To protest Duke's recently proposed anti-vandwelling law, I decided to publish a two-part series in Duke's student-run newspaper, The Chronicle. If you're more than familiar with my story, I wouldn't bother reading Part I, which is HERE, since it's mostly a summary of my two years in the van. (Despite all the press coverage, hardly anyone on campus knows that someone's living in his van--hence the need for a summary).
Part II, which prints tomorrow, will focus more on the corporate nature of institutions of higher learning, and how the "university experience" teaches students to be profligates and debtors.
There hasn't been much of an aftermath to the article, and things have gone without note except for a fairly humorous typo on the part of the paper's editors. They accidentally named me "Ken Vandwelling," which is a catchy nickname, but one I don't want to stick.
8 comments:
Looking forward to Part II...
I found part 2 today! Thought I would share - http://dukechronicle.com/article/debt-discipline
Thanks Mike and Ross. I was a bit slow on posting #2, as you could tell.
Your fellow student body should make a Van City and participate in your activism (if trying to pay for school and survive is that). Hundreds of people living out of cars in a community of shared rage against the system that has made it necessary for bright, promising people to have to struggle so in the present with the future holding the yolk of debt.
Young people, and old, are being turned into debt slaves and there should be more solidarity in the struggle against your oppressors.
Perhaps you could start a freegan movement.
http://www.google.com/search?q=freegans&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
you went to college...TO WIND UP LIVING IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!!!
I HOPE YOU REALIZE THAT WITH A LIB STUDIES DEGREE YOU'LL BE STAYING THERE BUT ITS NOT TOO LATE TO DO SOMETHING ELSE
Anon-- Yeah, it never occurred to me that I'd be getting a monetarily useless degree after getting my first monetarily useless degree. :) PS: I didn't know werewolves could type.
ALRIGHT,FINE. YOU'VE MADE UP YOUR MIND ABOUT THIS BUT WHEN I COME BACK HERE THERE BETTER BE SOME COOL STORIES ABOUT NAILING GRADUATE HOTTIES IN THE BACK OF THE MYSTERY MACHINE.
SERIOUSLY THERES ENOUGH ROOM BACK THERE TO FIT A FEW HORNY ENGLISH MAJORS AND ONE SMOOTH TALKING, PRAUST QUOTING STUD WHO LIVES IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!
AS FELLOW VAN OWNER, COLONEL JOHN "HANNIBAL" SMITH SAID, "I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER!!!"
Anon--Ha. I wouldn't get your hopes up ;) Though maybe I'll spruce up on my Proust.
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