It was an interesting news week across college campuses, to say the least. From last Monday’s Florida tasering debacle to Boston’s second LED bomb scare in a year, university students were at the crux of widespread media attention.

“Don’t tase me, bro!” screamed University at Florida student Andrew Meyer as eight police officers attempted to subdue him during a forum with Sen. John Kerry at the college. Disregarding his cries, the small battalion of police officers proceeded to use a stun gun on him as students watched in disbelief. What did he do? He asked a few “out of line” questions to Senator Kerry.

College students and news outlets alike debate whether he really deserved the harsh treatment. Since Monday, over 100 Facebook groups have been created with titles ranging from “Don’t Tase Me Bro” to “Andrew Meyer is a Douchebag.”

He was, in fact, loud and obnoxious, asking the Senator about his involvement with the Yale secret society Skull and Bones and if he felt that President Bush should be impeached. But being forcibly dragged out for asking questions in an open forum— some officials claim he was “inciting a riot”—is an infringement of free speech, something all college environments should embrace, not reject.

Now, Mr. Meyer will have to endure nationwide scrutiny over whether his douche-bagginess overshadows his right to free speech. Buy your “Free Andrew Meyer” shirts now, because we’ll be hearing about this for a while, for better or worse.

In other, equally as alarming, crazy collegiate news, Star Simpson, a sophomore at MIT, was arrested at gunpoint on Friday September 21 outside Boston’s Logan International Airport for wearing a circuit board with LED lights attached to her black hooded sweatshirt. Authorities were alerted because an airport employee thought it was a bomb.

This is not the first time the city of Boston mistook tiny blinking lights for explosives. Back in January, two men were arrested over a guerilla marketing campaign for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie. Circuit boards, similar to Ms. Simpson’s, depicting characters from the movie were hung on highways throughout the city. The blinking lights were apparently frightening enough to freak out and piss off an entire city.

Maj. Scott S. Pare of the Massachusetts State Police was quoted in the New York Times as saying, “Had [Simpson] not followed instructions,” when approached at gunpoint, “we would have used deadly force.” Yikes.

Luckily for Simpson, she complied and explained that the device in question was actually an elaborate nametag. Upon closer inspection, the small light diodes were shaped into a star. Simpson was picking up her boyfriend at the airport and was sporting an art project she made to stand out on MIT’s career day. The back of her sweatshirt said “Socket to Me Course V1.” Course VI was in reference to her major: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Granted, entering an airport with a suspicious device isn’t the brightest idea—one would think a brilliant mind would know better—but had Ms. Simpson made a false move, she would have been shot. Killed. Dead. Just for being a little kooky and creative, albeit a bit lacking in the common sense department.

So, my college brethren, after this past week’s maelstrom of university headlines, be prepared for anything. Off the cuff responses in public, yelling out in class, or any other sudden moves may or may not result in ridiculous punishments.

Tara Sullivan
Editor in Chief