Learning from my mistakes

Word to the wise: If you're sitting in the drawing studio chatting with the drawing professor and you hear a faint caterwauling, do not ask, "Is someone in the next room shaving a cat?" Especially do not do this if you aren't entirely familiar with the layout of the art department, where the drawing studio butts right up next to a row of practice rooms for music students. 

Not a cat screaming but a soprano practicing. I won't make that mistake again!

So far my tenure as Chair of the Art Department has been fairly uneventful. One faculty member left without being replaced, one is on sabbatical, one teaches evening classes, and one teaches online, so this morning the whole top floor of the Arts building was quiet--until the soprano started reaching for the high notes. I've enjoyed getting to know some very talented faculty members, and soon I'll be visiting classrooms to watch them work.

Meanwhile, I've been fielding emails asking questions to which my first response is I don't know but I'll find out for you. Why didn't the prof let this student add the course? Because she can't fit 17 butts into 16 seats. Who is administering this scholarship contest now that the person in charge no longer works here? Let's shift that task to someone else. How do I find out what courses a certain professor plans to offer next year? Well, for starters, you could ask the professor. And so on.

Seeking answers is a great way to learn how the department functions, and of course I'm also learning from my mistakes. I'll continue tracking down answers to the most baffling questions as long as no one asks me to make any art, because anything I draw is the visual equivalent of screaming cats.