By Jessie Zionts
Contributing Writer
What else sounds more enjoyable than reading the newspaper while doing your business in the bathroom? It is especially enjoyable when the newsletter is an informative piece that notifies the readers on all the new and exciting events happening on and around campus.
The Toilet Paper, written by David Zamansky, is the official newsletter of the Memorial Union & Student Activities at UNH. There is a copy of The Toilet Paper in every bathroom stall inside the Memorial Union Building. The newsletter is running on its 16th amazing year.
Zamansky is the assistant director of the MUB. Before acquiring this position, Zamansky worked as a hall director at UNH for six years between the halls of Lord and Stoke. Zamansky is passionate about making connections with the students here at UNH and accomplishes that by being very in touch with everything going on around campus.
The opening paragraph of The Toilet Paper is where Zamansky’s voice really projects. Within this paragraph, Zamansky is able to bring his own humor and excitement into the words he writes. His main goal is to make the reader laugh and feel comfortable and connected while reading the newsletter.
“When you’re in the stall it’s like I’m talking to you… which is strange,” Zamansky said.
Zamansky’s humor and relaxed personality echoes throughout the newsletter, which draws readers in week after week. In Zamansky’s eyes, the biggest compliment is when he skips putting out an issue, which results in people noticing and explaining how much they were looking forward to reading the next one. It is a compliment and motivates him to continue writing these newsletters.
“It’s nice to take a break from surfing social media and texting, and instead to read The TP. The first time I noticed it hanging up in the stall I couldn’t help but laugh at the concept of it! Once I looked at it in greater detail it became way more informational than I expected,” Emma Kantrowitz, a sophomore said.
At the end of each newsletter, Zamansky includes a segment called “The 90s Question of the Week.” Within this segment, Zamansky offers out a prize for anyone who can answer his question by a certain deadline. However, in order to win you must find Zamansky either in his office or around the MUB. Including this aspect into his newsletter is just another way Zamansky is able to connect with the students.
“I want to connect with students, and make personal connections at that. I want people to feel comfortable coming in to my office just to chat,” Zamansky said.
