Spring Break
Poetry decs Simpkins stalls
Geoff Rands
Issue date: 10/23/06 Section: News
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Unavoidably noticeable in the bathrooms of Simpkins Hall are pieces of poetry by such noted authors as Robert Frost and Galway Kinnell.
Students have put forth several theories regarding the origin of this poetry, with explanations involving everything from mischievous building service workers to the supernatural. The origin of these hangings is something a little more mundane, yet no less interesting: the service project for English professor Aisha Barnes' First Year Experience class, "Introduction to Literature."
"We're trying to populate the world with poetry," Barnes said. "We tried to tie in what we do in class, which is reading poetry. We don't necessarily talk about it, though; we do more 'free reading.'"
"It's kind of like Stall Talk in the dorms: You can learn new things," said Kyle Newsham, freshman law enforcement and justice administration major enrolled in Barnes' FYE class.
Newsham added he likes how everyone interprets the poems differently.
"A lot of service projects people do are just things like picking up trash, and we wanted to do something more original, not as generic as other classes," said Jordan Stallings, senior English major and peer mentor for Barnes' FYE class.
Pablo Tinajero, freshman music education major, participated in the hanging of the poetry and noticed an instant response.
"As I finished taping up (the poetry in one bathroom), I went over to the sink," Tinajero said. "Someone walked in to use the urinal and just stood there reading."
Though the project's scope was initially campuswide, the class only received permission to post poetry in the bathrooms of Simpkins.
"We only just started this now, after we read enough poetry for everyone to come up with two pieces they like," Barnes said.
Volunteers enrolled in Barnes' FYE class then edited the poems for typos. Different poems were assigned to different bathrooms based on aspects of the poetry in relation to gender, placing such pieces as "The Training Bra" in the women's room.
Students have put forth several theories regarding the origin of this poetry, with explanations involving everything from mischievous building service workers to the supernatural. The origin of these hangings is something a little more mundane, yet no less interesting: the service project for English professor Aisha Barnes' First Year Experience class, "Introduction to Literature."
"We're trying to populate the world with poetry," Barnes said. "We tried to tie in what we do in class, which is reading poetry. We don't necessarily talk about it, though; we do more 'free reading.'"
"It's kind of like Stall Talk in the dorms: You can learn new things," said Kyle Newsham, freshman law enforcement and justice administration major enrolled in Barnes' FYE class.
Newsham added he likes how everyone interprets the poems differently.
"A lot of service projects people do are just things like picking up trash, and we wanted to do something more original, not as generic as other classes," said Jordan Stallings, senior English major and peer mentor for Barnes' FYE class.
Pablo Tinajero, freshman music education major, participated in the hanging of the poetry and noticed an instant response.
"As I finished taping up (the poetry in one bathroom), I went over to the sink," Tinajero said. "Someone walked in to use the urinal and just stood there reading."
Though the project's scope was initially campuswide, the class only received permission to post poetry in the bathrooms of Simpkins.
"We only just started this now, after we read enough poetry for everyone to come up with two pieces they like," Barnes said.
Volunteers enrolled in Barnes' FYE class then edited the poems for typos. Different poems were assigned to different bathrooms based on aspects of the poetry in relation to gender, placing such pieces as "The Training Bra" in the women's room.
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