One of the most popular answers to this question among teenagers is that college provides an escape from the house in which they have grown up and, more importantly, from the people in it-parents and, in some cases, bossy older siblings or annoying younger ones.

Although college is largely about learning and preparing students for the real world, a major part of college is the freedom that it brings. What happens, then, when your brother or sister joins you at school? Is coming to a college that a brother or sister is already attending a good thing, or does it strip you of your newfound freedom?

Here at Washington University, there are many sibling overlaps. They come in all shapes and sizes. Twins, brothers, sisters and brother-sister pairs can be found all over campus. Wash. U., then, gives off the aura of a very family-friendly place.

Sisters Lisa and Katie Orthwein would not change their shared college experience. Junior Lisa and senior Katie have a very special relationship in that they are not only sisters but best friends as well.

“My sister took good care of me. I called her ‘Mom!’ She also shared her car with me, so that was cool since freshmen are not allowed to have cars,” Lisa said when asked about her first year of college.

When Lisa came to Wash. U., Katie made her freshman year much easier for her than it otherwise would have been.

Now Katie and Lisa see each other all the time. The sisters live together, take classes together and are in the same social and business fraternities. They have many mutual friends and often go out together.

“People confuse us for twins a lot [because we are around each other so much]. We have different personalities but complement each other really well,” Katie said.

Overall, Katie and Lisa’s sibling relationship represents an ideal of a peaceful and happy sister relationship.

“I love having my sister here-I can’t imagine college without her because she’s the best!” Lisa said.

Two brothers, freshman Alex Minot and junior Dan Minot, have a similar relationship to Lisa and Katie’s.

Dan feels that he made Alex’s freshman experience better in every sense, and Alex agrees with this statement. Dan made sure that Alex knew that “he always has someone trustworthy to go to in me if he needs help, someone that knows him well and has known him since childhood.”

However, Dan did mention that there was the issue of Alex having to “live in his shadow,” and thus told Alex that it is important to differentiate himself.

Dan and Alex also saw a lot of each other because they took a class together and they have some mutual friends. Dan encouraged Alex to get involved with activities on campus outside of his classes.

Dan, currently studying abroad, thinks that in general, he and Alex grew closer as a result of both being at Wash. U. Dan has done a great job guiding Alex, while letting him keep his independence.

“No one can deny the value of having someone older to look up to and to help guide you through the college experience. However, it’s also important to make sure to keep your distance, and let your younger sibling grow and experience college independently, without you looking over their shoulder all the time.” Dan said.

It appears that siblings in general enjoy attending Washington University in St. Louis together.

“It’s great having family close when you are so far from home,” said Alex.

Apple Bottom jeans, boots with the fur/ the whole club looking at her”-you’ve probably heard these words in the hit single “Low” by Flo-Rida.

Well, boots with the fur (a.k.a. UGG Australia boots or any form of look-alikes) are seen everywhere on campus this winter. They can be found in many different combinations of outfits, paired with leggings, mini-skirts or blue jeans.

Though they can be worn with almost anything, recently there have been disagreements about wearing UGG boots with leggings. While many think this constitutes a fashion disaster, others pick it as their favorite outfit. The basic consensus is that if the shirt for the outfit is too short, the UGGs-legging combo is a no-go. However, if the top is something like a long tunic or sweater dress and if the leggings are thick, then the combination is, in fact, acceptable.

Other than furred boots, there are many other types of boots that are “in” this winter season. First, there are classic tall boots. These are about knee-high and usually in a brown or black color. These boots are best worn with a pair of jeans with no extra fabric at the bottom, such as a pair of skinny jeans. But keep in mind that if you have full thighs, this look is not for you because you’re shortening your legs by stuffing your jeans into the boots. Tall boots also come in stiletto heels, which are not as practical as classic lower heels but are great for going out.

Another type of boot is the “foldover.” These are a good alternative to regular tall boots if you want a little bit of flavor. They look great with a skirt or dress when going out. With this style, though, there’s a risk of looking too much like a costume, so make sure not to wear them with clothing that is too bold, such as ruffles.

Short boots, like the popular ankle boots, are another fun alternative. Skinny jeans and leggings work very well with these. It’s a different look from wearing tall boots, and they come in a variety of styles. Although these are not as warm as tall boots since they cover much less of your leg, you can stay warm by tucking your pants into them or letting your pants hang over them, only revealing the tips of the shoes.

Finally, flat boots are another popular style. You can pair these with skirts, dresses or tucked-in pants. They are often made with a softer material, such as suede. With the right outfit, they can be as sexy as boots with heels.

Don’t be afraid of wearing boots this season; regardless of the type you wear, boots are undoubtedly fashionable and truly timeless. A couple of good stores that carry a large variety of boots are Nine West, Steve Madden and any department store like Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue.

So go out, be bold and remember, those boots are made for walking.

The history of Halloween

Halloween, which falls on the last day of the Celtic calendar, was originally a pagan holiday that honored the dead. It used to be referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back 2000 years.

Trick or treating

To appease evil spirits like ghosts, goblins and demons, the Celts would build bonfires to light a way for the spirits to find their way into the living world. They would also hold a huge feast, making sure to leave food and treats out for the spirits. If no offerings were made, the spirits would play evil “tricks” on the living.

Orange and black

The colors orange and black became tied to Halloween because of supernatural rituals of the occult. These rituals included events like commemorative masses of the dead, held in November. Orange, unbleached beeswax candles were used in this ceremony, and the ceremonial caskets were covered in black cloths. These days, the orange and black color scheme can be found gracing everything from cookies to earrings.

Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary is a ghost or witch that is said to appear in a mirror when her name is called. Though she will reportedly come if you call her name anywhere from three to 100 times, 13 times seems to be the most popular choice. To summon her, ghost-seekers must be in a darkened room lit only by a candle. Accounts of the real-life Mary vary widely. Most accounts say that Bloody Mary refers to Mary Worth, who was horribly disfigured in a car crash, but others believe that she was a witch burned at the stake who returns for revenge. Still other believers say that Mary Worth was a child-murderer or possibly the English Queen Mary I, whose life was plagued by miscarriages and false pregnancies and whose reign was marked by religious persecution.

“If one breaks a mirror, one will have bad luck for seven years.”

This superstition harks back to an ancient myth that the image in a mirror was actually a person’s soul. A broken mirror thus represented the soul being separated from the body. In order to break the spell and prevent misfortune, one must wait seven hours (one hour for each year of bad luck) before picking up the pieces of a broken mirror and burying them outside in the moonlight.

“It is bad luck to walk under a ladder.”

Before the gallows existed, criminals were hung from the top rung of a ladder and their spirits were believed to linger underneath. It is supposed to be bad luck to walk underneath a ladder because to do so one must pass through the triangle of evil ghosts and spirits.

“Sparrows are bad luck.”

Black sparrows are thought to carry the souls of the dead, so killing a sparrow is believed to bring bad luck.

There are, of course, many versions and explanations for all of these superstitions and mysteries. Having given some of the mystical and supernatural aspects of Halloween, I will leave you with one fun (and helpful) Saint Louis fact: in St. Louis-and only St. Louis-trick-or-treaters are actually expected to tell a joke or do a trick to receive candy.

So pick your joke, get some candy and have a happy Halloween!

Two people make eye contact from across the room at a party. It’s love at first sight. They find each other after the party is over and talk for hours, as if they have known each other for years. Six months later, they wed.

It would be great if all relationships were this magical, but unfortunately, that simply isn’t the case: many couples have to endure years of waiting before their nuptials become a reality.

Some of our very own professors took the time to attest to this fact and share the stories of how they met their spouses. Although not every tale is picture-perfect, you’ll notice one attribute that is consistent across their respective histories-a very happy ending.

The Set-Up

Richard Rochberg is a professor of mathematics in the School of Arts and Sciences. He and his wife Nanette met while Richard was in graduate school at Harvard University and Nanette was an undergraduate at Brandeis University.

Richard’s roommate was dating Nanette’s suitemate at the time, and she thought that Richard and Nanette should meet. So, Nanette’s suitemate arranged for both Richard and Nanette to get invited to and attend the birthday party of a mutual friend. It turned out that neither Richard nor Nanette enjoyed dancing, so they ended up sitting on the side of the dance floor, talking for the whole evening.

They hit it off and had a great time but didn’t start dating right away since they were both already in committed relationships. As their other relationships started to fade, Richard and Nanette grew closer and closer, until they finally got into an official relationship. Richard met Nanette in February 1967 and married her in December 1968.

Perhaps this is evidence that not all setups are doomed to fail-Richard and Nanette have been happily married for almost 30 years and will always be grateful for their friends who introduced them.

Long-Lost Friend

Brett Hyde is an assistant professor of philosophy and philosophy-neuroscience-psychology. His wife, Aurea Silva, originally lived in Mexico City. He met her when they were both working in the sunny state of Florida.
Their meeting was brief, and soon thereafter Aurea went back to Mexico City, and Brett went off to school. Seven years passed with no communication between them.

Then, Aurea went to visit some friends who lived in Salt Lake City-Brett’s home at the time. She gave Brett a call the day before she left Salt Lake City, and since her departure flight was so soon, he offered to drive her to the airport-this was the only time he would be able to see her, considering both of them had busy schedules.

This time, after Aurea flew back to Mexico City, Brett made an effort to keep in contact with her through daily phone calls and letters. The long distance between them did not halt their relationship: they got married six months later and have been going strong for over ten years.

Freshman Sweetheart

Ryan Shirey is a postdoctoral lecturer in English. He met his wife Aimee when they were both pursuing dual-degree music and English majors at Albion College, a small liberal arts college in Michigan. Ryan met Aimee on a symphonic band tour over winter break. In the beginning, they were barely even friends because they had no classes together. Luckily, since they shared mutual friends, they started seeing each other more and more often. They started casually dating March of their freshman year-just a date here and there-and with time, this casual relationship developed into a serious one. Ryan dated Aimee all throughout college and asked for her hand at the end of their senior year.

L’affaire Internationale

Assistant Professor Tili Boon Cuillé teaches in the Department of Romance Languages and Literature. Her husband, Lionel Cuillé, a lecturer in the same department, is originally from France. When Lionel decided to study at the University of Pennsylvania as an exchange student, he arranged to rent an apartment belonging to one of Tili’s friends (Tili was living in Philadelphia at the time). Tili’s friend sent Lionel the keys overseas, but they got lost in the mail, so she called a friend in France to help out. This friend in turn asked Tili to pick up a second set of keys.

Tili met Lionel for the first time when she gave him the keys to the fated apartment.
They quickly bonded over two French texts, Denis Diderot’s “Le Neveu de Rameau” and “A Rebours” by Joris-Karl Huysmans. Tili could only spend a couple of months with Lionel in the States before leaving to study in France through an exchange program, but those few months were long enough for the pair to develop a relationship. Tili and Lionel kept in touch while apart and spent the two years after their respective exchange programs living together, splitting their time between the States and France. They returned to the U.S. to get married in 2000 and have been working at Washington University since 2002. The couple lives on campus in the William Greenleaf Elliot residential college along with their daughter Elena. They are quite grateful to be living on the same continent as one another and are very much in love.

“Any of my friends could have seen him first, but I was the lucky one,” said Tili.
Lionel’s version of this international love story?

“I got out of the taxi, opened the door of the apartment building and married the first girl I met,” said Lionel.