Professor Announcing First Essay Due Oct. 15, as if Sam Receiving Letter Grade

To cap off Thursday’s lecture in HIST-145: European Fascism and WWII, Professor Rosenblum announced to the class that the first mid-term essay would officially be due at 9 pm on October 15, as if Sam Jafri (W ‘22) was taking the course for a letter grade.  

While some may have assumed the announcement was resolute for the entire 40-person lecture, it could not have been directed at Jafri, given Jafri’s schedule of entirely pass/fail classes is set to require neither flying colors nor papers with precise due dates. 

“I love that he’s trying to set up a little schedule for himself during all of this chaos,” said Jafri in reference to his professor’s firm and unwavering midterm deadline. “I read that that can be really helpful in trying to feel like you have a sense of control. Genuinely, it’s so sweet he’s setting goals for himself. I’m really happy for him.”

The sweet, confused, Professor made the decision to announce the assignment early, in an effort to give each student taking the class for a letter grade, of whom Jafri was not, ample time to write a beautiful, cogent essay about Nazism — or some other type of European fascism that Jafri would probably know more about, were he listening for any part of the lecture.

“To be transparent, I would say I’ve been watching the lectures more for vibe than for content,” said Jafri. “And, boy, does this little man have charisma. He always looks like he’s having a great time presenting, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters here.”