Benazir Bhutto

Back from Birmingham, I hear of the death of this good woman, who had devoted herself to the democratization of her country under the auspices of a holy mission from Allah. Her murder brings to mind the age-old question: how can people be so inhuman? Well, of course, I don't have an answer, but I can point the reader to a lyric from the Jethro Tull song "Wondering Aloud": "...it's only the giving that makes you...what you are." I posit that one's humanity is defined the the substance and quality of that which one shares with others, so say a prayer or spend a few moments in meditation and hug a loved one--he or she may not always be here.

Graduate School in English--don't do it for the reasons I did

I'm posting this reflection, in part, by the request of a deeply dedicated student, Michelle P., who has recently changed her major to English but doesn't know what to do with it.

I majored in English in college because the first semester of my Freshmen year, then at Austin College [not UT, but the tiny, smaller than UIS, Texas Ivy League private school--I got in on the interview--my SAT scores sucked], I took a course called "Challenging Racism, Sexism, Antisemitism and Homophobia" taught by a kind, thoughtful poet-scholar whom I can best describe as a male Jewish grandmother. I got a B+ in the course, but it awakened me to literature as a means of evoking empathy [I would not have spun that phrase at the time, but I still hold to the tenets of a paper I wrote for the class in favor of gay marriage at 18]. So, when I moved on to the University of North Texas my second year, I officially declared myself an English major. But how did I decide to go to graduate school?

Well, upon graduation, I was a 24 year-old cripple without a job or driver's license, so I reasoned that if I enrolled in graduate school, I wouldn't be forced to move home to my grandmother, whom I do love dearly's, Pentecostal TV and Fox News bombardments. After my Masters degree and PhD comps, I lost heart, if I every really had it in the first place. I was concentrating more on teaching than my own studies. I dropped the program in 2003. A year and a half later, I re-enrolled, not because I particularly wanted to, but because I needed a job--I know it sounds weird, but to teach I had to be enrolled. So know I find myself still not finished, without a committee and significantly in debt.

So, my advice is, make an informed decision. Dr. Ethan Lewis says, find what you like and do it. I've discovered over the years that what I'm "passionate" about is communicating with students and helping them discover important questions, not researching or even writing.

But what can one do with an Undergraduate or even a Masters degree in English? Hundreds are asking that question. The obvious is of course teach. I taught Gifted and Talented during my student teaching a decade ago and loved it. I also enjoyed 6th grade... My sister-in-law brings home a nice chunk working for an insurance group; my wife took her English-Psychology double major and with the addition of thirteen years of graduate school became a bona fide psychologist. [Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers; she's taking the national exam on January 9.]

If you're passionate about the actual "work" of a career in English, by all means do it. I have met genuine word alchemists in my life, like the great Haj Ross--but know well what you're getting yourself into. Jobs are scarce and literacy beyond Oprah is of course under-valued in the US.

So there you have it. I feel like I'm doing court-ordered community service [the court of Dharma maybe].

The "Bottom Line"

The Chancellor's office did release Dr. Ronni Sanlo' s report on the experiences of LGBTQ individuals at UIS this morning. Her most poignant statement is:

"There are considerations with which campuses must deal as they determine what will be available at any given institution. The most critical, of course, is financial resources. Without
funding, institutions may not be able to provide the same types of opportunities found on
similar campuses in a system or in the country. While UIS is a vibrant, exciting institution as agreed by all with whom I met, it is also a small university with 4800 students and therefore with fewer resources available than its sister institutions in the University of Illinois system."

Last spring I was abruptly silenced by a well-placed Student Affairs administrator when I said that universities, UIS included, make decisions based on the bottom line. It seems that UIS takes the fiscal long view [Green Day reference may be applied if the reader wishes]; that is, stringing students along with promises under the auspices of "doing the right thing" until activist students either graduate or fail out, but issues with LGBTQ students in particular have now persisted across multiple classes of Capital Scholars. More explicit discussions of where the money comes from and how it is spent could lead to greater trust. How the university appears should not be of greater concern than the experiences of its members. The release of Dr. Sanlo's letter and the publication of the student response to the Chancellor's statement in the Journal last week is a start.

To weigh in with others on these issues and other issues, go here:

http://uisfictions.blogspot.com/2007/12/welcome.html

and read the thread of comments

[For the record: no, this is not my blog; I neither know whose it is, nor have I posted anything there, other than my vote of support, that I haven't already posted in kind here.]

Yes Virginia There is A Santa Claus

Yesterday, 6 December, the Saint's Day of Saint Nicholas, the UIS Journal published a detailed letter in support of the students and community and faculty members who question UIS administration's response to the needs and concerns of UIS students with disabilities featured on WUIS, an NPR affiliate [see below] underwritten by a number of student organizations. The letter is very frank and addresses specific statements made by the Chancellor himself. His own letter appeared on the same page above the students'. Is this Saint Nick's boon? It's certainly a good sign, as responsible investigative journalism is essential for sustained accountability and change.

While I agree 100% with the majority of the statements the students make, and I agree that Karla Carwile is both better credentialed and more experienced than Suzy Woods, I frankly fear the alternative, e.g. ODS between Ms. Carwile's dismissal and Ms. Woods' hiring--students desperately need timely services.

But, hats off to the students and to the Journal for balanced journalism. Now, if we could just find out what's happened to Dr. Ronie Sanlow's report...

Sexual Violence on Campus

Following the UIS Police Chief's very prudent message about a rape investigation on campus, my class with approximately 13 young women and 3 young men all between the ages of 18 and 19 in attendance, all of whom reside in the residence hall, expressed concern about personal safety and security on a campus which has consistently scaled back the operating budget and facilities allocated for its Women's Center. [I do not mean to insinuate that the absence of one equals the other because as we all should have learned in our Freshmen writing courses--oh so many years ago in my case--correlation does not equal causation.] And I emphatically applaud the police department in this instance for its proactive public relations approach. But, it stands to reason that if one deems coordinated outreach with regard to meta-effects of sexual violence in the campus community, one should empower and look to the Women's Center for that leadership. If this issue concerns you, please contact: 206.7173 or womenscenter@uis.edu For the record, no one associated with the UIS Women's Center or UIS Women's Issues Caucus has prompted me to post this statement. But historically speaking, when women "get the shaft," cripples, non-Caucasians and old people are next, hmm...

An Open Letter of Appreciation to My CAP 111 Class

Dear Students,

You all achieved a synergy in the classroom this semester that I haven't felt with a group of students in a number of years. That probably has more to do with who you are as individuals than what I have "brought to the table" as an instructor. I have appreciated the open, provocative discourse. I have come to know and value most of you, not only as writers and thinkers, but as individuals, and I feel that you have raised my own expectations of myself as an instructor. I regret that I will not be continuing on with you into 115, but I will be available if you need any assistance next semester. So for now, my last word of collective advise to you is, in the words of Allen Ginsberg, "don't follow my path to extinction," discern "truth" for yourselves with rigorous evaluation--don't take anything, or anyone at face value; that's not to say you shouldn't hold to tradition, etc, but do so because you've made it real for yourselves--always be able to articulate for yourselves why you make your choices.

Thanks,

Curt.

Keep rollen' along

Well, a lot has appeared to happen since my last post; I say "appeared" because I have yet to see tangible change with regard to the issues raised, and I will take my cues in that regard from the students effected. But I did have a seemingly productive exchange with the current director of the Office of Disability Services who made the Buick / Cadillac [I know I misspelled that before] comment. She explained it's intent in our correspondence and later in a general e-mail to the campus at large, but as I expressed to her, intent means little compared to perceived meaning in the court of public opinion, and an explanation is not an apology. I do empathize with her because my words and actions have been misconstrued in the past, at which juncture,however, I did issue a public apology directly to those affected. I do find it troubling that the "official" response was stamped with her supervisor's email.... But as I said, I do believe the current director, despite the absence of an apology, has student's best interests at heart.

I have called for the following investigations and dialogs:

1. Open, recorded dialog with students, administrators advocates and civil rights attorneys regarding the language and boundaries of Title 42 compliance.

2. A similar dialog and subsequent assessment of compliance regarding reasonable accommodation specifically in relation to significant, or catastrophic, spinal cord injury, to include credible medical experts in the field of spinal cord injury research.

3. Provisions for incoming Capital Scholars incoming Freshmen with paralysis to be offered priority housing in townhouses or like facilities to accommodate adaptive equipment.

4. Above all, no more closed-door meetings on these, or similar issues. Students should not find themselves defending their account of meetings, or phone conversations, with administrators against those of the administrators themselves, who could use power differential to their collective advantage. The culture of secrecy and paranoia, us vs. them needs to stop.

I have been asked to join a disability advisory committee. We shall see what comes of it.