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I’ll probably never be wealthy enough to buy naming rights to any public building. But the Susan Simpson Honorary Toilet Stall — that’s a real possibility.

It’s not a novel idea. Colorado venture capitalist Brad Feld recently made an offer the University of Colorado couldn’t flush away. He paid $25,000 to have his name on a second-floor men’s bathroom in a technology center on campus.

He’s named on a plaque with the quote “The best ideas often come at inconvenient times.”

Feld said it’s good advice. “Sometimes my best ideas have come to me while I’m in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet or taking a shower. It’s a good time to reflect.”

All-righty then. Maybe CU should install pens and note paper in each stall for recording such good ideas.

Maybe I could start my own donor profile by sponsoring rolls of toilet paper in college restrooms. Or would that be a wasted endeavor?

Tell me what you think? Have campus “sponsorships” gone too far?

E-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com

Susan Simpson, Education Writer
 

Wow, if I wore hose, I’d use it to cover my face right now. Seems I really stirred up some readers with my last blog, in which I questioned the University of Central Oklahoma’s policy that female students attending a career fair this week must wear hose if they wear skirts or dresses.

My point was that if the skirt was of appropriate length and the shoes were nice, who’s cares about hosiery?

Readers Vicki, Diana and Jack do. The women both pointed out that many businesses have dress codes, so students should err on the side of conservatism in their attire. Diana says that some employers also might prohibit visible tattoos, which could be covered with opaque hosiery.

Jack said dress codes should revert back to the 1950s, because that’s when morals were high. But then he added that he’d like to volunteer for the hose-checking duty because “somebody’s got to do it.”

That last comment sort of sent chills up my spine, so I think I’m going to put on a pair of hose now — for warmth.

Susan Simpson, Education Writer

College students looking for a job or internship can meet prospective employers Wednesday afternoon at the University of Central Oklahoma’s spring career fair.

But along with checking out students’ resumes and ability to hold intelligent conversation, some officials could be checking out the females students’ gams. That’s because female students who wear skirts to the event are mandated to wear panty hose.

They aren’t mandated to wear skirts, so perhaps many will opt for trousers. But is the hose requirement even necessary in today’s society?  If a young woman is wearing a skirt or dress of appropriate length and dress shoes, who’s even going to notice her legs? And who’s going to monitor this requirement anyway? Will there be a “hose check” at the entrance?

The men have some rules of their own. They must wear a tie, and no shorts or hats are acceptable for either sex. Bookbags also are a no-no, which seems odd considering this is a college campus.

What do you think? I’m not advocating flip-flops and T-shirts here, but the hose rule seems so 1950s.

E-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com or call 475-3930.

Susan Simpson, Education Writer

College students, what price would you pay for safety, or at least the feeling of security?

Would you pay an extra $10 a class? Would you be willing to open your student files to faculty and administrators?

As a parent of one-day college students, I say yes!  I’ll pay my share to hire a battalion of mental health workers, install high-tech warning systems, and erect barbed wire around the dormitories if need be. My kids files will be spotless anyway, full of honor roll listings and volunteer accolades.

Right. If the world was perfect, then we wouldn’t have these worries.

A group of college presidents is recommending $16 million in security upgrades to state campuses. They fear both a Virginia Tech-style tragedy and the more regular kind of violence (suicides, assault) that can be fueled by mental illness or substance abuse.

One recommendation is to form crisis committees on each campus that would look into reports of troubled students, with some access to student and medical records. That has some questioning rights to privacy.

What do you think? What sacrifices would you make to create safer campuses?

E-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com or call me at 475-3930.

Susan Simpson, Education Writer

Some Stillwater third-graders are growing green thumbs while they boost brain power.

Two volunteers from the Oklahoma State University Botanical Garden are leading the Literature in the Garden program at Skyline Elementary School. The curriculum aims to engage students through garden and ecology-themed children’s books.

Volunteer Merry Alexander said she wants to instill in students a love of reading and plants. She said children don’t always understand how important plants are to their lives and the earth.

Student activities have included touring the OSU garden, creating seed balls to grow and eating “dirt,” a mixture of candy and crackers that simulated the earth’s layers.

I’m not much of a green thumb myself, so those activities sound like a fun way to encourage interest in plant life. Too bad my flower beds aren’t full of M&Ms.

Susan Simpson, Education Writer

The story about Oklahoma City Superintendent John Porter’s suspension is more than just front-page news: It’s national news.

By virtue of the fact that Porter used to work for a school district just outside D.C., The Washington Post picked up the story Tuesday. (www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/07/AR2008010702942.html)

Bloggers are picking up the story, too — some from Oklahoma, and some not.

I am not endorsing any opinions expressed on any of the pages, but want to share these as a way to show and promote the continuing dialogue surrounding the recent days’ events.

-The McCarville Report Online: The Gadfly on the Boardroom Wall: “Oklahoma City’s now-suspended school superintendent, John Porter, is fighting tooth and toenail to keep the job he’s held for slightly more than five months. But Porter’s strategy to keep that job, accusing Board of Education Chairman Cliff Hudson of things Hudson said never happened, or happened differently than Porter claims, is a poor way for Porter to wage his campaign.” (Read more: http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2008/01/gadfly-on-boardroom-wall.html)

-The Green Flame: My Take on John Q. Porter: “I wish that we could say, ‘We’ve all learned a valuable lesson here, and we will do better together in the future.’ That only works in sitcoms. Perhaps the board could allow Dr. Porter the opportunity to state how he would change his procedures to comply with board policy. I think he could become a good community leader. But I fear he has been weakened too much to do the job he was hired to do.” (Read more: http://greenlynn.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-take-on-john-q-porter.html)

-Moving at the Speed of Creativity: Political Fireworks in Oklahoma City Public Schools: “Clearly ‘interesting politics’ are involved in this situation. It will be instructive to follow this news thread in the weeks ahead.” (Read more: www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/01/06/political-fireworks-in-oklahoma-city-public-schools)

-Peyton Wolcott: ‘Family emergency’ – or ‘vacation’? “Could it be that because John was an assistant (superintendent) and information officer in Maryland before taking over the top spot in OKC in July that he was not used to the daily demands of the new job? Or was this a clash of work ethics and cultures? … We’re watching something play out in Oklahoma City Public Schools which goes to the core of one of the most fundamental issues in public education in America today: Who really runs our schools?” (Read more: www.peytonwolcott.com)

Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter

It’s a bird, it’s a plane … it’s a new tool for learning!

Encouraging children to read more of stories that fit into comic book word balloons might sound a bit, well, comical, but adults nationwide are realizing that superheroes may just be able to rescue students’ motivation to read and write.

Students in hundreds of U.S. schools participate in The Comic Book Project, which began as an after-school program seven years ago in New York City (www.comicbookproject.org).

The project uses the arts — comics, specifically — to improve children’s literacy and promote character development.

That character development is two-fold: there are the comic book characters, which the children create, and societal character, which the children build as they read and make their own stories about superheroes that make the world a better place.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man will make an educational comeback with a whole cast of characters in an upcoming free comic book by a French filmmaker, Marvel Entertainment and the United Nations.

The filmmaker, Romuald Sciora, has said the comic book will teach children the value of international cooperation and sensitize them to problems in other parts of the world.

The U.N. expects to put the book in the hands of more than 1 million American children before eventually translating it for children in other countries.

Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter

Some things never change.

Kids loved hot dogs in the 1950s, and they love them today.

I bought my 9-year-old stepdaughter Piper a reprint of the 1955 Junior Cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens this week, and we couldn’t wait to make a surprise dinner for the family.

The book, with black and white photos, made me nostalgic for those years before we knew hot dogs, carbs and trans fat aren’t the healthiest things to ingest. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. This isn’t food to eat every day, but was a lot of fun to try. Piper liked imagining that her grandmother, who was about her age in 1955, probably used the same cookbook.

We made a hot dog casserole, which basically was hot dogs wrapped in bacon and smothered with potato chips. It was super tasty and like I said, we won’t be eating like this every day.

Next on our try-me list: S’mores. All we need is a campfire.

Susan Simpson, Education Writer

When I think about fit, trim and positively svelte creatures, I don’t imagine a ferret.

I do imagine this weasel-like animal when contemplating Joe Pesci or ambulance-chasing lawyers. (Not sure why the former, maybe because he often plays furtive characters.)

Well Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett has made the ferret a poster child for making us a healthier city. In  a news conference this week at the zoo, he said city residents are like the elephants he posed near, and not the fuzzy, playful furball ferret held by a zoo employee.

I’m not  sure what animal would be inspirational to the fat masses of Oklahoma City, but it’s probably not a ferret. Imagine the motivational slogans “One more mile … You can do it … Be a ferret!”

How about a gazelle? Or the diversity-friendly zebra? Or even an elephant for goodness sake.

Is an elephant really fat? Or just really big? Someone with an elephant’s bone structure will never fit into ferrets clothing.

And elephants are herbivores. They eat grasses and fruits. While ferrets are meat-eaters and will munch mice, prairie dogs and even roadkill.

What animal do you think best represents a fit, healthy Oklahoma? E-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com

Susan Simpson, Education Writer