Some assorted thoughts as I enter month #2 of my employment here at UMW: I have been here … for a month? I have been here FOR A MONTH. My perspective on this is short and narrow so far, but it seems strange that a liberal arts college would focus so aggressively on attracting more men by de-emphasizing its past as a women’s college. I’m coming from a community that errs on the side of overselling its commitment to progressive education, so that’s a big change. Also, seeing an entire organization try to butch itself up is amusing to no end. Tim, Andy, Martha, and Jim are even more ridiculously creative and talented than they appear from afar. Adventures in anxiety, part 1: whenever a super cool project comes up, my first reaction is “I would love to do that, but I have all this other stuff to finish before I can tackle that.” And then I take a deep breath and realize: nope, those cool projects ARE my job. Sure, there is administrative and support … [Read more...]