Libby Hill

Dear Libby,I live in a duplex with two other people. It is very cozy and we have a lot of fun living together. That’s not a problem. The problem is that at the end of the semester one of my roommates is moving out and another person in moving in. Well, I guess that really isn’t the problem either.

The problem is that we are really having difficulties killing his character off the show, since obviously in an alternate universe our life is a sitcom.

Do you have any suggestions?–Concerned Cast Member

** Note: For those readers that don’t understand the concept of alternate universe television shows, please feel free to contact the Collegian’s Managing Editor as he is the resident expert on such matters.**

Dear Concerned,You are looking at this problem all wrong, my friend. What you need to do is not “kill off” this character, but “write out” the character. You see, in the alternate universe(s) death is not the only way for a character to leave the show. All sorts of departures are used, be it a new job, relationship or education experience. While perhaps these options are not as compelling at the fatality option, these choices do have the added benefit of reunion episodes or even, if necessary the option of bringing the character back full time.

I’m sure you’ll find many compelling alternatives.

Dear Libby,I have a professor who is constantly driving me nuts. Instead of learning how to use the new electronic overhead projectors (commonly referred to as “Elmos”), he prefers the old fashioned kinds that require transparent paper and a fat marker.

The problem is that his placement of the projector always blocks the view of half the room, and since he is left handed, he smudges a good portion of the notes. To make matters worse, he doesn’t understand that in order for the image to be completely in focus, the projector must be parallel to the screen. The class has suggested to him a couple times that he should use the Elmo, but his response is always to the effect of “students in this country learned for 200 years without an Elmo.” How do suggest that I get the professor to adapt to the new student friendly technology?–Frustrated Freshman

Dear Frustrated,Welcome to college, my friend. While you are here, you’re bound to encounter some professors who tend to be a bit, oh let’s see, set in their ways. And no matter how much “suggesting” you do to them, they’re not going to change..

You say that the class has suggested that your professor switch over to the Elmo system many times, but I’m wondering, how exactly did they do it? What I’m getting at, is that I think you or one of your classmates should very calmly visit your professor during his office hours and talk reasonably about this situation. From my experience, it appears that the Elmos are not extensively different from the concept of the overhead projector.

Whoever goes to speak with your professor should handle it in a very non-confrontational manner, yet still have all their facts ready to try and sway the professor’s opinion. If all of these maneuverings still don’t work and the situation is really as frustrating as it sounds, then you may want to consider seeing the head of the department and see if anything could be done on that level. After all, you’re paying a lot of money for college and you want the best education you can get.

E-mail Libby Hill at [email protected].