Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2012

From Beloit College, Beloit, WI: "Each August for the past 11 years, Beloit College in Beloit, Wis., has released the Beloit College Mindset List. It provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college. It is the creation of Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief. . . . "The class of 2012 has grown up in an era where computers and rapid communication are the norm, and colleges no longer trumpet the fact that residence halls are 'wired' and equipped with the latest hardware. These students will hardly recognize the availability of telephones in their rooms since they have seldom utilized landlines during their adolescence. They will continue to live on their cell phones and communicate via texting. Roommates, few of whom have ever shared a bedroom, have already checked out each other on Facebook where they have shared their most personal thoughts with the whole world. "It is a multicultural, politically correct and 'green' generation that has hardly noticed the threats to their privacy and has never feared the Russians and the Warsaw Pact." Some of the items on the list: 1. GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available. 2. Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles. 3. Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle. 4. Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino. 5. Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option. 6. WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling. 7. Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court. 8. IBM has never made typewriters. 9. The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 ET. 10. Caller ID has always been available on phones. 11. They never heard an attendant ask “Want me to check under the hood?” 12. Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles. 13. Soft drink refills have always been free. 14. The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the heavens. 15. There have always been charter schools. To view the complete list, please visit:       Beloit College Mindset List fo the Class of 2012