julia_in_nj2007
Experienced
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2016
- Posts
- 54
1964. University of Chicago.
***
Dr. Jennifer Berke was, by all accounts, a success story. She had accomplished so much, all by the age of 40. Ivy League degrees. Awards. Published papers. All in an age when a woman's role in academia was still very difficult, if not frowned upon. But at the University of Chicago, merit rose to the top. This was befitting for an institution with a faculty renowned for its role in shaping libertarian/free-market thought. Her paper entitled "the success of capitalism in rural Latin America" was one proudly displayed throughout the university.
But not all faculty thought that way. And, certainly, not every student. Young minds tended to ask questions, which meant they did not accept orthodoxy. And that was fine. But many young students also thought they knew it all. That they had all of the answers. And that they should never be questioned.
Bernard Sumner was one of those students. About six feet tall with close-cropped black hair, Sumner was one of the student body's most outspoken socialists. He had Dr. Berke for an "Economics and Political Science" class and participated a lot. She typically appreciated such actions, but he was not respectful of other students' beliefs. Nor her. He was a know-it-all who spoke in the cadence of his native Brooklyn. Tall, about six feet. With jet black hair that was almost curly. She didn't know his reputation socially on campus, but she found him attractive.
One day, he was in particularly aggressive in class when sarcastically denouncing the ills of capitalism. She was home, working on the abstract of her new paper. But she could not escape the thought of Bernard. His smirk. His overconfident stride.
And she was overcome with something. A feeling she only had a few times before, and now one she was not able to shake. She was almost hypnotized as she started typing.
Class was at 9:30 AM. The lecture lasted about an hour. She arrived early. Bernard, as usual, showed up promptly.
"Mr. Sumner. May I have a few words with you today after class?"
She said this as if it was going to be a normal interaction.
***
Dr. Jennifer Berke was, by all accounts, a success story. She had accomplished so much, all by the age of 40. Ivy League degrees. Awards. Published papers. All in an age when a woman's role in academia was still very difficult, if not frowned upon. But at the University of Chicago, merit rose to the top. This was befitting for an institution with a faculty renowned for its role in shaping libertarian/free-market thought. Her paper entitled "the success of capitalism in rural Latin America" was one proudly displayed throughout the university.
But not all faculty thought that way. And, certainly, not every student. Young minds tended to ask questions, which meant they did not accept orthodoxy. And that was fine. But many young students also thought they knew it all. That they had all of the answers. And that they should never be questioned.
Bernard Sumner was one of those students. About six feet tall with close-cropped black hair, Sumner was one of the student body's most outspoken socialists. He had Dr. Berke for an "Economics and Political Science" class and participated a lot. She typically appreciated such actions, but he was not respectful of other students' beliefs. Nor her. He was a know-it-all who spoke in the cadence of his native Brooklyn. Tall, about six feet. With jet black hair that was almost curly. She didn't know his reputation socially on campus, but she found him attractive.
One day, he was in particularly aggressive in class when sarcastically denouncing the ills of capitalism. She was home, working on the abstract of her new paper. But she could not escape the thought of Bernard. His smirk. His overconfident stride.
And she was overcome with something. A feeling she only had a few times before, and now one she was not able to shake. She was almost hypnotized as she started typing.
Class was at 9:30 AM. The lecture lasted about an hour. She arrived early. Bernard, as usual, showed up promptly.
"Mr. Sumner. May I have a few words with you today after class?"
She said this as if it was going to be a normal interaction.