Hurry up and socialize!

I described, last week, the frenzy of erudite discussion that takes place at Fletcher each March/April.  But this community is not content to spend each day engaged only in brain-expanding activities, and the end of the spring semester also sees the culmination of the year’s socializing and celebrating.

In recent weeks (or coming soon), students (and sometimes staff and professors) have chosen or will choose whether to attend (in no particular order):

◊  The “Diplomats’ Ball” — also known as the Fletcher prom — for which attendees dress up in their black-tie-optional finest.  Taking place this Saturday, these well-scrubbed community members will spend the evening dining, dancing, and floating around the Boston Harbor on a yacht.
◊  A first-years vs. second-years soccer game, at which (I suppose) all inter-Fletcher rivalries played out.
◊  Mediterranean Night (MedVolution), the last of the year’s student-organized “culture nights,” with proceeds going to Inspire Dreams.
◊  The annual study-week visit to the house of Prof. Hess, a wonderful day of sunshine and friends, far from campus.
◊  The “Fletcher Follies” — a lively celebration of all things Fletcher.  I saw the first half of Thursday’s show.  Very fun!  And funny!  (I may be able to share a video later this week.)
◊  The 2011 Date Auction for Charity.  This event, a couple of weeks back, was one of my faves from the spring.  Not only did it support two good causes (the Afghan Scholars Initiative and Fonkoze Haiti), but the lead-up to the event gave us the chance to read the creative sales pitches by Kim Liao, in which she “advertised” the students being auctioned for a date.  For example:

Bid on Natalia, the Securitizing Siren.  With her sweet, soulful eyes, Natalia disarms you with her charm the moment you meet her, but what you don’t know is that she has killer financial-product-structuring capabilities that would make even Jacque survivors weep. You think you’re a tough dude?  She can go head-to-head with you on the economic and technical merits of automobiles and tractor trailers.  Cultured, classy, and sassy, Natalia floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. Find out if you’re up for the challenge by bidding for an afternoon with this rare Slovakian beauty.

With so much going on (both intellectual and less-so), it’s no wonder that the staff suffers over the sudden absence of students at the end of May each year.  For the next month, though, I can continue to enjoy the promotions for, and news of, Fletcher events.