, or the Simon to his Garfunkel (take your pick), the duo swag out on stage like it’s nobody’s business. Like an LMFAO song, who’s going to complain as long as you’re having fun? No one. With all of the running around and the slapstick delivery that Lenny and MJ give on stage, one can’t help but bob their head to the incredibly explicit sexual jabs and just go along with it. Lenny did, however, lose a bit of the original song in the process. But if you’re having that much fun with it, even having jogged to prepare for singing it, no one is going to care.

Almost All Purpose, unlike Lenny Kim, kept the song truer to its original form. Keeping the opening from Jamie XX, Darke, and Rihanna’s “Take Care” again this time, the thing that truly stood out were those…how shall we say, revealing sparkling NU colored tights under neon yellow fishnets? I didn’t think you guys could get access to Lady GaGa’s closet so soon! But that outfit truly detracted from the smooth performance that went up on stage. It was so apparent that everyone was “Living in the Now” as the song goes but the song did seem to drag along towards the end a bit, even with the resurgence of “Take Care.”

From Robyn to LMFAO to Drake and Rihanna to the cast of Metalocalypse and Game of Thrones? Oh, my sweet Daenerys Targaryen. Or Arya? Or whomever. It really doesn’t matter because Jet Jaguar stole the show with their violent “Killing in the Now.” Really, I thought no one would be brave enough to top those sparkly tights. As Robert Downey Jr. says in Tropic Thunder: you never go full retard. Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, Peter Sellers – they acted dumb, but Jet Jaguar, you went the full insane to Hoffman’s Rain Man. And it worked!

Performing is about giving everyone a show and Jet Jaguar did exactly that. Now what that show may be is still unclear, but what is clear is how much fun and energy was being put into their performance. Jet Jaguar, I can safely say that you have this one’s vote.

It should be interesting to see how the people vote on this one. I can only hope for the future of The Jam Sesh and music reality television at NU. It is quite exciting. But maybe next season the contestants could come up with original songs around a topic?

Until next time.

The Jam Sesh—Episode 2 NUCH1 is keeping the ball rolling with their newest reality show “The Jam Sesh,” unveiling Episode 2 last Thursday. The first episode introduced us to our artists – Lenny Kim, Jacqueline Citrin, and Jet Jaguar – with hosting (and roasting) by Lex Singer and his new haircut. It was honest...
The Jam Sesh—Episode 3 After the last installment’s cracks about the sobriety of the teams (I’m Looking at you, Jet Jaguar & Lenny Kim), we finally arrive at what everyone has been waiting for: the unveiling of the song adaptations on NUCH1′s “The Jam Sesh.” After two episodes of witty banter amongst bands and...
The Jam Sesh—Episode 1 Northwestern’s TV production group NU Channel 1 debuted their ambitious new reality series on YouTube last night. Riding the endless wave of music documentary popularity, Jam Sesh follows three Northwestern student artists as they adapt an original song to be performed at J.J. Java later this year. Seeing intelligent, accessible...

World Wrestling Entertainment now a source of studying

emilyrivest — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:10:21 +0000

Full Sail University, an entertainment trade school in Florida, has formed a partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) that allows the matches to be taped on campus and the students to work behind the scenes. WWE hopes that the college students who aren’t working will attend the events (because, really, who else would?) and the school is hoping that the hands-on work can really help the students develop their skills. So listen up
McCormick kids complaining about how they’re the only ones doing work, at least our RTVF kids aren’t studying pro-wrestling…

[Huffington Post]

Engineers spend most time studying, according to completely obvious study A new study confirms that McCormick students are the nerdiest on campus. Wait, oops. We meant that the study found that engineering students spend the most time studying. The National Survey of Student Engagement reports that engineers spend about 19 hours a week studying, compared to business and social sciences...
Survey finds majority of students use Facebook for studying Facebook has always been a great “study” tool. What better way to learn ethics than stalking drunk uploads? But while unearthing shameful pictures of your high school nemesis is great, it’s not nearly as productive as discussing assignments via chat. Luckily most students do that too, according to a recent...
Dartmouth junior studying abroad in Barcelona found dead A Dartmouth junior studying abroad in Barcelona was found dead in his apartment Saturday. A specific time and cause of death are still being investigated. The student, Crispin Scott, was part of a 10-week program with Portland State University, and police were notified when he failed to show up for...

Intel’s extremely scientific guide to tanning

Shiraz Ahmed — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:50:47 +0000

The sun is FINALLY out and you just can’t bear to do those last Gender Studies readings in the dark depths of core — plus, it’s getting too hot to wear leggings 24/7 and your legs are so pale they’re reflective. Solution: take a quick tanning break in between classes to catch up on reading, nap, and people watch. Why do anything inside anymore?

NOTE: INTEL DOES NOT IN ANY WAY ENDORSE SITTING OUT IN THE SUN WITHOUT SUNSCREEN. Skin cancer is bad (actually). Don’t sue us. Wear sunscreen, this isn’t 1970.

Deering Field
For between your Friday afternoon discussions in the library, lay out on Deering and soak up the sun, moving into one of the shadier tree areas if you get too hot. Bonus: if you’re feeling like a game of pick-up frisbee there miraculously always happens to be someone playing a game. So collegiate.

Long Field
For when you’d rather be out of the public eye and don’t want the whole world walking past, go to Long Field to get some serious tanning done without worrying about looking acceptable to anyone.

That small little enclosure outside of Annenberg
For a layover on your North-South commute, stop by this little grassy enclave to tan and socialize with everyone you know making the journey from University to Tech. Don’t plan on getting much work done here in the time between classes because the whole world will be power walking by.

Lakefill
The Northwestern cliché, you gotta get out there at least once to gaze at Chicago and walk on the painted rocks on the lake. Get to your meeting at Norris an hour early and get some lakefill-tan time in, especially on a super hot day when the breeze comes off the lake. Also, prime location to creep on cute kids (not in a weird way) and tightrope walkers.

South Beach
Good for a post-lunch at Hinman nap on a day when you don’t mind getting sand everywhere. South beach can transport you to an almost tropical vacation for an afternoon. South Beach is an acceptable location to get tan and also bring an acoustic guitar for a beach sing along. Take a dip in the lake if it gets too hot to handle, but track sand into your afternoon class at your own risk.

North Beach
Forget SPAC, head up north to the beach and play some volleyball in the sand. Or just lay out instead. Let’s be honest, you’re not getting any work done today anyway so why not go all out?

Anywhere you can convince a professor to have class outside
For the ultimate multitasking triumph, getting that participation grade and a tan at the same time. And because class doesn’t feel so much like class when it’s out in the sun.

Vodka Slurpees in a dorm room, Andre on a roof: Intel’s guide to outdoor and day-drinking With the weather finally warming up, more hours of sunlight and the school year winding down, sitting around outside with your friends and drink of choice is looking a whole lot better than going to class. Finding that perfect combination of drink and location is tough, but essential to the...
Intel’s guide to courses that won’t have you pulling all-nighters A guide to easy A's...
The best places to drink with your parents and keep it (sort of) classy Oh shit, your parents are coming into town. Are you gonna play it Animal House style or will you attempt to hide the handles of vodka stockpiled against your windowsill? nuCuisine will undoubtedly be kissing your parents’ bottoms by feeding them some T-bone steaks while you look around bewildered for your standard,...