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A typical day in the Social List

I’m sure that you’ve noticed that I refer to the Social List a lot.  It’s both a thread to weave together the student community, and also a glimpse into student life for those of us who stand outside the window looking in.  For the second year, I thought I’d capture and annotate all the messages that circulated on a day.  (This is easy for me to do, as I receive the messages in digest form.)  On March 30, the digest arrived in four email portions, with many messages dedicated to a smaller group of topics.  Please find below the topics of discussion, with the briefest of explanations of the message content.

Social List Digest Table of Contents:

Join us, volunteer and help the community! – Fletcher Cares: Fletcher Cares is a student group that supports both the Fletcher community and groups in the local area.

Dean Stavridis, Ben Affleck, and Bill Gates: Dean Stavridis testified before Congress alongside Ben Affleck and Bill Gates.  A surprising group!

Future Opportunities & Challenges for Evaluation in the UN – April 1, 12:30-1:30pm: Notices of events can be posted on two different lists, one of which is the Social List.

Editing Skills Workshop, Wednesday: Once a year, the Director of the Writing Center holds an editing skills workshop for those who work on the various Fletcher journals and any other community member who might want to sharpen their editing skills.

Continuing the “Food for thought…” Conversation – Wednesday: Previous to this post, a student had raised a question linked to attitudes about race.  Other students created a forum for discussion of the issue.

EVENT THIS WEDNESDAY: Navigating Social Identities in the Workplace:  Another event.

Grant Writing Workshop: Monday: And more writing help, offered by the Humanitarian Action Society

Dandiya Raas/Garba this Friday at Tufts!:  Indian snacks, Bollywood music, and dancing.

New Date for Slow Food Brew Off: I’m not even sure what this was, but food and brew were involved.

Shared taxi from Logan around 1AM?: Transportation shares — a popular Social List topic.

Giveaway: Korean spicy noodles: Too many packets of spicy noodles?  The Social List can help.

Technology and Inclusive Innovation: The IBM Story in Africa: Yet another event.

MONDAY: #RealTalk: All the things about post-Fletcher life you are afraid to ask: Students helping each other as they apprehensively approach the future.

Bringing back an old Fletcher tradition: the thesis-ku: More about this topic soon.  This was the top topic on the day’s Social List digest.

Selling: Printer & Corkboard: Random combination, but just about anything can find a home.

Applications DUE TONIGHT to lead the Fletcher International Migration Group (IMG)!: One generation of Student Group leaders finding the next generation.

A few more female hosts needed for Open House!: Yes, the Admissions Office uses the Social List to connect with students, including when overnight hosts are needed for visitors.

SEEKING: Drums for Cricket World Cup semi finals: This message led to conversations about the drums, cricket, and the World Cup results.

SEEKING: Sewing Kit: Not all needs are as unusual as World Cup drums.

First Years: Don’t Fret: One of my favorite annual themes, in which second-year students reassure first-years that everything (exams, internship search, etc., etc.) will work out.

BFA – Research Associate Apr 1st deadline: Students often hear about, and share, job notices from friends, former employers, or other networks.

SEEKING: Secret dog training talent: After this, it will be secret no longer.

Have you worked in luxury retail?: The message does not reveal the mystery behind this question.

SUMMER SUBLET: Housing is a hot topic throughout the spring.

In total, 82 messages were sent to the Social List between 4:00 on March 29 and 3:59 on March 30, when the digest was compiled.  I haven’t listed all the topics that occurred more than once, but you get the idea.  The Social List is where events are posted, random questions appear, and things/jobs/housing/support are offered/requested, creating conversation and connections between and among students.