In order to keep track of my students, I usually assign them nicknames at the beginning of the semester. On the first day of class Susannah was wearing a blue denim jacket, so I dubbed her “BJ” as in Blue Jacket. The name seemed to catch on, since I noticed that soon all of the other students, or at least all of the male ones, were using it as well. I noticed that each time BJ that I addressed BJ during class (“Now you are really using your head, BJ!” or “BJ, are you prepared to give an oral presentation today?”), she tended to flush bright red and looked deeply unhappy. I had her come for office hours to discuss the matter. She explained that she was unhappy with the nickname. We came up with a win-win solution that not only resulted in a new nickname for BJ but also guarantees her a passing grade. She will be performing regular evening service projects for myself and the department. She also confided in me that she is determined to attend medical school in the future. Since BJ is a Determined Premed, I have assigned her a new nickname: DP
