FIRST FALL WITHOUT DEBORAH BENJAMIN’S CREATIVE TRIBUNE ARTICLES
I begged Deborah Benjamin to come back to work for us. She said “no.” I asked her to just come back to do the final exam schedule. She said “no.” I asked her to write the Daily Tribune article for the start of school. She said “no.” I have even asked her to come back for lunch (and I would pay.) She has not responded yet. I refuse to take this personally. Deborah is enjoying retirement. Travelling, writing, reading, cooking. Oh wait, Deborah NEVER cooks. Travelling, writing, reading, cooking, eating at restaurants – and just generally enjoying the life of leisure.
And we are happy for her. She deserves it. Almost 40 years working in a registration office deserves some fun in retirement.
But that means changes for us at MCC. Good changes. But changes just the same.
Denise Calarco, formerly of the MCC Parking Office, joined the R&R team on Wednesday. She is going to manage our classroom and final examination scheduling process. She is smart, hard-working, fast learning and technically proficient. She has a great attitude and is excited for the opportunity and challenge. Please help me welcome Denise to the R&R office by sending her your room change requests at DCalarco@monroecc.edu <mailto:DCalarco@monroecc.edu> . (In this business, you have to dive right into the deep end on the first day of work!) You could call her at x2245, but a written request is always needed.
Be sure to include the following information:
- Your name
- The course you are teaching (e.g. ENG 101-001)
- Course Reference Number (CRN)
- Details as to why you need the room change and what you are looking for
Remember, Deb did room scheduling for 25+ years at MCC. You might not have known who she was, because she hid in her office. But she knew who YOU were and she knew what you wanted. She knew if you were recuperating from knee surgery and couldn’t use the stairs or were pregnant and wanted to be near the ladies room. She even knew which rooms had “bad vibes” for specific faculty. And she made everyone happy in a very quiet and unassuming way.
Denise does not have this institutional knowledge so please be detailed in your requests. Do not assume we know what you want because you ask for it every year. And please be really, really, really nice to Denise because I want her to stay and love this job. We are very lovable in R&R. And faculty are very lovable also. If faculty or R&R have any personality quirks or oddities or short tempers, I would prefer Denise not experience this behavior in her first term. Our goal is to meet your needs and place you in the perfect classroom for the fall semester. We appreciate your understanding that we are a little “green” these days but are confident that the start of the term will be successful.
If you have any suggestions or comments, please send them to me. We would love to hear your ideas.
Betsy Ripton
Registration and Records
08/25/2014 |