Lyceum dinner — a tradition in which students and faculty members share a formal meal — has been delayed amid ongoing staffing shortages in the Office of Campus Life (OCL).
Assistant Director for Residential Education Zach Cramer told the Record that, following the hire of a temporary area coordinator for upperclass students last week, OCL aims to host the long-standing tradition later this month or in early December.
Lyceum, a hallmark of the College’s promotional materials, typically brings together 60 to 90 students and faculty members of their choice for a three-course meal at the Faculty House. OCL allocates spots for the dinner on a first-come first-serve basis, which often fill up quickly.
This semester’s delay is the result of a vacancy in the role of area coordinator for upperclass students, the person who is typically responsible for planning the dinner.
In September, Doug Schiazza, senior associate dean of campus life, told the Record that the College’s transition to Workday delayed posting the open position but that he hoped to fill it within a few months.
Cramer said that the ongoing vacancy has limited OCL’s output, and Lyceum dinners were deprioritized in the process.
“We’ve been using the time that we do have replacing housing coordinator vacancies in Agard, for example,” he said. “It’s [also] been really important to support the work that the first-year area coordinators are doing with the [Junior Advisor] program.”
On Nov. 5, however, Gabriel Nowlin — who has previously worked for the College in a temporary capacity — began serving as a temporary area coordinator, allowing OCL to begin planning the next Lyceum dinner. Nowlin will occupy the position only until OCL hires a permanent staff member.
OCL has continued to host Doddceum — Lyceum’s less formal counterpart — this semester without a hitch. The event, where students invite faculty to a catered meal in Dodd House, is planned and run by the Residential Life Team.
Lyceum, however, requires a more complicated planning process than Doddceum, as the meal is prepared by Dining Services rather than catered. “I really think that dining, whenever they’re involved in anything, tries to go the extra mile with food preparedness,” Cramer said.
Despite the delay, Cramer emphasized that Lyceum dinners would not be discontinued, as there are funds set aside in OCL’s annual budget to make them possible.
“It’s earmarked every year,” Cramer said. “If there aren’t things that happen in September and October, we’ll have even more Lyceums in the spring semester.”
