Along the Atlantic coast of New England, the clambake became a seasonal rite built from the materials at hand. Stones were gathered along the shore and arranged into a hearth; driftwood and firewood were piled high and burned until the stones held an intense heat. Rockweed, cut fresh from the water, was spread across them, releasing clouds of salt steam. Clams, lobsters, fish, corn and potatoes followed, layered carefully and covered with more seaweed and canvas so that the whole feast cooked together.
The work itself was part of the occasion. Someone tended the fire, someone hauled the rockweed, others prepared the food, set tables or watched the children near the water. Hours of preparation ended in a meal eaten outdoors, often within sight of the tide that supplied it—a practical choreography of shore, fire, water, food and fellowship repeated through generations of New England summers.
Call us biased, but we have the best group of future occupational therapists in @CSU_OT 💚💛
Last week’s convocation, where we welcomed our cohorts of OT Rams back to campus, was filled with good vibes and high energy for the year ahead 🐏⚡️ pic.twitter.com/8wTJ2rPi8S
One characteristic of the “customer experience” of school children, dormitory residents, patients in university-affiliated hospitals and attendees of large athletic events is the quality of food. School districts and large research universities are responsible for hundreds of food service enterprises for communities that are sensitive to various points along the food supply chain.
The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) is one of the first names in standards setting for the technology and management of the major components of the global food supply chain. It has organized its ANSI-accredited standards setting enterprise into about 200 technical committees developing 260-odd consensus documents*. It throws off a fairly steady stream of public commenting opportunities; many of them relevant to agricultural equipment manufacturers (i.e, the Producer interest where the most money is) but enough of them relevant to consumers (i.e. the User interest where the least money is) and agricultural economics academic programs that we follow the growth of its best practice bibliography.
A few of the ASABE consensus documents that may be of interest to faculty and students in agricultural and environmental science studies are listed below:
Safety for Farmstead Equipment
Safety Color Code for Educational and Training Laboratories
Recommended Methods for Measurement and Testing of LED Products for Plant Growth and Development
Distributed Ledger Technology applications to the global food supply chain
The ASABE bibliography is dominated by product-related standards; a tendency we see in many business models of standards setting organizations because of the influence of global industrial conglomerates who can bury the cost of their participation into a sold product. Our primary interest lies in the movement of interoperability standards — much more difficult — as discussed in our ABOUT.
The home page for the ASABEs standards setting enterprise is linked below:
As of this posting we find no live consultation notices for interoperability standards relevant to educational settlements. Sometimes you can find them ‘more or less concurrently’ posted at the linked below:
We always encourage our colleagues to participate directly in the ASABE standards development process. Students are especially welcomed into the ASABE Community. Jean Walsh (walsh@asabe.org) and Scott Cederquist (cedarq@asabe.org) are listed as contacts.
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jack Janveja, Richard Robben
Meet Raley Kirk from San Saba, TX. Raising hair sheep and Spanish goats in the Texas Hill Country, Raley is proud to play a part in providing the food and fiber our country depends on every day.
For her, National Ag Week is about highlighting that meaningful work and ensuring… pic.twitter.com/9KKC4pzRgC
These are the standards most U.S. campuses apply at residence-hall move-in. They mix fire/life-safety codes with energy and cost controls. Details vary by school, but the pattern is consistent.
Fire and electrical safety
No open flames: candles, incense, fireworks, Sterno, grills.
No appliances with exposed heating elements: hot plates, toasters, toaster ovens, skillets, deep fryers; air fryers are banned on most campuses.
Cooking only in designated kitchens; in rooms, usually only a UL-listed microwave (often 700–1,000 W) or a university MicroFridge combo.
No halogen lamps, lava lamps, plastic-shade multi-bulb lamps, or space heaters unless the university issues them.
Extension cords banned or tightly limited; only UL-listed surge protectors plugged directly into the wall. No daisy-chaining.
Keep a clear 36-inch path to the door; do not block exits or prevent the door from opening 90 degrees.
Wall coverings limited (often 10–25% of a wall); hanging fabric/tapestries often banned unless fire-rated.
Upholstered furniture must meet fire-resistance labels such as CAL TB117-2013.
No lithium-ion micromobility devices (e-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards) stored or charged in rooms on many campuses.
Do not cover, disable, or hang items from smoke detectors or sprinklers.
Health-and-safety inspections shortly after move-in.
Building and personal security
Card/fob access; do not prop exterior or stairwell doors.
Lock the room whenever you leave, even briefly.
Guests must be escorted; residents are responsible for them.
Weapons, ammunition, and realistic replicas prohibited.
Economy / energy standards
Mini-fridges typically capped at about 3.6–4.5 cubic feet; Energy Star models preferred or required.
One fridge and one microwave per room; extra units banned to avoid overloaded circuits and higher utility costs.
Many schools rent or install MicroFridge units because they use less energy than two separate appliances.
Personal window/portable ACs usually prohibited; cooling is centralized.
LED bulbs recommended; high-watt lamps discouraged.
Limit how many devices run at once so circuits do not trip.
Property-economy / damage control
No nails, duct tape, or adhesives that peel paint; Command strips often allowed.
No lofting with cinder blocks or unapproved risers (especially risers with built-in outlets).
No extra mattresses, waterbeds, or large non-university furniture.
Damage found at check-in/check-out is billed to the student.
Officer goes viral after response to ‘Mrs. Anonymous’ complaint over lemonade stand
“Thank you to “Mrs. Anonymous” for calling to complain about a kids’ lemonade stand. We responded and enjoyed a refreshing cup while making some new friends!” pic.twitter.com/WnkLgkyHZM
“Temple, Fountain and Cave in Sezincote Park” | Thomas Daniell (1819) | Yale Center for British Art
From time to time we break from our interest in lowering the cost of our “cities-within-cities” to enjoy the work of our colleagues responsible for seasonal ambience and public art. We have a dedicated post that celebrates the accomplishments of our gardeners and horticultural staff. Today we dedicate a post to campus fountains–a focal point for gathering and a place for personal reflection for which there is no price.
Alas, we find a quickening of standards developing organizations growing their footprint in the spaces around buildings now. They used to confine the scopes of their standardization enterprises to the building envelope. That day will soon be behind us as an energized cadre of water rights social justice workers, public safety, sustainability and energy conservation professionals descend upon campus fountains with prescriptive requirements for evaporation rates, bromine concentrations, training, certification and inspections. In other words regulators and conformity functionaries will outnumber benefactors and fountain designers 1 million to 1.
We will deal with all that when the day comes. For the moment, let’s just enjoy them.
We are happy to walk you through the relevant structural, water safety, plumbing and electrical issues any day at 11 AM EST during our daily standing online teleconferences. Click on any image for author attribution, photo credit or other information.
Purdue University
The Great Court at Trinity College, Cambridge
Regent University
University of Washington
Hauptgebäude der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Bayern, Deutschland
College of the Desert / Palm Desert, California
California Institute of Technology
Berry College
Utah Valley University
Universitat d’Alacant / Sant Vicent del Raspeig, Spain
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA. Founded in 1793, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. The college was established through a bequest of Colonel Ephraim Williams Jr., a war hero who died in the Battle of Lake George during the French and Indian War. In his will, Colonel Williams left funds for the establishment of a free school on the condition that it be located in Williamstown.
School spirit need not require everyone to dress like the athletic department.
Licensed campus spirit wear is good business. Colleges earn royalties while students and alumni become walking advertisements for the institution. The arrangement is understandable, profitable and nearly universal. Yet something may be lost when the university wardrobe collapses into hoodies, sweatshirts, athletic jerseys and logo-covered leisurewear.
Young adulthood is a brief season. Students arrive on campus at an age when health, vitality and physical beauty are often at their height. They are also meeting one another, forming friendships, attending dinners, concerts and games and, whether consciously or not, presenting themselves to possible future partners. Dress has always been part of that social language.
A university therefore has interests beyond maximizing licensed-apparel revenue. An educational settlement should leave room for elegance, individuality and occasion: dresses, jackets, sweaters, skirts, proper shoes and well-cut trousers alongside the inevitable sweatshirt.
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwBpic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
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