Dean Suzy has permitted herself the luxury of traveling to a distant university in order to give a talk. Distant university has invited her and is paying travel costs and food. And has put her up for the night in a dorm room.
Well, that brings back memories! It's a very large, double dorm that I have all to myself. Coming up from the evening dinner with my hosts I passed the communal dining area. Freshpersons armed with cans of beer wafted in for what appeared to be a games evening.
We weren't allowed to have beer back in the dark ages when Dean Suzy studied. And guys and gals on the same floor was Not To Be Tolerated. My, how times have changed.
I had a lovely walk in the morning, was able to collect some coherent thoughts, and parked myself with a coffee and cake on a sunlit table and got some research work done. There were no phones ringing, no emergencies to deal with. No drama queen department heads lamenting things I have no power to change.
The talk was well attended, many questions were asked. By the time I hit the wine and cheese board the grad students had pretty much eaten everything and drank everything with alcohol in it. Oh well, I got some cranberry juice and some tomatoes. And they need the calories more than I do.
The grad students asked many things not pertaining to my talk. How did I (i.e. a woman) end up dean? How did I learn to speak without a script? Are the jokes I told something that comes naturally? I asked them what their research was on, I only understood what one or two are doing really. But it was nice, chatting with people who did not want me to sign something for them.
And now, here I am in the dorm, with an Internet connection. Wish me a quiet night.
...you do realize that it is now FRIDAY night? And what that means for college dorms and "quiet"?
ReplyDeleteIf it is the exam period (as it is at my school), the dorms may be in extended quiet hours. The first year dorms have 22hr quiet hours where I've heard of someone being written up for having their door open in order to sweep.
ReplyDeleteDean Suzy, how can it be that they cannot put you up in a hotel? I have never done a guest lecture where I have not been given a clean, quiet hotel room, and I am nowhere near as important or well-paid as a Dean.
ReplyDeleteKegger in the dean's room!
ReplyDeleteI've been to several workshops in which faculty stay in dorms. We immediately revert back to our immature college behavior. I'd almost say that we devolved, but for some of us that's our natural state of being. We just do a good job of hiding it most of the time.
At our Hallowed Institution, there's a special suite in the grad student dorm set aside for visiting people—large sitting room with working fireplace, original wood floors, antique furniture—that's more like what you'd find at a B&B than in a dorm.
ReplyDeleteIt may be the only room in that building that's not falling apart/trashed, but we were rather impressed when we were saw it in the course of Pick Up the Speaker From the Airport and Bring Them to Campus duty.
That said: time for the CM Kegger. We'll bring the gin.
did Dean Suzy build a beer can pyramid on a shelf while she was there?
ReplyDeleteI stayed in a Columbia dorm a few years ago for a week-long class and saw some change in the heating register by the window. I lifted the cover enough to get my hand in and pulled out,
- about 60 cents in change
- a button
- two very cool pot pipes!
(I kept the change, pitched the other items in a trashcan on the street)
Blessedly, it was a warm night and they chose the balcony on the other side of the building. There were 3 empty bottles of liquor, numerous crumpled beer cans, and a handful of glasses, mostly empty.
ReplyDeleteAfter the party,
a titmouse picks at the crumbs
of broken pretzels.