“Who is Michael Roth? Where is Michael Roth?”
After spending last semester in Amsterdam, Toni Latimer ’09 returned to campus and found herself asking these questions and others like them.
While the buzz about Usdan, Bon Appétit and President Roth may have waned since the beginning of the academic year, students now returning from abroad are experiencing these changes for the first time amidst an already acclimated student body.
For some students, these changes led to feelings of apprehension and nostalgia. Dan Cerruti ’09 explained that the stark-white and somewhat monstrous University Center represents a change to campus buildings that he does not find appealing.
“It’s following the precedent set by Fauver, which is to make buildings that somehow resemble an insane asylum on the inside,” Cerruti said.
Beyond what he considered to be the less-than-average appearance of the building, Cerruti said that he was further disappointed with what he found inside.
“Considering all the hoopla, the food hasn’t really increased in splendor,” he said.
Although Bon Appétit’s new offerings may not have lived up to Cerruti’s expectations, he explained that campus food does offer certain perks. During his semester abroad in Copenhagen, he often opted for expensive French cuisine when local herrings and liver pastes failed to please. He explained that this was one pricey practice he would not miss from abroad.
“I couldn’t always afford to eat when I wanted to,” Cerruti said. “Coming back to Usdan, I am overwhelmed by the inverse quantity-quality relation, where I can get as much bad food as I want.”
Latimer was similarly disappointed with both the architecture and food in the University Center.
“Basically, I feel like we spent a lot of money and our lives got worse,” she said.
Roth has also proved to be a source of bewilderment. As the barrage of appearances and publicity that accompanied his first semester back on campus have died down, returning students say that they have only a hazy idea of what the president is like.
Cerruti said that he was surprised by the amount of Roth enthusiasm that greeted him upon his arrival back at the University.
“I have not seen Michael Roth, though he seems to be currying some favor with his 400-person course,” he said.
The transfer of Late Night from Summerfields to Usdan, the addition of Cisco Clean Access Agent to the University’s wireless network and the new package pick-up system at Wesleyan Station also draw the ire of students returning from abroad. Students have waxed nostalgia for the burrito bar, vegan cafe and even the old neon ’06459′ sign in the previous Wesleyan Station.
The Office of International Studies is aware of the effect of change on the psyche of a student returning from abroad. A discussion of the process appears on its website.
“You may not have anticipated changes that have taken place at home, and might feel that you need to become ’reacquainted’ with your own surroundings,” reads an article entitled “Re-Entry Shock.” “As a returnee, you must begin to involve yourself in new activities at home and to plan a life built upon the future rather than the past.”
Luckily, though, even students who were a bit disgruntled admit that there are perks to some of the recent changes.
“I do kinda dig the Kosher station and the stir-fry,” Cerruti said.
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