“It’s a new day”

The automatic doors to the library are automatic again. I think they have been for most of the summer, but I just noticed it a few days ago. They were disabled at some point last year to cut costs, right around the time all the coffee makers vanished. But, as one of my colleagues remarked earlier, “It’s a new day.”

The final official count for our Class of 2011 is 532. I know, I know. That’s a lot. It’s almost enough to make me rethink my uncompromising abhorrence of multiple-choice exams. Certainly this is more than The Dean expected to have to tackle. The Dean herself has taken on a section of Elements. I’ve been here six years now, and I still have only the vaguest idea of what that is.

So, I think everything will be fine. It’s like when Captain Jellico took over the Enterprise while Picard was being tortured by Cardassians. He made some obviously necessary changes—like telling Riker to shut the hell up and quit whining all the time. On the other hand, he made Troi start wearing an actual Starfleet uniform instead of her plunging necklines—which was clearly going too far—and the crew were all kind of confused and frustrated. Then Picard came back and all the uncertainty went away and everyone could breathe a little easier—but Troi kept wearing the uniforms anyway.

Orientation is underway, so they’re all wandering around, led by 3Ls in bright orange shirts. (One 3L snagged me an XL.) The SBA gave them all beach towels. Make of that what you will. (Another 3L snagged one of those for me. It came in handy this morning when I graded the Greece exams on the Bay.) I have to go speak to a whole bunch of them now over in Learning Center, which is clear across campus. The last time I was in that building I was taking the LSAT. Oh, that’s the other news. The Law School expanded—by one classroom. Central Command ceded LC170 to us for the foreseeable.