It would appear fitting that Brandeis begins with a "B." That's the grade (rounded up, actually) given to the University by Brandeis University: Off the Record, a guide geared toward prospectives, and, according to the cover, "written by students for students." The student author is Andrew Katz '06, and the book is prominently displayed in the Bookstore. Off the Record breaks down college life into 20 clear-cut categories, from "Academics" and "Facilities" to "Transportation" and "Weather". as if Brandeis had any hope for a decent grade in that last one. The individual grades were calculated from student surveys, last updated in May. It may be interesting to note that Brandeis' sole A is for "Safety and Security," while the lowest grade, a C-, is bestowed for three categories: "Diversity," "Greek Life" and "Weather." Averaging the 20 grades together gives Brandeis an overall "GPA" of 2.91-a B, for all intents and purposes.

At most universities, a B is fantastic-a job well done. But Brandeis isn't "most other universities," as this guidebook-and actually, many students-doesn't seem to understand.

Brandeis can't be held to the same criteria as other schools; its community and the institution itself are just too quirky. This isn't a bad quality, but rather the "good" kind of different. Because of the University's "special" nature, the student body is divided between the vocal love-it and hate-it extremes, with a silent majority falling in the "meh" crowd. But the haters can whine much louder than the lovers can praise. This is somewhat strange, as Brandeis has always been an atypical university, from its inception; it's there, between the lines of the mission statement.

There's some consolation, however, in the fact that of the "Ten Worst Things About Brandeis" printed in Off the Record, two are weather-related and one is the "Brandeis Monday" thing we have a few times each semester. If these are the best (or worst) detractions out there, those who complained are reaching. The other seven items on the list, incidentally, are familiar and tired: the anemic social scene, insufficient parking, hefty tuition, the deficient Hiatt Career Center and, of course, the attractiveness (or lack thereof) of students and food.

Everyone knows the parking situation on campus, especially this year, is flawed. But there's nothing that can be done immediately, so any proposed solutions are moot points. Over the last year, Hiatt has been undergoing a major reboot, so we've got to wait it out. Dining Services has been making progress lately toward addressing many students' concerns, so while the food is still not at a level most are happy with, it's slowly getting there.

That leaves the "sucky" social scene and Brandeisians' lack of beauty, two facets of campus life that people really need to accept already. Students superficial enough to care about looks as the primary requirement in a hook-up, date, boyfriend or girlfriend deserve to be surrounded by uglies. It's almost poetic that way. Furthermore, the whining about parties-rather, the lack of parties-has got to stop. There are parties every weekend, and they don't get broken up when the hosts are responsible about it. Most are fun, some are lame and a few are skeezy, but they happen.

There's an expectation among many students that things, like fun, should be handed to them in a silver punch bowl. But they will only listen to shouts of "get over it!" so many times. So instead of complaining, be proactive; throw a big, campus-wide party. Or find other ways to have fun with friends. The skill of compromising is most valuable; no better place to learn it than college.

It isn't so much that Brandeis got a B, but that Brandeisians have a "B" attitude. Granted, some of the grievances in the book are legitimate, like the lack of parking. But unless you try to fix what's broken, you've no right to complain.