Well Made and Enduring

Spring was chaotic. Dr. Richards was not just an instructor, she was a student. To graduate, she needed to prepare another dissertation. It became clear that Dr. Richards ideas had undergone as significant a transformation as her wardrobe. More research was needed and Elspeth coordinated much of it. Her own work suffered. Elspeth regretted it, but her priorities did not change.

Spring Break was a time for regrouping. Dr. Richards went home to New Jersey. Elspeth stayed in Hanover to bring her own thesis up to date. At each crossroad, Elspeth chose the path of least resistance. Though the result would pass muster, it was nothing she would be proud to claim. Sobeit. Elspeth's plate was clear when it mattered.

Dr. Richards returned with a major rewrite in hand. Mozart's nemesis, Salieri, is generally acknowledged to be the only contemporary that truly understood Mozart's genius. Similarly, only an elite student of Sociology could appreciate the brilliance of Dr. Richards' new direction. Elspeth was such a student and the concept took her breath away.

The question was very simple—why do people migrate to the cities? Dr. Richards' answer was equally simple—success breeds imitation. Backing this were hundreds of cases, dozens of in-depth studies, and rigorous logic. In final form, the argument was only eighty-seven pages. Even that was due to extreme care with citations. In popular format, the thesis could be condensed to barely thirty pages.

For once, Elspeth was at ease while Dr. Richards' fretted. Her first dissertation was over three hundred pages. The brevity of the new work was disconcerting. Full of trepidation, Dr. Richards submitted a draft to Dr. Steele for final approval. The next day, a request came for a meeting with Dr. Krelinov, the head of the Sociology Department. Dr. Richards feared the worst. Even Elspeth began biting her nails.

By the time it occurred, the meeting was generating a buzz through the whole graduate school. In addition to Dr. Richards' adviser and the head of her department, the Dean of the Graduate School and the President of the University were involved. Such things rarely happened and usually involved serious legal issues. Elspeth discovered this too late to give Dr. Richards a heads-up. Genuine worry set in.

Dr. Richards returned from the meeting looking wrung out. Elspeth feared that Dr. Richards had been expelled. Instead, Dr. Richards stated that her orals were complete. This required explanation. Oral arguments are scheduled well in advance for many reasons, not least of which is to give the candidate time to prepare. The senior faculty decided to spring things on Dr. Richards at least partly as a practical joke. Partly, but not solely. Not lost on Elspeth was the fact that the President of the University would be personally signing off.

Needless to say, the story of the bizarre oral arguments was around campus in no time and world-wide almost as quickly. Academia is a closed community. This was another part of the reasoning behind the unique procedure. Gossip travels fast, even across oceans. When the dissertation was posted to the university website, downloads were more than ten times normal and stayed high for weeks. As Dr. Krelinov put it, the dissertation was, "...all I hope for, but rarely see."

Graduation was an anti-climax. Elspeth's thesis followed the established routine and she graduated, though without honors. Dr. Richards graduated Summa Cum Laude. Elspeth was amused to note that Dr. Richards did not expect it. She was probably the only one. Some of the others also graduated, Evaine also with honors. Then, it was over.