Garfunkel and Oates: “This Party Took a Turn for the Douche”
Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave…
Rahm Emanuel, mayor elect of Chicago, famously said ““You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Conservatives made a lot of silly hay out of this (this one claimed that the economy would probably “recover on its own”) but Emanuel was, as usual, simply being ironic and blunt about political reality. In particular, he meant that the financial crisis allowed the administration to introduce regulations– and stimulus money– that it could not do otherwise.
I don’t think the Obama administration has gone far enough with financial regulations, or stimulus, but the point remains: we hate regulations until the economy collapses, and then we bemoan their absence like a long lost lover. The politically unfeasible is now politically necessary. That’s what the Republicans believe justify their ongoing attacks on workplace democracy, including legislation in Ohio that specifically targets faculty unions. It’s Big Lie rhetoric.
In fact, polls show that the public disagrees with the attacks on collective bargaining. Perhaps as a result, the governor of Wisconsin seems poised to negotiate the very compromise that he said he would never accept. The real crisis, I think, which I hope the unions in particular will take advantage of, is the sense of powerlessness that a majority of Americans feel, as their standard– and quality– of living continues to erode. It’s not just jobs.
It’s a long term structural problem created by more than three decades of income redistribution from the poor, working and middle classes, to the rich. The attempt to destroy the public sector unions– the last bastion of real power for working people– has been the final straw for many people. We cannot fix the budget problems unless we begin to revitalize democracy via card check reform and address the taxation inequities that have created the mess.
My Big Ask: Are Deans an Expense We Can No Longer Afford?
I realize that many might not take my title seriously, or think that I am simply being sarcastic. I am not. In the 1980s and 90s many U.S. corporations cut costs– and increased profits– simply by laying off much of their middle management. In Canada and Europe, health care costs are contained, at least in part, because a public health care system avoids the high administrative expenses necessary in a for-profit system.
I think the U.S. education system ought to consider trimming costs– and reversing the shift from full time tenured professors to adjuncts and the ongoing rise in tuition and fees– by considering radical changes in administrative structure. After reading, “For Deans, Off Campus is Now is the Place to Be for Deans,” I am think that the Dean– and all of its attendant administrative structure– might be one place to start.
What does a Dean do? According to the article, his or her main function now is “college ambassador, chief visionary, and major fund raiser.” Much of this work, it seems to be, could be done in departments, or in an adequately funded public relations department, or in some cases by interested faculty members. As the article points out, because the Dean is busy elsewhere he has to expand his staff, further increasing administrative costs. It’s bloat.
“[Dean] Peña-Mora …. created… a vice dean for research; a vice dean for academic affairs… an adviser for undergraduate education; a senior associate dean for industry, government, and global education; an associate dean for advancement; and a director of strategic communications. ” The cost of his successful cheerleading is a larger, more cumbersome, administration and an implicit cheapening of the institution. It’s not a good deal.
Sparklehorse – Sick