Time. Place. Manner.
Our campus doesn't have a Senior Week. They used to but I don't the history behind when and/or why it stopped. So instead, the campus hosts several senior events throughout the spring semester that if you lumped all together, would give you some semblance of a senior week. But it's nothing like what we had at Rhodes.
In any event, last night was one of the programs, a reception, and I was in charge of it. It was part of my collateral responsibilities through another office on campus. I'd been working on it more or less since January as the event was only in its second year, we were trying to grow it significantly, and there was much to be done! The scene: Large ballroom, 35 tables with fancy centerpieces and candles, a champagne toast, AMAZING food options including a tenderloin carving station, delicious shrimp in a glass sculpture, spring rolls in take out boxes with chopsticks, chicken skewers, and flourless chocolate cake with strawberry sauce. The audience: the seniors (duh), faculty and staff they invited as their guest, and the Jesuits. The format: A Master of Ceremonies, a toast, two student speeches, and a video highlighting the last four years on campus and including photographs they could submit. All in all, a very snazzy event.
We were about an hour into the 90 minute event, the formal part of the program had ended and I had just grabbed my food and sat down when a student came up to me, introduced herself, and sat down. I thanked her for coming, said hoped she had a good time, yadda yadda. He response: "Yes. I did. But I wanted to offer you some feedback since you're in charge." To which she began reciting a laundry list of things she didn't like about the event and thought should be changed. (Mind you the event is STILL going on). Her list was long and ranged from "no knives and butter" to "better marketing and advertising." Thank you kindly. It's not that I don't appreciate the feedback. After all, it will help make the event better in the future. But geeze louise! Can we have a MINUTE to enjoy the current reception!? My professor in grad school also harped on "time, place, and manner." In many ways, it serves as the foundation for several law cases in higher education. And Ms. graduating senior, this was neither the time nor place nor manner for that fact for your feedback.
I actually wanted to tell her that since she's about to graduate and enter the real world and you won't survive without some tact and class. But some VIPs also happened to be sitting at that table as well and I didn't want to look bad by having a "teachable moment" with her right there and then.
Sigh...
In any event, last night was one of the programs, a reception, and I was in charge of it. It was part of my collateral responsibilities through another office on campus. I'd been working on it more or less since January as the event was only in its second year, we were trying to grow it significantly, and there was much to be done! The scene: Large ballroom, 35 tables with fancy centerpieces and candles, a champagne toast, AMAZING food options including a tenderloin carving station, delicious shrimp in a glass sculpture, spring rolls in take out boxes with chopsticks, chicken skewers, and flourless chocolate cake with strawberry sauce. The audience: the seniors (duh), faculty and staff they invited as their guest, and the Jesuits. The format: A Master of Ceremonies, a toast, two student speeches, and a video highlighting the last four years on campus and including photographs they could submit. All in all, a very snazzy event.
We were about an hour into the 90 minute event, the formal part of the program had ended and I had just grabbed my food and sat down when a student came up to me, introduced herself, and sat down. I thanked her for coming, said hoped she had a good time, yadda yadda. He response: "Yes. I did. But I wanted to offer you some feedback since you're in charge." To which she began reciting a laundry list of things she didn't like about the event and thought should be changed. (Mind you the event is STILL going on). Her list was long and ranged from "no knives and butter" to "better marketing and advertising." Thank you kindly. It's not that I don't appreciate the feedback. After all, it will help make the event better in the future. But geeze louise! Can we have a MINUTE to enjoy the current reception!? My professor in grad school also harped on "time, place, and manner." In many ways, it serves as the foundation for several law cases in higher education. And Ms. graduating senior, this was neither the time nor place nor manner for that fact for your feedback.
I actually wanted to tell her that since she's about to graduate and enter the real world and you won't survive without some tact and class. But some VIPs also happened to be sitting at that table as well and I didn't want to look bad by having a "teachable moment" with her right there and then.
Sigh...
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