By starting a Hippo “secret” society, University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg has brought something to the University that can never be considered bad: a reminder to all graduates about their days here. I, being a very recent immigrant to this urban jungle, belonged to untold dozens of sanctioned and unsanctioned groups and societies at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. We needed something to do during the winters.
Whether it was the Tau Beta Pi (community service), ASCE/AGC (student well-being), Chi Epsilon (community service), the Polar Bear club (no swimming just barbecue), The Handsome Man Club (community service) or even the Society of Turtles (no idea what we were doing, but it was fun) – all these groups added to the quality of life and to the character of the university. And there was usually some community good involved.
Never fear, for the endowment will grow. When members of these groups age, they get a little loose with the purse strings and donate to their alma mater, as I plan to do with the University of Alaska when I have some spare change (around 3001). And so a suggestion to The Hatchet: take a deep breath, and refocus some of that energy toward community service.
–Christian M. Salmon
graduate student
