Pomp and Ceremony

The college president is being inaugurated today. He's been promoted from lower down the ranks (but still well above us bottom-dwellers), so has been around a while. He was previously my boss. Fact is he's been president since 1 June, but is now only getting the official treatment.

And boy, are they going all-out.

All us "admin ladies" had to go set out copious amounts of grape juice (being a conservative Christian institution) and snacks (no meat here!), along with flowers and glasses and plates - and yes, even the chairs. It falls in our job descriptions as "and any other duties as required by the president" - as many of our daily tasks do.

At the moment the college staff, students and Honoured Guests are in the hall, going through quite a ceremony. So why am I bunking? Well, see the "faking it" post below. That, and I came up with some good excuses as to why I shouldn't be there - urgent student processing, camera just kicked the bucket so can't take photos (I hope it's only batteries that need changing...!), etc. Besides, admin is nice and quiet now, so I can get some work done in peace.

I can hear the singing, and the college bell being run (it's what we like to call the "slave bell", see image below).


There will be speeches, there will be messages, there will be at least one local person from government. There are a lot of dressed up students doing important things on stage. There are a heap of lecturers in gowns and mortar-boards, sitting uncomfortably on a high platform.

Ah well. The joys of pomp and ceremony.

I must say I much prefer the flattened-out management structures rapidly taking over this day and age, where the mega-boss knows the work of the lowest of the low, and the lowest of the low has some influence in how the company works - and is paid, respected and cherished for being a valuable part of it. No high-and-mighties, no bottom-dwellers. Just ain't gonna happen here anytime soon.

But I'll raise a toast to the new president. May he succeed where others have failed, and may he be fair to all.