Don’t have time to watch or read the news? No problem! The Butler Collegian’s editor-in-chief has compiled a list of the top five things he thinks readers should know this week.

Let’s keep this relatively short, sweet and to the point. Enjoy responsibly.

Fact 1: Lady LockDOWN: In 1975, female students at Butler had a curfew. Men did not. Schwitzer Hall residents had to be in the dormitory by midnight on weekdays or risk getting locked out. On July 21, 1975, however, guidelines associated with Title IV changed the rules. Gwendolyn Gregory, creator of the Health and Education Welfare regulations, told then-Butler President Alexander E. Jones that the curfew hours were not fair to women. She suggested expanding the curfew to men’s housing units also, according to Collegian archives. Jones said Gregory’s recommendation was not “a practical thought.” But by Sept. 2, 1975, women’s curfew hours were changed to “closing hours” which meant that the doors were still locked by midnight but security personnel were hired to allow girls into Schwitzer afterhours.

Fact 2: It’s a Hoosier thing: Coach Gregg Popovich, raised in Merrillville, Indiana, is approaching 1,000 NBA wins, all with the San Antonio Spurs. Currently three wins short, he will be the ninth coach to win 1,000 games. On the college level, legendary coach John Wooden was born in Hall, Indiana and later moved nearby to Martinsville when he was 14 years old. Wooden is best known for his accomplishments with UCLA, winning an astounding ten national titles in a 12-year period. Known for his wisdom beyond the game, Wooden, also known as the Wizard of Westwood once said, “talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”

Fact 3: The homeless need homes: Since Sept. of last year, there has been a spike in homelessness in Indianapolis. “We had a 19 percent increase this year,” said Christy Shepard, executive director of the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention. According to CHIP, Indianapolis has only ten emergency shelters that can accommodate families, even though research shows there’s an increasing need for that demographic. A potential solution is to simply build homes for those who need it most. One business writer, James Surowiecki, cites Utah as an example. State legislators created a program called “Housing First” which builds homes for the homeless. Nan Roman, the president and C.E.O. of the National Alliance for Homelessness, said this strategy is cost effective and more efficient in the long-term.

Fact 4: The first known African-American at Butler: Gertrude Amelia Mahorney was Butler’s first documented African-American graduate. There may have been earlier graduates of color, but the school did not keep racial statistics for many years. Mahorney graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 1887 and she earned her master’s degree two years later. Mahorney taught in the Indianapolis Public Schools, specializing in German.

Gertrude Mahorney

Fact 5: “A” is the new “C”: Based on statistics, it is relatively easy to get an A in a college course. Forty-five years ago, seven percent of college undergraduates averaged an A- or higher. In the present, 41 percent of undergraduates have an A- or higher, according to the Washington Post. Similarly, grades of C or less have dropped from 25 percent to 5 percent. Even Harvard University, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the number two university in the nation, found that the median grade was an A- and the most frequently received grade was an A. This is known as grade inflation.

There you have it. Check the news section next week for another set of facts you can use to impress (and annoy) your friends with. Who doesn’t love a smart aleck, right?

P.S. I’m sure we’re all glad it isn’t 1975 still. Sheesh.

Written and compiled by Julian Wyllie