Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Just go on without me - really - I insist!

It seems that over the weekend our BMOC (in the official sense) here at RBU had a relatively minor, though no doubt painful mishap that has put him under a doctor's care. So he released a press announcement to the entire campus. It's not so much the press release that I think is a little melodramatic (hence my subject line) or unnecessary -- after all, he's a busy man and an important man and lots of people probably were counting on meeting with him this week. However, there was a bit in the press release that assured us all that the business of the university would continue without him.

Really? Are you sure? Because I just don't know how I can go on teaching my classes without our fearless leader!

All sarcasm aside, this otherwise innocuous announcement is one of the less disturbing ways he has shown his failure to understand that the fundamental "business" of our university is teaching, and that the faculty and students are the primary consituents in that business. Earlier this semester he sent out an announcement to everyone including the faculty reminding us (read: himself) that students are our reason for being here and that we should say hello to them and greet them by name. Perhaps I should invite him to my classes and demonstrate that I have all 70 of my students' names memorized already? I mean, seriously, maybe he's never been in anything except a giant lecture or something, and doesn't realize how we teach on this campus. And if that's the case, that's our failure.


[PS - The post title could also refer to the fact that I haven't blogged in over a week! Ack! Sorry about that!]

1 comment:

Bardiac said...

Hah! You should get your BMOC together with OUR headmaster! Does yours use a metaphors from a single sport to talk about EVERYTHING? He gives us a sports report at university meetings, but somehow never manages to talk about the academic, artistic, or performance activities/events involving our students.

Seriously, can we banish them to Siberia together or something?