Sad Times at Coffee Hour

MSSA President Emily Hoffman is very sad.

Tragedy has struck at Northwestern University. The Department of Materials Science and Engineering's weekly coffee hour, seen by many as a lone ray of sunshine and laughter in the long post-Wednesday stretch to the weekend, was by most accounts, "the worst ever". Dozens of students, eagerly anticipating the break from checking facebook and email, were dismayed to find the atrium completely empty. The long plastic tables, normally arranged in the center of the room and nigh overflowing with an assortment of store-bought or lovingly baked goods, were bereft even of crumbs and shunted carelessly against the wall. The ominous lack of coffee instigated a flurry of fearful discussion; a quick check of the schedule soon identified the culprits as the Wolverton and Lauhon groups, which could not be reached for comment. "I keep hoping they'll trundle in with a big pile of delicious cakes.." commiserated one 2nd year PhD student, but that hope was shortlived.

The first-years (and George) are not amused

A lone representative soon came forth, bearing an offering of home-baked cookies that, while extremely tasty, could not satisfy the ravenous hordes for long. As the minutes passed more pilgrims arrived on the scene, their faces demonstrating confusion, dismay, even bordering on barely-contained outrage as their trust in humanity was forever shattered. Several more items were added to the paltry collection of foodstuffs, but the damage had already been done.
 
As we try to put back the pieces and move on with our lives we can only hope that the lessons of this day will be remembered lest the past repeat itself, inflicting immeasurable frustration and despair on future generations of graduate students, postdocs, faculty and staff.