If the scholarly gossips at the journal Lingua Franca don't keep track of the plaques on ivy-covered walls, who's going to do it?
The latest issue reports that students at McGill University in Toronto voted to proclaim one of its academic buildings the William Shatner University Center. School rules specify that buildings be named after only dead alumni or people who have donated at least half the building cost, but officials have apparently decided to pretend that the Shatner sign doesn't exist."Star Trek" hero Shatner graduated from McGill in 1952 with a major in commerce. He distinguished himself as third-string quarterback for the football team. Lingua Franca says Shatner "has reportedly never set foot on campus in the years since he graduated."
Alex Usher, who helped organize the student vote, had no qualms about honoring his hero. "He's the only McGill graduate ever to command a starship within 15 years of graduating," he said. "That's an event worth celebrating."
- Leah Garchik