Crimson or Blue?

We at the Indiana Daily Student love being a part of IU. We love being Hoosiers, even if we don't know what they are. We love bleeding cream and crimson (or red and white, depending on the athletic director). We're all for you! But lately, we want to be blue.\nWhen Duke University officials recently announced they'd be handing out free (that's right, free) iPods to all first-year students, our school spirit began to wane.\nIn a July 19 press release, Duke officials explained that all new students would be receiving the coveted Mac devices under a initiative to find new innovative ways to use technology in the classroom. The iPods come pre-loaded with Duke University materials, such as the school calendar and orientation schedule, and have plenty of room for new downloads.\nThough Duke claims that \nextra space is available to \ndownload language exercises, audio books, recorded lectures and other course-related materials, we all know what we'd use it for. Duke freshmen will be able to walk around listening to 20 gigabytes of music between classes all on the university's dime.\nWhile Duke's ambition to make the classroom more interactive is commendable, their nearsightedness is laughable. Do they honestly think students are going to rejoice at the opportunity to download Spanish conversation exercises or that titillating lecture on amoebas? Yeah, right. Duke just wasted $500,000 to give students something else to do other than homework, and all with a one-year warranty.\nOkay, so maybe the criticism here is less than whole-hearted. Let's face it: We're jealous.\nIn Durham, N.C., students get iPods free of charge just for showing up. In Bloomington, Ind., we get charged $30 for an athletic free from which we receive nothing. Not to mention the mysterious technology fee -- why don't we get an iPod for that?\nWe love this University, but if it means $30 per semester out of our pockets for nothing in \nreturn or a gratis iPod, we'll be the first to paint our faces blue. And considering our basketball team's performance last season, the swap may be beneficial in more ways than one. \nAnd at least people have some idea of what a Blue Devil is.\nSo maybe considering our fiscal situation no one needs to be getting any technological devices free of charge around here, but don't we deserve a break? Aren't we good enough? Doesn't the administration love us?\nForget that: Let's look at it this way.\nMaybe if IU started giving away free iPods, freshman admissions would go up, so Residential Programs and Services would have more money, so RPS would be able to afford to serve healthier meals, so freshman wouldn't gain 15 pounds, so they wouldn't have to pay for personal trainers and would have enough money left over to pay off the athletic department's debt. We can solve the problems of the universe, not to mention the University: It all goes back to something for nothing. \nIt's just a thought.