"Dear Irvin" Spring 2016 by Bill Syrett
“Dear Irvin”
A note from your
faculty adviser
Spring 2016
Dear Irvin
Hall residents:
Happy New
Year! Welcome back (or for a few of you,
welcome!) to the best living option on campus, and possibly in all of State
College, and possibly in all of Pennsylvania, the U.S., in North America, the
northern and western hemispheres, on the planet and across the universe… Anyway, Irvin is a special place for many
reasons and I am sure many of you appreciate that.
Sometimes I
tend to overlook what’s good about my life and focus on the negative, often
stressful things going on around me.
Don’t we all? So, in case you
aren’t 99.5% pumped up about the new semester (I’ll allow a half percent
negativity as a healthy dose of reality) I would like to let you know what
makes me happy to be a part of your college experience.
First, I
thank you for allowing me to feel welcome in your “home away from home.” It is always nice for me to see how some
things have changed since I was a student (too many ways to even begin to list,
except that the dining hall food is much, much better) and how some things
never change (midterm and final exam stress, for example). I greatly appreciate seeing evidence of your
support for one another, and for the college and the community, and of this I
am proud!
Also, as
someone who was pretty shy during my school days, I’d encourage board and
committee members and those of you more outgoing souls to continue to make a point
of saying hello to residents who may appear to be less interested, or detached
from the day-to-day goings-on. There
could be shyness, a perceived language barrier or any number of reasons for
someone to stay in the shadows and not get very involved and odds are pretty
high that they would welcome a friendly face and an opportunity to get more
involved. And if you’re one of us shy
people, make an effort to get more involved and I am certain (through personal
experience) that you will feel even more fortunate to be a part of this special
living option.
A few facts
about me (you may stop if you’ve heard this one already)…
I grew up in
Bristol, Connecticut and have been a “weather weenie” since age 5. I received my B.S. in Meteorology at Penn
State in the winter of 1983 and lived in Pinchot Hall (East Halls), but had
many friends in Irvin. I then earned an
M.S. here in Meteo and have worked in both research and teaching since
1987. I think Penn State is a fantastic
institution, and our college, which truly is much more student-friendly than
most, is the best on campus. I hope that
I will be able to eventually help you feel the same way if you don’t
already. My office is 606C Walker and my
email address is wjs1@psu.edu. Don’t be
a stranger if you think I can help with anything.
Again, I’m
excited to be involved with Irvin and want to hear from you with comments or
suggestions. Please write or stop by and
visit if you ever feel that I could be of service to any of you. Keep up with your work, find that perfect
balance between academics and activities, and have a great semester! Thanks very much.
Sincerely,
Bill Syrett,
Senior Lecturer in Meteorology and Manager, Joel N. Myers Weather Center Email:
wjs1@psu.edu, Ph: (814) 865-6172
