Alex Puga, professor of Hispanic Studies and interim director of the Hispanic Studies Program
What’s in your office?
1. My books are in a constant state of disorganization, but one corner of the shelf holds my collection of Mexico City narratives. From one semester to the next, I rearrange those books according to need, and I always marvel at how such a specified, ponderous interest finds its way into my work at DePauw. Students in a town of eleven thousand do amazing things with a megalopolis of twenty two million people.
2. My corner chair provides down time and a change of perspective when things get complicated (but that happens so infrequently at DePauw, right?). The window sill is at the ideal height for a delinquent read in the course of doing the more operational tasks that professors never expected they would have to deal with.
3. Speaking of windows, the panoramic view is excellent. It’s a rather large space, which I acquired through a tacit right to eminent domain after the department of Modern Languages restructured into Global Languages. Newcomers invariably say, “Whoa, this is a big office.” I invariably say, “Yeah.”
4. This office was also formerly occupied by my friend and mentor, the late Bob Hershberger. I miss him, but these days I laugh out loud thinking about all the laughter we shared here. What more can we ask of those who have left us?
5. Behind my desk, I have a collection of posters from blues shows that I performed in and/or attended. Toddler parenthood has thrown a wrench into that pursuit, which often requires late nights and hours on the highway, but I expect to be back at it someday.
