May 10 memo to Hum colleagues re "Journalism" issue

     Just attended the English Dept's meeting re the Journalism program.

     About 12 people showed up, all from the English dept, except for me. I felt like I belonged somewhere else.

     Virginia served as the chair of the meeting, though she was somewhat uncomfortable with that role and did not want to impose an agenda, natch.

     Most of the comments involved niggling worries over whether the admin would support a Journalism Program sufficiently, the impact on low-enrolled courses, etc.

     There continued to be discussion about the desirability of the hire to be able to teach Comp, especially if Journalism is housed in the English dept, though Virginia (and perhaps others) forcefully responded that the effort to cobble Journalism with Comp is probably what doomed the earlier search. The point was made clearly, perhaps successfully

     My notion that we create a separate dept for Journalism did seem to attract some support--I think because members of the English dept feared having to carry the burdens of the program by themselves.

     I must say, little passion for a Journalism Program/Paper was evidenced during this morning's discussion. Obviously, moving forward requires some sort of passionate point person, willing to push forward despite future challenges. (Virginia would be ideal, but she's obviously booked solid.) It seemed to me that most remarks focused on the grimness of the challenges rather than the hope for a program/paper. As often happens these days, listening to my colleagues (present company excluded) made we want to retire asap.

     There was much sentiment in favor of creating a task force, perhaps launched by the senate, to pursue definition and push forward with the program, soliciting input from around campus. I was not comfortable with that idea, knowing, as I do, that the Senate houses a Nixonian silent majority, aka rat bastards. I referred to the School of H as an island of culture among barbarians (something like that), but that obviously did not go over well. I think I saw some colleagues starting a fire and an enormous cooking pot over on the side. Jungle drums could be heard.

     There was talk of contacting someone from the OCC program or the Cal State F program--the hope is that they will have suggestions concerning who we need to hire, what sort of program to aim for, etc.--but no action will be taken along those lines. Not yet.

     Dan suggested that he and Lisa (sorry Lisa) approach the VPI for firmer guarantees or assurances of support for the faculty member and the program. So that went forward. (Lisa seemed to have the role of "the spirit of the paper" during this meeting.)

     The feeling of the meeting was very much the feeling of a classroom in which the instructor asks questions but then hears only crickets. Chirp chirp.

     The hope, I guess, is that we'll get our act together during the summer and be ready, come early Fall, to go forward with a hire, etc.

 

--Roy