06/06/2026
It’s SRD Saturday Story Time!
Sit back, relax, and enjoy these adventures of epic proportions brought to you by past SaRDines.
Caught in the Act
During the mid ’70s, streaking (running naked) was a popular activity on campus. One night we heard some girls say that two residents were streaking through the main living room wearing only paper bags on their heads. We all ran
downstairs to look and saw them just as they were running back up the stairs. We guessed who one of them was right away because she had been to the lake that day and had badly sunburned legs. The paper bag on her head must have
obscured her vision because as she ran up the stairs she, tripped, fell, and broke her leg.
I wonder what she told the doctor?
—BECKY SHANNON EADDY
1973–1975
More Broken Bones
One night an SRDine wanted to leave the dorm after the front door was locked for the night, so she decided to jump out the window of a first floor sunroom. The distance to the ground was more than she had expected and instead of a fun night on the town, she got a broken leg.
—ANNONYMOUS
1972–1975
The Physics Lesson
Bored from an early semester ice storm that held us hostage in the dorm, my friend and I decided to salvage the day by sledding down the steep driveway to the lower parking lot. Searching for the perfect sled we decided on two green
laundry baskets. After a few minutes on the gently sloping parking lot hill, we decided that was not offering enough thrill so we went over to investigate the walkway that led from the lower lot
to the upper level. At one point the walk is at about a 50 degree angle (or so it seems when you’re trying to hike up it on a hot summer day), with a sharp turn about half-way down.
We calculated the risks for a few minutes, created a plan of action and decided to give it a try. Our baskets fit side-by-side on the track, which was perfect, we thought, as we could “help” each other if things got out of control. About a millisecond after shoving off, it was apparent that
things were indeed out of control, and there was nothing we could do about it. Somehow my basket passed in front of hers, and I went under the railing, whacking my hand on the iron
post and crashing into the ivy on the other side of the path. She managed to make it further down before landing in the groundcover. This should have been a sign that enough was enough, but being the daredevil that she was, she hopped up and said she was giving it another try.
Again we thought, calculated, and devised a plan for her next attempt. The idea was for me to stand near the post where she had left the track the first time, reach out and push her so she would continue to stay on the path and then we’d see how far she’d make it. We failed to consider the laws of physics, especially the one about “a body in motion tends to stay in motion” and, in this case, on the same trajectory. She was ready at the top of the hill, and I was standing in the ivy ready to push her out of harm’s way. What happened next took literally three seconds. She came flying at me, I did my best to push her, her ankle slammed into the iron post, the basket crashed into the post, I fell backwards, and she landed sprawled in the flower bed next to me. Did I mention the loud “pop” as her leg hit the post?
She broke her leg right above the ankle and had a huge gash in her shin where the bone was visible.
She refused to let me take her to the hospital because of the icy streets, and she sat for a day with her broken leg wrapped in an ankle splint.
The next day when we finally braved the icy conditions and went to the emergency room, the doctor laughed at us and asked if we had been “totally smashed” at the time. We sweetly told him we were actually completely sober. It was almost too much for him to believe. Perhaps physics should be a required class for all UT students because we certainly didn’t grasp the concepts!
—AMIE STONE KING
1993–1997
Our friend Meredith, after hearing our story, admitted to having rollerbladed down the ramp. It wasn’t as fun as she thought it would
be either.
Don’t worry parents! That path has a 20’ foot beside it now.
