Ray Pospisil Day

It’s the end of a long, hectic semester, and it is time for a University of North Dakota story. Stories like these, that are passed down from generation to generation, are part of what makes our campus a special place:

Many years ago — some say the 1950s others the 1920s or 1930s or even the 1970s or 1980s (or even 1880s!) — there was a man called Ray Pospisil. He worked in the registrar’s office. Toward the end of every semester, he would make the announcement at that final grades could now be submitted and were due at a particular date.

This was usually with some fanfare: the ringing of the campus bells, a “huzzah” from the students and faculty as the news of the announcement would course across campus; some would raise a celebratory glass at the moment. Almost instantly, pre-printed flyers would appear around campus naming the location of student parties and dances. Throughout the day, people would wish one another a “happy Ray Pospisil day!” and the campus would embrace a celebratory mood that belied the stress and anxiety of the finals to come.

When the internet age arrived the administration saw fit to make a gesture to the original Ray Pospisil and the celebrations associated with his end-of-the-semester announcement. Today, the email that makes known that final grade rosters are ready comes from an account named “Ray Pospisil.” And, thus, the administration has preserved the shadow of a campus tradition into the 21st century. Today there are fewer “huzzahs” and the bells are silent, students no long plan parties for the day or wish each other well. But in a few campus buildings where some older faculty work and teach, there is the quiet ripple of applause (and maybe a draught of coffee, water, or whatever one keeps in one’s bottom drawer) to mark this moment.

Campuses are full of little traditions. These don’t get inscribed in glossy alumni magazines or touted on recruitment websites. They trace lines that course through both the public life of campus and extend deep into the undercommons. Ray Pospisil Day is a minor tradition — one that an updated email system or a new provost or some flashy new marketing priority could wipe away — but faculty and staff maintain it quietly without fanfare to show that they remember people who did meaningful work and embed these memories into the annual rhythm of the academic year.