#ocelot call

[theocelotcall]

Has the mystery of the hockey rink messages been solved? According to the university's tweets Sunday night: Yes. Campus security caught two students at the ice rink, and the fact that the rink reopened today underscores the fact that the school believes the situation has been resolved. The administration remains typically tight-lipped, but a source told the Call that the two students apprehended were seniors Tom Gardiner and Hunter Nelson. Since they were caught as they tried to enter the building, it technically can't be proven that they were doing anything but trespassing carrying spray paint - but that seems clear enough to us. The question remains: why? No one seems quite sure. We'll chalk it up to a Halloween prank gone too far.

[theocelotcall]

We at the Ocelot Call are committed to representing the wide variety of voices and viewpoints that make up the Valeton community. In that spirit, we bring you this response to last week's coverage of Prof. von Dechen's talk on ghosts in the cultural imagination.

"I am embarrassed on behalf of all Valeton students and alumni that this immature fixation with ghosts has so gripped campus - and the pages of this newspaper. Valeton is an august academic institution with an impeccable reputation stretching back centuries, and superstition has no place here. Ghosts and other so-called supernatural phenomena are, of course, worth studying in disciplines such as anthropology and social history, but the administration should seriously consider whether anyone who believes such nonsense to be true belongs at Valeton."

[thatssogatti]

So I wrote a letter to the Ocelot Call after they quoted me in their article about the folklore lecture and made me sound kind of crazy. I thought it was important to have people hear my side of the story but now... I'm not so sure. I don't know. People are being kind of mean about it, calling me stupid. I guess I should have expected that but I didn't. So it just - threw me a little, and last night I was thinking maybe I should give this up.

But I slept on it and - no. I'm going to keep going, because I think this is interesting, and it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks. This is my blog. And... I don't know. Maybe ghosts AREN'T real. It's not like I know FOR SURE. I'm still not convinced that some of these things - like the science building - are pranks rather than a cover-up. But even if they are... that folklore talk made me realize that ghosts are in so many cultures and are such a universal thing. So it seems important to record them here, in our culture.

[theocelotcall]

Freshman Sophia Gatti, quoted in yesterday's article about Prof. von Dechen's ghost lecture, has sent our editor the following response to the piece:

"Thank you for your coverage of Prof. von Dechen's lecture. I feel that I was quoted slightly out of context - while I did ask the professor if she had proof that ghosts weren't real, I was not intending to question her work or to imply that I unthinkingly believe all ghost stories. I do, however, believe that there are phenomena - and incidents here on campus - that cannot be explained rationally, and that the near universality of ghosts in cultures throughout time - something that Prof. von Dechen herself pointed out - means that we should keep an open mind about the possibility that they could be real. If you've experienced a haunting here at Valeton, please get in touch."

So, Ocelots. Do YOU believe ghosts are haunting Valeton? Do you have other theories? Let us know.

[theocelotcall]

If you've been paying attention to the atmosphere on campus of late, it won't surprise you to hear that Prof. Owena von Dechen gave her talk on "Ghosts and the Cultural Imagination" to a packed house last night. Students who may have hoped for an evening of spooky stories were destined to be disappointed, though, as Prof. von Dechen's take was - we suspect purposefully - rather more dry and academic than Prof. Norton's recent ghostly offering. Prof. von Dechen seemed frustrated by the students' eagerness to believe in the supernatural, but we don't think she'll be able to stem Valeton's ghost fad that easily.

Freshman Sophia Gatti is definitely among the believers. In the Q&A session at the end of the lecture, she questioned Prof. von Dechen's premise that ghost stories are never literally true, but are instead inventions to help the pysche deal with uncertainty and unexplained phenomena. "But do you have proof that ghosts aren't real?" she asked the bemused professor. "Why not at least consider it?" Prof. von Dechen moved quickly to the next question.

[theocelotcall]

An anonymous tipster passed on some interesting information. The "repairs" at the science building last week? Well, the so-called accidental rock fall was apparently the work of a certain biology student who wasn't ready for an exam and was hoping to buy him or herself a few hours of study time by blocking entrance to the building. It was the perfect crime - until this student started bragging about it at a party over the weekend. Our tipster didn't tell us the student's identity, but others surely overheard as well - will the administration find out?

[theocelotcall]

by Owen Wingrave

It's barely October, but Halloween season has arrived at Valeton with a vengeance - kicked off by Prof. Kelly Norton's lecture "The Shades of Valeton," given to a surprisingly large crowd of students last night. The audience was enthralled by her stories of the myriad students, staff, and faculty who have died at Valeton over the centuries and are supposedly haunting campus. "It's like Hogwarts!" we overheard one excited sophomore exclaim. We expect the houses to be declaring official house ghosts any day now. And we suspect Prof. Norton wishes her students were as excited about her actual class lectures.

[theocelotcall]

Welcome Back, Students!

9/8/15

We’re so excited to be back in the offices at Valeton University - and EXHAUSTED. Who went to that killer party this weekend?

Anyway, before the year heads off into full swing, we’re happy to welcome back some returning staff members and say hello to some new ones. Give it up for your Ocelot Call staff!

Editor in Chief Jennifer Connelly

Managing Editor Samantha Endres

Campus Editor  Christy Vourcos

Photo Editor Jaime Hartley Features Editor Gemma Rose Layout Editor Sarah Hatter Sports Maggie Greenhill & Chris Rogers

Features Sejuti Mansur Features Shannen Usher Features Lincoln Norris Alternates Zoe Benstead & Tara Friesen