Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Victoria Allen

By Victoria Allen, Class of 2016

Although the television sitcom “Cheers” was before my time, I feel that the theme song should be appropriated and used by the McConnell Center. The Weber Lounge has been a central part of my day-to-day life since coming to UofL, and I cannot help but find it reminiscent of the Cheers Bar, the haven for all those wishing to find a familiar face. While I have yet to be greeted with a unanimous cry of, “VICTORIA,” I still feel that the atmosphere of the McConnell Center is a welcome relief from the somewhat disheartening anonymity that comes with going to a school of 20,000+.   

While reflecting on the coziness of the Center, and the easy camaraderie of my fellow scholars, I took to the Internet to find the exact lyrics to the Cheers theme song, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” by the unsung American lyrist Gary Portnoy.  In the spirit of scholarship, I have analyzed each stanza, and how it applies to the McConnell Scholars Program.

Makin' your way in the world today
Takes everything you've got
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot
Wouldn't you like to get away?

If you pop into the Center at any time of the day (i.e. from 8 AM to 5 PM on Monday-Friday), you’ll be able to see Scholars from all four classes and the occasional alumni (even though they should have left for the real world long ago) frequenting the lounge to take a break and socialize.

All those nights when you've got no lights
The check is in the mail
And your little angel
Hung the cat up by its tail
And your third fiance didn't show

While most of the Scholars have not had the privilege (or misery) of family life, this stanza is still applicable because we have all experienced life in a residence hall. For those of us that have lived in the Honors dorm, some of the scenarios mentioned above would not be out of the ordinary. I, for one, have had an eye-opening experience with the joys of being assigned a random roommate, and it has definitely made me want to sleep outside… 

Sometimes you wanna go
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
And they're always glad you came
You wanna be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You wanna be Where Everybody Knows Your Name

As a freshman, one of the things I’ve appreciated most about the program is that there are people who are older than me that have already experienced the things that I am going through. Sometimes life treats you the way  a baby treats a diaper. Whether it is difficulties with my major, college life, or an existentialist crisis, I can always get quality advice from my peers or one of the older scholars. And of course, I have access to all these great people through our own “Cheers Bar,” the McConnell Center. 

Climbing the walls when no one calls
You've lost at love again
And the more you're down and out
The more you need a friend
When you long to hear a kind hello

As finals loom closer, I’m finding the above lines to be sadly true. Everyone on campus is scurrying around, trying to study and get everything together for the end of the semester. It’s difficult to meet up with a friend, let alone get a group together, so it’s nice that the Center acts as a meeting place—or holding tank if you will—for the Scholars, who are some of my very best friends. The bit about the “kind hello,” is not exclusive to just Scholars. There have been many times where a shout out from Dr. Gregg, an awkward exchange with Glypie, a chat with Sherry, a chuckle with Aaron, or fashion advice from Malana and Trisha has really made my day. 

Roll out of bed, Mr. Coffee's dead
The morning's looking bright
And your shrink ran off to Europe
And didn't even write
And your husband wants to be a girl

At first glance, the obscurity of this verse left me for a loop. I didn’t think I would have anything to relate it to, but then I remembered every conversation that I’ve ever had with Adam Dahmer. All of a sudden, this part of the song feels relevant to everyone in the Center who has ever had a memorable chat with Adam that they fondly recall or have tried to forget.

Be glad there's one place in the world

I would like to address the first line separately from the rest of the last section. During my Freshmen Orientation, one of the most important things we were taught was that we have not done anything to earn our scholarship. Dr. Gregg impressed upon us the importance of being worthy to be a Scholar, and being aware of exactly how little we had accomplished. I appreciated his pep talk, and it is still something I think about from time to time. 

Where Everybody Knows Your Name
And they're always glad you came
You wanna go where people know
People are all the same
You wanna go Where Everybody Knows Your Name

One of the biggest concerns I had upon entering the program was that my political and/or ideological beliefs would clash with some of my fellows. Don’t get me wrong, they definitely do, but it is not the uncomfortable problem I had foreseen. Most of the people do truly know, and there is an unprecedented amount of respect to be found if you look in the right places. 

I would like to end this “scholastic investigation” on a much lighter note.  Although I’ve taken an unorthodox approach to showing my appreciation and reflecting my time with the Center, I believe that there is not a more poignant or accurate analogy for the dynamic of the McConnell Scholars Program than the program “Cheers.” 

So with that, I will sign off with a Norm Peterson wise crack. I chose the quote, because finals are rapidly approaching and everyone is going to be able to sympathize with this:

SAM: “Hey Norm! How’s the world been treating you?”

NORM: “Like a baby treats a diaper.”

“Cheers!”

Victoria Allen, of Auburn, Ky., is a freshman McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She is majoring in history and political science with a minor in social change.