The interview was in the administration building, which was a funky 60's-style building which had the shape of a narrow X, like a chromosome, when viewed from above. I handed my letter to the receptionist and took a seat in the waiting room. Some other kids were also there waiting, undoubtedly for the same sort of interview. They all looked perfectly normal, so I couldn't imagine what they might have been called in for, yet their eyes were studiously fixed on the walls or on their own shoes, and they had looks on their faces that could be either read as guilty or apprehensive.
I looked up at the wall myself and noticed that Joseph Smith's famous quote "Teach them correct principles and they will govern themselves" was displayed there. I could hardly fault the prophet's wise words, yet it struck me as shockingly ironic to find this particular quote here in the realm of temporal punishment for misbehavior. I began to wonder what the Honor Code Office meant by posting that. Were they trying to set people at ease by suggesting that there wouldn't necessarily be any real punishment? Or perhaps they felt that kicking people out of school fell into the category of "teaching principles"? Finally I figured that they were playing mind games with us and trying to break our brains by presenting us with the most blatantly false true message possible.
I was still contemplating this strange message when my turn came up and I was ushered into an office. Read the rest of the story ->
10 comments:
Aw, man. I don't know how you made it at the Y!
Hey Melliferous!!!
Astonishing, isn't it?
Here's an interesting piece of trivia for you, though: In real life I never got called in by Standards. The details for the interview in this episode were provided via email interview with someone I met through exmo-social.
In real life, there was a girl in my Freshman dorm who got called in by Standards (much like this interview, I imagine...) for shaving her head. (But it wasn't me -- I was keeping a low profile.) I've learned that now weird haircuts are against the dress code, but they weren't at the time. They may have made the rule specially for her!
OOOH! After reading that one, my passive-aggressiveness kicked in and I found myself thinking about stuff to do to Janie. Of course, giving her a black eye figured prominently too.
Wonder why this episode is triggering such a reaction?
Great job!
Journey
Perhaps it strikes such a chord with you because we all knew people who were only too happy to point an accusing finger at somebody else. Quite honestly, there was probably some of that in me too, during my self-righteous youth -- although I never would have dreamed of turning anybody in for anything, particularly not a bad haircut. No, I would have just immersed myself in that classic BYU activity of giggling, whispering, acting shocked, and making sure everybody had heard the rumor.
(Ugh. What a bunch of self-righteous little snots we were!)
I wasn't expecting the April twist, by the way. Very interested to see how this all develops.
Y'know, when reading Young Women's, I thought April might've been gay--but then Youth Conference made me think she wasn't. Glad to see I was right. This is very cool.
There were rumors at my evangelical Christian college of CDIs - Christian Duty Informants: students who spied on other students and reported them for breaking the rules. I think it was an urban legend, but who knows? All I can say for sure is that I wasn't one of them. :)
The thought of you at BYU doesn't compute. Not for a second, not for a millisecond.
Hey Journey!!!
Glad the story is exciting!! :D
Hey Robyn!!!
That's cool that it strikes a chord -- were you at BYU too, or are you just talking about Mormonism or religious youth groups in general? As for April, I was hoping I'd sufficiently foreshadowed that, both in Young Women's and in the first chapter of BYU, but maybe not...
Hey UFPC!!!
Exactly!! Glad I wasn't too subtle. :D
Hey Chaplain!!!
I don't think BYU had any students officially deputized to turn people in, but if you're breaking the rules openly, it's possible to get turned in by well-meaning roommates or others in your dorm or apartment building or ward. It was my understanding that this is one of the reasons why ordinary undergrads are not allowed to live in studio (one person) apartments -- they could fill their apartment with beer and a coffee machine and nudie pics, and there's be no one to tell on them for it!!! :D
À propos: Have you heard the oldie about how you always bring two Mormons with you on a fishing trip? If you bring only one, he drinks all your beer... ;^)
Hey Sideon!!!
And yet I was at BYU. Amazing, no?
"it's possible to get turned in by well-meaning roommates or others in your dorm or apartment building or ward."
I know that happened. Some well-meaning Christian did it to a friend of mine, all based on circumstantial evidence, and really screwed her last two years at the college.
Hey Chaplain!!!
Not surprising!!! This sort of thing happens all the time at BYU -- here's yet another example.
Post a Comment