5 Out of 5

The semester is winding to a close. Crap Papers, yet to be graded, are stacked high on my desk. The inutile clearance sheet makes its annual appearance. And evaluation forms spring up like fungi after an electrical storm. There’s often such a mad dash to the finish that the filling up of these forms takes on a mechanical, almost rhythmic, pace. A four here, a three there…

In the department, faculty members are asked to evaluate selected peers and their immediate administrators. Most often, the numbers that appear on paper barely do justice to the work that has been put in. I, for one, would like to put into words (and even these may not be sufficient) my deep appreciation for our assistant chair, Maricel.

Let me introduce you to a world without overtime pay after the jump.

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So, I won’t end up rambling endlessly; allow me to identify the five points that make Maricel exceptional at her job. There’s definitely more to her, but I hope these will serve to describe her significance in greater detail better than a bunch of numbers ever could.

• She is cordial to all who approach her table, even to those who antagonize her to no end. And not because it’s in her job description to be pleasing, but because it is how a professional who knows their manners ought to be.
• She really listens to what you have to say, even when you’re raving like a lunatic being unreasonable. She will let you finish before she even offers a reply.
• She works even when nobody notices. And she always gives it her all with or without ‘just’ remuneration. The concept of overtime does not exist in her universe.
• She calls you out even if you’re her friend. I had a number of ‘unexplained’ absences way back and she didn’t hesitate to reprimand me. And she calls me her best friend. :)
• She will fight for the department. Don’t even think of testing her resolve on this.

Maricel’s turn as head of the grievance committee assistant chair will soon pass; but before she moves on, I hope she realizes that some of us do know the lengths she has been through and will always be thankful.

*For those who are interested as to how this picture was made, lighting details can be viewed on the photo's Flickr page, which opens in a separate window when you click on the image above.