Parents’ Weekend Solves Mystery of Why Classmate in Your Lecture Acts Like That

KENNEDY HALL—Maxwell Tang ‘27 is well-known amongst his PSYCH 1300 classmates–not for being well-versed in developmental psychology–but for consistently interrupting his professor to defend Sigmund Freud from any criticism. So when Tang’s parents arrived in Ithaca for Parents’ Weekend, his tendencies began to make sense.

“Ohhhhh, that makes sense now,” said Tang’s classmate, Anabelle Wright ‘26 after seeing Mr. and Mrs. Tang sitting side by side with Maxwell in their Tuesday morning lecture. “Maxwell and his parents share a very strong, er, familial bond,” Wright continued. “It was almost beautiful to see a family so, um, in love with one another?”

Professor Christine Lorenzo, too, noticed, watching from her podium as Tang’s mother spoonfed him his apple sauce.

“When Maxwell has spoken out of turn in the past to defend Freud, I have attributed it to a disturbed internet history, which is proving to have a dramatic impact on our youth,” Professor Lorenzo said. “Fortunately, it is simply the result of a disturbed household, which psychologists have studied for far longer.”

The Tangs declined to comment, opting to instead sit on each other’s laps and bounce up and down.