I don’t mean
to sound like a sourpuss, I really don’t.
Yesterday someone told me they were pole-axed by my, um, tempered enthusiasm for the premier’s announcements about post-secondary education, and UNBSJ in particular. I’m sorry for that; I have a list of people I would like to pole-axe, and the person in question is not on it.
In truth it is difficult to sort out ones responses. Certainly relief, but relief shadowed by the strong suspicion that our victory is fragile. Certainly pleasure that UNBSJ won’t be junked, but pleasure tainted by the apparent complacency of others who have quite different agendas.
Part of it is no doubt the difficulty of overcoming almost a full year of anxiety, small and distant at first, pretty crushing by the fall.
Not sure what I expected: the premier to stand up there and say, “You know, I was dead wrong with that whole education-is-worse-than-useless-unless-it-adds-directly-to-profit-margins thing. Dead wrong. And I hereby announce my resignation from politics. I am going to enroll at the fine institution of STU and study medieval French history with a minor in Shakespeare. Ciao. Enjoy the rest of your dinner”? Or big business to say, “You know, we do make a lot of money and pay bupkiss in tax. Perhaps we shouldn’t shut down a campus just to avoid paying for job-training for our own workers. Come on over here for a big hug!”? Or for business-organizations to say, “You know, we really don’t speak for everyone. We are special interest groups, and societies have different, sometimes competing, interests. Hey, all you eggheads: we love you guys!”?
Well a girl can dream.
Anyway, yes, we have won a significant victory. Saint John united to protect its university. People in the province are talking about higher education in thoughtful ways. The commitment of the UNBSJ community has broadened and deepened. The provincial government has listened to its citizens, and acknowledged the value of research and the importance of higher education. UNBSJ students can continue their programmes in full confidence. UNBSJ faculty and staff can put away the Rolaids.
We done good.
Pole-axed, eh?
Obviously, they hadn’t reached the same conclusion I did on reading the speech — a polytech by some other name still is a polytech — and I was neither elated nor gratified to see that opinion confirmed in Saturday’s TJ.
“When you step back and look at it, it looks like what we recommended but the polytech word is not there.” [TJ, 2 February 2008] Rick Miner, commenting on Shawn Graham’s announcement about UNBSJ in the State of the Province Address.
I’d already concluded that but thanks for clearing this up for everyone else, Rick! Nothing like removing the “inflammatory language” to calm the populace is there?
On the other hand, the Liberal government calling me stupid, in the nicest possible way, still serves to inflames me. Yeah, I know, calm down. Never mind the Rolaids. Just take two cliches, watch the Super Bowl, and let your betters worry about these big, nasty, complicated issues.
And keep your pole-ax handy …
Rick is having separation anxiety from his P-complex. It is time to let it go Rick.
Don’t blame the liberals or Shawn. The second round of the recommendations is coming from the “implementation advisory group”. It is someone of our own who is doing it to us. Please read between the lines of messages you are receiving. Then you will know what I am trying to say.
Needless to say the attack on liberal arts within the university setting has not ended with the Premiers announcement. In fact as has been stated by many of the posters on this website, that agenda is not exclusive to UNBSJ alone. It is obvious to this person that the agenda of certain interests to make universities more like trade schools will be an on going battle in the public institutions not only in this province but across North America for the foreseeable future. There is no time to let one’s guard down.
Yes, the front in this struggle is continent-wide. As I wrote to the Premier just in advance of his call for us all to be here and to be ourselves – as opposed to going somewhere else to become someone else – “When by omission or commission you sully one university, you sully them all.”