During the proposal meeting we really got to know Greg - and his multifarious anecdotes, of course. Word goes around the dinner tables that after each conversation with Greg you also take home one of his stories. A stern devil's advocate at times and a full-hearted jokester other times, he embodies both the the noble mission and the fun in PRISE (not to suck up to him or anything :P).
As each presenter proudly proposed his or her visions for student-initiated activities, Greg, comfortably situated in a desk in front of the room, acted as the supreme judge, and the other fellows surrounding him the jury. Instead of a gavel, he had two stamps - an excellent stamp and a great (?) stamp, with which he imprinted his seal of approval, endorsement, or careful consideration. I tried to decipher the correlation between the stamps and his opinion about the proposals, but to my own confusion and eventual dismay, found none. The stamping was rather haphazard. Weird.
Though the meeting lasted an eternity of two and a half hours, it was fun to hear about all the creative social and science activity people had concocted. Thankfully, no one made a Powerpoint presentation, or dressed up (yes, we PRISE nerds do know when not to go overboard), and everyone was respectful to the presenters, some of whom worked very hard to plan the proposals aimed to enrich the social lives of their fellow PRISE cohorts.
Three days later, Greg divulged his list of approved and PRISE-funded activities via mass email. The authors of the approved activities will meet with Greg next Monday to finalize the schedule. The following were Greg-sanctioned:
Science activities
Liquid nitrogen ice cream bash
Flavor-tripping
Science movie nights
PRISE Abstract book
New England Aquarium trip
Walking with the Dinosaurs
White Mountain day hike
Murder mystery cruise
Social activities
Boston art gallery photo exhibition (the organizer with which was the old man who was dancing w/ his wife in front of me at the Baobob concert - read previous post about the concert)
PRISE and other Harvard programs party
PRISE talent show
PRISE chamber music
Small-group cultural food tours
PRISE Ball
Berry picking outing
Tanglewood trip
PRISE Box o' fun
Water balloon fight
Six Flags trip
Don't ask me why the "Murder mystery cruise" was categorized under science activities - maybe it fosters an inquisitive mind and builds a connection between a murder investigation and a science research investigation?
Only Greg knows.
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