This week marks a very important day in UR history: the six year anniversary of the disappearance of the McDonald’s french fry machine from the Rush Rhees tunnel. Anyone who was around campus in 2003 remembers this machine, probably for its smell and the sauna-like environment it created by the Art and Music Library. A commercial name on campus? No meal plans accepted? Almost everyone complained. Everyone, that is, except Kim. Probably the machine’s only customer, Kim would come all the way from Eastman to buy the fries. Recently, we met up with a friend of hers who had visited her at UR shortly after the machine’s arrival. His favorite memory of his weekend? The french fry machine.

In April 2004, Kim wrote a eulogy to the fry machine in the Campus Times. In her eulogy, she discussed not only her love for the fry machine, but the impact it had on the campus. An excerpt:

So, why is a french fry machine worthy of a tribute? This isn’t just about a vending machine. It’s about the impact that this vending machine had on campus. In a campus where apathy is more prevalent than Beirut at a fraternity party, everyone had an opinion on the McDonald’s vending machine, and the great majority of people voiced their opinions. If something as trivial as a vending machine can make people open up their eyes, ears and mouths — no pun intended — then there is hope for us when more important issues arise. (CT, April 14th, 2004).

What’s the moral of this story? First, current students should find comfort in knowing that in our day, too, dining services had some real blunders. (Imagine having to wait in line for over an hour for a roll of sushi). Secondly, students should feel lucky that they are part of a student body that is not afraid to speak its mind, whether it’s about a french fry machine, sustainability or a tuition hike. This is something that you should carry with you after graduation. University administration has improved its efforts across the board to listen to opinions of both students and alumni and utilize them as a platform for change. More than ever, alumni are using outlets such as the Rochester Review and the Campus Times to speak up and offer insight. Current students should welcome the challenge of finding new ways for alumni to stay in the loop with University happenings and offer opinions about the direction the school is heading. There are so many opportunities, especially with the Internet, to have this happen on a large scale.

__________________________________________

Alumni Spotlight

Daniel Rowen, ’04
Current City: Brooklyn, NY
Major: Brain & Cognitive Science
Favorite UR memory: The tunnels. When it’s cold, I wish we had them in NYC.
What he’s up to now: I work for a Neuro-Psychiatrist doing neurofeedback and brain-mappings on patients in a clinical setting. We deal predominately with traumatic brain injury patients, but also see a wide-array of psychological conditions that are treatable with EEG-neurofeedback. I help tailor treatment to patients’ individual needs.
Contact info: dr002j@urgrad.rochester.edu