"Random" thoughts on Dartmouth jargon

" 'lt's a blast,' randoms say," read the headline of a recent article in The Dartmouth. Randoms?

Any college campus is a hotbed for slang. Because of its isolation, Dartmouth may be more prone than most academic settings to fostering student-ese. While innocent bystanders scratch their heads, students rattle off such terms as "the 'rents" (maternal and paternal relations) or "'za run" (excursion to buy a pizza).

"Random" is one of the newer entries in that lexicon. The word is defined by Webster as "lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern." In Dartmouth usage, however, it refers (as near as an innocent bystander can make out) to a student from another college who visits Dartmouth, especially one not visiting a friend at Dartmouth and especially on a big weekend.

The Dartmouth makes it clear randoms are not welcomed with open arms in Hanover. Among several difficulties, the article said that "problems erupted in the Lodge when about eight random women tried to sleep in the study lounge."

Despite the fact that the College dean has for several years written a letter to deans of other area schools discouraging outside attendance at Dartmouth's Carnival, The Dartmouth said "more random students attended Carnival this year than in previous years."

Could the fact that "the consensus of the visitors themselves is ... 'lt's a blast!' " have anything to do with their being tagged with such a unique moniker?