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After receiving a below average housing lottery number last month, Gary Palmer '12 didn't sulk like most rising sophomores. Instead, he cut off the big toe on his left foot.
Palmer said he made the decision to perform a self-amputation after hearing rumors about "sick housing" for disabled students, but he didn't actually sever his toe until after sharing the bad news about the housing lottery with his family last month.
"When I told my parents about my lottery number, they said I should just pack up and move to Canada - they heard McGill has great dorms," Palmer said.
Ken Palmer, Gary's father, said he experienced difficulty dealing with his son's unfortunate lottery number.
"In the middle of our meal, Gary got a text from a friend about housing for next year," said Ken Palmer, Gary's father. "When he shared the bad news with me and his mother, we both broke down."
Pete Rubinstein '12, a close friend of Palmer's, said he became worried when he learned about his classmate's number.
"My group had a good number, and we're living in Barbour next year," Rubinstein said. "When I heard about Gary's number, I got really nervous that he'd be deployed to some scary, faraway place - like New Pembroke - and I'd never see him again."
According to Palmer, other students on campus have tried to dodge the housing lottery, but to no avail.
"Some people tried to evade the lottery by claiming they were flat-footed, but that didn't work," Palmer explained. "A few of my friends also tried getting out of the lottery by saying they were gay. But that didn't work either."
Palmer said he almost transferred away from Brown, but decided to stay and attempt to obtain better housing for next year.
"Based on my number, I possibly could have ended up in a crappy double or a Grad Center suite," Palmer said. "But I decided it wasn't worth the risk. So I cut off my toe."
According to Palmer, adjusting to life with nine toes has not been an easy process. He sometimes misses being able to wear flip-flops and has to deal with snide remarks from other students.
"I've been limping everywhere, and I'm in an improv group, so yesterday a friend asked me, 'When are you going to limprov practice?' Get it? Limp-rov," Palmer said.
Though Palmer, along with the other members of his housing group, will be living in New Dorm next year, the Office of Residential Life has openly criticized his actions.
"With his number, Palmer would have been able to live in Grad Center, Wriston, or even Minden," said Harry Miller, a representative for Residential Life. "I don't understand why he got so upset. It's not like we were shipping him off to 'Nam."
