John, a student at my alma mater Michigan State, called tonight. He was a little nervous at first. He was calling from the College of Arts and Letters to confirm my information in the alumni database and started off by asking what my major had been; I said English and Women’s Studies. He confirmed my address and occupation. When I confirmed that I’m a Web site administrator he pondered aloud with all innocence and sincerity that my English degree must help with that but what had my Women’s Studies degree done to help me with my job? Ooops! I thought, they don’t give y’all enough training before they put you on the phones.
“It helped me with my life,” I told John kindly. “Wow,” he said, impressed. I added that they didn’t have courses in Web site administration when I was at MSU in 1990, at first trying to account for why I wasn’t working “in my field” but ending up sounding like someone who is roughly 36 and working in technology.
I told John that I was still paying on my student loans and had decided not to give money to MSU until they were paid off. I told him I didn’t want to mess up his quota by making him waste his time on the call with me. He told me they were also supposed to be telling us about what MSU was doing and the length of the call was important, too. Good enough.
He started off by telling me about a new, 5-story, very cool art museum that was being built to replace the Kresge Art Museum. “Not that Kresge isn’t already an art museum,” he said at one point. “It’s OK, John, Kresge is an old classroom building with a few galleries,” I said. I asked where it was going up. He said on Grand River. I pondered. There isn’t much space on Grand River. “Where on Grand River?” I said. He said they were tearing down a building near Berkey. “Morrill Hall?” I asked. He said yeah. “No, John, say it ain’t so!” I said, “Morrill Hall is my favorite building on campus. Did you know that when women students were first admitted to MSU, Morrill Hall was their dormitory? And the English Department is there. Where is the English Department going to be now?” Somebody behind him heard enough of the conversation to correct him. Some building meaningless to my history at MSU was being torn down. “Oh, Ok,” I said.
John told me they’re trying to raise enough money to bring J.K. Rowling to campus. I said that would be very cool and that I would be happy to pay for tickets to that event. People say an English degree is worth nothing? Hah! Have MSU give College of Arts and Letters alumns a first shot at the lottery for those tickets!
In the end, John told me I was the best call he’d had all day. I told John that I loved MSU and my time there, that I’d gotten married on campus, had an MSU license plate (Michigan has a program where college plates donate money back to the school each year), that I hoped to work for MSU some day, and that I hoped he’d have good memories after he graduated, too. He repeated I was the best call he’d had all day.
Good night, John, and best of luck to you. I wish you a high enough income that you can pay your student loans and give money to MSU at the same time.
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