Padua: An historic university and it's traditions

[Michael Oltmans <moltmans@>]

In my roll as a GSB den-mother it is my duty to attempt to introduce new 
traditions to the lab weather they be of my own devious making or and 
adoption of some other devious soul.  So today we travel back in time to 
a tradition from 1222 which is still alive and kicking at the University 
of Padua (Padova) in Italy.

Padua is a very old university housing many famous academics from long 
long ago, including Elena Lucrezia Piscopia who gained her degree in 
Philosophy.  In case you have not heard of her she was the first woman 
graduate in the world.  That's right, the first in the world... 
(According to their web page anyway).

At this points the Lawyers have asked me to tell you that before you 
continue to read on, you must agree to participate in the ritual if you 
read about it.  I've warned you and by reading on, this is a binding 
agreement on your behalf...

After your defense you get a wreath put around your neck.  (not bad so 
far).  Then they start chanting (the lawyers have asked me to warn you 
that if you know Italian you must be 18+ to read on...).

  Dottore, Dottore
  Dottore del busco de cul
  Vaffancul, Vaffancul

Right, now we're getting somewhere.  If you don't know Italian the gist 
of it is that they are saying "Doctor Doctor," and some other stuff...

Then the fun part.  You get to dress up.  To go out to a fancy 
restaurant you ask?  No!  Your friends pick your attire, making you up 
in drag is apparently popular.  Then they coat you with flour, egg, 
whipped cream etc...  You know the stuff you need for a cake or a loaf 
of bread (oh wait, that was last week).  Anyway, on with our story.

Now the ball is really rolling so the embarrassing stuff can begin. 
Amidst a crowd of your friends you get to chug your champaign, wine, or 
whatnot while reading from a kindly put together poster made by your 
friends.  It depicts lots of wonderful fun stories that you have been 
dying to tell your Grandma about ever since that one Saturday morning, 
back when you were a freshman, when your friends had to tell you what 
you had done the previous night.  And then there are the pictures.  They 
are generally high quality caricatures of the new Doctor.  Including the 
parts of the new Doctor that usual only get revealed whilst playing 
doctor with a special friend.  To make sure that everyone gets a fair 
shot at seeing all of this, the posters are prominently displayed in the 
graduate's department for the day.

Don't believe me? See for yourself (again, the lawyers have informed 
me... ah just go look, it's only drawings):
<http://www.cerritos.edu/ladkins/lraphotos/Europe/padua/pages/padova_19_edited.html>

Right.  So I think you get the idea.  So who's graduating next?  Come 
plot your friend's graduation celebration tonight at...

           +-                                                  -+
             girl scout benefit -+-  5:30 pm  -+- 32-G9 lounge
           +-                                                  -+

              For those coming from elsewhere: Building 32 is
               <http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=32>
          Once you are in 32, just take the G-elevator to the 9th
      floor and we will be in the lounge that you will be looking at
                    <http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb>


P.S. Thanks to mfoltz who pointed out Brian & Becca's blog entry
<http://beccabrian.blogspot.com/2005/10/how-to-properly-celebrate-education.html> 
 about this.

P.P.S. The lawyers would like me to inform you that they don't think the 
legal warnings are legit.

P.P.P.S. I would like to inform the lawyers that they are full of hoooowy.






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