I think I figured it out

I know WHY they didn't tell us today which programs will be cut (in spite of us bringing in and orientating new students on Thursday). I'm pretty sure I've figured it out. Our Provost told us (no lie) that he would like to tell us on the 15th but surely by Memorial day if not then by mid-June. He's waiting for us to NOT be on campus because at this point he might fear Appalachian justice at the end of a rifle. He might not be wrong about that.

One of the good things that DID happen today was at the beginning we had to chose from four packets of stuff (our usual handouts for the meeting). I picked the pretty blue. Anyhow the four colors were four colleges all in the same situation as ours. One closed entirely. One isn't taking new freshmen so you know it'll be closed soon. And two did well and saved themselves. (mine had saved itself). It was a good way of breaking us into four groups to go over the what did and didn't works and present them to the group.

While our school was a wealthy school (as the provost kept reminding us of, i.e. we don't have the money they did so it won't be easy to copy them) there WERE things that could be done that they did. Our representative was the communications professor. Third time I've heard her speak. I have NO idea how she's communications. She can't communicate. I ended up taking over when she was done (and was thanked by several people including the provost) for the fact that I stood up and was my blunt, loud, not afraid to speak my mind self (imagine me as a mix of Cordelia (without the attitude/ego) and Willow and you'd be close). I pointed out that in our group the band director talked about the band camp students all talk about how bad the dorms are and how they'd never come to our school because of it. I talked about how the labs are so awful I can't show them to prospective students (the provost is meeting me next week to look at them.) how the block schedule eliminated so many time slots that it's hard to avoid conflicts and how students face 5 or more years, something that weighed AGAINST us in the decision making process (the president heard me, a new president this year) and talked to me about it later), how we have BEAUTIFUL lands around us including 20 miles of biking/hiking trails that even I didn't know existed until this year. Why the hell aren't we marketing that? Or the fact that the school that saved itself (Elon in NC) had guide counselors come to the school twice a year. I said to my group why don't we do that and one of the education profs said they do come on campus but never meet the faculty so I stood there and said WHY don't the counselors meet US? For god's sake I've gotten over 15 students to medical school in my 13 years here which doesn't sound like much until you realize that most med schools get between 2500-7000 applicants per year for @ 100-300 slots (depending on school). That's amazing. Don't you think a guidance counselor might want to know that?

We also were able to ask question in writing about the process and I asked two a) did you ever consider that it is MUCH harder to find qualified science adjuncts than it is english or business in this very rural area (which is why English rated higher than biology or chemistry because they use cheap adjuncts) and two did they realize how interdependant we are on each other. If they cut chemistry, biology falls and if we go then the nursing BSN won't have their upper level biology classes and THEY have dozens of students. They're a very viable program.

I did what I could and I have to be happy with that.

But I wish I were 10 years younger because looking ahead they're saying nation wide we're doing to have 25-50% less students in general by 2025. I am in a bad field. Sigh.

I wish I never lost the partial use of my hand and could still be a surgeon.

But wishes get you nothing.