Earbuds and Mosh Pits

By KEVIN J.H. DETTMAR

I was fortunate enough to spend last year on sabbatical. Although family commitments prevented me from taking my leave anywhere exotic, I enjoyed the gift of unstructured, uninterrupted days to work in my study at home, and I visited the campus only occasionally, usually under the cover of night, to retrieve my mail. Apart from periodic e-mail correspondence with my doctoral students, I went an entire year with no student contact.

Coming back to the campus last fall wasn't as difficult