Derelict of the Year Information
Each May, around finals week, members of the math department hold a Derelict of the Year Party and Award Ceremony. This annual tradition has been going on since 1974. To understand more on the background, please read the history (be sure to at least read the bit about Art Fortgang, as well as his reply).
How it works:
In the weeks leading up to finals, all persons affiliated with the department are called upon by the Derelict Committee to submit nominations. As you can see by studying past nominations on this website, some nominations are pure fabrications, while others expose the sickest and most embarrassing things someone has done. Generally speaking, all of this is done in good humour, but there have certainly been exceptions! Thus, some years it's a popularity contest, other years an unpopularity contest, and in rare years it is a true contest for actual dereliction. (Only the latter behavior is truly deserving of the award, but beggars can't be choosers: the contest is only as good as the nominations that are submitted. There is no shortage of dereliction, only a shortage of persons willing to tattletale! Note that authorships of nominations are held in strictest confidence by the committee.) The contest is open to faculty, staff, grad students, and lackeys.
Once the nominations are in, a ballot is prepared, and all department members vote and donate a few bucks for the party. (Please consider making a donation even if you are unable to attend the party!) Usually a professor steps forward offering his home for event. Few professors step forward a second time. [Okay, that was a joke: in reality, certain generous professors have stepped up to the plate year after year.]
At some point during the party, the winner is announced, some stories of past years' dereliction and parties told, and the trophy is on display for all to admire and fawn.
What the winner gets:
The winner's name will be engraved on the trophy. A computer in M103 or the grad labs will be named after the winner. (Grad lab computers are named after past grad student derelicts. M103 computers are named after past faculty/staff derelicts.) Finally, the winner's name will be enshrined on our winners page.