I work at the front desk in the Undergraduate Programs office. If you, as a prospective student or parent, come in for a meeting with either David Kaiser or Chuck Allen, for at least eight hours per week, I'll be the first face you see. My main job is to answer the phones and assemble folders and mailings that go out to all of you. I also act as guard dog to the offices in our suite, the Director of Enrollment, the Assistant Dean, and the Director and Associate Director of the Honors Program. Most of the time I end up doing my homework or reading the Wall Street Journal, which is exceedingly boring but required for my Human Resource Management class. Our office is always full of students, who are normally quite loud. The regulars are a friendly bunch.
On Monday and Wednesday mornings you can normally hear Jon warming up to sing in his Power, Influence, and Negotiation class. Singing is the penalty if you are late to class (just in that particular one, of course). If Jon didn't take the time to warm up, he probably wouldn't have to sing so often.
Brooke and Theresa are always willing to help me with my schedule for the coming semester. One might assume that assembling a schedule takes one hour sitting with their academic advisor. Oh, how wrong one would be. That's if you're me of course. Scheduling for the fall semester is currently the talk of all freshmen, but I've been at it for over a week. I like to look up all the available times for a course, go on ratemyprofessor.com, and change my mind at least fifty million times. Each change must also be entered into the color coded excel spreadsheet that I update daily. I'll post the finished version . . . if there ever is a finished version. Brooke and Theresa are upper classmen who have really taken me under their wing. They give me advice on professors, whether or not to take an honors version of the course, and also help in many other areas, like writing my resume.
Lots of days Devon comes in with some homemade goody sent from her mom. In recent memory, we've gotten cupcakes and Irish potatoes. Yum!
Eugene always knows about what is going on in the business and political world, and he loves to share his knowledge with everyone. He always gives Emily, the other freshman student worker, and I lots of advice about internships and getting involved in life on campus.
I get asked some pretty random questions some days by non-regulars. "Do you know where the US Patent Office is?" No, I know where the Accounting Professional Society meetings are held. My favorite was when a student wanted me to help her extend her visa to attend an extra semester here at Temple. I don't work for the Immigration Department, at least the last time I checked.
Life in 106 is never boring (well, occasionally on Friday afternoons when everyone takes off early for the weekend). But at least for today, my time here is up. I have to go to Statistics class!