It's happened to everyone. That guy is droning on about politics and suddenly he namedrops some huge current event you think you've heard of, but you're not quite sure, so you make up some intelligent-sounding response and hope he doesn't call your bluff.
Here at the University, homework preoccupies many students, so sometimes current events become mixed up with ancient dates or this week's problem sets.
Some students keep track of current events by watching television, but most use the Internet as their primary source of news.
"I check news websites every day," first-year College student Samantha Mina said. "When I open my Internet, the news is the welcome."
First-year College student Rohan Pai said, though he watches the news on TV, he checks the Internet for news more often.
"The Washington Post is my homepage," Pai said. "I read the Post website two or three times a day."
First-year College student Alex Smith said she tries to watch World News Tonight three nights a week.
"I think the news is good because it forces you to get an overview," Smith said.
Mina agreed she preferred to watch the news on TV but said her school work interferes.
"I don't have that half-hour set from 11 to 11:30," Mina said. "The Internet is easier."
Pai said that in his dorm the news is an almost constant presence.
"In my suite we always have CNN or CSPAN on," Pai said.
Other students rely on less traditional sources for news.
"The Daily Show is a lot more entertaining," first-year College student Bob Weaver said.
Although Weaver said he admitted the Daily Show is sometimes not as reliable as conventional news sources, he had concrete reasons as to why he liked the show.
"I don't have time for news and comedy, so I combine them," Weaver said. "I figure if there's anything I really need to know, it'll be on" the Daily Show.
Some students believe their attendance at the University accounts for their lack of knowledge of current events. Smith said sometimes she feels cut off from the world outside of the University.
"I feel insulated from U.S. news, but not from foreign issues," Smith said. "I keep hearing stuff about [other countries], but not U.S. stuff."
Smith cited an example from her first few days on Grounds when she first saw coverage on Hurricane Katrina a few days after it hit the Gulf states.
"I thought, 'This can't be the U.S.,'" Smith said. "Katrina kills so many people, and I was like, 'What country is that in?'"
Weaver, on the other hand, said he did not feel so isolated from current events and was aware of Katrina while it was happening.
Pai also said he was up to date on Hurricane Katrina.
"It helps just having news coverage on a lot of the day," Pai said.
First-year College student Stephen Bradford said the lack of public knowledge or interest about the news extends past the University.
"An ignorant populous is essential to a functioning democracy," Bradford said.
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