"Let me be brief. Let us all be brief. Let us briefly be. Welcome to Night Vale."
A representative from the University of What It Is calls the station to find a missing colleague. Plus, an update on the cats, the Barista Cultural Fair, and corrections.
Tropes present in The University of What It Is include:
- It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: The university's replacement for Carlos as science teacher is a "new media artist" who doesn't seem to even know what science is. Dr. Kayyali admits she's not sure why they hired this guy, only saying that it made sense at the time.
- Properly Paranoid: Deconstructed: After the fiasco with the (also harmless) Carnival from the previous episode, the townsfolk immediately react to the representative from the University with hostility. This leads her to believe that the town is full of deranged and xenophobic lunatics and that Carlos is not safe among them, despite the exact opposite being true.
- There Are No Rules: At Outback Steakhouse, apparently. This includes the laws of physics. Well, actually, there is one rule — if they say something is a steak, you have to eat it, even if it's actually a chair. Oh, and "there are no rules" counts as a rule. You want your philosophy non-contradictory? Go to Sizzler.
- Who's on First?: Cecil gets confused when the lady says she is from the University of What It Is.
"Today's proverb: Language will evolve irregardless of your attempt to literally lock it away in a secluded tower, obvs."
