My alma mater

Catching up on the email I left largely unread while on vacation last week, I found an email from my alma mater's alumni association which, among other things, contained a link to this news item about "a new tradition" (let the irony of that sink in) manufactured, no doubt, by the PR department: a wishing fountain of a hog. When I left the U of A at the end of 2003, creating "new traditions" of this sort--to increase bonding between student and campus--was beginning to be the new rage in certain quarters. It continues unabated. I'm a fan of statuary in general. But I imagine the green grass that this monstrosity now occupies would bring more grace to the campus. I long for a day when the U of A will put more emphasis on scholarship than sports. But I suspect that is never going to happen.