All Hands on Deck

“The students are coming! The students are coming!” echoes the call throughout the halls. The tile floors shine with anticipation. The arches smile even wider. There’s nothing a school loves more than students. The sleepy hard drives whir and rouse themselves in preparation for the coming onslaught of education.

There are few days which require all hands on deck with such desperation as these. A 91-year-old building, a dozen dormitories, a massive construction site, and a sludgy pond all require a great deal of attention to make them presentable. Presentable they must be, for the influx of freshmen and their very concerned parents is only three days away.

It’s not very often that you see a GED giving orders to a PhD, but on days like today it happens. Dean or fry cook, it makes no difference—grab a rake or a rag and get going! Personally, I enjoy a break from my computer and the chance to do some manual labor. A screen becomes quite tiresome after eight hours.

Dealing with the literal nuts and bolts of academia proved to be quite refreshing. The exercise relieved a lot of the stress and tension that tends to build this time of year. Everything you’ve been putting off all summer can induce a heart attack when you realize summer’s over. The school now sparkles like the staff’s eyes… thanks to the double-shot lattés we’ve downed since being up all night last night.