Strawbridge College
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| Strawbridge College | |
|---|---|
| Type | Private liberal arts college |
| Location | Southern Massachusetts, approximately 20 minutes north of Verdant |
| Founded | Unknown |
| Owner | |
| Notable residents | Chelsea Zhou, Dr. Bruce McKinney |
| First appearance | Making the Grades: Kelly's Unveiling |
About
Strawbridge College is a private liberal arts college located in southern Massachusetts, just across the Connecticut state line, approximately 20 minutes north of Verdant and Eastern Tsuga College. It is ETC's closest geographic rival and the setting of one of the most consequential events in Making the Grades: Kelly's Unveiling: the Astraea Society tribunal punishment known as the Strawbridge streak.
Strawbridge has a reputation as a close-knit academic community with a culture of rigor that contrasts with ETC's more experimental approach. The two schools compete primarily in Quadball and Ultimate Frisbee.
Description
The Strawbridge campus centers on Clyde Commons, a large open grassy area split by the Blue Spruce River and crossed by a bridge. The bridge is one of the campus's most recognizable landmarks and the site of Chelsea Zhou's encounter with Kelly Spaihts during the streak. A soccer scrimmage field sits near the north end of the library building, adjacent to a parking lot. Public nudity is an expellable offense under the administration of Dean of Student Affairs Dr. Karen Thompson.
History
Strawbridge College's founding date has not been established in canon. Its history with Eastern Tsuga College includes a notable incident in the 1980s involving cheerleading that led to ETC banning cheerleading for over 30 years. The details of that incident have not been established in canon.
The Strawbridge Sentinel
The Strawbridge Sentinel is Strawbridge's student newspaper. It is overseen by faculty advisor Dr. Bruce McKinney, a journalism professor with a 20-year crusade publishing conspiracy theory articles about House Subconium and Verdant. Reporter Chelsea Zhou works for the Sentinel and is pursuing a series on kink culture on college campuses. The Sentinel's coverage of ETC and Verdant, shaped by McKinney's long-running obsession, represents the most sustained external journalistic interest in House Subconium's true nature.
The Strawbridge streak
The most significant event connecting Strawbridge to the SSU narrative is the streak, Kelly Spaihts's Astraea Society tribunal punishment from Making the Grades: Kelly's Unveiling Part Two. Kelly runs naked across the Strawbridge campus. A soccer team carries her across the scrimmage field. Chelsea Zhou corners her on the bridge over the Blue Spruce River. Kelly ends up in the trunk of a car belonging to a woman named Bethany. Chelsea subsequently publishes an article in the Strawbridge Sentinel with censored photos, protecting Kelly's identity while advancing the Sentinel's ongoing interest in ETC.
Notable figures
- Chelsea Zhou — Strawbridge Sentinel reporter; pursuing a kink-on-campus series with Kelly as the intended kick-off subject
- Dr. Bruce McKinney — journalism professor; Sentinel faculty advisor; 20-year House Subconium conspiracy crusade
- Dr. Karen Thompson — Dean of Student Affairs
- Darren Samuels — men's soccer player; present during the streak
Connection to the SSU
Strawbridge College's primary narrative function is as the site of the streak and the origin point of the Chelsea Zhou threat to Professor William Taylor. Through Dr. Bruce McKinney's long-running investigation, the Sentinel represents a sustained external pressure on House Subconium's secrecy that predates the events of Making the Grades by two decades.
Canon notes
- Founding date not established
- Details of the 1980s cheerleading incident with ETC have not been established
- The full extent of McKinney's files on House Subconium has not been established
- Whether Strawbridge College has any direct connection to Verdant's occult history has not been established