“To see is to like.”
Sean, after regularly seeing unwed high school mothers on the bus
INTRODUCTION
At the university the various administrative offices are in a modest low building dating back to the founding of the campus, from before students rebelled, (a confederate rebel cap is in the trophy case) before the campus became independent and local: University of Calgary. An easy stair case allowed the Vice President, while descending, to very-briefly see the beloved students—scandal! He tried to have a private stairwell built.
His idea didn’t fly once it was exposed in the student newspaper. It was the dumbest thing since our premier tried to secretly have a penthouse build atop the legislative buildings. She got caught and construction stopped, just as the VP’s idea was stopped. So crazy: How could the VP hope to enjoy feeling part of the “campus community” if he (accidental pun) goes out of his way to exclude the youngest members of that community?
FRESH ANGER
The junior university in our city used to be Mount Royal College, now MRU. It was granted the term “university” in name but not fully in function. For example, the MRU professors don’t have freedom of speech—no tenure. So I won’t expect a professor of political history to put into perspective our premier’s pathetic penthouse.
The MRU Board Of Governors, (BOG) as at the U of C, are in a three story building. I went up the grand stair case to the second floor, and asked a nice lady at a desk, “Where is the BOG?” I was told they were up on the third, accessible only by elevator. After I had gained altitude, and later descended a little stairwell, I was not surprised in the least to find that each door in the stairwell had a thumb latch to open the door… except for the BOG floor: locked. No surprise, as they never want to encounter students—I had to pull teeth to get up there. They seem content to“not-see, not-like.”
I started out innocent. The smiling desk lady had told me you go into the elevator and call the number on the wall. Fine. The elevator was space age steel with a broad glowing neon vertical purple strip on the back wall. Cool! No doubt to go with their mahogany boardroom table. I didn’t begrudge them their little luxury as I was sure they worked hard for it. No prominent phone number but instead a list, not on a plastic sign, but engraved on—get this—stainless steel. Again, I didn’t mind their little vanity. Until I started calling numbers down the list, expecting to get another nice lady at a desk. Nope. Nobody was home, everybody wanted me to leave a message. This in the middle of the week, not at lunch time. What? Had they all taken a business seminar in never answering their phone?
I only got into the forbidden city because someone else used the cage, and then I felt so unwanted, so self conscious, that when I plucked my letter pages from my folder… I probably miscounted as I gave my pages to a man—with just one name—who accosted me in the hall. Note: That letter-became last week’s essay-post, regarding the BOG evaluating their choice of workplace culture, for example they could choose to be student-centred versus being institution-centred, just as modern disability agencies have learned to be client-centred.
Back in the busy world, at a six foot table I had a friendly talk with an idealistic Student Association person taking social work. She wanted to see my essay to the BOG. I had copies in my folder but… I found I needed to pull one more page than I had thought. Oops! I said, “I wonder if, upstairs, I miscounted? Because I felt flustered and pressured to hurry.”
“You better go check.”
Back to that steel cage. Of course I still didn’t reach anyone. If they didn’t get my most important page I have no sympathy: Rudeness has consequences.
I have been Chairman of the Board of Directors of a for-profit company, and so I know how hard things are; I’m no backseat driver. When I wrote my blog-essay, last week, for the current BOG I was being constructive, with phrases like “in fairness” and “having the grace.” I was feeling some “benefit of the doubt”
Not now.
… …
… …
Sean Crawford
Calgary
December
2024
Footnote: A professor at a conference, here from the US, told us that once that he had criticized a big institution that “merely warehoused” disabled people, as opposed to staff being centred on working towards “quality of life” for the “clients.” Turns out the owners (stockholders) included a national household name television newscaster, as well as other prominent people. The prof had not threatened their “rice bowl,” merely their egos.
They angrily went to the state governor, “We want him fired!”
He went to the University president, “I want him fired!”
The president went to the faculty head, “I want him fired!”
The man replied sadly, “I can’t… He has tenure.”
