Tenure Track Read Online Free PDF Page A

payin’ jobs for twelve-year olds.”
    “ It looks like you’ve also done some research work at a law firm,” he noted.
    “ Yessir.”
    He raised one eyebrow slightly. “And now you also do some waitressing?”
    “ Yessir.”
    “ The Chug-a-Lug,” he read out loud.
    “ I know, it’s a silly name—“
    He waved her off. “No need to apologize,” he said, still looking down. “The Chug-a-Lug is a landmark around here. I’ve even had occasion to step in there once or twice myself.”
    “ Yeah. Well, it’s fun work,” she said. “College kids aren’t great tippers, but they’re fun to hang out with and I get to hear the bands for free on weekends.” She did not mention how badly she needed the paycheck. Despite her family’s hard-earned success, Mandy was expected to pay all of her own expenses beyond tuition, rent, utilities, and a limited food allowance.
    “ What kind of research did you do at the law firm?” Lewis asked, abruptly changing the subject.
    Mandy did not miss a beat. “Oh, all kindsa things. Our firm mainly handled family court issues, so it was a lotta lookin’ up case law and such.” Actually, it had mostly been Xeroxing and printing out cases that her mother asked her to look up on Lexis or in the law library. But since such work took little time, Mandy had spent most of her paid 20 hours a week reading the cases. She had no intention of mentioning the nepotism behind her hiring, nor did she have any intention of dropping her stepfather’s well-known name.
    Lewis rested his face on one hand. “So you want to be a lawyer?”
    Now Mandy hesitated. “I’m . . . not sure. I’m thinkin’ about it. To tell ya the truth, from what I’ve seen of what lawyers do, a lotta it’s really borin’. It’s not like on TV, where you get to make great court summations. It’s mostly writin’ and readin’ briefs. Lotsa paperwork. I’m really more into public policy, so I might consider grad school or a joint degree.”
    “ Aaah, a budding politician!” he concluded.
    “ Naw,” she clarified. “From what I’ve seen, politics is too dirty for me. I’d rather be a hired wonk.”
    “ Yes, I also noticed you’ve done some volunteering for political campaigns,” he said.
    “ Well, it pays to know the right folks if you wanna get a good appointment,” she said without elaboration.
    He nodded, impressed that she had thought through her future so much. He was also impressed with her vocabulary, using the proper term “summations” instead of “speeches,” for example, as well as other legalistic words and phrases, her speech marred only by that drawl. However, he also recognized that within this state’s political scene, a drawl was often an asset more than a detriment. Finally looking up, he noticed that she sat very straight, without the slouching posture he usually observed in undergrads. She came across as confident and mature, without being cocky.
    He glanced back at the sheet of paper. “I see you listed Dr. Stevens as a reference. She has pretty high standards.” That’s an understatement. He found it hard to believe that Sheila Stevens would be willing to give a reference to a sophomore. With an authoritative voice that sounded like a cross between Barbara Jordan and Maya Angelou and eyes that could pierce the soul, Dr. Stevens—as even colleagues addressed her—was known as one of the most demanding faculty members on campus. For the majority of undergrads who only took the minimum number of required History courses, there was little incentive to study under the department’s harshest grader. Those computer-assigned to Stevens’s survey courses usually made every effort to switch to an easier teacher.
    “ Yeah, I made A’s in both of her classes last year,” Mandy explained. “My roommate ‘n’ I spent a lotta time in her office, askin’ questions ‘n’ stuff. I thought she’d get sick of us, but I think she kinda liked it. My roommate wound up declarin’