Penn State University has an excellent academic reputation, but it may need to teach a course on common sense in this age of terrorism. A woman transferring from PSU to a Chicago college attempted to save money on her move by mailing her leftover sugar and flour to her new address. Unfortunately, she didn't package the foodstuffs very well, and the leaking white powder set off hazmat alerts:

A woman who sent flour and sugar through the mail set off a major hazardous materials response in Pennsylvania when one of her packages leaked, police said. About 80 police officers and firefighters were sent to the State College post office because of what appeared to be a menacing powder.

The woman, whose name was not released, told police she was transferring from Penn State to a school in Chicago and was trying to save money by not replacing her flour and sugar.

The foolishness staggers belief. How much would it have taken for her to simply buy five pounds of sugar and flour in Chicago? Ten bucks? She had to have spent half of that trying to mail it to herself. One would expect undergraduates to understand basic economic principles, especially the law of diminishing returns and risk/reward strategies.

I suspect that the first responders of Nittany will not miss her when she's gone.

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Tracked on August 14, 2006 12:24 PM