The new “That’s Why I Chose Yale” admissions video has quickly become our guilty pleasure. Who knew they’d go the “High School Musical”/”Glee” route. College Park should do a similar jazz-handsy revamp.

A box is filled with marijuana plants at the San Francisco Medical Cannabis Clinic {thanks, AP}

If you had asked him two weeks ago, Zach Brown would have said he didn’t think marijuana legalization would happen in his lifetime.

Things have quickly changed. Brown, the president of the University of Maryland, College Park chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, now is optimistic the country will see significant change in perhaps two decades.

“It seems up until this point, we’ve been working against the wind in a way, pushing our goals to hard opposition,” Brown said. “But there’s now a rapid growth of support. The winds have changed, and we’re riding with them now.”

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Will porn continue to be shown on MD college campuses? {Thanks, AP}

Maybe it’s just me, but I find it a little funny that students at the University of Maryland, College Park are still fighting for the right to show porn on campus.

Even more entertaining is the fact that it’s now being made a debate on free speech.

I’m not at all in favor of abridging anyone’s rights, but is the right to view porn a fundamental need or more of a want?

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Don’t expect any Towson University advertisements in Playboy or Hustler. At least not on President Robert Caret’s watch {thanks, THE BALTIMORE SUN}

I’m biased (being a former editor in chief myself) but I’ll always take interest in a college newspaper versus the administration (you know, THE MAN) story. Carrie Wood, of Reisterstown and a junior at Towson University, stepped down as the editor of Towson’s student newspaper, The Towerlight, Friday, according to the Sun. It seems the university (particularly its President Robert L. Caret) took offense to the pub’s sex column, “The Bed Post.” (It should be noted that the column was written under the pen name “Lux.”) The story says Caret threatened to consider suspending the university’s advertising with the independent paper (about 40% of the Towerlight’s revenue) if the column continued to run. The story ends unsurprisingly: Wood steps down, Towerlight says “Our bad” and the prez ultimately gets what he wants (albeit in a slimy way).

Naturally, I was curious about “The Bed Post.” How explicit could it be? The Sept. 20 column, titled “Tips and tricks to make her smile,” is a how-to guide on oral sex for women. Lux writes, “It’s my favorite way to orgasm. I like it better than sex and I’m sure a lot of girls feel the same way. What’s better then a warm, wet tongue circling and stroking your most sensitive area? Yeah, I can’t answer that either.” The next week’s topic? Mutual masturbation, which had this tip for the ladies: “[A]dd a vibrator or dildo into your routine.” Well, OK then.

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Is this a natural reaction to the idea of sex with your roommate in the room … or the fact that Tufts made the rule? {thanks, STOCK.XCHNG}

Somewhere, Asher Roth is crying.

AP reports Tufts University has a new dorm policy this fall: No sexual activity while a roommate is in the same room. A spokeswoman told AP that the private Massachusetts school issued the rule after “a dozen or so complaints in the past three years.” The story goes on to say, “The school maintains the new policy is about respect and consideration, not about regulating students’ behavior.”

Good luck, Tufts. On the one hand, it would seem like natural common courtesy to hold off on the nookie until your roommate leaves the dorm room. But on the other, as we all know, people (especially college kids) will do whatever to get theirs. I’m just surprised there have only been 12 or so complaints in the last few years. Can you imagine how many times this actually happens?

b blogger Christopher Nelson weighs in:

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Last week, the city reveled in the news that it had been named the 7th best city in which to attend college.

Tuesday’s report that a Johns Hopkins University student killed a would-be robber with a samurai sword may have some rethinking that claim.

The reality: If Baltimore is such a great college town, is enough being done to protect the students who attend college here?

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Summer is coming to an end, and for only the second time in 18 years I’m not headed back to class.

I still don’t know how I feel about this.

My feelings of uncertainty are more pronounced as I have conversations on the phone, on Facebook and on Twitter with friends preparing to head back to class — some in graduate school; others to medical or law school.

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More Internet time-sucking goodness for your grey, hollow, mercifully holiday-shortened work week. Embrace the Photobomb, a blog devoted to photos in which the subject of the picture is anything but.  Long live scene-stealers,  party-crashers, and background shenanigans.

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Oprah Winfrey

Graduation season is definitely upon us as we fast forward through May.

Yesterday media mogul and talk show host Oprah Winfrey gave the commencement speech at Duke University.

As part of her speech, Winfrey encouraged grads to think about how they could improve their lives and elevate themselves by improving the lives of and elevating others.

It’s an easy task to ask people to look beyond themselves to be selfless and not selfish but is it realistic in this day and age?

If the students are anything like me they were wondering if  instead of giving a speech at their graduation, the billionaire could cut them a check.

One can dream right, just last week Winfrey was giving out free chicken? whodathunkit?

Is a check really therefore that outlandish?

According to The Wall Street Journal, new graduates stand to earn a lot less money than those who came before.

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The kelly bell band will perform at the federal hill spring block party {thanks, kelly bell band}

Federal Hill Spring Block Party
Ten bands. Two stages. Five dollars. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me. Get out and cure your spring fever at Federal Hill’s first Block Party of the season. Join local favorites like the Kelly Bell Band (above) and Can’t Hang, on Cross Street, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. historicfederalhill.org. MEEKAH HOPKINS, B

‘Fighting’
Channing Tatum — ’nuff said. The plot seems pretty predictable. Kid gets pulled in to gritty scene, thrives and then triumphs. Watch the glorious man candy in action in theaters Friday. TIM WONG, B

mccain blogette
Despite your feelings about John McCain, it’s difficult to overlook his feisty, always opinionated daughter, Meghan. And now that the campaign is over, she’s gotten, uh, feistier — taking on the Republican establishment with more progressive views (Gay rights? OK!). Her oft-updated site features links to her Twitter page, blogs and surprisingly includes awesome playlists, full of Lily Allen and Mos Def. Maybe we (almost) elected the wrong McCain. mcainblogette.com. JORDAN BARTEL, B

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