In response to the overwhelmingly positive student response to both MyElectionDecision.org and the witty and astute “Style, More Style” column in this newspaper, the administration today announced its intention to launch MyFashionDecision.org — just in time for the 2008-2009 school year.
“We just felt that it was an appropriate move for the the future of both Lawrence and the world,” President Jill Beck said in a mass e-mail sent out earlier this week.
Provost Burrows, one of the executive producers of the content of MFD.org, was quoted as remarking, “This year’s election has created a great deal of tension, and has served to raise student’s awareness of the importance of fashion. Mrs. Clinton’s suits are only the tip of the iceberg.”
Although fashion has nothing to do with politics, the announcement comes as a great relief to most Lawrence students who are typically too busy on the Internet to be concerned with what they are wearing.
Just as MED.org has been functioning as the central focus of this school year, so will MFD.org become the theme of next year. President Beck will be offering two terms of her seminar for a select stylish few, generating serious class discussions on the issues at hand and holding forums across campus in order to spread the word of fashion.
MFD.org will be modeled after MED.org, offering five key “styles” instead of “issues.” The style choices were taken from a recent Voyager survey of all students, in which the campus was divided into the five groups: Hipster, Greek, Anime, Connie, and Brain.
Students will be asked a series of questions to determine which identity most suits them, and will be offered suggestions of further reading in order to educate themselves on their chosen styles.
MFD.org is designed to allow students to interact with their style choices in order to become more stylistically active. President Beck cited young people’s relative stylistic apathy as a growing concern in our world, and one of her central reasons for implementing this tool. “Students need to become more aware of the style world that surrounds them, in order to become attractive citizens.”
The possibilities of adding style in more areas of the university, especially in the most unfashionable areas such as freshman studies and the reference section of the library, are being discussed, and will be further pondered in the President’s Seminar classes next year.
MyFashionDecision.org planned for 2008-09 school year-ep -ama
