A YEAR DOWN A HARD ROAD

We will post about the JALC candidate forum in the next couple days.  In the meantime, it should be noted that it is March 7.  A year has gone by since the firings at the College. 

Larry Peterson has gone. His reorganization is still in place.  Those who gained promotions remain in place.  Interim president Ron House has become President House.  Those who lost chairmanships, or offices, remain without.  Those who lost jobs fall into two categories, the lost and the traumatized.  Some are both.

Some faculty and staff took retirement.  They lost their plans for the future; Logan lost them for good.  Some faculty were called back.  They have jobs, but not security.  Who, once granted tenure, and then fired, would feel secure after being called back?  It's the stability of a the yo-yo.  (Yes, we said 'fired'.  We, here at Muddy Williamson do not use the term Reduction In Force, or RIF. It's too much a safe and antiseptic euphemism, like "enhanced interrogation" rather than "torture")

And then there are those faculty who were fired and not called back.  The college limps along with three full time English teachers and zero full time History teachers.  This issue was highlighted at the most recent Board meeting by presentations from two retired faculty members.  Former Psychology professor Gary Caldwell read a letter, signed by 13 former Logan professors and department chairs, expressing a lack of confidence in the Board and current President.  Former History professor Helen Nall decried the lack of any full time History teachers.  There is video of both speeches floating around Facebook.  If whoever shot the video would post it to YouTube, and let us know in the Comments section, we'd be happy to post the link. 

And now MW will go to bed and dream about new JALC Board members.