Crazy Collins Stories

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Danielle Urschel on June 27, 2008 at 10:58pm

Does anyone remember this? It was the '84-85' school year and there was a rash of backpack thefts at the Collin's cafeteria. Students were not allowed to take backpacks into the cafeteria, so everyone left them on this metal rack outside of the eating hall. Every week, several people had their backpacks stolen. The thefts went on for months, and it was weird because no one ever saw anyone taking the backpacks. People lost their money, ID's, books, homework, research. It turned out to be this legally blind guy that lived in a single at Green. He was a real quiet guy who kept to himself. They found over 20 backpacks stacked in his closet. He had never even opened the backpacks. Just stole them, put them in his closet, and then went about his day.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by mike whybark on June 28, 2008 at 12:59am

I have a vague memory of not being allowed to bring packs in, but it didn't matter to me since I was dropping out and never went to class. Yeah yeah, I came back and graduated eventually. But I only lived at Collins that one semester.

Others have alluded to this, and it fits the thread, so: I designed my schedule so I had no classes before noon and the day I had Q class or whatever that orientation class was I had no ther courses except for one of the student-taught Collins-special classes, in this case, the History of Science Fiction. I attended the class one more than one occasion in my pajamas and bathrobe.

I don't recall it with great clarity, but the other students were more-typical SF geeks (the exception being Steve Bouton). They, the teacher, and I were surprised that I was better read in SF than most of the rest of the kids in the class, and I credit the experience with making me aware that I am a capable critic. Although in the context of the class I must confess using my powers for evil, mostly just to win arguments. Possibly about my pajamas and generally disrespectful attitude.

So, HSF classmates: sorry.

Um. Other crazy Collins story tipoffs: Don Bolles, hinted at previously. The library at 1 am while under the influence of a psychotropic. Throwing furniture off the roof of the tower (did that actually happen?)

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jeb Banner on June 28, 2008 at 9:22am

speaking of throwing things out the window...

Reminds me of a couple of my favorite Collins related stories. First is about throwing stuff out the window.

I had this VCR that was on it's last legs and since it was the end of Spring semester I didn't really care if it survived my move to the house at 2nd and Lincoln. So I gathered that up with some other electronic devices that were in disrepair and we went to the top floor of Cravens and started pitching them out the window into the courtyard. As you can imagine they were completely annihilated by the concrete. We did this repeatedly, going down, picking up the VCR and other stuff and throwing it out the window again. We were quite amused with ourselves. But our buddy Sam had an even better idea.

Sam showed up and saw what we were doing and suggested we should try to get the VCR fixed at the mall. Everyone agreed this would be hilarious so they packed off to the mall (I sadly stayed behind for a date with my Q Class teacher).

So Sam and a bunch of our friends show up at the mall with this completely destroyed VCR, literally in 5-6 pieces, and start asking where they can get it repaired. They finally get directed to Sears where they go to the electronics repair shop. It would help to know a little about Sam here. He was 6' 5" and played drums in my first Bton band with Josh and Finn- Sleeve. Not a great band but we had so much fun that it didn't really matter. Most of the fun came from Sam just cracking us up all the time.

So Sam walks up to the repair counter at Sears (do they even have repairs at stores anymore?) and explained that his dog had gotten into his VCR and it wasn't working so good. The repair guy was naturally shocked at the condition of this VCR and suggested that maybe it was beyond repair. Sam didn't accept this answer and insisted all it needed was a little TLC and could he please leave it to get fixed? Finally the Sears guy caught on to the ruse and kicked them out. They then wandered the mall with the VCR asking random people if they knew how to fix VCRs. Hilarity ensued.

The second story about Sam is probably by favorite. I really need to remember his last name. Maybe someone on the site can help. He was tall from the east coast and played drums in the marching band. Ok here's the other story.

Sam and Marc Tuttle, another Collins fellow and friend, were up all night wandering around campus during finals. When morning came Sam got the idea to take a final in some random class. So he and Marc wander into Ballantine and find a big class about to site down for their final. Marc and Sam sit down and area given tests. Soon they realize that this is a 2 hour exam and they have no desire to be sitting there taking a test about something they know nothing about for 2 hours. So Sam comes up with a plan.

About 15 minutes into the test Sam stands up and loudly declares "This is Horse Shit! None of this was in the book! I'm out of here!" and then proceeded to huff his way out of the room to the shock of the professor and the students.

By that afternoon the story had traveled across campus. After hearing it first hand from Sam and Marc I heard about it standing in line to sell back books, walking across campus, etc. Sam had his little day in the sun there for that stunt.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Santo on June 30, 2008 at 12:02pm

I remember that backpack incident arfter reading about it now...and yeah Mike the throwing furniture was real

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Matthew N Sharp on July 19, 2008 at 12:57am

I remember David Minnick on the second floor of the main building throwing Moon Pies from the store out the window, religiously, every single night, for months. He'd yell "Look out for the Moon Pie" while beaming them down at people on Park Avenue. I attempted to retrieve a number of those Moon Pies for personal consumption, as it generally happened around the same time every night, but failed miserably to snag an one still intact.

I learned a valuable lesson from that experience. I have no idea what that lesson was now, though.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Juliana Kate Greenfield on August 15, 2008 at 3:34pm

Matthew-
Do you know what year this was? I had a great friend named David who lived in Edmonds (I lived in Cravens), but I cannot recall his surname. He was music major and huge Devo & XTC fan (his roommate was Bill). Same David? Not so sure...Thanks!

Matthew N Sharp said:

I remember David Minnick on the second floor of the main building throwing Moon Pies from the store out the window, religiously, every single night, for months. He'd yell "Look out for the Moon Pie" while beaming them down at people on Park Avenue. I attempted to retrieve a number of those Moon Pies for personal consumption, as it generally happened around the same time every night, but failed miserably to snag an one still intact.

I learned a valuable lesson from that experience. I have no idea what that lesson was now, though.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jennifer johnson on October 21, 2008 at 6:32am

yes, I totally remember this because he stole my backpack and the campus police called me in to identify it--and it had a pair of dirty panties in it!

Danielle Urschel said:

Does anyone remember this? It was the '84-85' school year and there was a rash of backpack thefts at the Collin's cafeteria. Students were not allowed to take backpacks into the cafeteria, so everyone left them on this metal rack outside of the eating hall. Every week, several people had their backpacks stolen. The thefts went on for months, and it was weird because no one ever saw anyone taking the backpacks. People lost their money, ID's, books, homework, research. It turned out to be this legally blind guy that lived in a single at Green. He was a real quiet guy who kept to himself. They found over 20 backpacks stacked in his closet. He had never even opened the backpacks. Just stole them, put them in his closet, and then went about his day.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jennifer johnson on October 21, 2008 at 6:36am

I also had some bovine kidneys I had stolen from anatomy lab and people threw those out the window! yummy!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Matthew N Sharp on October 21, 2008 at 10:29pm

Juliana, this would have been fall/spring of 1987-88. He lived in Edmondson, middle floor, was a music major, had a roommate named Bill. That's got to be the same David Minnick. Lo and behold, he's findable, too: http://www.myspace.com/180gs seems to be his current musical project, covering Negativland tunes a capella. Fucking brilliant, as usual. Man, I wish I still had my tapes of his stuff...

Juliana Kate Greenfield said:

Matthew-
Do you know what year this was? I had a great friend named David who lived in Edmonds (I lived in Cravens), but I cannot recall his surname. He was music major and huge Devo & XTC fan (his roommate was Bill). Same David? Not so sure...Thanks!

Matthew N Sharp said:

I remember David Minnick on the second floor of the main building throwing Moon Pies from the store out the window, religiously, every single night, for months. He'd yell "Look out for the Moon Pie" while beaming them down at people on Park Avenue. I attempted to retrieve a number of those Moon Pies for personal consumption, as it generally happened around the same time every night, but failed miserably to snag an one still intact.

I learned a valuable lesson from that experience. I have no idea what that lesson was now, though.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Karl Hofstetter on November 25, 2008 at 5:31pm

OK. I didn't actually live at Collins, but during my Freshman year at IU I spent much time there. My friend Thomas Doane and I ingested the bulk of our calories at Collins that year - free of charge. Typically, eating at Collins was our substitute for "dumpstering" - which was going to the dumpster behind Marsh and indulging in the incredible amount of food they would throw away. I know, I once grossed out a homeless panhandler by suggesting he eat out of the garbage. Seriously. He never talked to me again.

When we were feeling frisky, we would just walk into the collins cafeteria like we owned the place - just walked past everyone in line and the registers, looked at the clerk straight in the eyes and began to fill up our plate with food. This action either a) freaked them out enough to not mess with us or b) convinced them that we had already been through the line. Either way, Collins helped me sustain life in the Fall of 2003.

▶ Reply to This

▶ Reply to This