Written by Demetrius on 2026-03-03

When programming, we try to develop something, but we also develop problems. We try our best to fix the problem, but we find ourselves struggling. Who or what can we turn to?

A duck! 🦆

We can talk to a duck, usually a rubber duck, (or maybe even a real duck!) to vocalize the issue we encounter and how we want to address it. The simple act of articulating a programming problem often brings about a realization that inevitably precipitates the solution.

Duck Day sought to coordinate a mid-semester gathering for our fellow Computer Science majors to grab a rubber duck, chat, unwind, and have some food. We had nearly 40 attendees, and it went off without any hiccups. What a success!

I am a Treasurer

Becoming Treasurer for the Computer Science club only recently, I learned a decent bit about event planning from the perspective of a funds person. I think going through the motions helped increase my confidence in the role. For our event’s catering order, I oversaw the major stages of ordering, communicating with the vendor, and picking up the food (with the appreciated assistance from some extra pairs of hands! 😁).

We knew our choice of vendor for quite a while. When ordering, I worked with our Club’s President to make some selections. I had and stayed below a target total. Communication with the vendor began immediately after ordering. I really enjoyed communicating our circumstances as an organization, our funding status, and both asking and answering questions. For example, we did not know if we had the requisitioned funds available to us. I communicated the uncertainty with the vendor, and I would like to imagine the vendor enjoyed staying in the loop. I genuinely did not want to sully our customer-client relationship. Eventually, I went directly to our University’s organizational funds management office and confirmed the funds availability to us. We made our payment, grabbed our food, and I call all that a success!

Problems and Solutions

Another vendor, from whom we have ordered before, gave us a hard time. Previously, after ordering online with them, we went to pick up the order only for us to hear, “we didn’t receive your order”. Of course, we cannot blame the worker for this. Their responsibility does not include making sure the online point-of-sale/ordering tools work. I also cannot in confidence conclude any intentionality in the misgivings we experienced.

For this year’s Duck Day, our Club President placed an order through the vendor’s website, but, having a bad experience with them previously, they also tried to call and confirm the order. They didn’t answer the phone. In fact, on Duck Day, we called seven (7) times with no answer. My much needed help and I drove to the place and asked about our order. They didn’t receive the order. I did not fault the worker for this happening. Luckily, the worker quickly put together our order since the food prepares easily (and is eaten even more easily! 😋).

I had a great time helping make sure this event went together and went off with relatively no issues. When an issue did come up, like when one of our vendor’s ordering system didn’t work, we addressed it.

Thank you to everyone for coming together and bringing their happiness!