To write here that I am just “super angry” is an intentional misrepresentation of exactly how furious I indeed am. However, rest assured that no one really wants me to use the language that I am currently thinking. I’m sure that are profanity police floating through cyberspace to protect the innocent against such a crime. I refuse to be manipulated and roll in the gutter only to climb out of said gutter and discover ReNude Pride censored or worse, even cancelled.
That’s happened to me once before here. It isn’t an experience that I care to repeat. So let me move back into my current rant and leave the past to bury its own dead. And before I digress again, for background on this post, please read New Class This Year! Click on the post title to be directly linked.
Now to return to our regularly scheduled tirade featuring one crazed Greek and one super angry Deaf man: all conveniently packaged into one bare body! I promise this much, no profanity from this point forward. At least, for the duration of this particular post. Beyond that, since I’m uncertain as to what the future has in store, I’m not making any promises that I might be unable to keep.
This past Monday was the beginning of our Spring semester – and the first day of classes after the Winter holidays. That it was a cold day but with sunshine after almost an entire week of overcast skies and rain showers was bad enough. That the day happened to be a Monday was tolerable. Add to that the fact that I had to take over the class of an esteemed colleague who was snowbound in Minnesota and that said class began at 8:00 a.m. only made tolerable dissolve into miserable.
As my colleague’s students filed into the lecture hall, more than a few were carrying their newly published copies of the university’s summer catalog of classes and more than a few were excited and enthusiastic about the content. So much so, that I began to wonder what type of disinfectant they used when cleaning this space as these students were decidedly inhaling something that was altering their mental state.
Two of the students, whom I knew from previous semesters, asked if the summer schedule was accurate. I replied that I assumed that to be the case. Then they hit me with their “rocket propelled grenade:” “But we didn’t think you taught summer school!”
“I don’t,” I replied.
One young man approached the podium where I stood and opened his catalog and pointed to a highlighted square on the page.
Boxed in a purplish-blue color, under the heading of the School of Inter-Disciplinary Studies (SIDS) was the class. It’s title is: The Treaty of Versailles Centennial: Impact on the Future of the Twentieth Century. Yours truly’s name was listed (boldly in black type) as one of the professors. Under prerequisites for this class was listed the previous class that I had co-instructed for the SIDS, The Hundred Day Campaign: The End of the Great War.
Knowing that I had to manage my temper, I tried not to let anyone see the anger that I felt surging through my body. I counted (silently) to twenty before I even attempted to offer any comment on this information. After all, I reminded myself, none of this is the student’s fault. They are but the messengers.
By the time my colleague’s class had ended, it was time for my regularly scheduled class to begin. I quickly tossed out my planned agenda for this class as I figured that I had calmed down enough to put my concerns in writing. I assigned the students a writing assignment and while they were writing, I sent off an email to my department chairman asking if he was aware of the summer schedule and my curiosity as to why I was just being notified of this adjustment by students on the first day of spring semester. I had no official notice from the university and no addendum or codicil to my signed tenure memorandum of understanding. That being done, I returned my attention to the class.
Barely had ten minutes lapsed from sending my email and I had a text message from my department head. He and the assistant dean for the summer session were on their way to my classroom to meet with me. When they arrived, I could read my department chair’s expression and knew that he was very upset.
The assistant dean for the summer semester began communicating with me when she was interrupted by my department chairman. He apologized and then proceeded to explain to me that a terrible mistake had been made and that he was expressing the university president’s remorse, his own sincere regrets and their apology on behalf of the School of Deaf Culture and Deaf Studies.
I immediately thought: “Okay. Someone has thrown the baby out with the bath-water and the cover-up is underway.” I kept my cool and asked them to allow me to dismiss my students and meet them in my office in five minutes. My students did not need to witness this conversation or blame-game. They both nodded their assent.
My “class-clown” (an exceptional student who is known around campus to “tell it like it is”) remarked upon being excused: “Professor Poladopoulos, you never let us watch you make the authority figures have to shovel their own shit!” I gave him the “evil eye” and ignored his comment, focusing instead on my two senior colleagues who were, at that point, looking exceptionally uncomfortable.
On our way to my office, we passed the above-mentioned “class-clown” and I winked at him as we made eye contact. I wanted him to know that I was not upset with him. (As an aside, I saw him several times this past summer at Sandy Hook Beach, a nudist beach in New Jersey, just outside New York City).
We reached my office and I closed the door after hanging my sign that read: “In Conference. Do Not Disturb.” I wanted to make certain that I understood completely whatever was about to be shared with me. Within a minute of having shut the door, my office lights flashed indicating that someone was at my door. My department head received a text message from the Dean of the School of Inter-Disciplinary Studies; she was outside my office door hoping to join us.
I opened the door for the Dean of SIDS and immediately had to go off in search of an extra chair. My tiny little office was beginning to look like a meeting of the U. N. General Assembly. I managed to locate a folding aluminum chair (most uncomfortable) and returned to my office. I was not about to surrender my comfortable desk chair to anyone else except my own buttocks!
The meeting began with my department head, on behalf of the university president, expressing an apology for the “unfortunate circumstances” surrounding my notification of the new summer schedule. Although no one, I was assured, intentionally wanted to disrespect or insult me, in trying be considerate of my feelings surrounding my father’s demise, the lines of communication had somehow gotten skewered between my department, the university administration, the SIDS department and the Summer School. It seemed everyone involved thought that someone else would discuss my participation in this class.
The end result being that no one had actually even mentioned my involvement to me. I was blindsided by the students who were excited about the class. I was told that the university president was deeply embarrassed about the entire affair and seriously regretted the severe lack of communication between schools and departments within the university “family” and his assurances that this matter would receive the highest priority in any future planning of intra-scholastic cooperation.
My department head then repeated apologies again and expressed the hope that I would extend my cooperation and knowledge to the deserving students who were eagerly anticipating my facilitation in the summer’s instructional program. In other words, teach the damn class, please!
A typical act of contrition with no one owning responsibility but everyone so very sorry that it happened. I can live with this outcome. The next day my department head shared with me – in strictest confidence – that the university president was most disturbed by my anger and my veiled threat of a lawsuit against the university.
I replied to this comment that it wasn’t a threat. It wasn’t ever my intent to sue the university. What I sought was accountability and that it was quite evident to me that there was none as far as the university was concerned. Which I felt was a damn shame. Since we were responsible for preparing these students to mature, learn and thrive, we should be worried when we were unable to abide by the same life lessons.
Sermon over.
The sad reality is that with the summer class, my outdoor bare time – my time for me – is seriously curtailed. My day trip options to the river front sanctuary that I often retreat to, planned or on a last-minute whim, is compromised and my options limited to planned excursions only. Perhaps I should ask permission to teach clothes-free!
I know that “Class Clown” would enthusiastically support a student-led drive to have it declared a clothing-optional classroom!
Author’s note: After I drafted the above post this thought occurred to me. The last day of the Autumn semester, I was upset. Now, the first day of the Spring semester, I am, yet again, upset. Am I being paid enough to do this job?
Naked hugs!
Roger/ReNude Pride
Second anniversary month of publishing ReNude Pride here and I continue to leap in excitement and wonder!
ReNude Pride 
I think the final question at the end of the post is what is most important. Are you being enough to be upset?
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True! 🙂
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*Paid* enough
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With all due respect, I really don’t see how this is your problem. The point is that you should not have been scheduled for a summer class to begin with. The course should be taken off the summer calendar Period. The department should then inform any affected students that there was a glitch and the course should not have been listed as the department is very clear that the professor is not available during the summer. The department certainly has to right to expect you to tech the course in the summer.
On a positive note: Sandy Hook. It’s one of my regular summer haunts. Unfortunately, it is “just outside New York City” only in terms of distance, not to be confused with travel time. Regardless of how I go, I need to allow 2.5 hours from locking my door to lying on the beach.
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i ant to tell you the the people are not equal in thinking and feeling ,do not be careful
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Wow! That makes my commute up the NJ Turnpike seem like a piece of cake! Naked hugs!
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Fuck it, Roger: I’ll say it for you: this entire situation is nothing short of… fuckstrating. Yes, you read that right; I said, fuckstating!
[S/N: “Fuckstrating, “fuckstrations”, “fuckstrated” and “fuckstrate” are “non-words” I’ve been using – though I doubt I’m the creator or originator, since my high school days… going wa-a-a-a-y the fuck back to the late 1970s! I’ll have to blog about that someday. But I digress.]
Roger, I’m sorry to learn that your superiors only want to dick you around. Based on what I’ve read in the article, I can only assume that this sort of class scheduling “mishap” has happened before – perhaps a few times, to a colleague or two of yours at that university or at another in which you’ve taught. If so, then it may explain why the university has “lawsuit” in mind; perhaps this time, anticipating such action to possibly come from you. The very fact that you could not even openly, professionally, and privately address the scheduling “mishap” situation without the university [later] jumping to the worse (?) foregone conclusion or outcome…perhaps one which you neither intended nor meant to imply or express (though in some way, that perception may have been left with them anyway), simply because you [dared] called them on their shit, speaks volumes. Apparently, they did NOT expect you to react or complain about the summer schedule; perhaps hoping that like a “good professor” and like a “good team member”, you’d simply roll over and “happily” accept the dish of bullshit they created for you. In other words (as you said in the article in so many words), “Just shut the fuck up and teach the damn summer class!”
Now, I understand and appreciate you having personal plans for the summer semester period. I think in an earlier related article of yours, I read that the summer semester break is your “down time” (or something along those lines). With regard to this particular situation, I’m not sure if you made clear to us (and perhaps I may have missed it) whether or not you would indeed go ahead and accept the summer class schedule as planned [by the university]. If however, you have the teaching contractual option NOT to accept that schedule, then can you – or did you – state as much to your superiors? If you do NOT have the option to reject the schedule as planned/published and are, by contract obligation, required to teach the class anyway, then are you (or will you) be paid more for the additional time of teaching/working back-to-back semesters? (Which, in my admitted ignorance of university teacher scheduling, I assume would be you teaching classes – without any or much of a professional break or leave time; meaning you’d be working all year long (e.g., Spring-to-Summer-to-Autumn/Fall-to-Winter). Geez, I sure hope that is NOT the case, considering that the break period for academic teachers is unlike that given to students; whether such teachers or professors are working in public or parochial schools or in higher education schools, such as a college, university, or vocational training facility.
ANYWAY, g…
Here’s to hoping you have the option to reject that summer schedule (if you so choose) without getting any [backstabbing] flack whatsoever – either professionally nor politically and certainly not underhandedly, posed against you from your superiors at the university. If you have a union/union rep, I’d take the situation to them immediately if you haven’t already. Until then, let the university sweat it out; seeing that it is THEIR fault for not only daring to disrespect you and your time but also (and just as seriously) for daring to underestimate you. Here’s to further hoping that they won’t do it again and would in the future, give you the courtesy of discussing semester schedules.
All my best, Rog. I support you!
(And since I can’t post a photo which would illustrate my support in the comment section, this link to a recent ‘Masculine Perspectives’ Photo of the Day (No. 36) will just have to do – and hopefully put a smile on your face! https://masculineperspectives.com/2018/12/30/mps-photo-of-the-day-36/)
Naked hugs, my friend…much love, and a gentle… Well, the link to my blog already says enough! 😎
Keep us posted!
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Rob, no matter what happens, you ALWAYS manage to change my anger into an evil grin! 🙂 Thanks man, for being the friend that you are (whether you like it or not).
My attorney made a call to the university on my behalf stating that due to my two-semester teaching obligation, I had planned to spend the majority of the summer with my widowed mother In Greece. That call got the administration “jumping through hoops” and an official letter of apology.
According to my contract, anything I teach outside of the contract parameters entitles me to double the usual salary adjustments, which now makes even a full class a financial loss for the institution. A fact that the administration is now taking into consideration.
I’ll let you know the outcome, Rob! Much love, naked hugs and a gentle tug! 😉
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Good to hear! Power to the people… uh… NAKED man! LOL!😁
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😉
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Honestly, I get that you’re upset cause that shouldn’t have happened, especially in this way. I feel it would be completely OK if you decide to state you’re not going to teach that class. Have you already decided what you wanna do?
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The university is trying to “gracefully” get out of this situation without publicly admitting having any culpability.
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After reading Masculine Perspective’s response and rereading your article I’m inclined to think the failure to inform you was not an oversight. The center of the situation is their attempt to coerce you into teaching the summer term. It is not believable that nobody was aware that you do not teach in the summer. The admins’ attempt to reframe the situation as primarily being about their neglect to inform you is a diversionary tactic.
Is it written in your contract anywhere that you are not obliged to teach in the summer? If so, are there stipulations as to how they must inform you or how far in advance they must do so? Reread your contract and any general policies that might be related. They might hope that you’ll neglect to read the fine print and “roll over and accept their bullshit”.
The saying “pics or it didn’t happen” certainly applies here. Remember:
-If their various apologies are not documented, no apologies were actually made.
-Unless the president’s embarrassment, regret, and assurances are documented, the president is not embarrassed, has no regret, and sure AF made no such assurances.
My point is that unless it is documented in some way, shape, or form it did NOT happen. Period.
The administration wants this new course taught by you this summer for their own reasons (whatever those might be), otherwise they’d simply pull it from the schedule. Therefore, there’ll will be some sort of cost to them if if you don’t teach it this summer. Someone, somewhere benefits from this enough to try to coerce you into doing it. You might be able to use this to your advantage. Perhaps have extra preparation time worked into your paid schedule. If not the extra time could be clocked as something else, as long as the hours are pensionable. Failing that, try to get some sort of concession from them. They are well aware they owe you, regardless of whether or not they admit it. Make sure that anything you get form them is IN WRITING!
They may win in that you’ll have to teach this summer, but you can do your best to make their victory expensive enough that they’ll think twice before trying it again. Make no mistake, they WILL try this stunt again and again unless you give them some reason not to.
I’ve worked in education full or part time pretty much continuously for over 30 years. I’m well aware of how educational bureaucracies operate.
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Thank you for your insight. The university has its back against the wall on this issue and I can appreciate that fact. I honestly don’t believe it was intentional, I think some assistant somewhere simply approved the course offering without checking the faculty availability.
Truth is, I sincerely would LOVE to teach his course. The Great War (WWI) was my undergrad specialty. I just don’t want to teach it during the summer!
Thank you for your comments here! Naked hugs! 🙂
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