NEWS FLASH:

PRUNES Competition Winners

News Flash: Dates win Prune Contest!

Winners of the Greek and Latin Composition Contest in the Classics Department 
at the College of Wooster are announced!

The first Greek and Latin composition contest of the 2005/2006 academic year 
ended in a fierce three way contest that pitted "improvements" of Homer against 
"revisions" of Cicero's Oration against Cataline.

Of the three top entries, Alicia Dissinger's entry stood alone. It captured the 
judges' attention with its tragic tale of death and dried fruit. Homeric 
reflections on poetry and mortality have rarely been used to such striking effect.

The two other top entries seemed to reveal a common theme. Megan Prichard wrote 
an elegiac, and somewhat mournful, "Prayer for Dates." The prayer closely 
imitated Homer's Hymn to Aphrodite. By contrast, Tara Thompson's energetic 
contribution declared physical and rhetorical war on dried fruit, specifically, 
and once again, dates.

The "date" theme, in particular as it was combined with reflections on love and 
war, caused some discussion. It was the general feeling of the committee that if 
certain contestants are so desperate for dates (Ms. Thompson, of course, 
protests too much) they would be better served by writing love poetry. But the 
judges refused to be deterred from the task of determining which contestant 
should have a DATE with President Hales. Upon lengthy consideration, it was 
decided that Ms. Thompson and Ms. Prichard should share the first prize, and 
that Ms. Dissinger (who, after all, does not seem to be quite so desperate) 
should be endowed with the second prize, a CD of her choice.

And what of the third prize?  Here the committee found itself faced with a 
certain embarrassment. The prize, a package of perfectly good prunes, has in 
fact been offered to certain contestants, who disdainfully refused it. Quoth 
one potential recipient (who, like his peers, shall remain unnamed), "I'll study 
Greek. I'll study Latin.  I'll even read Nietzsche and Genette.  But I will not 
eat THAT."  Deeply confounded, the committee has withdrawn the prize.

The theme of the next Greek and Latin composition contest will be announced as 
soon as possible. If anyone has a suggestion for the next contest, s/he should 
e-mail Professor Foster at efoster@wooster.edu.