And Then We Ate Cake

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.