Collective

Something good happened this week; I was informed of it yesterday when a colleague forwarded an email to me announcing it. 

The announcement had to do with our university administration committing resources to something that needed doing; the fact that it had not been done had threatened the safety and work environment of dozens of my colleagues. I was clueless about it until in my job as ombudsperson I heard about it from multiple individuals.

95% of my job as ombudsperson (roughly) is focused on the individuals who come to me, brainstorming about their options and weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each. I've been around my university for over 36 years so I've picked up some knowledge of our system and as a mathematician I have a lot of training and experience in problem-solving. I'm not bad at counseling stressed individuals; professional development at ombuds meetings has helped me a lot with that.

5% of my job as ombudsperson (roughly) is managing upward. The word I frequently use in this process is "fester". When I identify a systemic problem (beyond the reach of individual faculty members) that will worsen over time, insofar as I can do so without violating confidentiality it is my job (duty? that's a really big four-letter word) to advocate to administrators to not let the problem worsen, that it is in their best interests to address it now.

I was pulled into this particular issue during the summer; as is my wont I tried to resolve it through quiet behind-the-scenes rhetoric, even as I was hearing about the issue from more folk. When it became clear that the administration was not inclined to address it I started being obnoxious to them about it.

This was an issue affecting folk from many areas on campus who seemed not only disheartened that it was not being addressed but who also felt isolated, fearing to raise it given how subtle decisions about employment and advancement at the university are and what the consequences would be if they pushed.

I am blessed with the certainty that I will not advance further in rank. I have in times past made it clear to my superiors that they would not want me as an assistant dean, etc.; to be honest I would not enjoy those roles as I would feel the need to stifle and support the administration point of view. I am 64. It is hard to stifle.

I have done some things on my own that I take pride in. I made a really good Chicken Yakisoba for dinner a few weekends ago. I can sing pretty well, for an amateur at least.

Most of the really good things that I am involved with are the work of many individuals and I try to be very clear about my limited role in the work. It is not only good politics on campus to share credit freely it is also a moral choice and I try to do it correctly.

A lot of people have been addressing this one issue for a while. My contribution was to stand up in public meetings and speak openly about it. I have experience from various parts of my career in public speaking. I know how to organize my thoughts, how to read a room, how to follow up afterwards. Political capital is finite; I stand up and speak infrequently, and consequently when I do it gets more attention.

I have had dreams about this issue for months and there have been times that I have wept over it, knowing some of its consequences, physically and spiritually on my colleagues. It was really, really nice reading that email yesterday morning.

There is still much work to be done. The issue extends beyond yesterday's commitment. Still, traction.

As always I remain so very grateful to work with colleagues in a collective who try to do the right thing.