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Note: Written for the Oberlin Blogs.
At this point in the year, emotions run high. Sleep debt accumulates, steaming coffee-mugs become ubiquitous. Meals are a lost luxury. The glassy-eyed "morning look" persists into the afternoon. Naps become as necessary-yet-decadent as ice cream. But smiles are wider sometimes. And hugs last longer.
If you've heard the song "We Will All Go Together When We Go," by Tom Lehrer, it encapsulates the joyful fatalism of finals. Alicia really excellently describes the paradoxical indulgences and pain of the last week. For freshmen, like Karl, the time may be relatively carefree, but for upperclassmen, there are only late-night burritos, sleeping in the library and dishevelment until it's time to go home.
And, as academics become more and more overwhelming, performances start accumulating. Part of the blame falls on ExCos, as illustrated (literally) by Ma'ayan.
Finals-cat cries for you, Oberlin.
Like real classes, ExCos require some form of final, either a paper, a presentation, or a performance. At this point in the semester, assigning another paper to overworked students would be like feeding a thirsty man a pile of pretzels. It may not kill 'em, but it certainly won't help.
So, here begins the story of two ExCo finals:
Part One: Swing!
For continuing swing, we had to choreograph a three-minute dance to a song of our choice. We had free range of styles. While Sam and John were rather loose in their phrasing, there was an implicit touch of "be impressive." To get an idea of expectations, check out this incredibly sick video of last year's swing finals, performed to 'Swing Set' by Jurassic Five. My response to watching this was to say, very softly to my computer, "GUH."
( Read more... )
After they finished, we applauded the professors for a semester well done (all Oberlin classes finish with a final clap for the professor). Then, John put on music, Sam fixed the stereos, and we all started to dance.
At this point in the year, emotions run high. Sleep debt accumulates, steaming coffee-mugs become ubiquitous. Meals are a lost luxury. The glassy-eyed "morning look" persists into the afternoon. Naps become as necessary-yet-decadent as ice cream. But smiles are wider sometimes. And hugs last longer.
If you've heard the song "We Will All Go Together When We Go," by Tom Lehrer, it encapsulates the joyful fatalism of finals. Alicia really excellently describes the paradoxical indulgences and pain of the last week. For freshmen, like Karl, the time may be relatively carefree, but for upperclassmen, there are only late-night burritos, sleeping in the library and dishevelment until it's time to go home.
And, as academics become more and more overwhelming, performances start accumulating. Part of the blame falls on ExCos, as illustrated (literally) by Ma'ayan.
Finals-cat cries for you, Oberlin.
Like real classes, ExCos require some form of final, either a paper, a presentation, or a performance. At this point in the semester, assigning another paper to overworked students would be like feeding a thirsty man a pile of pretzels. It may not kill 'em, but it certainly won't help.
So, here begins the story of two ExCo finals:
Part One: Swing!
For continuing swing, we had to choreograph a three-minute dance to a song of our choice. We had free range of styles. While Sam and John were rather loose in their phrasing, there was an implicit touch of "be impressive." To get an idea of expectations, check out this incredibly sick video of last year's swing finals, performed to 'Swing Set' by Jurassic Five. My response to watching this was to say, very softly to my computer, "GUH."
( Read more... )
After they finished, we applauded the professors for a semester well done (all Oberlin classes finish with a final clap for the professor). Then, John put on music, Sam fixed the stereos, and we all started to dance.
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