For the past couple of weeks I’ve been spending time with my family, refinishing my deck (for which the weather has NOT cooperated), doing house repairs, and, basically, reflecting upon this past year as I prepare to enter my 8th year at Kutztown. I have to admit that this past year has taken a significant toll on me, in particular, my notorious deep reserves of hope. In my post back in the end of June, I was poking away at some of reasons for this:
While the tendency to criticize an issue and wait for “someone else” to take up the labor is certainly not limited to Kutztown University, I have always been part of groups at other institutions who had a kind of DIY ethic. That is, I’ve generally been surrounded by people who, when faced with a problem, tended to immediately begin to generate creative solutions without waiting to be given permission. In those contexts, we always felt a sense of ownership of the issue–and a kind of core belief that “if you want to get something done, you’ve got to do it yourself.”…
…What’s amazing about that DIY ethic is that it is hopeful–a basic belief in the creative labor of self-organizing groups–affinity groups, if you will. While our frustrations were deep, we tended to gravitate toward possibilities–whether those possibilities included putting on shows, carrying out “guerrilla art” campaigns, building shanty towns on university campuses, occupying administration buildings, living collectively, or starting our own independent zines and newspapers. And we did these things. They weren’t just ideas. Wecreated and built and produced.
This past weekend I was at a Writing Program Administration conference in Philly and met up with some friends and their kids. It was the first time that my friends and their families met my son, Rowan. These were some of the friends I had in mind when I wrote that post. I told them about some of my frustrations about Kutztown–in particular issues with my union work. I have to admit that it was somewhat comforting to hear that I was not alone in my frustrations of doing organizing work in academic institutions. One of my friends talked about her frustration with academics who all have great ideas, but are unwilling to do the work of organization to make those ideas concrete. One of my other friends talked about how important it was to take a leave just to reevaluate one’s relationship to her academic institution. I shared stories about moments of opportunity amidst “crisis” in which faculty had a chance to take the initiative and reconstitute their working conditions, but chose, instead, to play the role of victim/critic (I think these two terms can operate too frequently as a debilitating binary).
Earlier last week, I met up with one of my oldest friends and his family who live in Northern Ireland. They were back in Central New York visiting family, so we headed up for a one day visit. He and I got on a similar conversation…or, I should say, I got us on to a similar conversation. We were talking about how the political work we did back in Syracuse was not only engaging, it was FUN. That’s right, FUN. We enjoyed the work of political organizing and our community was strengthened by such work. Why was it then, I asked, that this relationship is so absent at KU? He shrugged his shoulders as did I. “Beats me,” we both seemed to say.
All of these questions came back to me front and center upon my lukewarm return to work and preparation for the coming semester. I read through a chain of emails posted on the faculty listserv doing some bashing of our union leadership. Some of the issues raised in these emails are not without merit–especially when it comes to communications processes over the summer. It is true, as one faculty member wrote in regard to significant organizational changes being pursued by KU’s administration, that the union should provide members with a “continuing update” about what is going on (while, at the same time, questioning whether or not the union leadership is doing anything at all).
Point taken. There is no doubt that it’s been a challenge keeping updates coming, especially over the summer when not all members of our Executive Committee are one campus everyday as they would be during the academic year. And yet I think most of us on our Executive Committee would agree that there needs to be better communication networks over all. That is true for ALL aspects of our union’s work.
What becomes a bit disenchanting for me is that on several occasions I’ve asked some of the same people who are so pissed off now to help with some of the work. In response to personal emails providing sketches of analyses and rhetorical questions, I’ve asked people to step up and contribute–not as some kind of challenge, but because we genuinely need more members with expertise in particular areas to help combat the administration’s moves to retrench faculty and eliminate or change programs. That doesn’t seem unreasonable. But, more often than not I receive, instead, a host of reasons why they are unable to do that work. I’ll never understand why there is always more than enough time to write lengthy emails filled with detailed criticisms, but always insufficient time to contribute to building a stronger union. But, this is where we are.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am the last person who will sit here and tell you that our local or statewide union is above criticism. In many ways, I might surprise many people in our union with the sharpness of my own critiques. However, my approach as been to look for ways to get involved and change things. It’s that’s old DIY principle again: If you don’t like something, doing something about it by doing the work to fix it.
Despite the temptations, I’ve consciously tried to avoid engaging in personal critiques or fanning the factional flames in public forums that can potentially weaken our union. But as the beginning of the 2010-2011 academic year approaches–a contract negotiation year to boot–I think it’s necessary for “new ideas” and “criticisms” to be accompanied by a willingness to do the work to either make those ideas concrete or correct problems. Maybe this is just too much to ask for. We shall see.
Anyway, I’ve got more to say on a couple of other things, but I’ll do so in separate posts so as not to extend this already-too-long post further.
Christina Steffy
Kevin Mahoney
Amy LB
