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From: CSvax:Pucc-H:aeq@pur-ee.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.social
Subject: Re: on the street where you live?
Message-ID: <232@pucc-h>
Date: Wed, 31-Aug-83 00:51:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: pucc-h.232
Posted: Wed Aug 31 00:51:53 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Aug-83 19:39:55 EDT
References: <181@beesvax.UUCP>
Organization: PUCC
Lines: 24

My mother bore me in Pomona, CA; my parents subsequently bore me to Arizona,
where I spent most of my childhood.  Two of my professors at Arizona State
had sparkling fresh PhD's from Purdue, and (surprise!) they really knew their
stuff.	So I figured Purdue must have a reasonably decent C.S. department.
Decent, yes....  I came to Purdue for grad school.  When I got my MSCS, I left
for a position in the "real world".  Unfortunately, corporations are imbued
with an atmosphere of competition, not only "Let's beat IBM's product" (I
worked for Burroughs, in Wayne, MI and Downingtown, PA, for less than 2 years
total), but the competition between people within the company for favor from
the management.  I found out that Purdue's Comp Center had some vacancies; I
applied; I was accepted; I accepted.  (The fact that I made good friends in
the [West] Lafayette, IN [home of Purdue] area during grad school helped.)
So I moved back here, and am likely to stay a while, especially since I am
now a homeownee [sic]....

This is said to be a demonstration of the "Hovde effect" (named for the late
Frederick L. Hovde, former president of Purdue):  "The world is a funnel with
Lafayette at the bottom."  In other words, once you come to Lafayette, you
can never leave permanently.  (The life story of my PUCC colleague Jeff
Schwab, from grad school on, is remarkably similar to mine.)  You will always
come back.  You cannot escape!!  But it's a nice enough area, so why escape?
(Answer:  I miss mountains.  But that's not enough to make me move away.)

-- Jeff Sargent/pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq