abandoned luncheonette

my sociology department is experimenting with a free lunch with a professor series. i like the idea of greater interaction between undergrads and faculty, so i was eager to get behind the effort. since i'm playing the role of the professor this wednesday, i asked ann miller, our wonderful undergrad advisor, about the expected turnout.

well... perhaps we should rename it a very intimate free lunch with a professor, since only a couple brave souls have signed up thus far. i'll try not to take it personally. we have approximately 600 undergrad majors in the department, so that really means that only 99.67 percent of our students have absolutely no interest in dining with me.

hmmm, such non-response could be indicative of a broader trend. considering that i'm teaching 80 students this semester, i'm getting precious little traffic in office hours these days. perhaps such signs mark the end of my days as a (medium-) cool professor and the beginning of another stage of the academic life course. i'll keep a close eye on the evaluation data and check rate my professors after the semester just to see some unvarnished comments.

more immediately, do you have any ideas for drumming up lunch interest in the next 2 days? maybe we should advertise the menu. yes, beer would help, but underage drinking is not currently an option on the table. frosty chocolate mikshakes, perhaps? if you would like to attend this wednesday (the 25th from 11:45-1 in room 915) and keep us company, just email ann at: soc-advisor@soc.umn.edu. i have it on good authority that good seats are still available.