Time
It's amazing to me, how much time I have on my hands now. Of course, I haven't really started grading yet, and that will be time-consuming, but right now I've got gobs of time left over from school. I'm able to do more work around the house, and actually exercise. All this, and I'm teaching far more than I've ever taught in a semester. How can I do this? I think the secret here is service. As an adjunct, I don't have to do any service to the institution, just show up, teach, and collect my paltry paychecks. I realize now just how much of my time at EKU was spent on non-teaching work. All this time I have now, it was all sucked up by the institution. Hey, that's the way the game is played. I'm not complaining about it, just amazed that it works as well as it does.
USCS is an interesting place -- I especially like the 30% minority makeup of the student body. It will take me some getting used to, after EKU, but I'm really excited about it. The school is undergoing great growth; it's the fastest-growing university in SC. Faculty are crammed in everywhere -- I'm in a converted room that until last week housed the soda machine. We're teaching in the library, teaching in the media rooms, practically teaching in the halls. I get a good guerilla feeling from the place, like they're doing this all on a shoestring (I've been talking with some people from IT, and they're sorely understaffed, with no funds for new hires). But people are interesting, willing to work, and working hard.
GT is different. I really enjoy the people, and especially enjoy these students. I've got a class full of non-traditional students who run the gamut in skills but are all committed to their work and their betterment. I can live with that. I'm teaching online and at a branch campus, so I don't think I see the institution as a whole at its best. I think that people are committed, and working hard, but there are policies and strictures in place that get in the way of doing a good job. I'm sure that things will eventually work out, and if they don't, I'll roll with it.
I find myself playing "what if?" quite a bit. What if I had stayed at EKU? What would I be doing right now? How would I be feeling? Would I still be as frustrated? Will the institution ever commit to faculty retention? Did my leaving make any difference? Will people like Kevin and Paula ever have a chance to make a decent wage? When I think of these things, I realize that I made the only move I could; if I were still there I would be so frustrated and angry that it would kill me as it did before. From a few hundred miles away I can say that I chose the better way. I'm bringing home as much as an adjunct as I was as an associate prof with tenure (Amanda says I'm actually making more here, so I guess I am). I've got more free time. I've got less stress. I've got the time to be a husband. I've got the time to be a friend. I've got the time to write, to think, to work. Yeah, it's all about time here now.
Thursday, August 22, 2002
IT Woes
In May of 1555, Pope Marcellus, a friend of the Jesuits, died and Paul IV assumed the papacy. Paul was a bitter man who hated Spain and everything Spanish. Ignatius of Loyola, a Spaniard, was shepherding his little order, the Societatis Jesu, through the snares of counter-Reformation Europe, but the Jesuits in Rome were reduced to dire poverty by papal enmity. When pressed by his companions to speak about the new Pope, Ignatius responded, "Let us speak of good Pope Marcellus."
I could write about the Keystone Kops that staff the IT department at one of my workplaces, but I won't. I could write about the arcane and byzantine hoops one must jump through just to get what most faculty throughout the country take for granted. But I'd rather write about the great IT people at EKU. If there's one thing I'll miss down here in SC, it's the overwhelming competence of the IT staff at EKU. It seems like there was someone who actually thought about what faculty needed when they set up the IT infrastructure at EKU. The policies made sense, they faculty and students were supported, and if someone was throwing curveballs, you can bet that there would be answers soon. But more than the infrastrcuture and the skills, there was a desire, on the part of almost everyone I dealt with in IT, to be helpful, to allow me to do my job in the best way possible by providing me with the support I needed.
I certainly took that for granted when I was there. I realize now that I got far more cooperation from IT than I ever got from any other area at the University. I know that such a structure is enforced from the top, and I appreciate that. The grunts, the people on the front lines, reflect the attitudes of those above them. And those attitudes were always positive, always considerate, always willing to go the extra mile, to get the workaround, to make things right.
In fact, I just sent them an email. Here's the text:
Gentles,
You people have spoiled me. That's all there is to it -- I'm spoiled rotten. As I start a new semester here at three different schools, I want you to know that you have set the bar high for other IT departments. I've been messing with a variety of IT folks down here for a couple weeks now, and believe me, you guys rock.
Not only do you have the infrastructure and the policies and procedures that actually support students and faculty, but you also have a willingness to help, and that, I'm finding out, is the most important thing.
I hope that I told you this when I was around, but just in case I didn't, I want you to know that your work, your thoughtfulness, your desire to do things right,and your commitment to surpassing expectations are all far superior to anything I've encountered. Now that I'm seeing how the rest of the world operates, you all stand out in sharp contrast.
I hope that you have a good semester. Work down here will be fine, but I will sorely miss you, not just for the services you provided, and for the many kindnesses you showed me, but for the fact that you were, to a person, knowledgeable, friendly, approachable, and committed.
Take care,
Joe
In May of 1555, Pope Marcellus, a friend of the Jesuits, died and Paul IV assumed the papacy. Paul was a bitter man who hated Spain and everything Spanish. Ignatius of Loyola, a Spaniard, was shepherding his little order, the Societatis Jesu, through the snares of counter-Reformation Europe, but the Jesuits in Rome were reduced to dire poverty by papal enmity. When pressed by his companions to speak about the new Pope, Ignatius responded, "Let us speak of good Pope Marcellus."
I could write about the Keystone Kops that staff the IT department at one of my workplaces, but I won't. I could write about the arcane and byzantine hoops one must jump through just to get what most faculty throughout the country take for granted. But I'd rather write about the great IT people at EKU. If there's one thing I'll miss down here in SC, it's the overwhelming competence of the IT staff at EKU. It seems like there was someone who actually thought about what faculty needed when they set up the IT infrastructure at EKU. The policies made sense, they faculty and students were supported, and if someone was throwing curveballs, you can bet that there would be answers soon. But more than the infrastrcuture and the skills, there was a desire, on the part of almost everyone I dealt with in IT, to be helpful, to allow me to do my job in the best way possible by providing me with the support I needed.
I certainly took that for granted when I was there. I realize now that I got far more cooperation from IT than I ever got from any other area at the University. I know that such a structure is enforced from the top, and I appreciate that. The grunts, the people on the front lines, reflect the attitudes of those above them. And those attitudes were always positive, always considerate, always willing to go the extra mile, to get the workaround, to make things right.
In fact, I just sent them an email. Here's the text:
Gentles,
You people have spoiled me. That's all there is to it -- I'm spoiled rotten. As I start a new semester here at three different schools, I want you to know that you have set the bar high for other IT departments. I've been messing with a variety of IT folks down here for a couple weeks now, and believe me, you guys rock.
Not only do you have the infrastructure and the policies and procedures that actually support students and faculty, but you also have a willingness to help, and that, I'm finding out, is the most important thing.
I hope that I told you this when I was around, but just in case I didn't, I want you to know that your work, your thoughtfulness, your desire to do things right,and your commitment to surpassing expectations are all far superior to anything I've encountered. Now that I'm seeing how the rest of the world operates, you all stand out in sharp contrast.
I hope that you have a good semester. Work down here will be fine, but I will sorely miss you, not just for the services you provided, and for the many kindnesses you showed me, but for the fact that you were, to a person, knowledgeable, friendly, approachable, and committed.
Take care,
Joe
Friday, August 16, 2002
Starting Over
It's a new academic year, a new place, a new work situation, a new blog, and ultimately, a new life.
I'm finally getting installed down here in Taylors, SC, where I'll be teaching at Converse College, University of South Carolina Spartanburg, and Greenville Tech. I'm really running the gamut here, with courses at a two-year school, a very small four-year liberal arts school, and "South Carolina's Metroplitan University." I'll be a road warrior, a la George Brosi, but I'll survive. The important thing is that Amanda loves her job, loves the people she's working with, and can see herself staying here until retirement. That's fine by me, because I've already got nibbles from places about a full-time position for next year. The puzzle for me now is this -- I'm bringing home as much adjuncting as a slop hire for part-time work as I was as a full-time associate prof with tenure in Kentucky. And with this comes no service responsibility (something I spent a GREAT deal of time on in KY) and no pressure to put out anything. This is going to be a great year, I think. I just don't know what to do with all the free time.
Our apartment is pretty cool, with a lot of space. We live about a seven-minute drive from A's workplace, and I've got commutes of various lengths to my places. I don't mind it because the traffic is cool here. The animals have adjusted very well, especially the cats, who seem to be banding together more and more to fight the dog. Again, that's fine by me. I just dumped over 2K into the Saturn (new tranny), to make it roadworthy for the commuting I'll be doing. That's about the only bummer since we've been here.
On the plus side, it looks like Sue Smith has sold the place in Richmond. We won't get rich off of the deal, but we will get out of debt and have a bit to put down on the next house. We're looking at stuff down here, and there's plenty of new building, so we'll have a great deal to chose from. It doesn't look like I'll be a townie any more, but who knows where we'll end up?
One of these days I'll have enough stamina to talk about the GSP program, and what a great thing it was. Someday soon . . .
It's a new academic year, a new place, a new work situation, a new blog, and ultimately, a new life.
I'm finally getting installed down here in Taylors, SC, where I'll be teaching at Converse College, University of South Carolina Spartanburg, and Greenville Tech. I'm really running the gamut here, with courses at a two-year school, a very small four-year liberal arts school, and "South Carolina's Metroplitan University." I'll be a road warrior, a la George Brosi, but I'll survive. The important thing is that Amanda loves her job, loves the people she's working with, and can see herself staying here until retirement. That's fine by me, because I've already got nibbles from places about a full-time position for next year. The puzzle for me now is this -- I'm bringing home as much adjuncting as a slop hire for part-time work as I was as a full-time associate prof with tenure in Kentucky. And with this comes no service responsibility (something I spent a GREAT deal of time on in KY) and no pressure to put out anything. This is going to be a great year, I think. I just don't know what to do with all the free time.
Our apartment is pretty cool, with a lot of space. We live about a seven-minute drive from A's workplace, and I've got commutes of various lengths to my places. I don't mind it because the traffic is cool here. The animals have adjusted very well, especially the cats, who seem to be banding together more and more to fight the dog. Again, that's fine by me. I just dumped over 2K into the Saturn (new tranny), to make it roadworthy for the commuting I'll be doing. That's about the only bummer since we've been here.
On the plus side, it looks like Sue Smith has sold the place in Richmond. We won't get rich off of the deal, but we will get out of debt and have a bit to put down on the next house. We're looking at stuff down here, and there's plenty of new building, so we'll have a great deal to chose from. It doesn't look like I'll be a townie any more, but who knows where we'll end up?
One of these days I'll have enough stamina to talk about the GSP program, and what a great thing it was. Someday soon . . .
Sunday, June 16, 2002
GSP
What a great job this is for a workaholic. We just had our opening day, and things are going swimmingly. The staff here is incredibly talented, incredibly committed, and knows how to prioritize. Everything revolves around the scholars, as it should. It's refreshing to work with a group of people with a single-minded purpose, with the desire to do things right.
You've got to see this program in action to see what it can do for a scholar -- check it out.
I'm enjoying it because it's all-consuming, and because the people I am working with, from the state level on down to the Resident Advisors, are in this for the long haul. We're dealing well with EKU people, although there have been some slips (it's been suggested that these "slips" might be because of my own relationship with EKU, but I don't believe it). In fact, some people on campus have been especially great to us: Lee Van Orsdel, Julie George, and Kari Lyons of the library have been especially accommodating. Judy Cahill and Jim Keith from ITDS have been more than kind. Rich Middleton and Ed Herzog have made things work right the first time. Mark Jozefowicz in Transportation has covered well for my shortcomings. But the two most impressive people have been Mark Cross and Jill Price from Community and Workforce Ed. They have really done the lion's share of the scheduling work, putting in tedious hours making and remaking plans for us. I wish I could work with people like this every day.
OK, this is day two of the program, with thirty-four more to go. I'm sure I'll be ready for a break at the end of this, but the past two weeks have been exhausting and invogorating at the same time.
What a great job this is for a workaholic. We just had our opening day, and things are going swimmingly. The staff here is incredibly talented, incredibly committed, and knows how to prioritize. Everything revolves around the scholars, as it should. It's refreshing to work with a group of people with a single-minded purpose, with the desire to do things right.
You've got to see this program in action to see what it can do for a scholar -- check it out.
I'm enjoying it because it's all-consuming, and because the people I am working with, from the state level on down to the Resident Advisors, are in this for the long haul. We're dealing well with EKU people, although there have been some slips (it's been suggested that these "slips" might be because of my own relationship with EKU, but I don't believe it). In fact, some people on campus have been especially great to us: Lee Van Orsdel, Julie George, and Kari Lyons of the library have been especially accommodating. Judy Cahill and Jim Keith from ITDS have been more than kind. Rich Middleton and Ed Herzog have made things work right the first time. Mark Jozefowicz in Transportation has covered well for my shortcomings. But the two most impressive people have been Mark Cross and Jill Price from Community and Workforce Ed. They have really done the lion's share of the scheduling work, putting in tedious hours making and remaking plans for us. I wish I could work with people like this every day.
OK, this is day two of the program, with thirty-four more to go. I'm sure I'll be ready for a break at the end of this, but the past two weeks have been exhausting and invogorating at the same time.
Friday, May 24, 2002
Looking Good In Greenville
So we're here in Greenville now. My puny body has taken a beating, while Amanda is still going strong, cleaning, fixing the place up, etc. And all the while she's filled with pity for me, because I'm so old and tired. The cats have recovered from their drugging (they were a bit wobbly yesterday), the dog likes the walks we've been on, and Amanda, of course, thinks the place is just great.
I heard from the chair of USCS, who may offer two sections. Sweet. Damn sweet, in fact -- now we can afford to be here. We've been driving around a bit (to set up the cable modem -- sweet speedy access), and we really like the place. Our neighbors seem friendly enough, with two kids and a very cute cocker spaniel. The apartment looks like it'll be big enough to get everything in, including the stuff we bought that we had to have for here. Along with the cable modem we got a cable TV package, so it's like a vidiot's delight around here. I'm sure that Amanda will be all over the web and the tube when I head for Richmond again and GSP.
Speaking of GSP, now I see what they meant about the necessity for people skills and diplomacy in the position. I've been answering emails for hours, writing to potential scholars and their parents, telling many of them that, no, what they wish to do can't be done within the parameters of the program. It's not a pleasant thing, but it's necessary. Maybe soon I'll get good at it.
Mike and Mig are coming down for the weekend. Mike's now a PhD; he defended a month or so ago and marched two weeks ago.
OK, trundling off to my trundle bed, a happy camper for the first time in a long time.
So we're here in Greenville now. My puny body has taken a beating, while Amanda is still going strong, cleaning, fixing the place up, etc. And all the while she's filled with pity for me, because I'm so old and tired. The cats have recovered from their drugging (they were a bit wobbly yesterday), the dog likes the walks we've been on, and Amanda, of course, thinks the place is just great.
I heard from the chair of USCS, who may offer two sections. Sweet. Damn sweet, in fact -- now we can afford to be here. We've been driving around a bit (to set up the cable modem -- sweet speedy access), and we really like the place. Our neighbors seem friendly enough, with two kids and a very cute cocker spaniel. The apartment looks like it'll be big enough to get everything in, including the stuff we bought that we had to have for here. Along with the cable modem we got a cable TV package, so it's like a vidiot's delight around here. I'm sure that Amanda will be all over the web and the tube when I head for Richmond again and GSP.
Speaking of GSP, now I see what they meant about the necessity for people skills and diplomacy in the position. I've been answering emails for hours, writing to potential scholars and their parents, telling many of them that, no, what they wish to do can't be done within the parameters of the program. It's not a pleasant thing, but it's necessary. Maybe soon I'll get good at it.
Mike and Mig are coming down for the weekend. Mike's now a PhD; he defended a month or so ago and marched two weeks ago.
OK, trundling off to my trundle bed, a happy camper for the first time in a long time.
Thursday, May 16, 2002
Big Job Search
To begin, let me say that I've stayed away from the blog for a while because I have been so filled with anger and frustration about EKU, my situation there, and how it has been treated.
See, there I go again, because I can't get this off of my mind.
Now the rubber hits the road, and I'm deep into a job search. I just got back from Greenville, where I set up some things at Greenville Tech and at Converse College. I'm waiting to see if I can be of any use at USC Spartanburg. But it's getting late, and I'm not feeling as secure as I need to, so I've started to apply for tech writing jobs. I know this is a slippery slope -- the money is so good that's it's hard to give it up (again) to go back into teaching.
I've been through it before, but it bears repeating -- this place won't take the issue seriously, won't do anything more than give lip service to this, until good people leave. As long as the administration can say that "we're studying the matter" or "we know that this is a problem," and do nothing except wring their hands and complain that they have no money, they will continue to promulgate this structure that says you're worth more with no experience than you are with tenure and promotion and service to the institution.
There are things that break my heart about this, beyond the fact that I love this place and this job, but have to leave it.
Anyhow, all of the headaches and things I'll be glad to leave behind aside, Greenville is a nice place. Amanda loves it, so even if I hated it, it would be OK. But I like it too. It's far more diverse than Richmond (which isn't saying much). The cost of living is close (about a 5% increase), and the cultural opportunities are overwhelming. The weather is better, the landscape is gorgeous (there's a reason why Asheville was the retreat of New York's monied set), and we're just a couple hours from the beach. All that's worth a little belt tightening.
OK, more GSP work tomorrow. Maybe a better outlook on the future. Maybe a better set of thoughts about EKU.
To begin, let me say that I've stayed away from the blog for a while because I have been so filled with anger and frustration about EKU, my situation there, and how it has been treated.
See, there I go again, because I can't get this off of my mind.
Now the rubber hits the road, and I'm deep into a job search. I just got back from Greenville, where I set up some things at Greenville Tech and at Converse College. I'm waiting to see if I can be of any use at USC Spartanburg. But it's getting late, and I'm not feeling as secure as I need to, so I've started to apply for tech writing jobs. I know this is a slippery slope -- the money is so good that's it's hard to give it up (again) to go back into teaching.
I've been through it before, but it bears repeating -- this place won't take the issue seriously, won't do anything more than give lip service to this, until good people leave. As long as the administration can say that "we're studying the matter" or "we know that this is a problem," and do nothing except wring their hands and complain that they have no money, they will continue to promulgate this structure that says you're worth more with no experience than you are with tenure and promotion and service to the institution.
There are things that break my heart about this, beyond the fact that I love this place and this job, but have to leave it.
Anyhow, all of the headaches and things I'll be glad to leave behind aside, Greenville is a nice place. Amanda loves it, so even if I hated it, it would be OK. But I like it too. It's far more diverse than Richmond (which isn't saying much). The cost of living is close (about a 5% increase), and the cultural opportunities are overwhelming. The weather is better, the landscape is gorgeous (there's a reason why Asheville was the retreat of New York's monied set), and we're just a couple hours from the beach. All that's worth a little belt tightening.
OK, more GSP work tomorrow. Maybe a better outlook on the future. Maybe a better set of thoughts about EKU.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
All The Hullabaloo
So Kevin comes into my office this morning, claiming he wishes he could sing, because he'd be singing, "Let's go out, in a blaze of glory." Yeah, I was on the front page of the student paper today, with the headline, Professor Leaving Because of Low Pay. Needless to say, this didn't endear me much with the administration in the department. But that's not all of it. Even the weekly editorial was about this issue. I did, however, receive about a dozen emails from faculty who are glad that someone finally spoke up in public about this issue. It doesn't do me any good, but maybe it'll help those who are stuck at Eastern.
Don't get me wrong; I love the school, I love my job, I love my colleagues, and I especially love the students. I do, as the new president is so fond of saying, have a passion for this place. But the administration has decided that faculty retention isn't important, so we're getting doubly shafted, through both hiring in above and the failure to even nod at our benchmark institutions for faculty salaries.
I've also heard from many current and former students about this. Their comments through this have been sustaining; they recognize the situation for what it is, not merely a matter of economics, but a matter of (as members of the Societatis Jesu would call it) systemic evil. We'll fix one problem, low faculty starting salaries, by, for all intents and purposes, ignoring the larger one of low salaries across the board when compared to our benchmarks. And we'll create a new problem, that of salary inversions (I just participated in a search where the new PhD was to be offered more that I'm making with five years here, tenure and promotion -- turns out that the embarrassment factor was too high, so they lowballed her -- she'll be one of the disgruntled in a year or two). Nevertheless, the Assistant Profs in English are all being royally screwed in this hiring process. When we turn to the administration for answers, we're told one of two things, "You should see what I made when I started," or, more commonly, "If you want a raise, get another job." The sympathy just oozes out of their pores.
I hope that the junior faculty strike while the iron is hot, and ask the administration what's being done for them. The answer will be, of course, that they'll just have to take their lumps, shut up and teach, be good soldiers, and be "team players." But they should get a chance to hear this publicly, to hear declared that their service is worth less than nothing.
I'd like to be around to hear that, but I just can't afford it.
So Kevin comes into my office this morning, claiming he wishes he could sing, because he'd be singing, "Let's go out, in a blaze of glory." Yeah, I was on the front page of the student paper today, with the headline, Professor Leaving Because of Low Pay. Needless to say, this didn't endear me much with the administration in the department. But that's not all of it. Even the weekly editorial was about this issue. I did, however, receive about a dozen emails from faculty who are glad that someone finally spoke up in public about this issue. It doesn't do me any good, but maybe it'll help those who are stuck at Eastern.
Don't get me wrong; I love the school, I love my job, I love my colleagues, and I especially love the students. I do, as the new president is so fond of saying, have a passion for this place. But the administration has decided that faculty retention isn't important, so we're getting doubly shafted, through both hiring in above and the failure to even nod at our benchmark institutions for faculty salaries.
I've also heard from many current and former students about this. Their comments through this have been sustaining; they recognize the situation for what it is, not merely a matter of economics, but a matter of (as members of the Societatis Jesu would call it) systemic evil. We'll fix one problem, low faculty starting salaries, by, for all intents and purposes, ignoring the larger one of low salaries across the board when compared to our benchmarks. And we'll create a new problem, that of salary inversions (I just participated in a search where the new PhD was to be offered more that I'm making with five years here, tenure and promotion -- turns out that the embarrassment factor was too high, so they lowballed her -- she'll be one of the disgruntled in a year or two). Nevertheless, the Assistant Profs in English are all being royally screwed in this hiring process. When we turn to the administration for answers, we're told one of two things, "You should see what I made when I started," or, more commonly, "If you want a raise, get another job." The sympathy just oozes out of their pores.
I hope that the junior faculty strike while the iron is hot, and ask the administration what's being done for them. The answer will be, of course, that they'll just have to take their lumps, shut up and teach, be good soldiers, and be "team players." But they should get a chance to hear this publicly, to hear declared that their service is worth less than nothing.
I'd like to be around to hear that, but I just can't afford it.
Thursday, April 18, 2002
Consider Me Gone
Amanda and I are leaving town, blowing Richmond for Greenville, South Carolina. She's been offered a position with the Greenville School DIstrict, and I'm looking for work down there. As I see it, I could have spent five more years whining about money, never seeing anything like equity adjustments, and eventually having new people being hired in above me (which will happen this year, to all Assistant Profs and a couple Associate Profs in English -- this is truly an example of systemic evil, created and perpetrated by those who don't feel the sting of the situation, who, whenever questioned about money, say that we should have seen what they made when they started -- a specious argument), or I could get out now, find something else where the upside was better, and hope for the best there. So I'm looking at part-time work so far, and maybe something full-time will come through. If it doesn't, I can tech write for a year.
I have heard from many faculty members and students that they are upset about my leaving. I've even heard from two deans about this. I have heard comments like, "You're doing what we all should have done," and "Now maybe they'll do something about salaries," and "What will we do without you?" I'm not worrying too much about the answer to that last question -- they'll muddle through as they did before, because, as the institution is showing, we're all just cogs in the great machine, easily replaced and soon forgotten. Oh, I was offered sweeteners to say, but they both involved working in administration, something I'd like not to do. It's a shame that good teachers, in order to make decent money, have to give up teaching for administration. One position would have been quite a coup, but it's work I didn't want to do. The other position was very tempting, working with great people for a great cause, but it didn't really address the issues that have let me leave: the practice of hiring in above without a funded plan for faculty equity, and the lack of a funded plan for moving meritorious teachers to 100% of benchmark CUPA data. If either of these things happen within the next five years at EKU, I'll be terribly surprised.
I hope this gets the junior faculty talking, forcing the administration to put up or shut up. It took the University 18 months to figure out how to spend 50k in salary adjustments (I saw a whopping $600 out of that). How long do you think it will take to determine how to spend something that will really make a difference? The English Department alone needs over double that to address the issues of benchmarking and equity. It's a shame, because many good people there don't have the opportunity to leave, so they're locked in to a system that in good conscience I can't deal with any more.
It's scary, heading for SC without a tenture-track job, giving up tenure and a place where I can do good work for the unknowns that will surely follow. But wherever I get work I will advance, and will enjoy my job, perhaps in a different way. I'll miss the people here, the fellow faculty who have become friends, the students who keep in touch, the staff members who work hard for little pay. But I won't miss the callousness, the good-old-boy networking, the offhand praising of incompetence and mediocrity that has become the Eastern Way.
Amanda and I are leaving town, blowing Richmond for Greenville, South Carolina. She's been offered a position with the Greenville School DIstrict, and I'm looking for work down there. As I see it, I could have spent five more years whining about money, never seeing anything like equity adjustments, and eventually having new people being hired in above me (which will happen this year, to all Assistant Profs and a couple Associate Profs in English -- this is truly an example of systemic evil, created and perpetrated by those who don't feel the sting of the situation, who, whenever questioned about money, say that we should have seen what they made when they started -- a specious argument), or I could get out now, find something else where the upside was better, and hope for the best there. So I'm looking at part-time work so far, and maybe something full-time will come through. If it doesn't, I can tech write for a year.
I have heard from many faculty members and students that they are upset about my leaving. I've even heard from two deans about this. I have heard comments like, "You're doing what we all should have done," and "Now maybe they'll do something about salaries," and "What will we do without you?" I'm not worrying too much about the answer to that last question -- they'll muddle through as they did before, because, as the institution is showing, we're all just cogs in the great machine, easily replaced and soon forgotten. Oh, I was offered sweeteners to say, but they both involved working in administration, something I'd like not to do. It's a shame that good teachers, in order to make decent money, have to give up teaching for administration. One position would have been quite a coup, but it's work I didn't want to do. The other position was very tempting, working with great people for a great cause, but it didn't really address the issues that have let me leave: the practice of hiring in above without a funded plan for faculty equity, and the lack of a funded plan for moving meritorious teachers to 100% of benchmark CUPA data. If either of these things happen within the next five years at EKU, I'll be terribly surprised.
I hope this gets the junior faculty talking, forcing the administration to put up or shut up. It took the University 18 months to figure out how to spend 50k in salary adjustments (I saw a whopping $600 out of that). How long do you think it will take to determine how to spend something that will really make a difference? The English Department alone needs over double that to address the issues of benchmarking and equity. It's a shame, because many good people there don't have the opportunity to leave, so they're locked in to a system that in good conscience I can't deal with any more.
It's scary, heading for SC without a tenture-track job, giving up tenure and a place where I can do good work for the unknowns that will surely follow. But wherever I get work I will advance, and will enjoy my job, perhaps in a different way. I'll miss the people here, the fellow faculty who have become friends, the students who keep in touch, the staff members who work hard for little pay. But I won't miss the callousness, the good-old-boy networking, the offhand praising of incompetence and mediocrity that has become the Eastern Way.
Sunday, March 24, 2002
That Toddling Town
Just back from Chicago, and the CCCC. It's much better than the MLA conference, because the people aren't as pretentious. I didn't hear the standard, "I know this obscure theorist" discussions that I'm so familiar with from MLA. Amanda says that the bulk of composition professors in the U.S. are middle-aged white women. If this conference was true to the demographic, she's right on the money. My paper went well, I think, with great questions fronm the audience, and another really good presenter. Unfortunately, David Elias was unable to make the trip, so I read his paper, too.
Chicago is a great city. We got to see the Art Institute, where Amanda finally saw my favorite works there, Cornell's boxes. Then we were off to the Adler Planetarium, where our trip was far too short. We saw a show there, but as soon as it was over, the Planetarium closed. So my trip to the gift shop was off, which was a real bummer. Amanda scored quite a bit of stuff in the Art Institute gift shop, but I held myself in abeyance until the Adler because I was looking for some cool new posters. Oh well, such is life. We did, however, get into a great impromptu discussion with two barflies who worked at Tower Records. One turned around when I commented on the American edit of "Brown Eyed Girl" that he had just played on the jukebox, and the other came to "save" us from the first and engaged in a rousing defense of Bukowski's work. I told him he was preaching to the choir on that score.
Now it's back to the grind, the week after Spring Break, and school resumes again. It turns out that this may be my last semester here. Amanda got very good vibes from the interviews she had in South Carolina, and I can make more money adjuncting there than I can as an Associate Professor here. Just what I thought. We'll see. First she has to get an offer from one of those places, then I'd have to chuck it all in here. Believe me, it won't be the money that holds me here.
Just back from Chicago, and the CCCC. It's much better than the MLA conference, because the people aren't as pretentious. I didn't hear the standard, "I know this obscure theorist" discussions that I'm so familiar with from MLA. Amanda says that the bulk of composition professors in the U.S. are middle-aged white women. If this conference was true to the demographic, she's right on the money. My paper went well, I think, with great questions fronm the audience, and another really good presenter. Unfortunately, David Elias was unable to make the trip, so I read his paper, too.
Chicago is a great city. We got to see the Art Institute, where Amanda finally saw my favorite works there, Cornell's boxes. Then we were off to the Adler Planetarium, where our trip was far too short. We saw a show there, but as soon as it was over, the Planetarium closed. So my trip to the gift shop was off, which was a real bummer. Amanda scored quite a bit of stuff in the Art Institute gift shop, but I held myself in abeyance until the Adler because I was looking for some cool new posters. Oh well, such is life. We did, however, get into a great impromptu discussion with two barflies who worked at Tower Records. One turned around when I commented on the American edit of "Brown Eyed Girl" that he had just played on the jukebox, and the other came to "save" us from the first and engaged in a rousing defense of Bukowski's work. I told him he was preaching to the choir on that score.
Now it's back to the grind, the week after Spring Break, and school resumes again. It turns out that this may be my last semester here. Amanda got very good vibes from the interviews she had in South Carolina, and I can make more money adjuncting there than I can as an Associate Professor here. Just what I thought. We'll see. First she has to get an offer from one of those places, then I'd have to chuck it all in here. Believe me, it won't be the money that holds me here.
Sunday, March 10, 2002
Avoiding Grading
When you're as deep into grading avoidance as I am right now, anything sounds good, even downloading india.arie mp3s and listening to bootleg Tenacious D stuff. I've been at it for a while today, while a stack of papers stares at me from the dining room (that's right, they can stare through walls, and you can feel the resentment in them as it bores into your back).
If it weren't for grading, this would be a great job. I think every prof, somewhere in every semester, reaches the end of the rope, and gets into grading avoidance. Usually that happens toward the end of the 15 weeks, so you can just push on through and get done, despite the pain of reading yet one more set of bad papers. However, this semester I've got it bad. It's not even spring break yet, and I'm already burnt. I'll get them back to the students tomorrow, but between now and then will be about ten hours of pain. It's stuff like this that makes me envy the people at R1 institutions, with 2/2 teachings contracts. Of course, I'd have to put out a national article every year, something slightly less onerous than grading, but then again, who am I kidding? I'd never even make the first cut for a position like that.
I think one of the reasons why I am so out of grading is this job search. Amanda has a series of interviews over spring break (all in South Carolina, a place I could really enjoy), and we've been talking about what to do if she gets an offer there. I think she'l really like it, and I don't want to do the typical academic couple thing of being apart for a year, so I think I might take a year's leave from EKU next year and look into positions in SC. Amanda thinks that I'd be better off in a high school, where I won't have to do all this non-compensated stuff like web design and committee work and CCSA and tech writing. Maybe there's something to that, but I've only got the seed in my mind so far -- I'll need to think about it for a while before I make a decision.
When you're as deep into grading avoidance as I am right now, anything sounds good, even downloading india.arie mp3s and listening to bootleg Tenacious D stuff. I've been at it for a while today, while a stack of papers stares at me from the dining room (that's right, they can stare through walls, and you can feel the resentment in them as it bores into your back).
If it weren't for grading, this would be a great job. I think every prof, somewhere in every semester, reaches the end of the rope, and gets into grading avoidance. Usually that happens toward the end of the 15 weeks, so you can just push on through and get done, despite the pain of reading yet one more set of bad papers. However, this semester I've got it bad. It's not even spring break yet, and I'm already burnt. I'll get them back to the students tomorrow, but between now and then will be about ten hours of pain. It's stuff like this that makes me envy the people at R1 institutions, with 2/2 teachings contracts. Of course, I'd have to put out a national article every year, something slightly less onerous than grading, but then again, who am I kidding? I'd never even make the first cut for a position like that.
I think one of the reasons why I am so out of grading is this job search. Amanda has a series of interviews over spring break (all in South Carolina, a place I could really enjoy), and we've been talking about what to do if she gets an offer there. I think she'l really like it, and I don't want to do the typical academic couple thing of being apart for a year, so I think I might take a year's leave from EKU next year and look into positions in SC. Amanda thinks that I'd be better off in a high school, where I won't have to do all this non-compensated stuff like web design and committee work and CCSA and tech writing. Maybe there's something to that, but I've only got the seed in my mind so far -- I'll need to think about it for a while before I make a decision.
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