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Collateral

Every now and then (by my estimate maybe twice a decade) I do something that carries a professional risk and is (not independently) fairly public where I work. I'd like to say that I do it intentionally but it's usually a compulsion on an issue that I care deeply about and not subject to much conscious choice.

It doesn't always succeed but there is a definite collateral benefit for making the effort. I think I always knew that on an intellectual level but I'm old enough now and reflective enough to have experienced it a good deal. Now that I am in a wait-for-work position (as faculty ombuds) it is often cited by strangers who contact me.

I know part of my formative experience was finding mentors who stood firm on issues that mattered to them, and now I take it as given that that is how one should act. It is a joy to see those qualities in my children.

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