Just as the Class of 2003 had started feeling a little settled, having gotten the Crimson Greetings glitter off their hands and foreheads, and into Foundations, they were subjected to a shocking disturbance. The ECs are back. As nine hundred people stormed back into what they felt was their domain, the hapless RCs watched the parking lots and Spangler food court fill up with excited second years.
Dean Clark was joined by Carl Kester and EC Faculty Chairman Joe Badaracco in welcoming the ECs back to campus. In his address the dean reminded the Class of 2002 of the HBS mission&-to prepare for moving in as the leaders of tomorrow. He stated that there was a crying need for leaders, and that HBSers were those leaders. He hoped that the people in the room would go out and make a difference, investing in each other and in the community. He recollected how he had told the same group assembled in Burden that their first year would go by very fast, and indeed the second year would zip past as well.
Kester and Clark both alluded to the state of the economy and jobs on campus. Kester spoke about several new initiatives on campus including the new HBS CareerLink (see article, page 3). Dean Clark quickly inquired in a lighter vein if the new job bank had any jobs in it at all!
But Badaracco was more serious in his allusion to the expected recruiting scenario. The EC was urged to be selective in the companies it pursued. Badaracco cautioned the EC to not get too carried away with the wonderful opportunities that abound on campus and ensure that the learning experience was paramount in the list of priorities.
Mark Plunkett and Lori Schock, this year’s SA co-presidents, outlined some of their key priorities for the year. Lori made more than one reference to the plumbing in Chase Hall and the problems with parking.
For now the campus bears a festive air, with its largest fall occupancy ever since an extra section was added when the two cohort system began.
