Seen and Heard

This week I have had a number of appointments around the center of campus, so I’ve been through a lot of the high-student-traffic areas.  Here’s just a few things I’ve noticed.

• I was in the Pit around noon on a Saturday, and while I can’t be absolutely certain, it looked to me like some of our young men and women were wearing pajamas.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.
• Some intrepid soul had scattered a lot of red and pink rose petals near the entrance to the Z. Smith Reynolds Library on Valentine’s Day.  I don’t know if this was a student wooing another student or a librarian wooing another librarian – or something else altogether! – but it was really sweet to see.
• Students continue to go to Starbucks in huge numbers.  It was my temporary refuge for a few hours earlier this week, and the lines are steady.  Lots of students appear to head there for breakfast, and most of the tables, banquettes, and comfy chairs are being used (unless you get there very early!)
• The weather got very nice yesterday – up into the low 60s.  Our students were outside, without coats (or with very light jackets), some even in shorts toward later in the day.
• I heard from a parent this week who told me about something her daughter’s high school does.  Every day, five minutes of “silent space” – where no one talks, texts, looks at homework.  You have five minutes to be in silence, thinking your own thoughts, clearing your head, centering yourself – whatever feels good to you.  This could have great applicability to our students here.  Even if we never declare a formal ‘Five Minutes of Silent Space’ for the whole campus, students could elect, on their own, to practice that for themselves.  I may try it for a week myself!
• Finally, and hilariously, yesterday’s Carilloneur was playing Lady Gaga at the 5:00 hour.  I love when we do something whimsical like this!

Reminders of campus events coming up today:

• Founders’ Day Convocation is today at 4 pm in Wait Chapel.  Open to everyone, but seniors will want to take special note because the event will feature seniors.  Three of our seniors will present orations, and the senior class will be honored in a video. President Hatch will award the highest honor bestowed by the University, the Medallion of Merit.
• Tonight at 7 pm in Auditorium 404 of the Z Smith Reynolds Library is a speech by Chad Harbach.  Harbach is the author of “The Art of Fielding.” This novel was Amazon’s “Number one book of 2011, and was one of the New York Times “10 Best Books of 2011.”