THE BELOIT COLLEGE MINDSET LIST FOR THE CLASS OF 2007

Most students entering college this fall were born in 1985. To them:

1. Ricky Nelson, Richard Burton, Samantha Smith, Laura Ashley, Orson Welles, Karen Ann Quinlin, Benigno Aquino, and the U.S. Football League have always been dead.

2. They are not familiar with the source of that "Giant Sucking Sound."

3. Iraq has always been a problem. [...]

9. Russian leaders have always looked like leaders everyplace else. [...]

13. They never heard Howard Cosell call a game on ABC. [...]

15. Garrison Keillor has always been live on public radio, and Lawrence Welk has always been dead on public television. [...]

22. They have never gotten excited over a telegram, a long distance call or a fax. [...]

24. College athletes have always been a part of the NBA and NFL draft. [...]

30. Adam and PC Junior computers had vanished from the market before this generation went online. [...]

32. They have always had a pin number. [sic--that's a PIN. "pin number" is redundant, or, the number of pins you have. Ed.]

33. Banana Republic has always been a store, not a puppet government in Latin America. [...]

41. They have always been able to make photocopies at home.

42. Michael Eisner has always been in charge of Disney.

43. They have always been able to make phone calls from planes.

44. Yuppies are almost as old as hippies. [...]

In all fairness it should be understood that students entering college this fall do have a few items on their own lists that will separate them from many of their mentors:

1. For many of them today, it's all about the "bling, bling."

2. They know who the "Heroes in a half shell" are.

3. Peeps are not a candy, they are your friends.

4. They have been "dissing" and "burning" things all their lives.

5. They can expect to get a ticket for "ricing out their wheels."

6. They knew how to pop a Popple and trade a Pog.

7. They can still sing the rap chorus to the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and the theme song from "Duck Tales."