Freshman Weirds Out Club Members with Honest When2meet Responses

For every Penn student aiming to change the world, there are another hundred who feel no desire to break from tradition. Ben Putnam (W'19) is one of those students. Putnam, the chair of the Penn Undergraduate Transportation Society, marked the end of club application season - and thus, the end of his responsibilities - by sending out the expected semesterly When2meet.

And yet, there are always those who choose to break the mold. Grace Gao (C'21), one of the newest members of PUTS, shocked board members by completely and honestly filling out the When2meet.

"It looks like she literally just put available for all the times she wasn't in class," said Putnam, who seemed both awed and a little afraid. "She was the third to last person to fill it out, and she still put available during the times everyone else wasn't."

"My usual When2meet strategy is saying I'm only available after 8 on weeknights," said Vick Henderson (C'18), the vice chair of the club. "I used to make patterns that looked like Rorschach tests, but then Ben actually scheduled a meeting during one of my classes. I don't think anyone in our club accurately fills it out. We certainly don't look at it when we're making scheduling decisions."

Gao, for her part, didn't seem to realize she was such a trailblazer. "I could definitely go to a meeting in between my 1pm math lecture and my 3pm bio recitation," she pointed out. "And I am always free at 7am - it's not like I'm doing anything important then. What's the big deal?"