A Warm Opening at Barnard
When we heard that the majority of current Barnard first-years will have been inside the Vag by graduation day, we assumed business as usual for Columbia’s women’s college. Turns out this Vag is coming to Barnard with help from Roy and Diana Vagelos, who have donated generously to the college’s as-of-yet unnamed student center. On Spirit Day, fireworks spelled out their last name over the building site, and commenters at the Bwog quickly took up the nickname:
“I didn’t get into Barnard, but I will be the first to enter the Vag.”
“There will be a library devoted to Kant in the Vag.”
“I lost my pen in the Vag.”
Cute.
The Vagelos have been generous with other Ivies as well. Penn, Roy’s alma mater, has its own Vag program in biology, which, as the Daily Pennsylvanian notes, “has an extremely tight admissions process — only a select few have ever come inside the Vagelos Building.”
Poonam Pai, Barnard ’08, told us, “On the one hand, it opens Barnard up to ridicule. On the other hand, it’s a name that Barnard students have fully embraced, because, truthfully, it’s funny.” She added, “All in all, I have high hopes for it, and look forward to eating out in the Vag as an alum.”
Not everyone has welcomed the clearly hilarious coincidence. Our more mature classmates (noticeably in the minority) are not amused.
“Can we all please be respectful of the fact that this couple just donated $15 [million] to our school, in hopes that this building would improve our experiences here?” asks one. “We should be thanking this family, not making fun of their last name.”
To which we say: Vag-tastic point!
Unfortunately for those looking forward to daily use of the Vag, departing Barnard President Judith Shapiro just sent out an update that, due to subcontracting problems, the Vag’s official opening will be delayed until January 2010. In other bad news, a Barnard rep told New York Magazine that rumors of a hard-to-find lounge called G-spot are untrue.
Barnard College Nexus [Barnard.edu]
Barnard Celebrates its Spirit Day with Fireworks at The Vag [The Bwog]
The Vag: Delays and Hurrays [The Bwog]
The red Vag of courage [Daily Pennsylvanian]
There is nothing funny about the name Vagelos [Flickr]
Fireworks for the Gals at Barnard [New York Magazine]
