A W&M Love Story

Being a phonathon supervisor now, I don't really get to call anymore, which is a surprisingly big loss.  However, when finals roll around, I'm back on the phones! We don't require our callers to put in any time during those stressful weeks - I don't think it would be a very cheerful work environment - thus, supervisors have to call during finals!

This may seem like an odd reason to get excited, but calling alumni produces some of the most interesting and insightful conversations I've ever had.  Sure, we have the occasional cranky person on the other end of the phone, but the good calls far outweigh the upsetting ones. 

One of my most memorable calls, which I still smile about two years later, was hearing true a William & Mary love story.  My prospect was thrilled when I told him that I lived in Ludwell apartments, and excitedly told me how Ludwell, with its cockroaches, dank stairwells and character-building walks to campus, changed his life.  It was move-in day of junior year.  He stepped out of his car in the courtyard, arms laden with laundry baskets and hangers, and saw the most beautiful women in the world, lying in a black bikini on the picnic table.  30 years later, they're still happily married.  They must have walked across the Crim Dell together.

Another favorite call was with a woman that attended the College in the 1930's; she was one of the first classes graduating with women!  We compared war stories about life at the university as a woman, and I'll admit, hers were more exciting.  From the uniforms to the designated ‘social hours', the university was a lot different back then, particularly for one of the first classes of women.  Later in life, she was the first bride to get married at Wren Chapel.

While these particular instances stand out prominently in my memory, every time an alumnus, a parent, or just a friend of the College gets on the phone with me, something spectacular happens.  We make a connection over how beautiful our campus is in the springtime, how lucky we are to have a degree from such a reputed university as ours, or how nerdy we are, that Swem library has to kick students out at 2 a.m.  Regardless, the love of the College permeates every conversation I have when calling.  That, and dismay over Morton Hall, of course.