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I work in an academic department in a nice place I like to call Enormous State University. Every year, our department puts on a little celebration for our graduates. We have a brunch the morning of graduation day and the grads get a bit of recognition, which is nice since the university graduation is too big to recognize everyone.
We mail out invitations to all graduates and their families. This is more difficult than it sounds because college students cannot understand how to fill our forms asking for their address, and cannot be bothered to change their address when they move. We follow up with emails when an invitation is returned by the post office.
Of course we ask for RSVP. We need to know how many are coming. We have to pay based on head count and we put student's names in the program. Of course there is a deadline. Of course replies come in after the deadline. We regard it as more of a suggestion, really. I waited until two days before the event to print the programs so as to include all the latecomers. Couldn't wait much longer, as the thing's two pages long, folded into booklet form, and is collated and folded by hand. 250 copies. It takes hours.
This year, the day before the event, Bosslady got a call from an irate SC mother. "I JUST got the invitation! We're coming and you WILL put my son's name in the program! This is the highlight of graduation! I have eleven people flying in for this!!!!" (Note lack of logic. "I just got invitation. 11 people have airline reservations to be there.") Nevertheless, we redid the program, just for them. Took me all afternoon.
Did they show up? HA!
We mail out invitations to all graduates and their families. This is more difficult than it sounds because college students cannot understand how to fill our forms asking for their address, and cannot be bothered to change their address when they move. We follow up with emails when an invitation is returned by the post office.
Of course we ask for RSVP. We need to know how many are coming. We have to pay based on head count and we put student's names in the program. Of course there is a deadline. Of course replies come in after the deadline. We regard it as more of a suggestion, really. I waited until two days before the event to print the programs so as to include all the latecomers. Couldn't wait much longer, as the thing's two pages long, folded into booklet form, and is collated and folded by hand. 250 copies. It takes hours.
This year, the day before the event, Bosslady got a call from an irate SC mother. "I JUST got the invitation! We're coming and you WILL put my son's name in the program! This is the highlight of graduation! I have eleven people flying in for this!!!!" (Note lack of logic. "I just got invitation. 11 people have airline reservations to be there.") Nevertheless, we redid the program, just for them. Took me all afternoon.
Did they show up? HA!
) 
My student union had to be evacuated earlier this year because somebody burnt toast so badly that it set off the fire alarm. How do you even do that?
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