Written by Stephanie Morgan
This past Saturday, MIS 301 professor Ashish Agarwal, hosted the much-anticipated annual MIS DWAP (Dinner With A Professor). When we walked through the threshold of Professor Ashish Agarwal’s house, we were greeted by a burnt orange kurta pajama clad Agarwal and his MIS 301 colleague, professor Prabudev Konana, wearing his standard business casual. After chatting with the professors and their families for a bit, they invited us to partake in delicious appetizers of Gobi Manchurian, samosas, a mango salsa, and, for those less adventurous students, bean dip and chips.
After stuffing our stomachs on the first course, we were treated to the entrée consisting of rice, yogurt, Shai paneer, chole, and the crowd favorite, naan. The meal didn’t end there—we also enjoyed a custard-style dessert. The Agarwals fed the 60-some students with a combination of homemade specialties and catered dishes from a local Indian restaurant.
Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors alike enjoyed dancing to popular Indian music and learning some Bollywood moves. Agarwal enjoyed hosting the DWAP for the first time and said that he plans to continue participating for years to come. He enjoys keeping the tradition alive, and he was excited to get to know students outside of class.
Agarwal stressed that the DWAP is “a nice time to get together when everyone’s so busy and stressed out at the end of the semester.” Students also enjoyed merrymaking with their classmates and professors. Saloni Naik, a BHP/pre-med junior, exclaimed, “I really like that HBA gives us such fun opportunities to get to know our professors. How else would I have known that Agarwal owns a disco ball?”
The Honors Business Association (HBA) coordinates DWAPs twice a year. The events offer students the opportunity to connect with their professors outside of an academic setting, on a more personal level.