“Fair is Fowl and Fowl is Fair”
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Our apologies to Mr. Wm. Shakespeare for our appropriation of his quote from Macbeth, Act I, Scene I. It seemed so apropos, however, because there’s been quite a few bird-related stories on campuses lately. Check these out:
Fluff-Up at Reed College Over Chicken Dinner During one week at the beginning of spring semester, Reed students can offer and take brief no-credit courses on any topic of interest — striptease, pool, or chokin’ the chicken. No, not that kind of chicken-choking; get your minds out of the gutter! A college senior who raises chickens for eggs and meat, proposed to demonstrate how one of the birds is slaughtered and dressed for dinner. Some students and organizations raised a ruckus, however, because of their distress that ” Reed students are taking part in the killing of live animals.” (I’ve heard it’s really hard to kill dead animals, though.) The course was ultimately canceled.
A Wily Chicken at Glendale Community College An apparently unnamed black chicken at Glendale Community college poses for pictures and accepts food from student fans. But when animal control stops by, he or she (they’re not sure which), crosses the road–natch!–and evades capture.
Turkey Overstays Her Welcome at Harvard Business School This is so ripe for jokes, I’ll let you think of them yourself. Nicknamed Turk Turkee, the wild bird was initially welcomed into the Harvard community, but her esprit de corps is lacking; attempts to roust her from napping in the dean’s garden (a favorite spot) results in pecks and snaps. Her, um, fowl-ness seems to increase when observers don’t offer food. She’s also vain; she’ll stare at herself in the clean, reflective windows of the business school buildings for hours. Some students find her cranky presence entertaining; others have created an “HBS Students FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE TURKEY” Facebook group. Massachusetts state laws regarding wild turkeys make her removal problematic.
Concordia College Chicken Put to Work A poster on Inside HigherEd offered up this chicken story, with a happy ending (for the college and the chicken). “Rocky,” a small, white hen, selected Concordia College as her home in the summer of 2009. Unlike Turk Turkee, Rocky was a good ambassador, welcoming students to campus in the fall and amassing a number of fans. But as winter neared, Concordia officials worried for Rocky’s safety; they also feared a larger predator would make a chicken dinner of her. So they found her a new home, where Rocky can continue her public relations work in safety.
Has your campus adopted an animal, avian or otherwise? Tell us about it!
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