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Taking On a New Kind of Task

I've been asked to serve as a Title IX advisor. For all kinds of reasons I can't discuss the details.  It is an ad hoc responsibility; I do not know the duration but it is not a permanent addition to my job description.

A lot of what I do in my job is service that is not explicitly in my job description, but is done in consultation with folk who supervise me. I do not often get explicit additional compensation. There is an indeterminate connection to my merit pay raises.

By virtue of my seniority I get approached to do some things; other times I see a niche and volunteer for it. What I do this year is mightily different from what I did decades ago. The job is fluid in a way that keeps it interesting.

Some parts don't change; I have my courses that I'm good at teaching (not all of them, there's room for growth). I serve on departmental job searches as they occur as well as task forces.

Some gigs are long; most of my service as chair of something or other averages around five years or so. Some feel long. (General Studies Review Committee was an intense three years that had rejection of our work followed by implementation of about 1/3 of it.)  My first three-year term as Faculty Ombudsperson flew by.

Taking on new tasks is a lot less scary than it was when I was younger. Not worrying about tenure or promotion is liberating in that sense.

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