Happy Birthday to me!

Week of Oct 23: "I cannot tell if the day is ending, or the world, or if the secret of secrets is inside me again." So wrote Jane Kenyon, translating Russian poet Anna Akhmatova. At this juncture in history, that's a feeling many of us have. Part of the time we're on the verge of freaking out, half-expecting some new calamity to befall the world. Other times we're awash in wonder and awe, catching glimpses of the miraculous flow that's hidden just below the surface of everyday chaos; we're tantalizingly close to understanding that everything is proceeding exactly as it should. In the coming weeks, this excruciating poignancy will peak, especially for you. Regard it as a gift -- as a difficult blessing that has the potential to free you of your illusions.

Today: Today is not a day to visit the mall; today is certainly not a good day to dip into your savings, even if you merely intend to buy just one or two inexpensive items, because you’re likely to blow the lot! Self-control and common sense will probably fly out of the window if you see something that you really like!

If Today is your birthday: October 22, 2008

A Sun-Pluto aspect on your birthday will endow you not only with awesome amounts of physical energy, but also with the kind of intense inner belief that can move mountains. All things are possible for you this year - and every year from now on.

But here is what I was writing about this a.m. Work related. I will get back to the family stuff tomorrow a.m.

"I was a bit "ticked off" last night...

But on a more positive note, I have been thinking about a position that universities have (as I have been sitting in hospitals and rehab centers with mother at night...)

ombudsman: a person who investigates and attempts to resolve complaints and problems, as between employees and an employer or between students and a university.

It also came out of the pre surgery Maureen AA meeting and reinforced by an article in a magazine I am leaving for you this a.m. - "breaking down campus silos" - that what if certain projects took on a more "non person specific" look - graduation, prize night, summer mailing, Admitted Student Day/Open Houses type events, annual art trip. Giving these projects more of a community wide, coordinated approach rather than tied to a particular person in a particular department with a lot of "not my job" or lack of support/blame game complaints thrown in for good measure. And in addition, addressing questions, calls, complaints that do not seemed to "be owned" by anyone to take from start to finish. Just a thought.

I am thinking that the AHOS position had a lot of this thinking involved, but I still think the ombudsman is an interesting concept and with a more feet on the ground feeling rather than management focused and it could give management an extra eye into the details of why things are happening they way they are and who really are the team players and who is just building their resume or cashing their check?"

And next:

"Erin: I was a bit mortified yesterday to know that you passed an email of mine along to Bessie as "a report". Even before mother's illness I was having to triage work demands a bit since I do not plan on working the type of hours I worked last year but I also felt that your desire to put your stamp on your department and your experience and computer agility would move you to take over the task of doing "the magic with the numbers" of the admission business and Blackbaud information manipulation and take that from the "AA's" plate. As I shared last night, I will do the old report on a monthly basis - or mid month in November in time for the Trustee meeting - but I will not be turning it in to any charts or graphs. I still think the best use of my hours on the job is getting all the inquiries in, getting applications out, Open House preparation, addressing phone and email communications. If you feel I am misdirecting my time and energy, please let me know before we move into an even busier period of the admission cycle. (and know that I do this type of thinking and writing on my own time)

To give you some history - one of the counselors (Sanchali) did the monthly stats reports not the "AA" during the 2007-08 school year. That only fell to me when she left and we were all running on empty just weeks before March 10 (she left in Feb 2008). I do not know what the history was when Barb was Dean of Enrollment as to who did what and why - but what I know of her style/personality I have a feeling she did her own numbers. Also know that there used to be 1.5 "AA's" at some point prior to 2007-08. You could ask Clarissa about that reality - I have no information or history with that.

I know I keep harping on who does what and why, but I do not want to create a situation that is untenable for the next AA and the fact that I did what I did last year because of the specific circumstances of "Interim Dean", one short on counselors, new-ness of all the staff, etc. but I am developing a little resentment at this point in time. I do not work for the money these days, but I do have an expectation that all my co-workers making two (or three if you count housing benefit) times what I do should perhaps be working smarter? I know everyone feels they are overworked and underpaid right now - but I think that is a challenge to department management rather than a bad system - please know I am certainly not saying the system is working like a top - I think we have major challenges on many levels - but it is what it is, and we all need to identify ways we can work to make Ethel a better place to go to school for the girls, better place to teach for the teachers, and a better place to work for all the staff and administration.

Clarity, collaboration, shared vision - all items I would like to see more of from HOS to AA level. In my mind your position is the lynchpin for making that happening on our hallway."

Have a good birthday along with me.