world largest pillow fight

[dragon]

American education at work...while the rest of the world takes over science and engineering.

Welcome week in the fall is the time of year when most new college students actively avoid getting hit in the face with objects of any sort to avoid the potential for a nickname that will stick with them throughout their college career. This year, however, students who had been admitted to the University of California, Irvine, said, "Bring it on."


As part of the university's welcome week activities, UC Irvine students, mostly freshman and transfers, joined together yesterday to try to break the Guinness World Record for the world's largest pillow fight. An astonishing 4,200 (sober?) students succeeded in breaking the previous record — 3,813 people — held by Swedish DJ duo Dada Life, who instigated the pillow fight at a concert in Chicago.


Although only one specific rule had to be followed in order to earn the record — the fight had to continue for at least 60 seconds — apparently a lot goes into organizing a world-record-breaking pillow fight. According to the Orange County Register, "It takes at least 100 volunteers and several turnstiles to count participants and an official Guinness adjudicator. Not to mention [portable restrooms], water, free food, and a disc jockey to keep everyone jazzed while folks file in." During the event, the students wielding the bed linens against one another were serenaded by Ariana Grande singing "Break Free." As with most pillow fights, a short dance party broke out after the students added their names to the history books.


UC Irvine currently holds the records for the world's largest water-pistol fight and largest dodge-ball game, which were both set during past welcome-week celebrations. A fifth-year college student who had participated in the event described how it felt to break the world pillow-fighting record with one word: "Awesome." The Irvine Anteaters, as they are known, officially start class today, and we hope all their beds are made.

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[K. A. Pital]

University competes with a DJ club? *laughs* What a joke.

[Mr Bean]

University competes with a DJ club? *laughs* What a joke.

Best not mention the University with on campus bars, discos and a waterpark.

[Purple]

University competes with a DJ club? *laughs* What a joke.

Best not mention the University with on campus bars, discos and a waterpark.

I wonder what were to happen if that money was to be funneled into... I don't know... education?

[PKRudeBoy]

University competes with a DJ club? *laughs* What a joke.

Best not mention the University with on campus bars, discos and a waterpark.

I wonder what were to happen if that money was to be funneled into... I don't know... education?

Other than (and possibly including) the waterpark, those would probably be revenue producers, not expenses.

[AniThyng]

Well event organizer is a valid career choice. You might even make president some day!

[Elheru Aran]

Somehow I have my doubts that such bars, discos, waterparks etc. are actually functional parts of the school establishment, especially the bars. It's more likely that in many cases they're simply in a very close proximity to the campus, but not technically part of the school. Mine had three or four bars that were in a small shopping center right in the middle of campus, but they were technically 'off campus' even though all you had to do was cross the street and you'd be right there. So I doubt they actually produce revenue for the university. Local economy, sure...

Of course, this experience is in Georgia. I don't know about other states as much.

[Sea Skimmer]

A lot of schools have built rented spaces for bars and food vendors that do in fact produce rental income for the schools, where I went had a dozen odd spots for this on the ground floors of certain office buildings and freestanding. Others schools are strictly against commercial retail or just lack a strong incentive to do so because of the local economy meeting the need.

Never heard of a public school bar though that was actually school operated with the operating profit going to the institution though. Operating like that has a lot of legal liability all else aside, best to let someone else take that on.

[PKRudeBoy]

I know that SUNY Albany had a school operated bar on campus before the drinking age was raised, but would guess that nowadays most would probably be operated by contractors.

Edit: For the rare schools that still have bars.

[TimothyC]

Never heard of a public school bar though that was actually school operated with the operating profit going to the institution though. Operating like that has a lot of legal liability all else aside, best to let someone else take that on.

Wright State in Dayton used to have one, but it was closed about fifteen years back. It was closed not because it wasn't profitable (it was, very much so), but because there was a push for it to be a 'dry' campus (which it isn't - the apartments on campus have no rules about alcohol).

[Havok]

OMG! College students having FUN?! SHUT IT DOWN!

[salm]

I don´t think I know of an uni campus that doesn´t have a bar and some sort of (usually student organized and irregular) disco/club.
They are very good to get to know people and to get drunk cheaply.

Some campuses are not in the city and far away from any other bars so it would be complicated to go for a beer or seven after lectures.