Sunday, April 13, 2008

TNDC Mid-Quarter Feedback ... Hilarious!

Originally Posted: Sept 22, 2007

The Thursday Night Drinking Club (TNDC) is a very popular club at Darden ... It's not officially recognized by the Darden office of student affairs, but has become an integral part of the Darden culture ... It's an ideal way to take a break after a gruelling week of classes and before the weekend social activities officially start ...

Here is a mail from the "President" of the TNDC on our mid-year TNDC class participation feedback ... it's hilarious ... You have to read my previous blog post on the regular feedback mails sent by faculty to really enjoy this ...



We are now just over half way through the first term of the TNDC course. I would like to provide you with an assessment of your TNDC contribution to date. You may receive similar memos from other faculty. However, this memo is tailored specifically to the TNDC course.

Remember that good TNDC contribution can take many forms:

· Making an insightful comment or asking a probing question that rejuvenates a discussion or redirects a conversation in a more productive direction (For example: “Did you see that girl that just walked in? She’s not a Darden student, right?”)
· Showing up
· Providing correct change to the bartender
· Asking a thought-provoking question that focuses the discussion on a key issue (For example: “Why are company briefings not brief?”)
· Shaking what your mamma gave you if an appropriate song plays
· Leaving a good tip despite long wait times
· Talking to that awkward classmate/townie and feigning interest
· NOT wearing your Darden nametag
· Where appropriate, offering drinking-related insights or making explicit connections to other hazy memories so that the focus of the discussion is enriched, elaborated, and emphasized
· NOT responding to the weekly TNDC email in a “reply all” message to the entire school

In assessing TNDC contribution, I have divided your class into three broad groups. These groups are “LUSH,” “LEERY,” and “LAZY.” Please note that these categories do not correspond to grades, as it is both premature and unprecedented to designate a grade for an extra-curricular activity. Also, recognize that since we have only had 4 sessions to date, the data on which I base my assessment is necessarily limited; there are many TNDC’s to go, so you can still influence your performance.


For LUSH people:

You are in the LUSH category; do you need some Advil? Seriously, have you been attending classes over the past few weeks or do you find that they get in the way of your alcohol-induced naps? I encourage you to look for opportunities to share your plight with some of your classmates so they do not adopt this lifestyle and, instead, pursue a more focused and productive career at Darden. In fact, why don’t you follow these links (
here and here ) and get back to us once you have dried out for a few weeks.

For LEERY people:

You are in the LEERY category. Sure, you came to the first couple of TNDC’s because you thought it would be a great place to network and meet some of the many unfamiliar faces in the class. However, now you question the incremental value of getting intoxicated on a school night, or in Crystal Ball speak, the EMV of TNDC is less than zero more than 50% of the time so it doesn’t make sense to go forward with the project. Remember, the case method requires participants to be vocal and engaged. In my experience, the best way to practice for this classroom exchange of ideas requires an open mind and a little social lubricant called alcohol.

For LAZY people:

You are in the LAZY category; did you even take the time to read this far in the email? Do you even know what TNDC stands for? OK, that was an easy question. Did you know that TNDC doesn’t start until after “Grey’s Anatomy” finishes up? Now do I have your attention? To put things bluntly, you have not been sufficiently active in the TNDC process. A famous casino pit boss once stated, “You must be present to win!” If your lack of involvement is due to the challenge of the subject matter, I seriously can not fathom how difficult it must be to show up at a bar once in a while and encourage you to approach your classmates for a ride if you would like to get your “drink on.” Going forward, I will be looking for you to contribute to the TNDC discourse and be featured in some incriminating photos that could potentially damage your employment prospects.



First Year Students, you are in the LUSH category. Congratulations! How many fingers am I holding up?

Second Year Students, you are in the LAZY category. We’re going to need to schedule a parent-teacher conference.



If you wish to discuss your TNDC contribution, please feel free to contact me at Orbit tonight at around 9 pm. However, before doing so, I ask that you first reflect upon the following three questions:

1. How well do you think that you have contributed to TNDC?

2. Why are most R-days on Friday?

3. What can I do to facilitate your ability to participate?



Best regards,


Professor G. Poobah

1 Comments:

Blogger Oren said...

Sign me up!

June 3, 2008 at 11:44 AM  

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