Furniture Feature: Coffee Edition

With Dr. Bob in his office this morning, I knew I was in for a good story for this week's furniture feature.

Dr. Bob came out of his office, looked around and said, "Do you want to know the story behind our coffee grinder?"

I nodded. Of course I wanted to hear the story.

Dr. Bob went on to explain that we got this grinder as a donation from a former Coe student. This Bunn grinder was first used to help grind down animal food.

Say what?

I know, when I first heard, I was a little terrified. The coffee beans that I drink are being put through a grinder first used for animal food? But never fear, Dr. Bob continued his story.

The Coe alum had originally wanted to donate it to the Chemistry department. At the time, the Chemistry department was apparently "hooked on the Writing Center coffee" and instead, passed it onto us.

Before any coffee beans were roasted, it went through an intense cleaning and sanitizing process. Dr. Bob cleaned it all, removing all past grinding experiences, except for the motor. It was difficult (no surprise there) so Dr. Bob walked down the street to Davis Auto. He asked the owner if he could use the air compressor to clean the motor. The owner agreed and apparently a large dust of past grinding flew into the air.

The cleaning process complete, the grinder was deemed safe for use and since then, has found a home in the Writing Center grinding coffee on a daily basis. One of the first things you learn as a new consultant is how to make coffee and how to yell our equivalent of golf's "fore!'

"GRINDING!"

Also, we got a pretty sweet deal. This coffee grinder usually goes for about $850 nowadays. Wow.

And there you have it. See you next week!

Furniture Feature: Kansas Style

If anyone has spent time with Dr. Bob, you know that he is quite fond of Kansas.
And we mean quite fond.

So today when I went into his office to ask for a story about the furniture in our place, Dr. Bob decided to take a Kansas approach. I got not only one, but two stories about neat pieces of furniture.

The first is this couch, located near our main whiteboard/projector screen. It's a newer piece to the Writing Center, arriving while we were in our new space, maybe even about a year ago or so.

Lovely, isn't it? The couch is quite firm and comfy. It was first housed in Margie's (Dr. Bob's wife) childhood home in Kansas. Dr. Bob said he saw the couch for the first time in 1964 when he went to visit Margie. They eventually acquired the couch and it sat for about 10 years in Dr. Bob's basement. Then, he decided the couch needed a new home and ended up here. I asked if the fabric had ever been replaced, and he said it hadn't. The couch has done pretty well, wouldn't you say?

The other Kansas piece was the rocking chair, located near the touch screen computer close to the kitchen. Dr. Bob said this was his father's rocking chair. Also in excellent condition.

Apparently Dr. Bob's father was a "large man" and one day, when his father sat down in the chair, he split it into two:

Instead of simply getting rid of the chair, his father instead decided to fix it. Dr. Bob recounted how he went into the barn, found two strips of some sort of metal and put some screws into the strips and the chair to repair it.

Resourceful, am I right?

This has been your weekly Thursday Furniture Feature. Come back next week for another story and more pictures!

Goodness Gracious, How about some Minutes

Here’s what happened at the Monday night meeting:

Bob informed us that acceptance letters have been sent out to students invited to join the WC next year. Behind the desk there will be envelopes, stationery, and postcards on which you can write messages to prospies you interacted with during the competition weekend encouraging them to come to Coe. I guess there’s some sort of spreadsheet listing the students, and you should write your name, indicating who you will be contacting. Phone and email is also okay, though be sure not to be too creepy or insistent.

Something happens, and Bob blushes, giggles, and says that he loves Victoria’s Secret essays.

We divide into committees. Discuss committee things. I am on the blogging committee. My fellow bloggers are Leta, Ezra, Johanna, and Taylor.

On April 20th, we will be working with Kids Against Hunger to package 2,000 meals for underprivileged children. The boxing up will happen during the Monday night meeting, and people will be asked to work in one of three 20-minute shifts. Each person is asked to fork over $5. Anyone with fundraising ideas should contact Andrew Boone.

See y’alls next week.

--Jenna

Minute (my-noot!) Minutes

The meeting is off to a...ahem...rousing start as Bob takes one of Marie's "Love is in the Air" sex toy catalogues and says "love...tools" in a horrifying way. Make it stop. Fortunately there is "business to take care of before your erogenous zones can be activated." Eeeeuw.

Posters for studiers-abroad are sent around to be decorated and signed.

---Prospie discussion---

(contact Bob if you have something further to say about any candidates)

By this point there are only eight minutes to go until House begins, so a few last minute items on the agenda:

Andrew Boone and the Service Learning Committee have a few activities. If you'd like to volunteer at Johnson Elementary, please contact Hanna Werner.

The other item of discussion is our potential participation in a Kids Against Hunger food drive. Raising $500 will allow us to package 1,200 meals for underprivileged people: we can choose how to divert these meals. Bob generously offers to go halvsies, which means that we would have 70 people to cover $250. Someone calculates that this is about $5 per person, though I can't verify this calculation. The Kids Against Hunger people will bring the food and shipping supplies to Coe, and we will work to package things on a sort of assembly line following a Monday meeting, most likely within the next three weeks.

And, break.

Jenna

eyes peeled

Since its inception, many moons ago, the Writing Center has had only five directors. Tonight we were lucky to witness the coming together of two in one room: Bob Marrs and Steve Singleton. Steve is here to speak about conferencing lab reports. Bob says that chemistry professors are the most thoughtful, interested in writing-type people at the College, and Steve reinforces this concept by starting the meeting with, "I'm kind of winging this...I had to pull it out of my aaa...head." To be fair, he kindly agreed to be here at the very last minute.

Steve recounts that directing the WC inspired him to incorporate the things he learned into his chemistry classes, and caused him to think a lot about the way people learn.

Lab reports: handouts were circulated (talk to Steve if you want one). In science, there are strictly-adhered-to conventions which are designed, "over eons of honing," to ease communication through standardization. This structural rigidity is supposed to make things easier. Steve makes a horribly crude joke about "spots left over from reproduction" that has something to do with punctuation marks on xerox machines. ?

For citations, find a style guide or journal. Basically, science reports are insanely finicky. Focus on implementation of ideas in addition to the ideas themselves - how to present info graphically.

Some sample dialogue:
Steve, to Bob: "That's a good question, Bobby."
Kevin: "Can we call you that?!"

Now, on to this weekend, which, as you all know, is Prospie Weekend. Yes it is. There are 33 competitors (with 9 potential additions). Because there are only nine male consultants living on campus and nine male WC prospies, all WC menfolk are strongly pleaded with to host. Apparently the weekend will include a scavenger hunt and snacks. If you haven't already done so, please fill out the hosting/shift sheet (see Malyssa Oblander or Katie Blanchard). A revised copy of the schedule will be posted on the front desk on Wednesday.

Does anyone have a cot? Talk to Andrew Klingler.

If you want to be a Writing Fellow next semester, you should register for Topics just in case, as the Fellows program hasn't been finalized yet.

Tentative plans have been made for a January Topics in Composition course on Tybee Island, Georgia! Bob used to do this trip frequently in years past, but it has never been offered during my tenure at Coe. I'm terribly jealous. Keep your eyes peeled for more information.


Tybee Island, 1990s

Ta-ta,

Jenna

bidness

The Original Writing Center Staff, 1987

Okay. What happened at this week's meeting? Several things.

The idea of napkin-collecting as a hobby was brought up by the peeps at my table. Could be interesting.

Prospie weekend is a week from this Friday (March 27). We're encouraged to sign up to host one. Or, "bring a prospie into your den," as Bob likes to say. Shudder. It is best if the prospective students have good experiences here at Coe and decide attend next year, if only to bring in more tuition dollars to fund Bob's salary.

Next order of business: we've been corralled into participating in a letter-writing campaign asking the Iowa Legislature to prevent budget cuts to private IA colleges. The cuts would result in $600 less per year in scholarships for students. If you didn't write a letter at the meeting, talk to Bob or Grant for more information.

Lots of official business, but we still found time for cake.

Tally ho,

Jenna

Mini Minutes, 2/9

No way could these minutes live up to the greatness that was last week, but here goes:

We started out with a whole bunch of shift shifting. People going to the conference in Chicago create scheduling problems.

Hilary advertizes the charms of her shift by saying, "It's a nice shift - no one ever comes in." Bob responds that no one coming in does not make for a nice shift, "unless, maybe, if we were an AIDS clinic."

Bob also suggests the purchase of a WC Harley to go with Jacquie's leather jacket.

It doesn't seem like there are that many people here.

If you want to meet with Bob this week, you must do so before Wednesday; he'll be in Chicago Wednesday through Friday.

Then...we split into groups of five and do a writing exercise. Everyone gets a sheet of loose-leaf and the pages get passed around in a circle, with everyone contributing 5 paragraphs in a story: setting, character, conflict, crisis, and resolution. My group's stories involved a city in Eastern Chile, Ezra and Andrew Boone dropping microbe slides, residence hall yeti, and a "scrimshaw cooliba."

Stories finished, Bob brings out his whistle. Eek. Some reminders: your two weeks are up; it's time to clean up the Moodle.

Chock Full O'Minutes

Oh, it was a content-rich meeting.

Bob handed out tickets to see Jared Diamond speak on Tuesday night. For those not in the know (ie: me until a few days ago), he’s a professor of geography and physiology and UCLA and won the Pulitzer for Guns, Germs and Steel, “a short history about everyone for the last 13,000 years.” Should be interesting at the very least.

It seems that the Peterson recycling system is now “sort of going.” It gets picked up Thursday morning and Tuesday afternoon.

There have recently been complaints about the quality of the WC non-home-roasted coffee (the stuff we get from the freezer, which are cheap beans from Sam’s Club). Some of the complaints may have come from me. We are now getting them from Coffee Klatch, a company in California – the blend is “Bourbon Supremo.” Ezra says the new coffee is actually pretty good.

In honor of this, we will, for the first time ever, be introducing three (3) coffee pots. Whoa. Prices have also gone up to 80 cents per cup. Bob reminds us that because these fancy beans are twice as expensive as the old variety, we might try to be reasonably conservative in our use.

An interesting thing: A student at the University of Iowa is doing his doctoral dissertation specifically on conferencing at the Coe Writing Center. His focus will be on what happens after the conference ends. You’ll be getting questionnaires in your mailbox, which you can fill out if you want.

Willie took one of my five remaining Lucky Charms marshmallows, but makes up for the theft with another interesting fact: she says that both Lucky Charms and Cap’n’Crunch cereals are illegal in the E.U. because they contain some sort of sinister substance. Well.

You can now win prizes. Prizes! There are many varieties of prizes being given out, to both consultants and writers, and the trick to winning them is…do a lot of conferences. Prizes are bookstore gift certificates and dinner coupons to the Lighthouse Inn, which is supposedly the oldest restaurant in CR, and the place where Al Capone ate when he was in town. Bob says they make the best ribs he’s ever eaten. It’s my birthday next week: anyone want to take me out for dinner?

Um, there’s a new remote for the non-functioning tv. You can use it to watch DVDs if you can decode the elaborate system of button-pressing involved in operating the remote. Ask Melissa for more details.

Then we came to the main portion of the evening. You read that right. We haven’t even gotten to the main part of the meeting: the Study Abroad Panel. Here’s a brief(ish) rundown of the conversation:

Willie: Sweden. Classes about movies. Her town is called “Dragon City” because it burnt down three times. Mountains. Baltic Sea. Baltic Sea! She has sweet boots on. Went Xtreme camping with Germans in a forest. Ate noodles by a lake. Jumped in a melted glacier. “That was so cool.” Literally. Ha.

Katie: Pune, India. Class in film. Sensing a trend here. Rode an elephant. Had some girl power time.

Malyssa: San Jose, Costa Rica. Read a great list which will be posted here soon. Took $2 out of the ATM on her first day because she’s not used to being a millionaire. Was drugged by her host mom.

Jackie: Bangor, Wales. 30k town/10k university enrollment. Took a class in scriptwriting. What? Involved with BBC-Wales. Drove through World’s End. Got knocked to the ground by some beastly wind on a Welsh mountain.

Nathan: Ghana. His university had 75-90,000 students enrolled. Took classes in theater. What is this? Drummed, danced, traveled. Went to Burkina Faso. “Mali-wood” movies. Rode a camel, slept with goats. Bob says, “That sounds very kinky.”

Kevin: Sweden. Lived in a cottage in the woods. Shovelled many “metres” of snow. Got robbed in Spain. Hung out with nice English-speaking Dutch people who had a car. Sweden sounds exciting.

And that, my friends, is it.

not skimping

This was quite a succinct meeting. I am not just skimping on the minutes.

Bob says: Go to see Jared Diamond. If there aren't enough people left working in the WC during the presentation, it's okay to close it down for the duration. Next Tuesday, 7:20pm. Tickets are $5 for students.

Dinner was "Peruvian chicken." The secret ingredients were cinnamon and squirt.

We are advised not to totally ostracize the Speaking Center people. Ie: be nice. And does everyone know about the weird moisturizing hand wax heating thing they have in there? It's an experience.

On Feb. 4th at 6pm one of the committees (social activities?) is hosting a WC dinner. On the menu is homemade lasagna. Ezra says, "I hope they can cook." I bet they can.

We split into committee groups and discussed plans for the semester. If you missed the meeting, find the rest of your group to catch up.

Finally, something loud and apparently hilarious happened involving Justin Lord, Andrew Klingler, and a bowl full of spaghetti.

Over and out.

Updates from the WC

A list, lists are good:
-After a week of rain and snow, the campus is covered, alternatingly, in lovely white wintry goodness and scary slippy ice. Monday evening saw the sidewalks as frozen canals. Just now, Danielle fell on the ice while riding her bike. Ouchie.
-The back wall (where the framed quotations used to be) now has a hole knocked in it, and a door stuck in that hole. A door to the newly-moved Speaking Center, which is slowly being filled with things like carpeting and plastic 3-drawer bins.
-Bob will be in Ireland over break.
-The new spring schedule is taped to the front desk - feel free to make adjustments
-Tues, Jan 13 (the day before classes resume) will be Chili Night in the WC. 7-9pm, or until the the chillay runs out. Bob says: "No formal meeting, no required attendance. It's fine to come, eat, and leave."
-First staff meeting of the year will be Monday, Jan. 19, about 5:30. More details, presumably, to come.
-Mike Huff is a now a model for sciency clothes:

WC Minutes 11/17

The subject of the evening is apparel. At last week’s meeting someone brought up the fact that the “store-room” of WC shirts/hoodies is almost empty. Bob took action, coming to the meeting armed with samples and ideas. A sampling:

-Nulla dies sine linea, “never a day without a line.” My personal favorite (my preference, sadly, falls on deaf ears)

-“Comma sutra” cartoon

-“The Coe Word Trade Center: We’re Still Standing.” Deemed inappropriate.

-The classic swirling “WC” symbol with a Wittgenstein quotation

-Vasec nominates “Death to Carthage” in Latin, giving a bad name to Classics majors everywhere (ahem). Bob responds: “When you have your own writing center you can do that.”

-Fleeces are eliminated because they’re expensive (and lame).

-Despite my valiant effort, polo shirts (so cute! so retro! so business-chic!) are also overruled.

So many choices. We narrow it down to six options and a vote is taken. The breakdown (with commentary from Ezra):

Karate/kung fu thing: 25 votes (“that’s a lot”)

Baseball style: 15 (“a decent amount”)

WC tree: 3 (“not many”)

Multiple languages: 9 (“somewhat”)

Latin: 6 (“a smattering”)

Comma sutra: 20 (“we have two winners”)

The choice is now between the karate thing and comma sutra. A voting sheet is on the main desk – you have till break to make your voice heard.

Other business/news:

- WC alumni Tanner Curl and Emily Dussault are engaged, upping the statistics on WC marriage rates. Bob has been invited to officiate the wedding, which he will, “If scheduling allows.”

-There are fewer than three weeks of classes till break. So there’s that.

-Ezra is so loud.

-Re: the grocery list. Nothing will be purchased till after break. We have very limited funding, especially since this year our coffee business is “not running in the black.” Our yearly budget is about $750. So far this year we’ve gone through $500. People should pay for coffee unless they are getting/giving a conference or working a shift. Bob suggests “appointing someone as a badass,” but ventures that this might be petty.

-No meeting next Monday

-December 1^st will be “film fest” night – Topics people will be showing their short films. We’re told that there will be puppets. Should be a hoot.

-Nina warns us all to back up our computers. Her big deal science presentation thing was lost, so the event is happening tomorrow at 4:00 in SH203.

-Also tomorrow: the creative writing seminar people are presenting their writing tomorrow in Kesler, also at 4:00. So, choose wisely. You should note that Nina is offering baked goods in exchange for attendance at her event. Keep that in mind.

Now some serious business:

-Some of Bob’s students will be coming in to pick up gift certificates. They need to sign a form in the back room before taking them.

-On Friday of this week FYS portfolios are due. Literally, a collective sigh. All FYSs are arriving at the same time. People working Friday from 12:00 on – don’t schedule any conferences. Come to work on time. We will be incredibly busy sorting. If you’re behind in hours, we could use some extra hands. Should be “wild and tense.”

-ORCHID FORMS.

1) Some people have zero entries. To retain your position in the writing center, you need to have recorded 25 conferences over the course of the year. That’s one conference/week (12-13 per semester). If you don’t meet this number, you’ll be fired. Seriously.

2) Conference summaries have been terrible. You need to provide detail and information. One sentence is inadequate. Be precise, present an accurate, thorough portrait of the conversation. What did you talk about specifically? What advice did you give? What types of ideas did you generate? The WAC program is heavily dependent on this data for maintaining funding and credibility. Record all conferences.

3) Do not be sarcastic or derogatory in your descriptions of students or professors. This is public information that can be accessed by students and instructors at any point. Consciousness of your tone and attitude is critical. Be professional.

Notes on May Term in the Lake District

Here are the details for Bob's May Term in the Lake District, straight from the source:

May Term 2009: Writers Colony (RHE-335): Walking in England's Lake District

This course involves a 26-day trip to England, departing on Tuesday, May 12 and returning to the U.S.A. on Sunday, June 7. The group will fly to London and stay for three nights at a London hotel. This portion of our schedule combines opportunities for tourist-type stuff (visiting the Tower of London or seeing a West End musical) with academic work relevant to the course (studying 18th- and 19th-century English landscape painting at the Tate and National art galleries). On Saturday, May 16, we travel by coach to Grasmere in the Lake District and stay for two weeks at an estate on the edge of Lake Grasmere. The property–Dale End Farm--is a renovated 17th-century farmhouse and barn; further information about this facility is available at the property manager’s web site (http://www.wheelwrights.com/). After staying at this farm for two weeks, we hike over an intervening hillside and spend a third week in two cottages in the village of Chapel Stile, located on the edge of the Langdales. We return to London on Saturday, June 6, and fly back to the U.S.A. on Sunday, June 7. Our course readings and research will focus on how the Lake District was first described and celebrated by William Wordsworth and other 19th century poets, artists, and travel writers. The class assignments include daily walks (rain or shine) in this remarkable countryside. The writing assignments invite students to explore the Lake District and consider how their perceptions compare with those of previous residents and travelers. The course can count toward a major in Writing or Creative Writing.

The program cost for the course will be $2,175. This fee covers costs for housing, most meals, airline and coach transportation, and fees to museums and art galleries. During the three weeks in Grasmere and Chapel Stile, participants will be responsible for preparing their own meals. Students should plan on having available at least $400 during the trip to cover incidental food, travel, and entertainment expenses. Course enrollment: maximum of eight students.

 

The application should include year in school, academic major, and a one-page statement explaining the reasons for wishing to enroll in the Writers Colony course. E-mail applications are accepted.

Updates!

Here are some updates from Bob:

-Tomorrow's staff meeting will be held in the Writing Center instead of the Lynch Room. We'll have delicious, free food from Aladdin, so come early (5:45) to get some chow.

-Topics this week will meet in the library by the downstairs computer lab. We'll be having an e-portfolio workshop.

-For Vegas people: you're responsible for contacting all of your professors to let them know you'll be gone and to take care of any missed assignments. Presentation teams will be meeting individually with Bob sometime this week, and should plan to have completed posters ready for next Monday's meeting (the 27th).

-If you're considering applying for the May Term Writers Colony in the Lake District, applications are due this Friday (24th). "The application consists of a one-page document indicating the reasons why you would like to be enrolled in the class." For more info, contact Bob, or talk to one of the WC's alumni: Jenna, Whitney, Johanna. Here, for solidarity, are some Lake District photos from the 2007 May Term:

--Jenna

go here for more photos

9/15 Writing Center Minutes: a play-by-play

After an intense exchange between Bob “Showdown” Marrs and a chipper Sodexho employee, the meeting begins...sort of. Well, we begin waiting for the meeting to begin. Marie and Ezra embark on a discussion of “man pockets.” Ezra says, “They’re glorious!”

Turns out the real meeting is happening next door with the college accreditation committee, so we spend a while milling between the two rooms, leaving the committee clearly impressed with Coe’s student turn out. Whoo-hoo.

We re-gather, meeting begins. What Bob finds disturbing: Bob Drexler and John Chaimov are absent. Just as we’re about to give up hope, Drex saunters in to a round of applause. He’s here to talk about Spring Semester in Asia, which happens every spring and is “hosted” by various Coe professors. This year it’s John Chaimov, who’s focusing the semester around issues of human rights and environmental issues in Asia.

The rundown on Asia Term:
-10 weeks in Thailand , 3 in Cambodia, 2 in Vietnam, with a trip to Laos.
-While on the term you complete an independent project (examples: cooking, political science, volunteering, art, research project) which can usually be parlayed into counting toward your major.
-Four credits. Counts toward your “off-campus internship special thing”
-It’s a Coe program, so you pay Coe tuition, plus a $1500 fee to cover various expenses. This is a really good deal
-There will be an official informational meeting in ~ 2 weeks
-Contact Bob Drexler or John Chaimov for more information, or to add your name to the “master list.”
-See Ed. professor Terry McNabb’s blog from last year to get a better idea of the term: http://terryinthailand.blogspot.com/
-The CWC has several Asia Term alumni: Andy Decker, Ezra Stewart-Silver, Johanna Schnell, Kyle Mangan, Dave Woehrle...I’m not forgetting anyone? Andy became a monk – it was enlightening. Johanna did something for which she didn’t receive polisci credit. Ezra made a lot of curry.
-Everyone is eligible to go (except me, clearly), including freshmen and seniors. If you’re interested, you probably should do it.

Bob says: “Never let your schooling interfere with your education. Your major just doesn’t make a difference. The best thing about Coe is leaving – CR is an okay town, but leave.” This is sage advice. In summary, the reason people go to liberal arts schools...so we can go on to graduate studies in other stuff.
-Major + GPA = 2 lines on your resume. They skip over that stuff when applying for jobs. What’s important is what else you do. Apparently more Coe students study abroad than do all University of Iowa undergrads. Also, most Coe people graduate in four years, while only 28% graduate after four years from Iowa. “We can consistently kick ass.” True, true.
-So...go off-campus. In the next couple of weeks we’ll be putting together some information in the WC and on the blog about where WCers have studied in recent years and who you can contact for personal testimonies/opinions about study abroad. As Bob notes, after you graduate to the real world you’ll probably never have the opportunity to take four months off and go explore SE Asia. Unless you’re a college professor, that is.

Other news: Good job, tea committee, at the Reeve reception. It was very nice and Bob is proud of you.

Also, the Marrs family Dickinson-orama in Sinclair last Saturday was great fun – ask Bob for a copy of the powerpoint if you want. He might even break into a rendetion of “Because I could not stop for Death” to the tune of “Amazing Grace.”

There are still a few extra WC keys available for rent. Give Bob a $10 deposit in exchange for a shiny new key opening the door to the happiest place on campus.

Next week: Committee meetings. If you don’t know what committee you’re on, check in the clipboard in the WC or ask Bob.

--Jenna

p.s.

There are still some graham crackers and off-brand marshmallows in the WC pantry left over from the retreat. Spread peanut butter on the graham crackers. Microwave marshmallow 7 secs. Smoosh together. Quasi-s'more deliciousness.

And...change of plans for this week's meeting. Tomorrow (Monday) night, the Writing Fellows will be meeting in the WC at 6:00. At 6:30, the people going to the conference in Las Vegas (departure, Wed. Oct. 29) will meet, also in the WC.

Topics will meet regularly on Monday and Tuesday.

Aaaand...a special event. This Thursday at 4:00pm the WC is hosting a reception for a visiting writer, the novelist and poet F.D. Reeve. A short reading followed by a q&a session; the event shouldn't last longer than an hour-and-a-half. Sign-up sheet on the desk. Be there!

Finally, there are still spots open for dinner at Aladdin tonight and breakfast at the Butterfly Cafe on Thursday. Sign-up on Bob's door. Seriously, who passes up on college-subsidized, off-campus meals?

--Jenna

Shameless plug: If you're interested in becoming a part of the illustrious Coe Review staff, come to our meeting this Monday at 7:00pm, 3rd floor of Hickok (Chuck Aukema's office). We'll start packeting and reading this week.

yummy

A few changes in the WC (current consultants should have received an email).

Attached to the door separating the two main rooms is a small white board split into days of the week. At the beginning of our shifts we're supposed to consult this board to check for requested tasks. Easy enough.

You'll notice that the logbook looks different - TR shifts are being split by the half-hour, and you write your name as well as initial the beginning of your shift. Very easy.

Orchid forms are also being adjusted slightly - the database will now feature a template so you don't waste time entering the same thing over and over. Especially useful for Writing Fellows. Bob writes:

For those of you who are Writing Fellows or planning to do a bunch of conferences for students from the same class, you can load that template, enter in your name as the consultant, fill out other data common to all the students (such as name of instructor and course title), and print out your own orchid forms. No need that your copies must be on orchid paper, but it would be nice if you could aim for your forms to retain the size and shape of the forms we currently use (thus making our filing system a bit neater). I will also bring to the Writing Center and place in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet on which our main printer rests some orchid-colored paper, for those of you who want your personal forms to fit with the tradition.

And my very favorite of the new changes to the WC is...dining with the director. Yes! Every week, Bob will be taking five consutants, including at least two newbies (first come, first served), out for a meal off campus for an hour of chatting and chomping. Participation is totally optional, and you can attend multiple meals on the town, dates and times will vary. The first dinner is this Sunday (today!) at 6pm at Aladdin. Next Thursday at 7.30am (!) will be the Butterfly Cafe. Yum.

Also, our green-thumbed director recently donated some fabulous produce to the free-for-all wc fund: baby cucumbers, crispy-fresh green beans, and two of the biggest summer squash I've ever seen. I'm thinking...zucchini bread. Any other suggestions?

-- Jenna