The Quadrangle

Issue date: 3/30/05 Section: The Triangle

gates

In a dramatic surprise press conference, Christo and Jeanne-Claude announced that the now infamous Gates installment will be moved to the Manhattan College campus. They will be unveiled on campus for the next Accepted Students Day, in a show to communicate Manhattan College's great appreciation for higher culture. The word quickly spread as students immediately contacted each other using Nextel's infamous and subtle walkie-talkie function, and echoes of the ubiquitous electronic ringing were heard from miles away. Although administration heard some inkling that the famed duo was to make an appearance on campus, they had no idea of their plan to install The Gates along Manhattan's quad, the main gathering place for students on campus.

Since the announcement, campus became a very busy place as preparations for the unveiling began. Members of the staff were put to work fixing many problems around campus-everything from leaky roofs or missing tiles to repainting buildings where paint had begun to chip. Physical plant has also been busy planting flowers around campus grounds that will nicely offset the color of The Gates, without taking away from them. Once The Gates are in place, Manhattan's campus will be filled with visitors, and measures must be taken to make MC appear to be an idyllic breeding ground for intense intellectual discussion and revolutionary ideas. Some other changes that will be implemented before the unveiling include requiring students to participate in small discussion groups out on the quad and in Plato's Cave, as well as enforcing a strict alcohol policy. No parties will be allowed anywhere on campus, and cleanup crews will be present every morning to ensure that if anyone did manage to have a party on campus, there will be no evidence the next day. Another big change is that the school will no longer allow vans from certain MC hangouts to pick students up on campus.

Reactions from students have been mixed. When learning of the news, many were met with confusion; one student interviewed responded with "Dude, what's up with them Gates? I don't understand it." A freshman Elementary Education major responded with, "I'm, like, so excited. They're so pretty. I hope I can meet some boys there. I love meeting new boys." Others, however, were more concerned with their entertainment value. A sophomore Communications major asked, "Can I smoke it?" and upon further discussion with a senior Physical Education major, he said, "Dude, if it doesn't dispense beer, I don't care about it." Finally, a junior Peace Studies major stated her political objections to The Gates, saying, "They objectify the rights of all of us. I find the color orange to be highly offensive because of its association with the color-coded terror alert system."

Most engineering majors interviewed complained because The Gates would not be near Leo, the engineering building, therefore they will not be able to experience The Gates as much as other students. A senior Chemical Engineering major said, "Everyone else is so lazy. We're the ones doing all of the work, and we get nothing. Absolutely nothing."

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