You go, Susan! It truly is disheartening to evolve into the "old curmudgeonly colleague" (a concept about which I know a thing or two), whose experience on the job continually decreases in value, outweighed by the latest and greatest fad in whatever line of work he/she/they is involved. I like your spunk; I wish I had more of that myself.
I don’t know, Susan, but that word does has its uses! I’m sitting in the car watching the sunset come up over I-4 interstate in Orlando. The beauty of it is really cool.
It’s been a long couple of days, and because the grandkids are hunkered down with us in our tiny hotel room, I can’t use it every time I watch DeSatan boasting about his excellent handling of the situation here in Florida. It is cool, though, to see him groveling a bit for Federal funds and such.
Wait! I’m in the car; the girls are upstairs sleeping! FUCK!
Stay the way you are. The sun is shining! Swords up!
DeSatan. I like that. Because Floridans and their elected officials from top to bottom have screwed up our presidential elections more than once and have opposed efforts at reducing climate change, I regret to admit that I have found it difficult to care deeply about their hurricane.
Some day I will tell you about the faculty meetings where I said the following to various people: "I'm just asking a question, you don't have to be so hostile."
"It's just a joke, you don't have to make that face. I promise not to make any more jokes."
And, my personal fave:
"What the fuck is he even talking about right now?"
Spoiler: In each case the other person deserved it.
I believe that once you resort to "It's the principle of the thing," it's time to admit you have a faulty argument. So yes. I'd quit over a couch. I was willing to quit over a pool table. A couch seems an upgrade.
It's resolved in favor of the students' needs? (As it should be, facilities person, since the school exists to do exactly that and it's the students who supply funding to the school!) So this issue is now over? No wonder you look so happy! Enjoy the space AND the couch!
Way to go, Susan! The journalism room where we produced The Kernal (my high school newspaper) in 1962-66 had an old couch in it--quite a necessary piece of furniture. Every place of intense, congenial work needs a couch--and not just in the restroom.
I quit a tenured teaching position at Mount St. Mary's College in 1999 and never regretted it. Follow your gut! Unfortunately, however, my husband also wanted to quit his job early in 2000 when the Tribune Co. took over the Los Angeles Times. He didn't follow his gut; he hung in there until in 2009, when he told his boss that a certain decision was a stupid idea.
There were so many stupid ideas coming out of Tribune (stand down, everyone; I was a Tribune employee, as well), I cannot imagine how he hung on. And thank you. Your gut usually knows...
Oh, it was weekly. And I really kind of thought I meant it. About six months before I actually quit, they fired a long-time admin (former FBI agent who is still a good friend) and a newer hire who'd always dreamed of working at the Courant (and who is now a successful YA author). That those two would be pushed out the door pissed me off so much I literally took all my photos down and cleaned out my desk. I said nothing, but was going to quit at the end of that year. Then, they offered a buy-out and I knocked people over to get the paperwork. I was done.
I applaud your advocating for the students and your following your gut. It is so freeing to have fewer shits to give! But I will say to you what suggested to my best friend who took my advice and to my sister- an educator/artist/writer, who did not. Tired of their perpetual overuse of “fuck/fucking”, I said “You’re an intelligent, creative woman. Can’t you think of other, more imaginative expletives or adjectives? F- - - has lost it’s shock value; it’s just annoying, like sand in your shoes.” Heidi has come up with some funny alternatives. My cheeky little seester, however, resorted to sign language- the digital sign of disrespect :0)
After some more thought, another choice is continue to be a righteous pain in the ass, as in raise the issue in a public way but don’t threaten to quit, force them to respond. If they choose to fire you, you can challenge the dismissal and force them to justify their buttheadedness.
About the time I turned forty, I stopped fretting about other people’s opinions. By the time I turned forty-five I realized I wasn’t all that impressed with my own. In most things regarding work I acted more and thought less. As someone told me once, “If you think you need permission to do something, the worst thing you can do is ask for it”.
IMO the issue is not you or your students reactions but the need for the University to pick this hill to fight for. It seems very Grinch-like to refuse students a few (free) items that would enhance their experience. It is disingenous for the university to claim to support freedom of speech but lose the bigger picture of personhood and material comforts. The message I get from this is "we will educate you, but like hell will you enjoy it!"
That's precisely the message the students are getting. I hadn't really told them much about the behind-the-scenes chatter because I figured it was too stupid to bother with. But it hasn't and won't go away, and now, it's stupid enough to bother with. We've all called meetings with the higher-ups and I really hope we can all soon get back to the business of education. What a hill to die on. A used couch. But oh well. I'm in.
I think the couch reveals something about priorities at the university … like the (only in the room) light that’s been out in the third floor restroom since last week.
Or the two tables that weren't delivered to a Media Day event yesterday. I guess when you're hyper-focused on one room in the university, other rooms go a-wanting.
I just figured something out: Maybe there's a new rule that you aren't to use restrooms after dark? As a water-and-electricity-saving protocol? I'm just guessing.
I revel in having fewer fucks to give at my age. And so relate to emailing w/ passion. I do hope in my case there are not repurcussions for the one I just sent that included the phrase about my colleagues’ “relentless demands to have the work go the way he wants it to” vs how it’s actually assigned.Time will tell!
Abso-dabso-lutely. And like most unpaid labor, told by those who set things up so they won't be paid, or simply bask in those institutions, how Terribly Lucky They Are, how Wonderful, how Envied.
(Thinking back to my life as a GESO activist at Yale.)
I have turned conversations on their heads as I've gotten older: "No. You're lucky to have ME (or us or the students or fill in the blank)." It's not business owners that move the economy, for example. It's worker. I've gone afield in this conversation, I think.
You go, Susan! It truly is disheartening to evolve into the "old curmudgeonly colleague" (a concept about which I know a thing or two), whose experience on the job continually decreases in value, outweighed by the latest and greatest fad in whatever line of work he/she/they is involved. I like your spunk; I wish I had more of that myself.
I can tell you that’s spunk will get you only so far. But what a fun trip!
All day I missed my misspelling. That. Not that’s.
I don’t know, Susan, but that word does has its uses! I’m sitting in the car watching the sunset come up over I-4 interstate in Orlando. The beauty of it is really cool.
It’s been a long couple of days, and because the grandkids are hunkered down with us in our tiny hotel room, I can’t use it every time I watch DeSatan boasting about his excellent handling of the situation here in Florida. It is cool, though, to see him groveling a bit for Federal funds and such.
Wait! I’m in the car; the girls are upstairs sleeping! FUCK!
Stay the way you are. The sun is shining! Swords up!
I’m so glad you and yours are OK. We are glued to the TV up here.
Thank you so much.
DeSatan. I like that. Because Floridans and their elected officials from top to bottom have screwed up our presidential elections more than once and have opposed efforts at reducing climate change, I regret to admit that I have found it difficult to care deeply about their hurricane.
I love your spunk and tenacity and I know that if you ever quit this job, another will come along quickly. You are highly valued.
You’re kind. As I’ve told the students: Everyone can be replaced. I’m very clear about that.
You are absolutely correct Susan
Everyone can be replaced
I sat in a couple of meetings and had supervisors or executives telling employees that they would be there longer than the employees
Less than a year later they were gone
Yeah. I've learned that you can unpack your boxes, but keep in mind that you are always going to have to pack them again. So travel light.
Some day I will tell you about the faculty meetings where I said the following to various people: "I'm just asking a question, you don't have to be so hostile."
"It's just a joke, you don't have to make that face. I promise not to make any more jokes."
And, my personal fave:
"What the fuck is he even talking about right now?"
Spoiler: In each case the other person deserved it.
Sometimes you just gotta keep it 100.
I believe that once you resort to "It's the principle of the thing," it's time to admit you have a faulty argument. So yes. I'd quit over a couch. I was willing to quit over a pool table. A couch seems an upgrade.
Definitely.
It's resolved in favor of the students' needs? (As it should be, facilities person, since the school exists to do exactly that and it's the students who supply funding to the school!) So this issue is now over? No wonder you look so happy! Enjoy the space AND the couch!
I don’t know. The last word was I’m quitting if this conversation doesn’t go away so it’s a little up in the air, as far as I can tell.
I hope it goes away!
That would be optimal.
Way to go, Susan! The journalism room where we produced The Kernal (my high school newspaper) in 1962-66 had an old couch in it--quite a necessary piece of furniture. Every place of intense, congenial work needs a couch--and not just in the restroom.
I quit a tenured teaching position at Mount St. Mary's College in 1999 and never regretted it. Follow your gut! Unfortunately, however, my husband also wanted to quit his job early in 2000 when the Tribune Co. took over the Los Angeles Times. He didn't follow his gut; he hung in there until in 2009, when he told his boss that a certain decision was a stupid idea.
There were so many stupid ideas coming out of Tribune (stand down, everyone; I was a Tribune employee, as well), I cannot imagine how he hung on. And thank you. Your gut usually knows...
I enjoyed imagining the newsroom in Hartford and your repeated declarations of quitting.
Oh, it was weekly. And I really kind of thought I meant it. About six months before I actually quit, they fired a long-time admin (former FBI agent who is still a good friend) and a newer hire who'd always dreamed of working at the Courant (and who is now a successful YA author). That those two would be pushed out the door pissed me off so much I literally took all my photos down and cleaned out my desk. I said nothing, but was going to quit at the end of that year. Then, they offered a buy-out and I knocked people over to get the paperwork. I was done.
Nothing like a buy-out to get someone motivated.
I was leaving regardless. This way, I left with some money.
I applaud your advocating for the students and your following your gut. It is so freeing to have fewer shits to give! But I will say to you what suggested to my best friend who took my advice and to my sister- an educator/artist/writer, who did not. Tired of their perpetual overuse of “fuck/fucking”, I said “You’re an intelligent, creative woman. Can’t you think of other, more imaginative expletives or adjectives? F- - - has lost it’s shock value; it’s just annoying, like sand in your shoes.” Heidi has come up with some funny alternatives. My cheeky little seester, however, resorted to sign language- the digital sign of disrespect :0)
I cannot turn loose of the word but I can respect that for some, it’s offensive.
After some more thought, another choice is continue to be a righteous pain in the ass, as in raise the issue in a public way but don’t threaten to quit, force them to respond. If they choose to fire you, you can challenge the dismissal and force them to justify their buttheadedness.
I am employing the pain-in-the-ass part kind of instinctively, wouldn’t you say?
Indeed.
About the time I turned forty, I stopped fretting about other people’s opinions. By the time I turned forty-five I realized I wasn’t all that impressed with my own. In most things regarding work I acted more and thought less. As someone told me once, “If you think you need permission to do something, the worst thing you can do is ask for it”.
Right. The easier route is to apologize.
IMO the issue is not you or your students reactions but the need for the University to pick this hill to fight for. It seems very Grinch-like to refuse students a few (free) items that would enhance their experience. It is disingenous for the university to claim to support freedom of speech but lose the bigger picture of personhood and material comforts. The message I get from this is "we will educate you, but like hell will you enjoy it!"
That's precisely the message the students are getting. I hadn't really told them much about the behind-the-scenes chatter because I figured it was too stupid to bother with. But it hasn't and won't go away, and now, it's stupid enough to bother with. We've all called meetings with the higher-ups and I really hope we can all soon get back to the business of education. What a hill to die on. A used couch. But oh well. I'm in.
I think the couch reveals something about priorities at the university … like the (only in the room) light that’s been out in the third floor restroom since last week.
Or the two tables that weren't delivered to a Media Day event yesterday. I guess when you're hyper-focused on one room in the university, other rooms go a-wanting.
I just figured something out: Maybe there's a new rule that you aren't to use restrooms after dark? As a water-and-electricity-saving protocol? I'm just guessing.
I revel in having fewer fucks to give at my age. And so relate to emailing w/ passion. I do hope in my case there are not repurcussions for the one I just sent that included the phrase about my colleagues’ “relentless demands to have the work go the way he wants it to” vs how it’s actually assigned.Time will tell!
That's the fun part about sending nasty-grams. "Wonder how THIS will land..." I don't lose sleep over it, though. I hope you don't, either.
Getting better at it!
Thank you for standing up your students-- for their work needs, for their personhood, for them as labor!
Mostly unpaid labor, I might add…
Abso-dabso-lutely. And like most unpaid labor, told by those who set things up so they won't be paid, or simply bask in those institutions, how Terribly Lucky They Are, how Wonderful, how Envied.
(Thinking back to my life as a GESO activist at Yale.)
I have turned conversations on their heads as I've gotten older: "No. You're lucky to have ME (or us or the students or fill in the blank)." It's not business owners that move the economy, for example. It's worker. I've gone afield in this conversation, I think.
Speaking as a pastor and economist, I affirm! Not the bit about going afield, of course. :D
That whole "know your worth" thing. It's not entirely crap, actually.