To the Editor:
Re: “My Big Fat Greek Headache,” Opinion, April 13
I must firstly applaud the author’s stance on the sartorial collapse and promotion of vulgarity within this esteemed academic institution. As a proud citizen of Great Britain I have been bamboozled and bewildered by the attitude and actions of some of the students at Cornell. Indeed if I were not constantly reminded that these students are at an Ivy League institution, I may think the Arts Quad to be a rather exotic zoo.
Large men trail their knuckles dressed head to toe in radioactive colors and the indispensable gesture of the “hat doff” seems to have been replaced by grunts and arm locks. Ladies have cast aside their corsets and petticoats and seem to be permanently clothed in sporting attire or pajamas, indeed one can observe from their figures that they spend more time sleeping than exercising, this can also be said for (some of) the gents.
Alas my friend, do not let your monocle drop in horror, or your sock suspenders wrap into a twist. There are still those in this campus who prefer brandy to beer and Debussy to doughnuts. There are those of us who are discreetly screaming at the inappropriate use of the “flip-flop” and the demise of the fountain pen, which incidentally never “crashes.”
One day I assure you the tweed suit shall rise again against Mr. Levi and his collection of odious convict’s clothes. One day, medics shall understand the futility of modern cures and treat all ailments with a gin and tonic. One day there shall be a revolution, spurred by the demise of the chap and the ever growing wrath of the civilized man. For now we sit sipping Darjeeling tea and thinking of greater times, but we still survive in campus life and in Greek life. All the greatest treasures are the hardest to find.
Gentlemen, be patient.
M.J.A. Bowes, grad