New Students

For many years I have been an academic advisor for first year students. I meet these students for the first time the weekend before classes start. The meeting is short, we go over problems with their schedules, mainly. I try to ask a few personal questions, let them know that I am a caring person, but I don't really know them yet.

They are starting something new, an adventure. Some are a little homesick already, unsure about their choices, their abilities. Some appear so eager to be away from home and their old lives, this is a chance to start over. They have a lot to learn...new people, new places, new demands.

But, with only the rare exception, they are enthusiastic. They are ready. They have moved into their new life and are ready to get on with it. I love seeing them. I love the infectious energy they have. I know that in a few months I will be seeing a few of them in tears. They will feel overwhelmed, under pressure, and unable to cope. They will be tired, frustrated, and scared.
I hope that at that time we can bring back some of the feeling of this opening weekend, some of the enthusiasm and excitement.

A Love Story

I'm a sucker for a good love story and I heard one last night from a sociologist.

Sitting at my dinner table last night was a very well-known sociologist and his wife of about 6 years. They are both somewhere over 70 years in age, I would guess. Seven years ago, she was on her way from Houston, TX to NC to babysit her grandson while her adult child went skiing. She worked in Houston and almost didn't make the trip because there were problems at work she had to address. But, she was on the plane, aisle seat, and half asleep when she heard the man across the aisle say he was a professor at Chapel Hill. She was a UNC grad, so she leaned across and said, "Pardon my eavesdropping, but I heard you say you were a professor at UNC and I'm a UNC grad." They chatted all the way to NC and when they got off the plane he handed her his business card and said, "The next time you are in NC, give me a call and we will have dinner." This was Thursday. She debated about what to do. She was leaving on Sunday and Saturday night, about 10 pm, decided she would call his office number and just leave a message. Lo and behold, he was in his office and answered (or, as she put it, "Now, what kind of foolish guy is working at 10 o'clock on Saturday?") She said she had this whole speech planned out, but was so flustered she didn't know what to say when he actually answered. But, they talked, they visited back and forth, and are now married.

Both of them had lost their first partners to cancer some years earlier and were rebuilding their lives. The man told me that another sociologist friend, who had lost her first husband at a much younger age, had given him two pieces of advice after his first wife passed away. First, don't pass up an opportunity to meet someone new. Go out, be out there, make overtures, be available for all types of relationships. Second, don't expect your second relationship, if you have one, to be like your first. Don't look for the same kind of person or expect that you will be attracted to the same kind of person.

This couple radiated love at the table. It was so clear that they enjoyed each others company and companionship. Moral: never give up on love.

Summer camp

I was a big fan of summer camp as a child. I've tried to convince my own sons to go to camp, but they have no interest. Maybe I wanted to get away from home, but I think mostly I enjoyed the activities. Summer can be long and slow, especially in the days before 24 hour cartoons, Internet, and not being old enough for a summer job. I attended Girl Scout camp, church camp, YMCA camp. I did the living in cabins, eating in a dining hall, camping; wilderness camping; canoe camping; and living in platform tents and cooking most of our own food camping. I liked them all. I didn't get homesick, I cried when camp was over.

This American Life recently aired a set of stories about summer camps. The stories focused more on the longer camps, where kids would go for 4-6 weeks. My longest single camp stay was 2 weeks. What I found interesting about the segment was the discussion of camp rituals and routines. The argument was made that these rituals are essential to a camp's survival since they develop a sense of loyalty and belonging. Older campers have certain rights that are not allowed younger campers, so younger campers have something to look forward to if they return. There are stories, legends, and songs that become part of the camp lore. These are passed down from year to year, from camper to camper. New campers are "initiated" into the camp ritual.

There was an interesting comparison to religion--the levels of seniority, the rituals, the secret knowledge. As a sociologist I think it would be fun to look at summer camps as social institutions and explore how they operate as agents of socialization. Dissertation anyone?

End of summer

I've taken a bit of a summer hiatus, shutting down for most of July. Now, it is August and the new school year is just around the corner. I've been busy revising my syllabus for MAX 201. This course is designed to introduce students to basic data analysis and interpretation. We focus on learning how to use Excel and SPSS (a statistical program now called PASW). Students make tables, graphs, and do some basic statistical tests. It is a very "hands on" class, which is good. Every year, there are slight changes to the data, the programs, or the computing environment which requires retooling assignments and lectures. I'm switching up some readings, adding some short exams, and creating one new assignment. It sounded like an easy, straightforward task when I began, but it has become a real time-eater. Hopefully, the end result will be a better course.