$50 gift card to downtownIn order to expose ‘open minds’ to the new Connective Corridor, Syracuse students were given $50 gift certificates to the downtown Armory Square area. Unfortunately, the plan backfired in two ways: the gift certificates could be used anywhere and only this year’s freshmen received them. Sure, it’s a great perk for them, but it just plain stinks that part of our tuition is being used on cigarettes, coffee and whatever else students might want to buy.

Woohoo Comedy HourCrude sexual jokes and cringe-worthy stories of college life run amok in the stand-up performances of Syracuse’s comedy group Woohoo Comedy Hour. These students are sure to get you laughing, whether it’s at their jokes or at them (Hey, they laugh at themselves, too!). The shows happen often, and you can catch repeats on OTN (channel campus cable).

DanceWorksDanceWorks is Syracuse’s largest student-run dance organization on campus. The 130- plus-person group performs at the university’s Homecoming Showcase in the fall, but the highlight of the DanceWorks is their annual spring recital, where it performs more than 20 numbers in styles including jazz, hip hop, lyrical, modern, tap and ballet. Check out their Web site at http://students.syr.edu/danceworks.

Orange AppealAmong the handful of a cappella groups on Syracuse’s campus, one stands out – the all-male Orange Appeal. The group’s repertoire ranges from ‘Stacy’s Mom’ to ‘Movin’ Out;’ these guys really sing it all. Check out their Facebook group or their Web site at http://www.orangeappeal.net.

Complaining about the weatherWe all know the weather in Syracuse sucks. It’s 75 degrees and sunny one day, and the next it’s 32 degrees and snowing and thundering at the same time. It’s not going to change. It’s Central New York, not the Bahamas! Quit moaning about the weather and find something new to complain about, like the terrible grades you’re getting from skipping class because you don’t feel like trudging through the tundra.

‘I Like, High Five’Sacha Baron Cohen: the name that will make anyone, guy or girl, weak in the knees … not from his sexiness (unless hirsute men are your thing), but from laughing too hard! But if you give SU students one too many drinks, they’ll become walking, talking Borat machines, shouting ‘I like, High Five!’ to any friend that walks by. Word to the wise: chill with the Borat quotes. The citizens of Kazakhstan aren’t impressed with your accent.

– Amanda Zionc