40 Years A Saluki
Tomorrow, October 10, 2018, marks my 40th year of caring about all things at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
I remember, clearly, looking and listening and hoping for a call from the Superintendent of Building Services, George O’Hara, with an offer for a position as a Building Service Worker I.
When I received the telephone call with the offer of my carer opportunity…I was thrilled!
I was speaking with an extremely interesting student, this morning, who happened to be disabled and in a wheelchair…and joyful to be a member of the SIUC community.
I am transported back to the first evening that I worked at Southern. It was a chilly October night and I could not believe my good fortune to have become a part of the university family.
My conversation with my friend, today, reminded me of why I love SIU and Southern Illinois. He mentioned that he had come from Chicago, 20 years ago, to attend university and that he liked the surroundings and the people, so much, that he never left. He went on to say that he considers himself, more a Southern Illinoisan than a Chicagoan.
SIUC has brought financial stability and a secure life path to me and my family.
The university has brought the world to my doorstep! On my first night of work I was placed on a crew that had student workers from several countries. Being exposed to the gift of diversity…my world view was expanded exponentially.
Southern Illinois University taught me that there is something, rare and glistening and worthy of caring about and fighting for and attaching yourself to…for life…in Southern Illinois…SIUC!
‘The Saluki or Persian Greyhound is a dog originally bred in the Fertile Crescent and ancient Iran. The Saluki classed as a sighthound and is typically deep-chested and long-legged. Salukis are sighthounds–hunting by sight-and run their quarry down to kill or retrieve it.’ Wikipedia
A Saluki can run 42 miles per hour.
The Saluki is the mascot of SIUC.
And, so, the young man from Eldorado, Illinois came to university. My childhood friend, Jackie Brooks, had enrolled at SIU…but never attended.
My mother encouraged me to go to Barber School…because it did not seem to her that I enjoyed studying.
Yet, as I came in the door of the housekeeping department…I immersed myself in the total university experience and ultimately became friends of chancellors and presidents and even gave them advice…from time to time.
The Building Services staff are among the most dedicated people that Southern Illinois University has…and the university should be honored to have them.
The sacrifice that I have, personally witnessed up to and and including this day, is unparalleled in commitment to the success of our university!
Building Services staff’s dedication to excellence…knows no bounds. They struggle to keep the university, immaculate, with a skeleton staff.
The mentorship that SIU’s housekeeping staff exhibits for their, custodial student colleagues…is an example for the entire campus.
Over the past 40 years…many have asked me what I did at SIU…and have often guessed that I was a professor. When I respond that I worked my entire carer in the custodial department…they proceed to tell me how needed the housekeeping services are.
What they do not realize…is that being a member of the Building Services family….was the greatest honor of my life!
Remembering
The story of our life is the story of our memories.
As time passes all to quickly and days are filled with activity that changes more rapidly than the flying of a weavers shuttle…our memories of the joys of our days and who mattered and matters to us and our, ‘fuel,’ that fills our engines of motivation…can be replaced by the current cares and concerns and politics of the moment that we are experiencing.
I often reflect on my dear mother and what an advocate that she was for me. One afternoon, when I returned from school and the second grade, I mentioned that the teacher had taken my arm and shook me, when she became so upset that I did not understand her ‘new’ math.
The next afternoon, just after the last bell had rang and I was proceeding out of the classroom…there was mom entering and she was visibly upset. She asked my teacher if she had grabbed my arm and shook me…and she replied that she had.
Mom told Ms. Blackwell that if she ever touched me again…that she would ‘kick her ass!’
Ms. Blackwell apologized profusely…and she never shook me again.
My mother never had a lot of money…but if she knew that her friends or family or neighbors or fellow church members were in need…she would quietly give them money….and tell no one about it.
I can see the big tears in my dad’s eyes when a team of doctors examined me and told him that I had a heart murmur.
I, vividly, remember the mystery and excitement and adventure of being newly married and having my sweet wife on my arm…and our dreams for the future.
I can see Aaron in his bassinet in the nursery at Carbondale Memorial Hospital, with his little blue hat on…and how he cried the loudest in the nursery and the attending nurse telling me that he had character!
As we were walking around the DuQuoin Fairgrounds and eating ice cream cones, Jonathon told me that we must save some for Aaron.
I remember being so very poor…and hungry at times…with no money to pay the electric bill and the fear of having my power shut off.
I was so grateful when I was hired at Essex International factory and was assigned to make wire harnesses for Chrysler trucks. I was paid $1.75 per hour or $14.00 a day.
When I began working at SIU I was amazed at the compliments and kind remarks that I received from both my customers as well as my supervisors. I knew that I was going to have a wonderful carer with the university.
In Bible School, when I was 7 or 8 years old I was asked to say what I knew about Moses and the exodus of he and the Hebrew nation out of Pharaohs cruel captivity.
When I had finished my little speech…the instructor told me that she had never heard anything like what I had said…and that she thought that I might become a preacher. The experience made such an indelible impression on me…that I have remembered it until this day…and mark that occurrence as the time that I became a christian.
It is easy to not be able to ‘see the forest for the trees.’
Sometimes as we travel the winding and circuitous road of life…we must climb a hill and look backward at the many twists and turns and priceless experiences that have led to our present moment.
Success Is Incremental
I recall being a member of the Civil Service Council at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale for over fifteen years and then a member of the State Universities Annuitants Association, as the Council’s representative on that Board, for four years.
During those times I spent nearly five years as the president of the group.
We had attempted, for many years, to have Veteran’s Day, recognized as a holiday at the University. We felt, strongly, that our precious veterans, deserved a day where the university shut it’s doors in remembrance of their sacrifice.
Finally, we were able to succeed in convincing our university leadership that, Veteran’s Day was appropriate for a university holiday, when it fell between Monday – Friday.
The quest to accomplish this innovative was about twenty years.
Chancellor Wendler asked me to chair a committee regarding excellence in the civil service community. This committee examined the viability of pay raises for civil service staff…that were out of season and were based upon excellent performance and job duties that encompassed areas outside of the employees job description.
We were able to obtain this powerful enhancement to the lives of civil service staff, and many benefited from this needed, financial, recognition.
The hourly pay for many in the AcEs Union was below par, as regarding the comparison to other similar jobs at Illinois State Universities.
When we took the issues of many of our civil service staff being eligible for food stamps, due to their low hourly rate of pay, we were able to obtain a pay increase for those classifications, that fell below the norm, of compensation, for Illinois Universities.
When I became a member of SIU Building Services…it was basically a white man’s club.
There was one woman foreman and few women that worked as crew supervisors or Building Service Worker’s.
There were few African Americans in the ranks of the housekeeping staff.
There was one disabled employee.
There was one, openly Gay, employee.
As the years passed…I was determined to change the complexion of Building Services…if I ever had the opportunity.
Prior to my retirement I had promoted women to leadership positions at both the crew level and the foreman level. Five of my eight foreman were women at the time of my retirement.
African Americans were actively hired and promoted and the recommendation for my replacement, by me, was an African American woman.
At the time of my retirement I was humbled and proud to, be recognized, at both the state and national level for the hiring and advancement of persons with disabilities, both intellectual and physical, and they were among our finest staff!
I knew of several Gay staff that felt comfortable and welcomed in Building Services…and I was honored to call them my friends and colleagues.
And, so, our political leaders are telling us that they felt for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford…and that they thought she had a compelling testimony…and that they believed her….but that they just can not believe that Bret Kavanaugh… is the guilty party.
Our president, ridiculed Dr. Ford and mimicked her and was received with uproarious applause and laughter.
God forbid…if it is your daughter or your wife or your mother or your sister…who is sexually abused…do you anticipate that you will be laughing?
Is it the reality that many of our politicians believe Dr. Blasey Ford…but do not believe that Judge Kavanaugh is the culprit…or is the cold and hard fact that….they really do not care?
Yes, the criminal standards for guilt are that you are innocent until proven guilty.
Are the criminal standards for guilt…the same for a job interview?
It would be increasing difficult to be caviler regarding a woman who has been sexually assaulted or harassed…if they were a member of your family.
I have taken the temerity to mention some of the successes that our civil service community at SIU were able to obtain and enjoy…and I can attest that I was told, by intelligent colleagues, that we would attain none of them.
I was labeled a friend of African Americans and the disabled and women…and I wore those titles as a badges of honor!
Success…is truly…incremental!
‘Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!’ Isaiah 5:20 KJV
Travel is Life
We humans are great mimics.
Photo by Adrianna Calvo on Pexels.com
My mother said to me, on numerous occasions, ‘monkey see…monkey do.’
Being social, and by default, tribal creatures…we often identify with our small group.
We tend to reflect the ideas and biases of our neighbors and friends and fellow parishioners. We identify with our geographic location and the customs associated with it.
Simply put, our reality can be a small as a snow globe…or it can be ‘Global.’
We were in Venice, Italy. We were staying in a lovely, flat, with our dear friends, Margo and Jeff, and the flat adjoined a busy courtyard.
Venice is magical! It is over 120 islands that are connected by pedestrian bridges. You may climb twenty steps, ascending the bridge and subsequently descend fifteen steps to the other side. This is due to the varying levels of the two islands that are being joined by the bridge.
Each Venetian shop has tall rubber boots to facilitate the continued operation of the business when it is flooded. Yes, the shops and courtyards flood on a regular basis…as apparently did the flat where we were staying, by evidence of the four pairs of rubber boots that were in the closet. Water was in the foyer of our building, many mornings of our stay.
One day, in Venice, I was sitting outside our flat, without my friend, Jeff, who was ill. I was smoking an Italian cigar and enjoying the, ever, passing throng of tourists and natives.
I became interested in a group of young people who were filming various people that they encountered. They, posed a young man and his girlfriend, and took several shots of them.
Then they came to me. A gentleman asked if I would allow them to film me…as I was, ‘very beautiful.’ At that point I was 57 years old…and had never been referred to as beautiful…and so I let them film!
It turns out that the Italian students were filming for the Venice Film Festival…and my moment in the sun consisted of a one second clip of me taking a puff of my Italian cigar and uttering the word, ‘yeah.’ Oh, I was also wearing my hat from Nice, France.
Outside our flat was a beggar, with the face and demeanor of an angel, who sat, on the steps, near our door each day. Jeff, gave him food and he was humbly grateful.
Venice has wonderful and and intricate, hand made, masks. They are customarily worn during the Carnival of Venice, ‘forty days before Easter, on Shrove Tuesday (Martedi Grasso or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday. The festival is world-famous for its elaborate masks.’ Wikipedia
We took a Ghost Tour, one evening, during our stay. The chilly rain magnified a mysterious atmosphere as it landed on the ancient cobblestones. We visited Marco Polos home as well as the location of a murder…a decapitation! Our tour guide told us that some people see the floating head of the murder victim in the water that was just off of the dock that we were standing on…I looked!
Probably, one of the most enjoyable Venice experiences was Mary Jane and I riding in a gondola. There are so many gondolas that the narrow canals can become quite crowded and it was enlightening to observe our gondola driver expertly maneuver between the other boats and buildings.
If you have seen Venice on television or the internet, you may have wondered if the buildings, along the canals, are sitting in the water…they are.
We visited a bookstore that had books stacked from floor to ceiling and steps made out of books that led up to a wall made out of books…that you could stand on.
We boated to the Venetian island of Murano to observe the world famous Murano glass being made. Murano led Europe in glassmaking for hundreds of years. It is mesmerizing to see the glassblowers working with the molten glass to fashion items of delicate and multi-faceted beauty and wonder.
On our last evening in Venice, we had dinner at our favorite restaurant and were served by our favorite waiter, a Mr. Bean lookalike, and I reflected on what it would be like to live in this beautiful place?
I also could not help but think about Jeff and I watching, the real, Mr. Bean, on his iPad and laughing at his escapades.
October is Knocking at Our Door
Having been born in October, a week before Halloween, may, partially, explain my love for the autumn season.
I recall anticipating the end of September, when I was in grade school, because I knew that my birthday signaled the beginning of the holiday season!
I have already received my 61st birthday present from Aaron and Jonathon. It is a stereo record player!
The sound quality is amazing!
I now am the proud owner of two record players, one upstairs and one downstairs…and around 60 or 61 vinyl LPs to listen to.
My, former, stereo record player, that I received for my eighth grade graduation…got lost in the diaspora, I had a large collection of vinyl records and had made a hobby out of obtaining one each month, from the Columbia Record Company, and listening to them on a regular basis.
When I moved from my parents home, the day after my high school graduation, and at the age of 17…they were lost…along with my comic book collection…in the family burning barrel.
Jonathon loaned me his Comic Con pass today in order for me to be able to peruse the wonderful collection of, vintage, comics and action figures and so much more.
Many of my fellow shoppers at Comic Con were dressed in the most interesting of costumes including; zombies and vampires and Freddy Kruger and Star Trek characters.
Jonathon bought me a Captain Kirk, vintage, action figure…and…now…I have ordered a Mr. Spock…on eBay!
I saw, vintage, comics of the original Star Trek that originally sold for 15 cents, being sold for $75 and $125…and I owned both of them as a child in the 1960s.
I was inspired by the Southern Illinois University Chancellor, Dr. Carlo Montemagno, as he spoke to our Presbyterian Mens Group last Tuesday evening. This is a man that has taken on a Herculean task in endeavoring to stop the enrollment decline at our beloved university and increase it to over 18,000 students.
On top of this challenge…the chancellor was stricken with cancer and has been weathering that, tremendously, difficult health challenge.
He spoke to our little group the other night…and I wanted to tell him that he should be resting and recuperating. Such dedication and courage and strength in the face of adversity…is inspiring!
My friend, Sarah, is almost done with her chemo. I have been friends with the Sheffer’s for many years and Sarah worked in my office, at one time. Her courage and strength is an example to us all!
The Sheffer family is the first family that I knew that went all out for Halloween. They, actually, inspired me to have a renewed appreciation for the holiday.
Sarah’s chemo ends around the time of Halloween…and I know that there will be a celebration!
And, so, Thanksgiving and Christmas are in our sights…and it really is not so important who is a Republican and who is a Democrat.
It really is not so important as to…who is in and who is out.
It really is not so important as to who drives the new car and lives in a new house and who drives a used car…and rents.
It is important that everyone has enough to eat.
It is important the everyone has a roof over their head.
It is important that everyone has someone who cares about them.
It is important that our children are shown examples of love and care and inclusivity and not hate and disregard and prejudice.
The Blessing of Normalcy
As we travel on this little blue dot…racing through the cosmos…and as far as we, currently understand, being the the only intelligent life in the universe…we tend to discount the good days.
I said, many years ago, that success is incremental.
Failure is also incremental.
However, we often get lost in the woods when it comes to our daily, seemingly, normal lives.
The routine of helping your children with their homework and watching them play basketball or baseball or engage in tumbling class…and seem to be routine…when in reality is it stunning in its specialness and rarity!
Working, day in and day out, and having a job that you are good at and being respected by your peers and supervisors….can feel mundane and pedestrian…when in reality it is an angel looking over your shoulder…causing you to succeed!
Having your loved ones with you…and easily accessible at a moments notice…seems as if it has always been so…when in truth…it is a gift that may not always be at your fingertips…and as precious as a rare diamond.
Feeling the warm sun on your face, as you are luxuriating in the ocean and looking at the white sugar sand of the beach….is special and could be singular in your life experience.
To have a government that cares about you…and all of its citizens…and to have elected representatives that will stand up for you and your rights…and will stand against the popular political and expedient rhetoric…is not regular normalcy…but as rare as the ‘gold of Ophir.’
Family vacations and the laughter and the fun and the sheer joy of each others company and mutual companionship….is more beautiful that a Picasso painting or a Rembrandt…or a Peter Max work of art!
I walked on our beloved university’s campus this morning. It is family weekend. I saw the mothers and the fathers and their precious children…as they explored our campus.
I sat and watched a talent show put on by our sororities and fraternities and marveled in their youthful exuberance and zest for life and their ability to simply find the fun and joy in everyday living!
When I witnessed the smiles on their faces and the inquisitiveness of their desire to know more about Southern Illinois University…I was encouraged and energized and revitalized by their passion for learning and their dedication to making our world…better.
Take nothing for granted!
Never…believe that happiness or good times or peace…is your birthright.
Work to make life for your fellow human beings…better.
Labor to assist the downtrodden…and those who have no voice.
When the abused…or the children or the elderly…say they have been abused or mistreated….believe them!
Money and possessions…are nice…but they do not last.
Position and power is satisfying…but it will evaporate…much as our glaciers are currently evaporating.
How we treat the members of our human family…is the only measure and the only yardstick and the only ruler and the only standard…that we will carry into the next life.
Money and power and fame and authority…is similar to the static that we received on our televisions in the 1960’s. All it accomplishes is the obscuring of the clear picture of a wonderful life!
A Caring Leader
This evening I was privileged to hear Southern Illinois University, Chancellor, Carlo Montemagno, speak to a group from the First Presbyterian church in Carbondale.
I have heard Dr. Montemagno speak on several occasions and have always found him to be an inspirational orator.
The Chancellor began by recalling a, dismal plan, to cut departments and services that fell below a certain statistical floor. It was called a sustainability plan and contained, the elimination, of many academic programs that were located in departments that were not appropriate for them and programs with low enrollment and significant faculty dedicated to a few students.
His academic restructuring plan is designed to best utilize the resources that are available at SIUC.
Carlo said that he endeavored to speak with every faculty member on campus, regarding their ideas on academic restructuring.
He mentioned, that prior to the closing of the Housing Towers, Food Service was serving 300 breakfast each morning and that now they are serving 900 breakfast each morning…because the students that are housed on campus are now all together and going to breakfast together.
Dr. Montemagno, noted, that one of the first realizations that the had, when he came to Carbondale, is that the university and the region were inextricably linked. He knew that if the university failed…the entire region would suffer.
As Carlo spoke this evening…I was struck with his humanity and his sincerity and his courage.
I have known many SIUC leaders…and this fine man is the genuine article!
I saw, tonight, that Chancellor Montemagno cares about people…and it caused me to care about his vision and his efforts and to seek some, small manner, in which to help.
Ask The People Who Know…And Who Have the Most to Lose
It dawned on me, again, yesterday that our enrollment and recruitment conundrum could be readily solved if administration would ask the people who know and who have the most to loose.
Faculty are afraid…and administrative professional staff are afraid…and civil service staff are afraid…of a continuing loss of students.
We have built our life around Southern Illinois University…we have purchased homes and our children are in the local schools and we are members of the local churches and volunteer in the local civic organizations.
We have buy-in!
We are practicing total immersion in the academic and creative world of SIU!
The students speak with us. They tell us of their fears and hopes and dreams and they, clearly, delineate the strengths and weaknesses of our university.
If university leaders seek, only, the advice of their well paid staff…they have missed the big picture!
If you really want to know what is going on…don’t go to the executive staff…go to the janitor…who sees the human interaction of the organization…at the bedrock level.
I watched the new Michael Moore film, ‘Fahrenheit 11/9′, yesterday. It was a revealing portrait of our countries’ current state of dysfunction.
At one point, in the film, a Democratic candidate was admonished by Congressman Steny Hoyer that he should drop out of the congressional race as it had been determined that he could not win. When the candidate told the Congressman that he thought that the decision should be left up to the voters…Hoyer responded that he had been at, what he was doing, for a long time.
And, so, it is, often, with university leadership…that it is determined that some, elite, individuals…have the answers and solutions to the universities’, knotty and inextricable problems, or that it is, specialized wisdom, to perform the same actions…that have been performed to a failed result…that have been performed, numerous times before, and to expect a different outcome….?
I advised an SIU president…over eight years ago…to conduct a ‘Hail Mary Pass’…and he chose not to. Our beloved university has lost thousands of students since then…and he is no longer the president.
Believe Survivors
‘Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.’
‘On average, there are 321,500 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States.’ RAINN
‘1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted).’
‘Sexual Violence Can Have Long-Term Effects on Victims’
‘94% of women who are raped experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the two weeks following the rape.’
‘30% of women report symptoms of PTSD 9 months after the rape.’
‘33% of women who are raped contemplate suicide.’
‘13% of women who are raped attempt suicide.’
‘Approximately 70% of rape or sexual assault experience moderate to severe distress, al larger percentage than for any other violent crime.’ RAINN
‘Out of Every 1000 Rapes, 994 Perpetrators Will Walk Free’ RAINN
And, so, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is being accused by a second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, of exposing himself to her at a Yale University party…or placing his genitalia in her face.
Now some say that the timing is suspect for the accusations of Dr. Ford and Ms. Ramirez. Is it really a case of the timing being in question, as he is about to be confirmed to the highest court in the land for a lifetime appointment…or is it women who have been sexually assaulted and have suffered in silence for over 30 years?
Yes a person can be falsely accused of sexually assault.
There is a 7.1% of false sexual assault reports.’ nsvrc.org
The myths surrounding sexual assault are just that…myths!
Sexual assault is not about sexual gratification…it is about power.
I was raised by my mother. I saw her sexually harassed on several occasions…and it enraged me!
Some of the most capable people and professionals, in my life, have been women.
From my mom, who took adult education classes to become a photographer, after she an my dad divorced.
To my dear wife, Mary Jane who home schooled our children and went back to university to obtain her masters degree at 40 years old.
Too my friend, Jo Ann, who battled the male dominated hierarchy of SIU and fought for…the little guys and gals…and loved and cared about the entire university community.
To my former supervisor, Marian, who was so kind to me at a difficult time in my career, and who was and is a brilliant person.
To my friend and, former colleague, Elizabeth, who is constantly striving to make SIU
a better place and achieve recognition for the universities civil service staff.
My friend, Joanna, gave me the inspiration for the title of this blog by a Facebook post that she posted that said, #BelieveSurvivors.
Prior to my retirement, five of the eight members of my leadership staff. were women…and they were consummate professionals…and they were wonderful!
So, the accusations against Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, should be examined by the FBI…who performs the background investigations for all Supreme Court nominees…what is the reluctance and trepidation…if he is innocent?
7.1% of sexual assault accusations are false…statistically…perhaps Judge Kavanaugh’s accusers…are lying?
Note: Some photos are courtesy of Google Search.
People Before Politics
Of late, we have witnessed the placing of politics before people.
Political considerations are almost always not only the path of least resistance, but also the expedient trail for politicians and leaders of all stripes…including administrator and managers and bureaucrats.
Currently our Senate is wrestling with accusations brought by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Although Dr. Ford has passed a lie detector test and has undergone psychological counseling for the alleged sexual assault, as well as reporting a witness to the assault, she has been informed by the Republican head of the Judiciary Committee that there will not be a re-opening of the background check, by the FBI, to examine the veracity of her claims.
Dr. Ford has also been told that the person who she reports as a witness will not be subpoenaed to testify before the committee.
‘We got a little hiccup here with the Kavanaugh nomination,’ Senator Heller said. ‘We’ll get through this and we’ll go off to the races.’
Senator Orin Hatch said of the Ford accusations, ‘that she may be mixed up.’
Senator Mitch McConnell, ‘voices confidence on Kavanaugh confirmation: We’re going to plow right through it.’ Fox News
Dr. Ford requested an FBI investigation of her accusations, as was done in 1991 during the Supreme Court nomination process for Clarence Thomas, but this request has been denied by the Kavanaugh Camp…why?
Certainly Dr. Ford is not afraid to be sworn under oath and speak to the FBI.
How is it that our Senate is afraid to afford due process to a woman who says that she was sexually assaulted by a candidate for the highest court in our land and will, if confirmed, sit on that court for life?
Dr. Ford reports that her life has been threatened and that she and her teenage children have had to leave their home and that she has been impersonated on-line.
There is no statute of limitations for attempted rape.
Often a leader is confronted with extremely serious issues…that they did not foresee…and that are not convenient. How that leader handles those issues are the defining moments of their tenure as senators and presidents and administrators and managers.
I experienced many issues, during my 25 years as a manager of a major housekeeping organization. Issues that not only were not easy or politically expedient…but issues that for me to do the right thing…caused me to fear for my continued viability in what I had observed was a shaky environment for university managers.
My favorite television character, Mr. Spock, would ask if a decision was logical?
I found that advice to be helpful when trying to extricate people from knotty problems that did not have simple and widely acclaimed solutions.
It is important to judge matters…not by ‘gut reactions’ but rather by evidence of fact.
On more than one occasion, people that I respected…endeavored to ‘play me’ much as you would move a pawn on a chessboard.
That is why it is vital to have a running history of what the facts are.
If I was aware of a member of my staff being hurt or abused or bullied…I took action and cared little of the direction of university politics.
Surprisingly, my stand for people over politics…gave me respect among my peers and many university leaders. At times the respect was grudging…but everyone knew what I stood for and who I was.
