I humiliated myself at the Conviviality 

When I signed up for this article, I didn’t know what a Conviviality was. I had never even been to one, let alone heard of one. When I looked the word up, the only information I found was its more straightforward definition: the quality of being friendly, cheerful, and welcoming, often during feasts or social gatherings. Equipped with this limited knowledge and a notebook, I went to Pearsons at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday to report on the Conviviality. 

As the event took place after an Academic Senate meeting, professors started trickling into Moore Lounge around 5:20 p.m. This twenty-minute period gave me enough time to hover around the lounge, checking out what food was being offered. As soon as the Conviviality-goers appeared, I moved towards the stairwell, hoping to find a familiar face. For my own peace of mind, I needed confirmation that I was not crashing a professor party, and that journalism was, in fact, appropriate for this occasion.

This acknowledgement never came. When I spoke to Dean of Students Ron Watson, he looked absolutely bewildered as to why I was at the event. When I asked if it was okay if I observed he said, very kindly, “Umm, yeah, I think so. It’s just a party!” Then Professor Chris Fink came up the stairs and greeted me. I told him what I was there for and he graciously agreed to an interview. Finally, I got my answer. At Beloit, the Conviviality is essentially a faculty party — according to Fink, it’s a “way to bribe faculty into going to the academic meetings, by giving them beer.” When I asked what he was looking forward to this school year, and how he was excited to see Beloit grow, he laughed at me and said, “Really?” So basically, utter humiliation. I was too embarrassed to even get food, and I left after ten minutes of awkwardly standing by the door and trying to look like I had a purpose. I felt like a freak. 

One thing I will say is if someone braver and less awkward than me is hungry in December, you should totally go to the next Conviviality. The food honestly looked great, and there WAS a lot of beer.

_{Featured image: Emma Laus’29}