Here’s a comment posted below under my post about the Daily’s jeopardy issue:

“I wasn’t offended either; I can stand a lot of un-PCness in the name of humor, but it was just really vapid; not even a little intelligence or humor.

Has it won a single award for anything in the last few years? When I was an undergrad it swept Columbia U.’s awards. Is the poor writing a failure of leadership? The result of a general downturn in the intelligence of the student body? Does it mean that writing for the paper isn’t a cool thing to do anymore and the talent on campus is doing something else? I’m really curious about how it got so bad so quickly.”

The sense that the Daily’s quality is slipping recently, the last two years in particular, is common. I have documented my thoughts on the matter here. However, the feedback post got me thinking, and I did a quick analysis of the Columbia School of Journalism’s “Gold Circle” awards won by the Daily (the largest competition in collegiate journalism). The awards are given out for everything from writing to layout, so it seems a good judge of overall quality. Here’s what I found, taken from their archives:

1984 1
1985 7
1986 5
1987 1
1988 9
1989 2
1990 4
1991 1
1992 6
1993 8
1994 10
1995 17
1996 23
1997 19
1998 17
1999 18
2000 18
2001 13
2002 8
2003 11

It seems that mainstream journalism seems to think the Daily is a pretty good newspaper, if someone wants to compare the Daily to other papers with the same data feel free. The competition also depends on submissions, so these results might be effected by how submissions writers at the Daily compile year to year - which would depend on the priorities of different editors.

The U-M chapter of the national marijuana legalization organization NORML is planning a meeting of campus organizations to begin planning for this year’s hash bash on Wednesday, February 4 at 7:00 PM in 3rd-Room B of the Michigan League. Here’s the campus chapter’s website.

Some activists are organizing a mass meeting for people concerned with the SAPAC re-organization and student services funding cuts more generally. The group, calling themselves “Our Voices Count,” has called the meeting for 8:15 PM Monday night in MSA chambers on the third floor of the Union.

Citizens For a United Michigan has upgraded their website.

If you have a Comcast cable modem and use a lot of bandwidth, you might surpised to find out the “unlimited” service isn’t actually - Comcast has recently begun sending letters to heavy users telling them to cut their use or face termination. The only problem? The limit is secret.

“SAN JOSE, Calif. - By all accounts, George Nussbaum demands a lot from his Internet connection. He streams video and transfers large files from his office. His family downloads movie trailers and his stepson listens to and buys music online.

Until last summer, the service was advertised as “unlimited.” … “

> From AP: “Comcast targets Internet ‘abusers’ but won’t reveal limits”

Leading the charge to keep the AATA’s The Link service alive: the city’s elderly citizens:

… “The parking’s so terrible, I drive back to Birmingham and do my clothes shopping,” said Thomas, 64.

That’s about to change. Thomas was one of nine members of the Viva Club, a social group of active people over 50, who decided to ride The Link Wednesday after learning ridership is low … “

The Michigan Daily’s “jeopardy” or annual joke edition was today, the last day the old editors are involved before handing the operations off to a new set of editors. The tradition grew out of the practice of graduating seniors slipping small jokes into an otherwise normal paper, and has now grown into an entire paper produced by all seniors on the staff. As for the humor, you’ll have to judge its quality for yourself. Highlights: “White girl discovers ’secret’ benefits of affirmative action,” “Three ’snobs’ slain outside Rick’s” “Field hockey SID fired after in-game masturbation”