Daffodils

"Daffodils" (1804)
I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced;
but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

Faculty of Color and Wells College

The old cliche'..."Can't say we did not try". That is what the President and the others at Wells will tell everyone. They will say that they have employed faculty of color but they did not stay. The reason they have not is not far below the surface. Would anyone like to find out what the hell is happening at Wells? Will someone investigate why faculty of color do not stay at Wells for any thime. Administrators in high places either fire them or give them so much them so much grief they have to run. One member of faculty had a country song that she liked to sing during her stay at Wells...If you going through hell don't look back, back that fire and walk right through it. You might get out befor the devil even knows you are there. She got out before they could fire her.

Thoughts

I guess I'll use this site to vent. It is safe to put my thoughts online hoping that the people I want to read them will find them. Imagine working somewhere and calling the adminstrators on "diversity and social justice" asking them to stop bantering the words around but rather to find out the meanings and not having them doing so. Imagine writing to the Chair of the Board of Trustees and not getting an acknowledgement of the receipt of your letter. What do you call such behavior?
Imagine people serving an institution for more than ten years and are let go/fired, forced to resign without adequate notification. Staff and faculty let go two weeks before the end of the semester. No they did not steal or do anything unethical. They are just "not the right fit" for the institution. "It was better when the College was homogeneous" so said one senior member of faculty in a meeting with faculty of color. No one called this faculty member on his remarks. You see that kind of speech represents the College. This is what I encountered. It is mind numbing to think that there are still people at the helm of administration in this great country who behave in such discourteous ways. How do these people sleep at nights? Is this how they expect professionals in academic to behave? What examples or lessons are they passing on to the young?

Speaking of immigration and illegal immigrants

Today someone asked, "What would the United States of America be like today if the Native Americans had stricter immigration laws and policies back in the 1600s?" Questions like this make you say, "Mmmh?"

Life without social justice is death

How do some of us go through life only looking for things that benefit us? Is it because we are selfish? Some of us do not care what happen to others as long as we feel secure and do not suffer the indignities that others do. Who was it that said that if one man is oppressed then no man is free?
I am my brother's [sister's] keeper. Life without social justice is death!!!

Diversity or tokenism

Many institutions boast on their websites or to prospective employees about their commitment to diversity and social justice. I have come to realize that many people in these institutions have no clue about the meaning of diversity. For many people operating at some of these institutions diversity is a word-- only a word to attract persons from the underrepresented groups. Once these institutions are able to employ one or two persons from the underrepresent group they think their work is done---they think they have diversity. These institutions pay lip service---tokenism to people from underrepresented groups.
It is a shame what goes on at some of these institutions in the name of diversity and social justice.