Cup Thesis In Bridge’s Wire Fence
FairCityNews.com | Jul 29, 2010 | Comments 0
A smiley face occupies a student's canvas for thesis
Springfield, MO – A local Missouri State University graduate student has been trying to complete his Master’s thesis for years now, and the end is not in sight. Dean Crayley has been a student at MSU for 20 years, 16 of which have been spent in pursuit of his graduate thesis.
“I have the whole thing written in my head,” says Crayley, “including footnotes. It’s on the long-term toxic effects of the petroleum industry on the flora and fauna of Missouri and, more specifically, the effects of plastic waste on the environment and ecology of the Springfield area. So the problem is not the message.”
The problem is the medium he has chosen.
Crayley, 38, says he wants to write his entire thesis using thousands of disposable plastic cups stuck into the chain-link fencing that comprises the walls of the walking bridge over Campbell Street.
The logistical difficulties involved in such a plan are enormous.
“I was actually midway through my thesis last October,” recounts Crayley. “I bought a case of 10,000 plastic cups, and I had spelled out the equivalent of about fifty double-spaced pages. I even had a few graphs. People were driving by and stopping to read what I’d written, and some were honking to show their support. But around midnight I ran out of cups, so I ran down to borrow some more from Steak ‘n Shake. And when I got back up there, somebody had pulled out all my cups and put up a new message that said, ‘Happy b-day #13 Butthead Love Angel.’ I was devastated.”
Crayley says he is toying with the idea of using epoxy to increase the permanence of his cup thesis. He’s also trying to get backing from the Solo Cup Company, which has a plant in Springfield. “So far they’ll only agree to do it if I do an 8-foot-high Solo logo on the bridge. But that wouldn’t leave enough room for the bibliography.”
Filed Under: Education
