recipie for a middle of the night nutty...

1) Wake-up to a cat screaming in the hall. Calm cat and realize you can't get back to sleep.

2) Check e-mail. Find e-mail from Academic VP about low enrollments.

3) Go to newly re-organized college website.

4) Look at class enrollments.

5) See only 3 of expected 4 classes (side note, 1 class course release for being department chair is bogus... )

6) panic -- how can they register for classes if I'm not even listed in the course list?

7) Wonder which of the adjunct faculty classes I can snag and still make it to Red State on weekends.

8) Worry that when they changed the schedule, that class didn't get back into the system.

9) Look at notes from syllabus-writing to see if I have info for it, as that would have come from the internet -- plan to use it as proof of the class previously existing...

10) Worry that when I requested a room change, the dean's assistant deleted the class instead.

11) Realize that the new system only shows available classes, i.e. classes with at least 1 seat open.

12) Think that this system sucks, as I use it for my informal advising and as such it won't show me all the classes being taught... sigh.

13) Wander around the newly designed website until I find the class-list function.

14) Sign in, hoping I'm remembering my ID number.

15) See 4 classes listed, which calms my panic...

16) Go back to bed...

ps...

and -- I've just found the grades and first-version paper comments for the student who thinks she ought to have a higher grade.

I can read between the lines and see that her paper sucked-ass...

Am I easily irked?

A student who started my class almost a YEAR ago has now made a complaint to my dean about her grade. She says she was e-mailing me about it, but I haven't received a recent e-mail from her... hmmm-- and, she's SOOOOO stubborn that she probably won't admit that she was using an old address.

I considered raising her grade last year and decided not to, because her work didn't show the skills she needed --i.e. presenting the other side of the argument. I suppose that is really hard when you are such a homophobe-bigot you can't even comprehend the other side.

Of course, I'm pretty sure I shredded her paper in June when I did a huge office muck-out. Unless she came by to pick it up and can prove otherwise, her grade will stand.... ha.

Sigh -- It seems like I need a few more bits in my standard syllabus...

1) No late final papers.... at all.
2) Every late paper will receive a penalty. The standard penalty will be 10% of the point value.
3) Make grade challenges in the semester following your class. Papers leftover from the previous semester will be destroyed after that semester has lapsed.
4) Don't be a homophobic-bigoty-ass-jerk and expect to get away with it.

Swimming...

I started the day in the pool for water aerobics.

Hubby and I just went for a bedtime swim.

I was an otter in another life....

missing the 'involvement fair'... NOT

Every year I was a debate coach at BN state, I had to represent the team and try to recruit debaters at the 'involvement fair'.

It was always required of student organizations and always a waste of time. It was scheduled for the first week of school and took about 3 hours --- just what you want to try to organize/staff (around my classes)/ do in the first week.

The 'involvement fair' model works great for the Spanish club or the Asian Students Association. It is also a fantastic forum for any sports team, Greek organization or honor society. It sucks for debate.

The thing is, if they come for the free popcorn and punch, they aren't looking for an activity that requires a lot of hard work and travel. They are looking for something to do in their down time, not an academic activity significantly more challenging than their classes in which they'll be competing against the top students from 4-year schools.

Sure, they say they are interested -- they may even show up at a meeting... but I never counted on the involvement fair recruits to be anything more than a number-plumper (i.e I could say that 15 students were 'involved' in debate, when only 4 or 6 actually competed...).

In a more broad sense, it is very nice not to worry about recruiting more debaters or training new debaters. Having my last teams be D2 & D3, Swear Jar & Sunshine is just fine by me...

The idea that I get to just teach philosophy and manage faculty is really beginning to sink in. I don't have to plan a debate travel schedule, make a budget, make reservations or worry about who is going to be ready for the first tournament of the semester. Getting to teach ethical theory and logic instead of topicality and disads is an amazing thought.... gee, getting to teach only what my graduate education prepared me to do -- what an f-ing shock!

The Bourne Punishment...

Hubby and I went to see the Bourne Ultimatum.

On the Ultrascreen... It is a huge, huge, huge screen with excellent and LOUD sound.

We came out feeling beaten up.

It was a good movie (not as good as the Simpsons, but what is??), but the way the chase scenes were filmed combined with the huge screen made them feel like they were invading our personal space.

I've never been so worn out after watching a movie. We came home, ate a late lunch and took a nap.

yea BN State!!!

A nasty, hateful person is coming up from a square state to protest a funeral due to a recent national story... Because we are too tolerant of gay folks.

He called us "The Land of the Sodomite Dammed".

and... we are f-ing proud to be in opposition to him. A local radio station is working on making t-shirts. I'll get one if I can :).