Red-letter day
Literally in red on my calendar was the groundbreaking for the new paleo building today. After a little date-juggling last month, this was a day that many, many people set their eyes on and anticipated. The fact that Darrin was slated to receive an award for his hard work in the morning made the day even better. I was very happy to have a great excuse to clean up the lab and look forward to the good publicity for the school and the department.
It was a very pleasant surprise to have almost the entire museum faculty come through the lab yesterday, not only to nod in approval of my work, but to also allow Sally to tell me that I'd actually get to be a shovel-bearer in the ceremony today. A committee, whoever was on it in addition to Sally, had unanimously voted me to represent the graduate students at the groundbreaking. An honor, to be plain and simple about it. I spent a good deal of yesterday grinning from ear to ear about it, and it added extra zeal to my work and my presentation to Paleo Club afterwards. I was tired at the end of the day, but one very happy paleontologist.
Nick Famoso got the nod to represent the undergraduate students. We stuck together at the ceremony, gathering at a rather haphazard pavilion outside of the King Center. They had cut through and peeled back a bit of the chain link fencing surrounding the site, in order to put up a podium and some speakers on a plywood platform, and a line of carpet runners across the grass in front of it. Heaven forbid the state's brass get their fancy shoes dirty! We'd been told to dress as if we'd get a little muddy, so I was rather dressed down compared to everyone else. Then again, the crowd was mostly men. A business suit is pretty common for an affair like this, but what to wear if a suit's not an option? Business casual seemed a bit out of order for an outdoor ceremony, so I was happy to pull on my Paleo Club polo and represent the students as well as I could, in appearance at least. The wind made the affair a bit brisk, but I went without my coat.
President Wharton gave a surprisingly good speech. A bit halting in delivery, as it was read from papers battered a bit by the wind, but he did a very good job of giving credit where credit was due, and stressing the public benefit and public access to the new building, when it would be completed. It's nice to have someone who gets it. Govenor Rounds, on the other hand, was a bit more blank in his speech, as was a Regents member. I suppose I can't blame them because they aren't connected to the project on the same level, but they painted themselves very much as the saviors who swooped down and rescued the department from a condemned building. While they helped fund the project, and may have put in some effort to secure that funding, it was the campus folks who pushed the hardest and sweated the most over this. Dr. Martin and Dr. Fox, who have by far done the most legwork in this effort, got a mere name-drop in all of the pomp.
But it was really nice to see the turnout. Every paleo-type within the better part of the state came for the festivities, save for the BHI crew of course. The COE was represented, as was Badlands, Wind Cave (was very good to see Rodney again after all these years, he still remembers me and we had a lively discussion over the course of the afternoon), the Mammoth Site, and probably plenty of others I didn't recognize. The department faculty and staff were there of course, as well as every student that was able to make it in spite of classes. Some press, some of the govenor's staff, and it all made for quite a crowd.
As for the ceremony itself, it was short and seemed hurried. After a call for participants, everyone lined up to receive a gold shovel and a novelty Mines hard hat. I didn't even have time to adjust the massive plastic thing before I was shooed into place at one end of the line, shovel resting just in front of the eye-rollingly amusing carpet runners. There were about 30 shovels instead of the original 12, and so people had to crowd for photos. After that, I thought we'd get a chance to actually dig in and get a bit of earth disturbed, but that was it! We turned the materials back in and then proceeded inside of the King Center for a reception. I was hoping to get some good Aramark catering, but all that was to be had was some little chunks of lemon squares and cookies. Being one of the last in line, I guess I was lucky to get even that. Tours of the museum were offered to anyone who wanted them, so I left the reception early to head down there and help out. Nobody took us up, although I did end up giving a couple of tours to two families, which made it worth the effort.
I can nitpick all I want about the ceremony, but at the same time it was truly an honor to be a part of it all. The groundbreaking itself was quite unneccessary, as they've been moving earth for about a month now and look like they're finally gearing up to pour some concrete. The real celebration will be the ribbon cutting, and I really hope I'm around to see that, a year from now. Getting such warm hellos and happy inquiries about my future from the local paleos was a good thing to hear. A part of me really hopes that I'm wanted around here, that my presence is positively received and that people think well of me. I'm keeping all the fingers and toes that I can crossed. It is a statement, I think, it means something to know that the folks here wanted me to be a part of things today, and Nick too. I'm going to bed a hopeful girl tonight.
It was a very pleasant surprise to have almost the entire museum faculty come through the lab yesterday, not only to nod in approval of my work, but to also allow Sally to tell me that I'd actually get to be a shovel-bearer in the ceremony today. A committee, whoever was on it in addition to Sally, had unanimously voted me to represent the graduate students at the groundbreaking. An honor, to be plain and simple about it. I spent a good deal of yesterday grinning from ear to ear about it, and it added extra zeal to my work and my presentation to Paleo Club afterwards. I was tired at the end of the day, but one very happy paleontologist.
Nick Famoso got the nod to represent the undergraduate students. We stuck together at the ceremony, gathering at a rather haphazard pavilion outside of the King Center. They had cut through and peeled back a bit of the chain link fencing surrounding the site, in order to put up a podium and some speakers on a plywood platform, and a line of carpet runners across the grass in front of it. Heaven forbid the state's brass get their fancy shoes dirty! We'd been told to dress as if we'd get a little muddy, so I was rather dressed down compared to everyone else. Then again, the crowd was mostly men. A business suit is pretty common for an affair like this, but what to wear if a suit's not an option? Business casual seemed a bit out of order for an outdoor ceremony, so I was happy to pull on my Paleo Club polo and represent the students as well as I could, in appearance at least. The wind made the affair a bit brisk, but I went without my coat.
President Wharton gave a surprisingly good speech. A bit halting in delivery, as it was read from papers battered a bit by the wind, but he did a very good job of giving credit where credit was due, and stressing the public benefit and public access to the new building, when it would be completed. It's nice to have someone who gets it. Govenor Rounds, on the other hand, was a bit more blank in his speech, as was a Regents member. I suppose I can't blame them because they aren't connected to the project on the same level, but they painted themselves very much as the saviors who swooped down and rescued the department from a condemned building. While they helped fund the project, and may have put in some effort to secure that funding, it was the campus folks who pushed the hardest and sweated the most over this. Dr. Martin and Dr. Fox, who have by far done the most legwork in this effort, got a mere name-drop in all of the pomp.
But it was really nice to see the turnout. Every paleo-type within the better part of the state came for the festivities, save for the BHI crew of course. The COE was represented, as was Badlands, Wind Cave (was very good to see Rodney again after all these years, he still remembers me and we had a lively discussion over the course of the afternoon), the Mammoth Site, and probably plenty of others I didn't recognize. The department faculty and staff were there of course, as well as every student that was able to make it in spite of classes. Some press, some of the govenor's staff, and it all made for quite a crowd.
As for the ceremony itself, it was short and seemed hurried. After a call for participants, everyone lined up to receive a gold shovel and a novelty Mines hard hat. I didn't even have time to adjust the massive plastic thing before I was shooed into place at one end of the line, shovel resting just in front of the eye-rollingly amusing carpet runners. There were about 30 shovels instead of the original 12, and so people had to crowd for photos. After that, I thought we'd get a chance to actually dig in and get a bit of earth disturbed, but that was it! We turned the materials back in and then proceeded inside of the King Center for a reception. I was hoping to get some good Aramark catering, but all that was to be had was some little chunks of lemon squares and cookies. Being one of the last in line, I guess I was lucky to get even that. Tours of the museum were offered to anyone who wanted them, so I left the reception early to head down there and help out. Nobody took us up, although I did end up giving a couple of tours to two families, which made it worth the effort.
I can nitpick all I want about the ceremony, but at the same time it was truly an honor to be a part of it all. The groundbreaking itself was quite unneccessary, as they've been moving earth for about a month now and look like they're finally gearing up to pour some concrete. The real celebration will be the ribbon cutting, and I really hope I'm around to see that, a year from now. Getting such warm hellos and happy inquiries about my future from the local paleos was a good thing to hear. A part of me really hopes that I'm wanted around here, that my presence is positively received and that people think well of me. I'm keeping all the fingers and toes that I can crossed. It is a statement, I think, it means something to know that the folks here wanted me to be a part of things today, and Nick too. I'm going to bed a hopeful girl tonight.