Free coffee and cookies were offered on Cross Campus yesterday. There was no survey to fill out, no flyers, no questions — only a Yale Mentoring Week poster on a table. Giving without asking anything in return: Isn’t that what mentoring is all about?

“Serious coffee drinkers” apparently abound on campus. Students reported it was nearly impossible to find seats Monday afternoon at the newly opened Willoughby’s in the Loria Center.

“The noise level of amorous activities taking place in the college” has caused complaints, according to an e-mail sent out to students by Ezra Stiles College Dean Jennifer Wood. Wood also reported receiving “complaints from people both in Stiles and Lawrence regarding sexiling” and noted that “this practice should be kept to a minimum.”

“Also, a word about weed,” Wood’s e-mail continued. “Smoking marijuana is not only illegal and harmful to your own health … but also has an adverse impact on your neighbors, who might not be thrilled to be breathing in your life decisions.” Wood stated that if the complaints continued, her response “will be swift and merciless.”

The full text of Wood’s e-mail message:

Stiles,

I’m afraid that I’ve been receiving dozens of complaints regarding the noise level of amorous activities taking place in the college. We might live in a concrete building, but it sometimes sounds like the walls are made of paper. So please be considerate about this, as it’s really awkward for people to have to talk about this (or write about it in an email, as the case may be). Second, I’ve also been receiving complaints from people both in Stiles and Lawrance regarding sexiling, as people are being asked (or forced) to leave their bedrooms. This should not be happening on a regular basis, as both roommates are entitled to the space, and therefore this practice should be kept to a minimum. Also, a word about weed. Smoking marijuana is not only illegal and harmful to your own health (and academic success, much of the time), but also has an adverse impact on your neighbors, who might not be thrilled to be breathing in your life decisions, so if I continue to receive complaints about this, my response will be swift and merciless.

Cheers,

Dean

Unlucky in love? Small flyers have materialized on soap dispensers in ladies’ rooms in Bass Library ominously displaying the date February 13th — the Friday before Valentine’s Day — under the image of a broken heart. The flyers are actually an advertisement for Proof of the Pudding, an a cappella group.

If you feel like you’ve been run over by a truck, you might have caught the flu, according to an e-mail sent out to residential college deans by Yale University Health Services. When you start sneezing and coughing, cover your mouth with tissue paper, YUHS advises.

Eaten a lot of beef brisket lately? You can take advantage of that extra iron to donate blood at the Harvard-Yale Blood Drive running through Thursday at Payne Whitney Gymnasium.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro was nearly 30 minutes late to a press conference on the federal stimulus bill Monday morning after her train from Washington broke down. Ironically, the bill includes billions of dollars for infrastructure spending.

This day in Yale history
1917 The Student Council announced that students elected to office in certain extracurricular activities, including debating organizations, publications, musical groups and theater organizations, would be subject to approval by the Dean’s office. This new policy was a response to “low scholastic standing of the competitors.”

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