Fewer than 40 students attended President Michael Roth’s meet-and-greet reception held Tuesday night. Roth did not seem to mind the small number, engaging one-on-one with various students on topics ranging from study abroad to the proposed Usdan boycott.
Many students voiced their gratitude to Roth for creating and updating his blog, “Roth on Wesleyan.” Roth replied that the idea, when first proposed, was met with some doubt, not to mention raised eyebrows.
“’No, no, no!’” Roth recalled the skeptics saying. “’You might say something stupid!’”
“But I say something stupid all the time!” Roth had replied.
Roth’s sense of humor came through early in the night, when one student asked him to recount his day. He mentioned that among the day’s events was a scheduled trip to visit the Wasch Center for Retired Faculty.
“Maybe this is a sign they want me to retire early,” Roth said.
When asked what his visit to the Center was like, it was clear that Roth was not in the dark about campus life. He concluded that the Center was “just like Eclectic,” sex parties and all.
The topic of academics arose as well. Roth listened as students expressed displeasure with the Drop/Add system and overwhelming early-semester workloads.
Roth then broached a controversial subject.
“So what’s this about some boycott of Usdan?” he asked the students.
Chatter began and the concerns of the student body came out. People voiced concerns from food quality to lengthy lines.
“Are the lines really that long?” Roth asked in response. “I’ve never had to wait more than five minutes at the Café.”
The President was informed that the Café is not the same as the Marketplace, and no time is comparable to 6:00 p.m. on a weekday, when crowds of hungry students are often at their largest.
Roth also spoke widely on his interest in art. Having recently toured the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, he said that the current exhibit, highlighting the work of artist Alfredo Jaar, was especially impressive.
Students quickly learned of their President’s passion for photography. Roth said that he will be teaching a course entitled “Photography in Representation” during the spring term.
“It’s a photography and philosophy class,” he explained.
The conversation soon transitioned to the subject of study abroad. Kate Gavriel ’09 studied last term only a few blocks away from where Roth took up residency in Paris.
“I first went to France as a grad student,” Roth recalled.
Gavriel and Samantha Sommers ’09 offered Roth a gift upon their departure. Both Gavriel and Sommers are representatives of Ostranenie, a student-run literary magazine.
“We don’t have that many copies, but we just wanted you to have this,” Sommers said, handing over a copy of an issue.
The night came to a close when Roth had to return home, but he left the event in a generous mood.
“I’ve got a daughter at home,” he said, “but take some cookies!”
Leave a Reply