Tim Elder ‘28
Canvas Assignment Correspondent
Something that all Holy Cross students can relate to is no matter what day it is there is always a reading to be done.
World-famous Classics professor, Professor Drago, assigned not just a single article or short story; he assigned the entire Dinand Library due the next day. When asked if this was an excessive use of power as a professor, he replied, “If they die, they die.” It is important to note that Professor Drago, before he found his love for Classics, employed himself as an underground boxer in Mexico City. So this unrelenting education tactic may not be too hard to trace.
It is known all around campus that when Professor Drago first entered Holy Cross he challenged Professor Creed to a debate, and let’s just say a towel should definitely be thrown in from the Creed corner. Creed was ousted by the department and Drago has kept the classics department at the tip of his finger ever since.
Freshman Rock Bilbo, unlike his contemporaries, took this challenge by the horns and started from the base of the stacks. As Rock began his treacherous literature journey, he had to fend off many stacks snakes. These snakes have been in the library for days and haven’t seen daylight in quite a while. The sight of the Italian freshman, Rock, from Philadelphia, was quite jarring and they began to pounce. Rock, knowing he had to prove himself to Drago to end the intelligence cold war they’ve been having in class, continued to grab book after book. Rock, no matter the circumstance, was not going to throw in the towel.
The sound of a grandma’s voice began to sing throughout the library, “Libraries closing, Libraries closing.” Rock hid in the bathroom with his feet on the toilet seat.
Rock had gotten through almost all of it by 7:45 a.m. the next morning. After closing the last page of the last book, he truly felt as if he was “gonna fly now.”
Rock then exited the library and ran down the Dinand Steps to get to class by 8 a.m. Rock made it all the way down the steps only to realize he forgot his eight notebooks that he had filled during his reading binge. Rock, who began to hear trumpets in his ears, knew he had to soar up the stairs and back down to arrive at class before Drago locked the door. “If you aren’t early, you’re late,” he would say in his thick Russian accent. Rock quickly grabbed his notebooks, ran out on the top of Dinad stairs and threw his arms in the air. He had enough time to get to class. Nothing could knock him down.
Rock arrived at class ready to discuss each book from the library. There was nothing that Drago could punch him with that he wasn’t ready for.
Drago Began his lecture,
“So today’s class we won’t be covering the reading at all, we will actually be talking about this mundane piece from last week’s class.”
Rock was defeated, but this wasn’t about how hard he could hit, it was about how hard he could take this hit and keep moving forward.
Copy edited by Eliza Martin ‘29
Featured image courtesy of Dreamstime.com
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