Call it remedial education for the etiquette-impaired.

St. Scholastica now teaches table manners to students.

"No Jobs For Slobs," an evening of social skills training, is sponsored by The Student Alumni Association and the Career Development Center. This year's event was held in February. Admission was $10.

"We were shooting for 40 or maybe 50" participants, said freshman Abbey Carlson, co-chair of the event. Seventy-one signed up.

"We learned some of those basic skills so you can present yourself better," she said. "I think we all left feeling more comfortable about what to do in business settings."

The master of ceremonies was Marcia Doty, chair of the St. Scholastica Management Institute and a professional development consultant. She led the participants through a social hour followed by a four-course meal.

Throughout the evening she offered a stream of tips on matters of how-to (correctly shake hands, pass food around a table), when-to (exchange business cards, begin eating) and where-to (wear a nametag, put your napkin when leaving the table).

"She had just a plethora of advice to offer," Carlson said, "simple little things that make those kind of situations go so much better."

Jane Casperson '79 attended and sponsored a student, as did several other alumni.

"I think we often expect these young people, who are so well prepared intellectually, to automatically perform well on job interviews or exploratory dinners," Casperson said. "We forget that in today's age they may not have been tutored in the social skills. So what a great idea, and a very fun format to do it in. I told Marcia that I could have used something like this when I was that age."

The Student Alumni Association hopes that next year's event can bring together more alums and current students.