Costume caution. The Saybrook Community Issues Committee sent an e-mail Wednesday discouraging Saybrugians from wearing blackface on Halloween. Two years ago, a Saybrook senior did so, sparking a campuswide controversy. “The connotations behind the makeup remain problematic,” the e-mail said.

Survey says… Janice Casey, a representative of the U.S. Census Bureau, will be surveying a random sample of students living in Trumbull College by phone today.

Up in smoke. Several tobacco sheds near Bradley International Airport in Hartford burnt to the ground Monday afternoon, spreading black clouds throughout the Connecticut River Valley. Though the cause of the blaze was unknown, the flames easily spread via the explosion of multiple propane tanks within the barns. Air traffic remained unaffected by the conflagration, airport officials reported.

Triumphant return? “Mory’s Matters!” proclaimed an e-mail that invited recipients to join the Friends of Mory’s at The Game this year. Tailgaters will be able to view plans for the renovations currently underway at the club’s historic premises, grab a cup of Baker’s soup and, for $50, sample its new brunch menu.

Alpha Delta Phi representatives of Kozy Shack gave out free samples of their chocolate and tapioca pudding in front of Durfee’s Monday, requesting a name and e-mail address in exchange for a cup of creamy goodness. The company plans to survey students about the dessert’s potential appearance in University dining halls.

Shut down. A disgruntled staff member disabled the Web site of the Columbia Daily Spectator over the weekend. The site has since been restored, and the offending individual left his post, editors wrote on the site Monday.

California State Senator Leland Yee criticized administrators at California Polytechnic State University for eliminating a university lecture after pressure from beef company chairman (and wealthy donor) David Wood. The intended speaker, University of California professor Michael Pollan, has been a vocal critic of industrial agriculture methods. Yee called the action “a shameful decision and a gross violation of academic freedom.”

This day in Yale history

1993 A survey of seven New England schools praises Yale’s sex education policy, particularly the wide availability of condoms on campus from University Health Services and student organizations.