My friend Karen lives in the Graduate Dorms at the University of Wisconsin – Madison…for now.  Evidently, the Graduate dorms are to be closed down soon.  And, since they are going to be closed down, the University has apparently decided that they will spend no money on maintenance…despite the fact that there are still graduates living there, and paying rent.

Karen says that there have been a number of repairs that the custodian has simple jerry-rigged solutions for, and some that have not been fixed at all…like a dryer that was tearing clothes.  Due to complaints, the dryer was disassembled and left in pieces.  Problem solved?

Now, being a good, red-blooded Midwestern American progressive young woman, Karen did what anyone answering to that description would do.

She rounded up a friend, and got her hands on some duct tape.

Here is a picture of the toilet in Karen’s dorm before she and Katharina

Applied the magic of duct tape:

Here is the after picture:

All “fixed”.  Who needs government money to keep the wheels of education running?  Ashcroft was right!!  All we need is duct tape.  All hail Duct tape!!

Now, if only they can find a duct tape solution to the droves of developers walking through their dorm with clipboards loudly discussing how to best destroy the building.

Unfortunatly, these dorm closings are on top of an already tight market in graduate houseing.

If you are interested in reading more about the plight of Uof W- Madison grad. students, and their future housing woes… here are some links:

http://www.dailycardinal.com/news/2005/02/10/News/Grad-Student.Housing.Community.Faces.Extinction-858990.shtml

http://badgerherald.com/news/2005/02/09/grainger_hall_to_exp.php

     http://badgerherald.com/oped/2005/02/10/letters_to_the_edito.php