Begging

Tonight I got a call from student beggars the G.O.D.U. This is how part of the conversation went:

Her: "When was the last time you were on campus?"
Me: "About 18 months ago."
Her: "What brought you out this way?"
Me: "I was living in the U.C. at the time."
Her: "Do you keep on what's going on at the University?"
Me: "I try to."
Her: "Do you have any questions about what you've heard?"

I had to think about that one. Why did they do away with women's studies center but claim they were improving women's studies? Why did the most recent alumni magazine put this announcement in the corner of an article about weight loss? Is it true that international students will have to pay $4000 up front which will be put into an account and kept until graduation in case they get deported?

But I didn't ask any of that. She then asked if I wanted to donate $35 to needy student scholarships. Needy students took away my brownie at graduation, so there's no way I was going to give them anymore. Besides, I like to earmark my money for the German women writers or German in American church records projects.

So I pulled the patriarchal card and told her I would have to talk to my husband.

Speaking of begging, I really hate to do it, but I felt forced into it recently for this upcoming conference because I was under the impression that we were very low on abstracts. Turns out the member of the committee in charge of receiving them was not sending them on to the rest of us like he was suppose to. So we had/have enough, and I apologize if my friends and relations fell like I was trying to get you to sell the disgusting juice of a tropical fruit that will cure cancer in cats.