Sober? BYU is full of drollery

Alyx Mark ran into trouble on the question for $25,000: "On the Princeton Review's 2007 list of top party schools, what college was ranked most 'stone-cold sober' for the ninth straight year?" Mark didn't know, so she used a lifeline. She phoned her father, Michael Mark, in St. Louis. He quickly told her it was BYU.

• A writer for a North Carolina independent weekly newspaper wondered in November when sports teams would stop using Native Americans as mascots. Even though the University of Utah is the one whose teams are named for the Ute tribe, BYU somehow got mixed up in the column.

David Swerdlick mentioned the agreement to use the name struck by the U. with Ute tribal leaders, but he questioned whether the majority of Utes enjoy their status as mascots.

"Can anyone imagine the administration of a historically black college favoring a name change like the Runaway Slaves, or Brigham Young University changing its name to the Defiant Polygamists? Again, it would be in extremely poor taste."

• Samuelson deserves a Sammie or two of his own. The president fields constant questions from students unhappy they can't park closer to class. At a question-and-answer session in November, Samuelson noted that students sometimes avail themselves of his reserved parking space.

"Sometimes I leave a note," he said. "I try to be kindly. One time someone took my spot on a Sunday thinking I would not be there, but I had to stop by the office. I left a simple note:

"'You guessed wrong."'

• In August, Samuelson conducted the opening business at the Annual University Conference, then reached for a glass as he paused to transition to his keynote address.

"Since I'm the only one who knows how dry this talk is going to be," he said, "I'm going to take a sip of water."

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E-mail: twalch@desnews.com