There Has Always Been a Woman at State

For the Class of 2016, a woman has almost always served as Secretary of State, there have never been tan M&M’s, and the genome has always been sequenced. Yes, it’s that time of year again… Beloit College has released the Mindset List. Since 1998, the Wisconsin college has marked the beginning of a new academic year with publication of this list of cultural touchstones for the incoming class. The brainchild of Beloit’s former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief and Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride, the Mindset List was originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references. Here are some of this year’s highlights:

·         If they miss The Daily Show, they can always get their news on YouTube.

·         For most of their lives, maintaining relations between the U.S. and the rest of the world has been a woman’s job in the State Department.

·         A significant percentage of them will enter college already displaying some hearing loss.

·         There has always been a Santa Clause.

·         Benjamin Braddock, having given up both a career in plastics and a relationship with Mrs. Robinson, could be their grandfather.

·         They have never seen an airplane “ticket.”

See the entire Mindset List here.