Today's Faux Pas

So it has been one of those weeks so far, where my inexperience about things at USC have tripped up my good intentions and led to some excruciatingly embarrassing screwups. Yesterday, I was supposed to be at a big two hour lunch meeting at the Annenberg Center for Communication where we (lots of the great and the good of the Los Angeles "learned" folk -plus me-) brainstormed about Science and Creativity. I get invited to take part in these things and I want to contribute, and it's an honour, etc...... but I screwed up and did not make it, for reasons I described earlier. (Who knew there was both an Annenberg Center for Communications and an Annenberg School for Communications?) Sent apology email offering public self-evisceration. I'd been invited at beginning of the semester to serve on the Board of Trustees Student Affairs Committee as a Faculty Observer. This is indeed a great honour (I was told) but had no good idea of what it was. Anyway, "student affairs" was enough to get me interested in wanting to help. Well, last month I missed the first meeting because once I agreed to serve, I was told on the phone that I'd get followup information about where the meeting was and when. Then I'd put it in all my various beeping and vibrating devices to remind me. It never came, so no beeps or buzzes. Turned out the information was in the orginal invitation letter. Ok, I'll take half the blame for that one. But only half. Sent apology email offering public self-evisceration. So the next meeting was all lined up for today, and I wanted to make sure that nothing screwed up. I even avoided two major landmines: (1) The invitation calls the building where the meeting was held by its official name, a name that hardly anybody uses. (2) Managed not to spill my morning coffee that I drink on the bus down the front of my shirt, which can happen because of the driving skills of all concerned (not just the bus driver). Anyway, in my office I have my emergency jacket for use in transforming myself from reasonably well-dressed faculty member to slightly-more-formally dressed faculty member on those occasions when one goes to the fancier committees or lunches, etc. I decided not to put on a tie, however, since it was the "Student Affairs" committee, and surely we'll be a little less formal, to put the students at ease? Nope. Wrong. It was really funny actually, once I rallied. I had no idea that this actually was a Board of Trustees meeting! So they were there in strength (not all 50, and since someone will ask - not Spielberg). So was the University President. And believe me, especially in a private university, your Trustees and your President and all the folks from his office are serious about being well-dressed at their meetings. It went from 10:30am to 12:45pm, and it was serious, serious business ending with a splendid lunch... and did I mention that everyone really really well-dressed, except me? The good news is that I don't wear very casual clothes to work anyway (only on occasion), so with the jacket my usual plain shirt and trousers were fine (I always wear solid colours which some people find formal anyway), but it is still amazing how awkward one can feel when everybody in the room is unexpectedly wearing a tie and not you! Of course, you're all going to to say that you're all free thinkers and that I'm shallow, and that this would not have bothered you, in fact you would have enjoyed it and I agree with you (except the shallow part). The point is that word "unexpectedly". If you enter a room with a "Devil may care" or "Take the path less chosen" or "What do I care what other people think?" attitude -and I do so just as much as the next guy (ho ho ho)- then you can damned well walk naked into a room of clothed people and not bat an eyelid. But if you unexpectedly step into a room with people you've never met and find yourself called upon to be the one that does not fit, I claim that no matter who you are, there will be a moment - no matter how small- where you're a bit hot under the collar. I don't know why that is.... probably something at the foundations of how we evolved out there on the plains. Group dynamics, cooperations and conventions of various sorts run deep in our psyche. Or not. Discuss. (Question for you: Is it better to turn up to something and be unexpectedly overdressed, or underdressed? Any stories to share? I can't decide which I prefer in those situations.... maybe the former, but then I'm often accused of overdressing, and not always kindly. I know.....shallow of me to ask, and you think that I should be blogging about important things.....but you know what? I don't care if you think that!) It wore off after a while and I enjoyed the whole thing immensely. But it was sort of funny at the same time, since you could initially see people giving a sort of glance over and perhaps trying to recall when was the last time they every seen anyone (male) not wearing a tie during the meetings at the highest level of the university, in the president's rather nice suite of meeting/dining rooms. About the meeting itself I will not tell you anything in detail. That would not be appropriate. But it was great to be part of it since the President, his staff and the Trustees really listen to the students an their concerns. It is simply amazing to me, having come from a university culture in the UK where at many of the institutions the students are largely thought of as an annoyance that spoils the nice quiet landscaped campus for part of the year. (I'm going to get beaten up for that remark). Student representatives of the Undergraduate Senate and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate make presentations (amazingly professional-looking ones! No, they were not science majors.....sigh) right alongside the presentations from members of the President's staff, and the people from Department of Public Safety, etc. And then we all have a great lunch and talk some more, and to which even more students (these change each meeting) are invited, and again are listened to carefully. These guys really care about their students. I like that, and it is good to take part in it. -cvj