Time for a little game.
Some of the following incidents might be true. The others are fabricated from whole cloth. Even the true ones have been modified for dramatic effect and to protect the guilty. None of them, true, embellished, or outright false, occurred at the Kelley School of Business or Indiana University. Spot the lie(s), if you can. Good luck!
After a professor unexpectedly departed a university, an administrator occupying a neighboring office hired a contractor to make some renovations. A door disappeared. A wall disappeared. The administrator’s office roughly doubled in size. The administrator was not very important. Few people noticed the redesign, and those who did naturally assumed that someone, somewhere, had approved it. Years later, the department was finally authorized to hire a replacement for the departed professor. There was but one problem: the replacement’s office key only opened the supply closet.
An instructor experienced a major family event midway through the semester. His home and work obligations became too demanding, and he stopped holding classes six weeks early. No students complained. Nobody else noticed. His student feedback was better than ever. The following semester, for no particular reason, classes again ended six weeks early. This proved to be a surprisingly durable pedagogical model. It was eventually discovered, several semesters later, and the instructor abruptly left the university. His remaining classes were canceled.
A senior administrator routinely had a staff member pick up his lunch without reimbursing her. The staff member eventually complained. After a multi-year review by the institution, he was directed to repay her by “EOB today.” Apparently short on liquidity, he made a quick trip to his safe-deposit box and produced $12,641 in casino chips. He still owes 52 cents.
While interviewing a candidate for a faculty position, the department chair got up to use the bathroom, which was inside the suite where the interview was taking place. He left the door open, “so he could hear.” The acoustics of the suite were, unfortunately, excellent.
A department chair invited his friend to come for a semester as a visiting professor. After a few weeks, the department chair began to refer to the visitor exclusively as “the fat Frenchman.” Their friendship eroded over time. Eventually, outside authorities became involved.
At a school-wide event, an outgoing provost was invited to reflect on his time at the university. He probably meant to talk about “strategic vision” and “transformative impact.” Instead, over the next half hour, he recounted a particularly memorable episode: “Instagram,” “belly shots,” “hot tub,” “expense account,” “anonymous source,” “front page.” He ended by wishing all involved “the very best.”
A faculty member was serving on a personnel committee evaluating a colleague with whom he was romantically involved. Given their appointments, the relationship was an HR headache, and they had tried to keep it secret. They failed. Everyone knew. When his partner’s case came up, another committee member gently suggested that, under the circumstances, perhaps the faculty member might consider recusing himself. “Why would I need to do that?” He looked confused. Genuinely confused. The meeting continued.
Think you know? Vote below. No answers will be given. Don’t even ask.