The Untold Story of I.s. Monday

[Music] >>>NARRATOR: I.S. Monday. A day of celebration for the Senior class at the College of Wooster. After months of tireless research, hours of spent meeting with their faculty mentors, and long nights writing, their projects are done. Joy fills the air. But for some, it’s a day of heartbreak. Each year, seniors at Wooster are given their own private work space, in a lab, studio or a library carrel. For many, the I.S. carrel becomes a home away from home during many late nights of research, writing, and revision. This friend in troubled times is often decorated and personalized by students as they spend more time here than anywhere else leading up to I.S. Monday. But, once that day passes, these carrels are abandoned by the students who once held them so dear. >>>GAULT 227: We had such a strong connection. Whenever she was struggling with her methods chapter she hashed it out with me, often until 1 or 2 a.m. Anytime there was major work to be done, it got done here. Together. Now she won’t even visit me to do her "Math in Contemporary Society" homework. [crying] >>>NARRATOR: We have decided to confront Meredith about her break up from Gault 241. We are waiting here, outside of the library where they built their relationship over many long months. Look! Here she comes now. Excuse me, can we ask you a few questions about your carrel? >>>MEREDITH: My carrel? >>>NARRATOR: Yes, your Independent Study carrel, Gault 227. >>>MEREDITH: Sure, I guess. >>>NARRATOR: Now, would you say that your carrel was a key part in your Independent Study process? >>>MEREDITH: Yeah, I guess. >>>NARRATOR: And did you spend the majority of your time working at the carrel? >>>MEREDITH: Yes. >>>NARRATOR: Then, can you answer us this; why is it that after completing your Independent Study, you have yet to return to your carrel? Not even to say goodbye? >>>MEREDITH: Say goodbye? You mean, like take down my pictures and sticky notes? >>>NARRATOR: Well that, and to let her know how much she helped you accomplish. >>>MEREDITH: Her? My carrel is a female? How do you even check something like that? >>>NARRATOR: Please just answer the question. >>>MEREDITH: No. I never even thought about it. Who are you? >>>NARRATOR: I’m just a man trying to tell a painful story. >>>MEREDITH: Okay, I, I gotta go. >>>NARRATOR: You know your carrel can’t go anywhere. She just sits adrift among a carpeted sea of loneliness! >>>MEREDITH: Creeper. >>>NARRATOR: Never even thought about it. A companion once held so dear, now merely an afterthought. >>>NARRATOR: I caught up again with Gault 227 to tell her how the meeting had gone. It was a painful conversation. So, tell me, where do you go from here? >>>GAULT 227: Experience has taught me to try and move on. I have been a collaborator on some really good projects, and witnessed some pretty powerful meltdowns. Each year, someone new comes along, and though I try so hard to keep my guard up, after so many late nights and multiple panic attacks, you grow fond of these kids you know? The only thing you can do is try and remember the good times, like when they leave some pizza in my cupboard for a few days or when they hang their first pictures on me. It’s those memories that get me through to the next fall, when it all begins again. [Music] >>>NARRATOR: And begin again it will. Each new year brings the opportunity for students and carrels to create that unique bond. That friendship, driven by a desire to succeed, to focus, and to create something special. I.S. Monday is no doubt a day of celebration for the seniors, but for the carrels, it is an annual reminder that something special has come to an end.