It’s Rag Week in Galway. What began in the 1800’s as a way for university students to raise money for charities (i.e. solicit rags/clothing for the poor) has become more of an excuse to drink and carouse than anything else. Because the Irish need an excuse to drink and carouse. Some funds certainly are raised by student societies throughout Ireland and the UK, but the cost of clean-up to the municipalities – especially in college towns like Galway – outstrips any benefit. The number of broken bottles, discarded beer cans, and random ‘lost lunches’ all over town and 
including our neighborhood is staggering. Sue even saw some ‘fare jumpers’ bail out of their taxi and flee the cabbie over two stone walls, and all before scoil!
Paul had been warned about Rag Week, and had a significant amount of experience with ethanol-induced behavioral stupidity in college. However, he was a bit surprised when only four students showed up for the midday lecture on Tuesday, and only one of them Irish. So far this semester the average daily attendance rate for his classes is a paltry 58%!! While he’s making no judgments yet, the ‘pass – fail’ curriculum doesn’t seem to inspire much of a work ethic in most students. It’s tough to motivate people to attend lecture and lab, much less study, when the passing percentage for each class is a mere forty percent. Besides, it’s obviously more fun to be loaded and puking on Abbeygate Street at dawn than worrying about silly things like electron transport and chemiosmosis.
including our neighborhood is staggering. Sue even saw some ‘fare jumpers’ bail out of their taxi and flee the cabbie over two stone walls, and all before scoil! Paul had been warned about Rag Week, and had a significant amount of experience with ethanol-induced behavioral stupidity in college. However, he was a bit surprised when only four students showed up for the midday lecture on Tuesday, and only one of them Irish. So far this semester the average daily attendance rate for his classes is a paltry 58%!! While he’s making no judgments yet, the ‘pass – fail’ curriculum doesn’t seem to inspire much of a work ethic in most students. It’s tough to motivate people to attend lecture and lab, much less study, when the passing percentage for each class is a mere forty percent. Besides, it’s obviously more fun to be loaded and puking on Abbeygate Street at dawn than worrying about silly things like electron transport and chemiosmosis.
I seem to remember a graduate student seminar you gave one time: "Laboratory Experiments in Ethanol Metabolism Relating to Ethanol Concentration, Body Weight, Time, Peanut Consumption and Conversation" I think you should bust it out to try to improve attendance.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to concur with that sentiment. Just about ANYTHING, including getting loaded and puking, was more fun than worrying about electron transport and chemiosmosis. I'm just sayin'.
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