Best Staff Meeting ever today.
7 of us gave 3 minute presentations on what
we (and our unit) do. I put up a picture of the Star Trek bridge crew and got
to label Lt. Uhura with my name. It worked out that there was a Trek character
analogous to each team member and their job.
So much fun.
We were only permitted one slide á la 3MinuteThesis
competition format, but I missed the memo saying we were permitted to use notes
on paper so instead I rehearsed my spiel with jazz hands interpretive dance
moves to help jog my memory. It worked except that for the big finale I ran out
of thumbs. I guess you had to be there.
And the Student Academic Services team
pointed out that each clerk on their team has 2000 students. Can you imagine if
even 1% of them decided to email a question on the same day? Yikes!
Then the PDFO (Postdoctoral Fellows Office)
presenter was especially cute a) because he ran out of time and gave JFK’s most
words in a minute record a run for the money and b) he grew a Movember ‘stash
and struggled the whole time to keep from playing with it – but he managed to
arrest the hand moving toward the ‘stash. Bravo!
Doc Exams was a hoot in a dark and lovely
way as they bordered their slide with images of Prozac pills and read out an
astonishing record of transactions accomplished during one month - 75 Doctoral
Examinations in the month of July! Can you imagine? 75 stressed out PhD
students plus supervisors plus external examiners? Jeepers. Well done Ladies!
One of the coolest things was that some of
the units let the newbies give the presentations so The Girl With Two Hats and
the longest job title in the office won the Best Use of Puns award as she
illuminated all present about her quest to eradicate Curriculamaphobia from
across our 250 degree programs. While the Thesis duo pointed out that they were
undoubtedly the smartest of us all as they read, and reread, about 1000 Master’s
and Doctoral Theses a year. Ouch.
Then my favourite of all - an Awards Veteran who didn’t need a slide
but only a wicked sense of humour to share with us the trials and triumphs of a
short-handed team who fought through a labyrinthine mountain range of process
and paper to emerge on the far side of their silly season with their sense of
humour intact, an appreciation for each other and millions and millions of
dollars awarded to thousands of graduate students who depend upon it to pursue
their dreams of making the world a better place for all of us.
Yes, one an all of us ordinary heroes for
sure, but still it was nice to be reminded of how smart and creative and funny
and caring this strange and motely group of folk who spend the labour of their
days trying to make the world a better place for UBC graduate students because
UBC graduate students make the world a better place for all of us.
And
Then one of us declaimed Scottish poetry
while the Dean played the bagpipes
And then we ate cake
Now that was an awesome day at the office.
