A frog keychain causes problems against coworkers.

By: Jen Orlando

Tension in the communications department was palpable when Melanie assaulted Marek in front of an entire class. What started out as a minor interruption degenerated into an ugly confrontation. Who would have thought it was all over a froggy keychain?

“Give me the key, or I’ll have to get security!” exclaimed Melanie, secretary for the communications department at Manhattan College. She was sent to get the key from Marek for another professor who needed it for his class. 

Marek, who is a journalism professor at Manhattan College, was in the middle of leading his students in the critiquing of an article. Upon Melanie’s disruption, he had vehemently denied that he had this froggy keychain, even saying to a student: “John, don’t you have the key?” Marek’s distraction was quickly undone, though, because he let his hand slip from behind the paper where this key was hiding.

“You have the key! It’s there in your hand!” Melanie finally thought she had won, but while she crept closer, Marek retreated back. The sight for this journalism class was one of an epic back and forth battle between two heated sides.

With the key in clear view, Melanie stood there with her hair pulled back and a confused look on her face. No one in the class really understood why this little green frog caused so much turmoil, but the sense of an uncomfortable situation mixed with hilarity loomed over the classroom.

Still, Marek stood there with a look of indifference in his face. At the aforementioned threat of security, he concluded that he “didn’t care” and that she could go ahead and call security, she was not getting that key back, not without some struggle.

The students were sitting watching this scene unfold in front of them, when it turned for the worst. Melanie charged at Marek, grabbing from his hand the little green frog, while shouting, “Give me the key!”

She had now won. In her hand was the silly green frog keychain of the communications department. She gave Marek a hit on the shoulder, and sulked away mumbling something to herself.  Marek was left there in the center of the room, all of his students looking for some sort of answer on his strange behavior.

With a violent outburst like that in front of students, much is to be said about the nature of both of these professionals. The aspect of a green frog keychain should never bring anyone to violence, especially in a work environment. Still, to have someone get hit over a little frog, it even made his class chuckle at a point.