Desk drawings distract, plummets student GPA

By Melissa Mongi
Senior Staff Writer
April 18, 2007

In a recent development, made by my own scientific research while sitting in philosophy class, I have found a new form of free speech. This development came to me as I looked down at my desktop in Wister Hall. On my lowly, stained yellow desktop were a multitude of drawings and scribblings of those who had come before me. The artwork and writings ranged from good to bad to very weird. Nonetheless, this desktop art made me wonder just how desperate a person can be to get his or her point across.

Completely distracted by my desk, I spent the entire class analyzing the text and doodles. These desk cartoons brought me closer to my Lasallian peers and gave me some new insights into my rights as a human being.

First, I noticed an entire argument laid out in well-written quips about the significance of fraternities. This debate was written in different pen colors and handwritings, showing that the two possessors of this desk had two very different opinions. Which side won his or her case remains to be seen because more unorganized arguments and advertisings took over the drawing space and the debate.

Someone, who clearly did not take kindly to swear words, edited out all the curses on the desk. The unknown curse-hater took the time to doodle over the swears, making incomplete sentences. I spent most of the class trying to figure out what bad language fit. I was completely unsuccessful and realized the cuss-editor had done his or her job thoroughly. Looking closer at the desk, I realized someone had also corrected the spelling of a fellow desk-writer. He or she pluralized a word, to make it fit better within the sentence, and made sure this desk had the best grammar of all the desks in the world.

Although I was happy for a moment with the beautiful desk editing, I noticed someone had poorly written “NJ ownz PA,” to which someone else responded “Sike!” These people demonstrated their love for their states while making sure we all know New Jersey does not own Pennsylvania because that would just be silly. I’m glad they illustrated their state pride and taught us all a valuable lesson about property.

On that great day in philosophy I found out that someone “loves Bill” and that “Tara thinks Milmoe is hot.” Milmoe and Bill are pretty lucky. It’s sad they might never know. I hope whoever wrote to Bill told him of his or her love, otherwise he or she might be waiting forever for him to sit in that desk. I also doubt Milmoe sat in that very seat or else, judging by the rest of the desk, Milmoe probably would have written back.

Someone made me rethink my religion in his or her desk doodle of “Jack Bauer is God.” I heard the television show 24 was awesome, but who would have guessed it was actually about the big guy himself? I guess I should start watching.

My favorite part of the desk doodles was a large drawing placed in the center of the desktop. The shear genius of the art makes me assume the artist racked his or her brain for hours on how to leave his or her mark on La Salle. In the end his or her choice was obvious, and he or she drew a shoe. The big sneaker drawn in the middle of the desk led me further to my conclusions about desk drawings.

From now on I am campaigning for more shameless drawings on the property of others. Why stop at desktops in classrooms? Why not spread our ideas and drawings on more personal items? With this, I have already taken the steps to draw, in permanent marker, a giant shoe on my roommate’s laptop. I need to express my love of shoes and, she is just going to have to look at it and love it, or else she is hindering my right to free speech. I am also going to make sure everyone knows I love Bill by writing it on my professor’s forehead. In that way, everyone will know how I feel and be more distracted in class. I hold these truths to be self-evident, that we can make a difference, spread our opinions, say what we feel and do it in an unconventional way, by drawing on things that don’t belong to us when we are bored.

mongim1@lasalle.edu