To my colleague who labored tirelessly to organize the Annual Big Deal Event for my department, an event that garnered more than adequate attendance, including some sessions that I attended that were standing room only, but who nevertheless sent an epic email to the entire department afterwords, scolding faculty and students for not attending and accusing us (as evident in our shocking lack of participation in the event) of not being sufficiently committed to an intellectual community.
Hey colleague! Isn’t it true that you didn’t attend last years Annual Big Deal Event?
I guess you were too busy fostering intellectual community.
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October 17, 2009 at 2:28 pm
disenchanted
Oh, good grief. Sounds like she’s kinda’ cranky, eh?
October 17, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Ink
Geez Louise!! Niiiiiiiiiiice.
October 17, 2009 at 6:46 pm
annieem
Sigh. We are all cranky at this point in the term, but how wonderfully ironic.
October 17, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Digger
But… that was different! They didn’t organize that one!!!11one
October 17, 2009 at 11:38 pm
meansomething
*snork*
The hypocrisy aside, is it ever a good idea to scold people in mass emails for not showing up to things? Or, worse, at the event itself, to comment on low turnout? You make all the people who DID show up feel spewed on. Particularly when the turnout is basically fine.
October 18, 2009 at 3:43 pm
bsgirl
This colleague’s email has unleashed every scold in the department — there’s been a flurry of emails that accuse everyone of being poor colleagues, not supporting faculty-organized events, not being “real” intellectuals, not being open to learning new ideas ….
Gah.
If I had tenure I would reply by reminding my colleagues that we are all adults, who weigh every decision about what events to attend vs. all our other responsibilities — and who understand perfectly well that there is something to be gained from campus engagement — but who also have other duties that require our time/energy and are equally (if not more) important to our careers. And, *newsflash!* that browbeating is the #1 least effective means of making people be or want to be a part of a community.
October 19, 2009 at 10:23 pm
bsgirl
ARRRGGGGHHHH! Now the colleague is proposing that we shut down Annual Big Deal Event altogether since /clearly/ no one supports it.