Of all the issues that have been generating a lot of controversy on campus, lately, the one that seems to be the most frustrating is the issue of housing for undergraduate students. Nearly every undergraduate that is not a graduating or upcoming senior has had a complaint about the process this year.

        The idea of a story is one of the oldest and most popular means of human communication. Stories have been around since the dawn of human civilization, and probably before major societies, as well. Tales of bravery, intrigue, emotion, tragedy, comedy, and any other common human character trait are what we as people remember and tell to others, either to convey a message, to prove a point, or merely to avoid the great beast of boredom that can come to dominate a momentary slice of life. A good story is universal in that we can all get something from it. It lives with us, and we can put ourselves into it for a short time, and get caught up in it. It leaves an impression with us long after it ends. Great stories both told and written are things that are nearly immortal and live within us and all of the people we come into contact with.

I was a sophomore in college the first time I ever heard it. It came on the radio one night as I was driving back to my home, and it hit me like a tidal wave. I remember thinking I had heard songs like it, but it seemed to capture the entire essence of funk that those other tunes seemed to be missing. It started out with a simple bass riff accmpanied by what sounded like bongoes and a wood scratcher in the background. Then the cymbals hit and the melody began to build. In one measure the song broke, incorporating a driving drum beat with a pulsing bass rhythm and a killer full brass band. This tune was in my face from the beginning measure to the end beats. The voice was high-pitched, smooth, and possessed a sense of longing, a sense of something wrong that needed to be addressed. This was my first encounter with the late Curtis Mayfield and the song was "Superfly".

As graduating seniors already know, graduation day is approaching fairly quickly. Indicators of this are the pamphlets entitled "Almost Alumni" we received in our mailboxes and the winter season which is about to give rise to springtime in Nashville in a few weeks.

       We are quickly approaching a national holiday that I feel is celebrated but not necessarily understood. Martin Luther King Day is coming up and there are a host of commemorative events here at Vanderbilt. With such celebrated King scholars at the University like Dr. Lewis Baldwin and Dr. James Lawson anybody who has never attended the MLK festivities and lecture series is sure to miss out on a highly enlightening and enjoyable opportunity.