A look back at the week's wackiest stories

By Eric Horowitz

An ACC mascot becomes a man, a cross-country race makes runners itch to compete, Georgetown students get religion in a hurry, and a new fraternity takes Ole Miss by storm. All this and more in this week's Campus Chronicles.

SIOC wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Miami mascot Sebastian the Ibis on his Bar Mitzvah last weekend. Joel Auerbach/US PRESSWIRE

• The struggles of the Miami football team haven't stopped their mascot Sebastian the Ibis from having a good time. Last week, Sebastian had a Bar Mitzvah party with drinks, cake and dancing. The celebration also included the traditional Bar Mitzvah game of beating piñatas of Florida International players with football helmets.

• Facing the prospect of not living together for the first time since freshman year, nine Georgetown University friends turned to religion for help. In fact, they did more than that: they started their own religion with the hope that it would get around a neighborhood zoning law. The law prohibits more than six unrelated individuals from living in the same house, but that number goes up to 15 if the house is a residence for a "religious community." After finding the loophole, the students founded a non-profit religious organization that is now called "The Apostles of Peace in Unity." Apparently, the religion is based on the idea that former Hoya Jahidi White is a Buddha-like deity.

• Runners who competed is the NESCAC cross country championship last week are sharing more than the camaraderie that comes from a hard-fought competition. After inclement weather forced the runners to run through thigh deep water, heavy rain, and strong winds, many of them developed a severe and painful rash. The itchy, burning rash reportedly came from a parasite in a swamp on the course. Some say this is the worst thing to happen to an athlete in a swamp since Peyton Manning traveled to Gainesville to play the Florida Gators.

• Last week, in order to raise awareness about waste disposal on campus, Auburn University dumped a large pile of trash on a campus lawn. Organizers of the event hoped it would show the importance of recycling. I'll just let Alabama, LSU, and Georgia fans insert their own jokes about the impromptu dump being indistinguishable from rest of the campus.

• Score a point for Whitworth College in their rivalry with nearby Gonzaga. On the night of October 31, Whitworth students snuck onto the Gonzaga campus and left about 300 flyers containing the "95 Theses Why Whitworth Is Better Than Gonzaga." The incident occurred on the anniversary of Reformation Day, the day on which Martin Luther posted the original "95 Theses." There's nothing quite like spoofing the most important religious doctrine of the 16th Century to poke fun at your rival.

• In what appears to be an example of life imitating art, a group of international students from the University of Mississippi took a cue from Old School and started their own fraternity. The Awesome Dude Fraternity/Sorority of Alpha Delta was conceived by students who wanted to experience Greek life, but didn't want to pay dues because they wouldn't be at the school very long. Anyone is free to join and the fraternity now has 76 members, each of whom is referred to as "president" because they all have equal say in how things are run. Unfortunately for the new frat, the other fraternities on campus will not recognize them until they win a beer pong tournament.

• They say that you can't fight city hall, but it appears that city hall can't fight Duke basketball. Just one week after the Durham fire marshal ordered Duke to seat their students further from the court, an agreement was reached that will allow students to remain in the area directly behind press row. Duke will circumvent fire safety regulations by employing more ushers and making all students wear wristbands. The school worked hard to reach the resolution because the extra row of students is very important in controlling the errant passes that Greg Paulus fires into the stands.

• In other news ..... Kent State let a construction company run off with student furniture ... North Carolina students got a chance to meet the Weinermobile ...There will be no more campouts for Oregon fans ... Indiana State is starting a drag racing team.

Got questions, comments, or a story idea? Email me at campuschronicles@gmail.com