Mel Weyant
Mel is a long time TIP staffer, working primarily at East Campus. In 2009 she was an RC at East (during the notorious swine flu epidemic). She returned to East in 2010-11 as a TA for Evolution of Empires and Revolution and Terror. In 2013 Mel was a TA with the International Relations program in China, and she returned to her TA position for EoE at East in 2014.
Rumors abound that Mel was a TIPster, but none have been able to confirm this.
Mel is most assuredly a perfect combination of every staff member on East Campus 2010. Not only was she a TiPster in the 2005 llama posse, but she is Kathleen Mayer's right hand woman (and Kathleen is her left-hand man) and possess the bellowing voice of James Hicks (though James would like to argue that such an assertion is nothing short of pure fiction). She is awesomeness-incarnate and is the staff liaison for the annual flight of the llama at East.
Another thing that sets Mel apart from the rest of the staff is her ability to have "ginger babies" as quoted from one Spencer Morris. She is a fiery red-head.
She is also famous for her devotion to and love of Hipster Tipsters, and runs Indie Dance Party at every term. She is THE founder of the Bad Poetry? Oh Noetry! notebook and reads it with Kathleen on TiP Llore night.
She was an RC in Alspaugh her first year on campus during the crisis of Swine flu AKA Swine '09, and returned in 2010 as TA for Despots, Kings, and CEO's: The Empires Strike Back term 1 and Revolution and Terror term 2 (attempting to fill the shoes of Will Harris).
As one of the last remaining 'old' staff at East Term II 2011, tipsters were at some point divinely inspired to greet her with a passionate "HEY MEL!", normally at meals where she could be accosted by everybody. This would get on her nerves in due time, and requests for a new name to address her by would arise in the obscure "Hey Dex!" that would be shouted by at least one nonconforming tipster. As perhaps a side effect of this constant recognition, Mel and the whole community of tipsters grew very close, and we llove her very much. <3
Mel continued to work for TIP in 2013 bringing all the joy to China with a Field Studies trip.
She worked at East Term 1 2014 and was on record saying it would be her last summer at East Campus.
Her favorite TiPster of all time is Nathan Caroon (although on June 23, 2014 Mel revealed the truth and said that Luke Ourednik was her true favorite TIPster of all time, and Mel for the first time in recorded history was flustered). In 2018, Mel was recorded scoffing at all of this, as her favorite TiPster is clearly Madeleine Hill, with whom she is still real-life friends. Their bond is eternal.
Her other nickname is Mello Yello, but that was invented by someone much cooler than her (Luke Ourednik lovingly called her by this name, although this may just be a revival of the nickname).