A good time was had by all. Well, almost all. There was one guy who wanted a rock band, but everyone else really enjoyed themselves at the graduate student gala last Saturday night. You might recall last Saturday; there was a hockey game or something?
There was also a catered meal, good company, good friends, live jazz, dancing, and, most import­antly, no work or advisors. It was a great excuse to get out of the lab and mingle; to meet old friends and to make new ones. And that was the point. We’ve all heard of stories where someone cracks from too much work or stress (and let’s face it, work=stress). So the idea was to come out and get away from all that and simply have fun—to de-stress.
And that’s just what we did. The band was smokin’ and at one point, the dance floor was so full that people had to dance on the carpeting around it. There were even a couple of, well, couples that could really swing out on the floor, which only encouraged more people to get up and join the fun. They even offered lessons to anyone who asked. I got foxtrot lessons, and before long the whole place was jumpin’.
I’d like to thank everyone that came and made the evening a success. I’d especially like to thank the members of the grad council who came together to pull this off: David Scherzer, Nicole Lay, Lining He, Jim Tantillo, and the ever-present Jen Curry. If you were there and you see one of these people, please thank them too.
That was our first event of the year, but not our last. We are planning a barbecue for the warmer months at the end of the semester, and in the meantime we’re thinking a couple of grad nights at the Union pub and maybe a grad movie night or two. So look out in your e-mail for these upcoming events. If anyone has any feedback on the gala, or would like to offer suggestions for grad activities, please e-mail the graduate council at grad-council@rpi.edu.
We’ve already gotten some ideas, and we’re tossing them around now. Who knows, we might even get a rock band for that guy to play at the barbecue.
