Month: September 2007

Rock-bottom font, Jayhawk?

The University of Kansas‘ recent decision to incorporate new typography into its athletics uniforms is not sitting well with at least one student.

ku_trajan.jpgBradley Lewis does not like the Trajan font KU has adopted as part of its visual identity, and has taken to the web in protest.

Lewis’ website, Trajan Sucks, laments the demise of the “curling, arc-serifed typeface” that for decades has “emblazoned the uniforms of our beloved University of Kansas basketball players as they earned conference championships, final four appearances, and even a national championship.” He complains about how university officials are “[e]schewing this rich tradition in favor of an ill-conceived (and expensive) attempt to standardize the KU brand.” The new typography cuts a “lackluster profile” for his beloved Jayhawks. Oh, and he’s selling “Trajan Sucks” T-shirts, too, in the old font. $10 each, plus shipping.

About 15 or so fellow Jayhawk fans have expressed their opinions on the site, too.

As for me, I’m fine with the Trajan font. But I’m no Jayhawks fan, either.

Hat tip: Church of the Customer, which linked to this Brains on Fire link.

When student websites become news sources

More and more journalists seem to be scouring the Internet for clues about college students who make the news. Today’s case in point: MIT student Star Simpson, who was arrested earlier today for walking into Boston’s Logan International Airport with a fake bomb attached to her sweatshirt. Simpson’s website (cache), which was hosted by MIT but apparently taken down today, became part of the story for some media outlets.

Information Week reports that Simpson’s “blog” (which her site is not) “loves ‘crazy ideas’ and ‘saving the planet from evil villains'” … with “my delivered just-in-time gadgets.” And the news, commentary and community site Bostonist reports: “On Simpson’s personal webpage, she writes, ‘In a sentence, I’m an inventor, artist, engineer, and student, I love to build things and I love crazy ideas.’ Obviously.”

This story has a bit of a humorous angle to it that plays into MIT’s reputation as the home of intelligent, geeky pranksters, even though Simpson’s alleged behavior crosses the line. But the writings on her website are not necessarily incriminating as, say, the blog of the gunman who opened fire at Montreal’s Dawson College a year ago.

The lesson for higher ed communicators: Be aware of what your students are saying in the online world — on blogs, social networks, YouTube and elsewhere. What our students say reflects on our universities, for better or worse.