In service to what...

This is the upcoming post…sort of.

The Cajun Princess alerted me to this over at rateyourstudents last week. My response to her email was, “Man, and I thought we were cynical.” It made me want to post something long and optimistic about publishing, research, and teaching here, but, alas, I’ve run out of time and optimism. All I will say is that it is pretty unnerving to hear the same cynicism from individuals who seem to have been in the profession for a while.

Instead today I’d like to explore a different aspect of my experience, departmental service. As I think I’ve mentioned before Middletown University (hereafter MU) is in the middle of a hiring spree. A couple of weeks ago at lunch with a candidate I commented on the opportunities our department provides graduate students to serve on committees and hold administrative positions (particularly in my field). I presented the comment as a good thing about our department. In some ways I think it is, but I’m having some doubts.

Here are the current opportunities for graduate students within our department:
v Student representation on a graduate studies committee (2 positions)
v Student representation at portions of faculty meetings dealing with graduate student issues (2 positions ***it should be noted we only gained these positions after much lobbying this year.)
v Assistant Director of Composition (1 year long position that includes a course release and a slight stipend)
v Graduate Assistant Director of the Writing Center (1 position – changes each semester and includes course release)
v Editors of the First Year Student handbook (3 positions)
v Contributors to the FYS Handbook (varies each year)

These are all positions that provide excellent experience and will look great on a cv, and they are only the structured positions. There are tons of other opportunities for us to volunteer in some capacity. No one should leave here without some service on their cv. So, why do I doubt their benefit?

Currently I’m debating whether or not to apply to be next year’s AD of Comp. It is within my field and is sort of the goal I’ve been working towards. However, I plan to take my comprehensive exams next spring. Even with the course release, I worry that the obligations of the AD position will be too much to carry and continue to study and take my exams at the same time. “No problem,” you might say, “just wait and apply after you’ve taken your exams.” You would be right if it weren’t for two things – first, there’s no guarantee that I would get it that following year; and, second, that is the final year of my funding.

My doubts about the amount of service graduate students provide to our department stems from the fact that we are limited to four years of funding. Fifth year students may apply for assistantships, but within the past year those assistantships have become competitive and the funding attached to them has decreased. Our funding is abysmally low to begin with yet, if we must stay for a fifth year (which is very common) we loose any tuition waivers we may have had, and about two thousand dollars for the year.

Our department advertises itself as a four-year PhD program. Technically, it is possible to do it; however, it is usually the exception. Most people I know have taken five years to get through the program, especially if they’ve been involved in the department. Although the positions that truly require our time offer course releases, they still also take time from our research, class prep, etc. Yes, these positions offer us an opportunity to experience the teaching, research, and service demands that are inherent in the profession; however, I’m beginning to think it is at a cost to our ability to focus either more completely on our teaching or our research, and, to some extend, our ability to complete the program in the time allotted.

As MU moves up in the research tiers, it desperately needs to address the low stipends for its graduate students. At the same time, our department needs to address the timing of the program. Currently, it is not really truthful to advertise as a four year program.

Wading in...

In our department we create a guide to the field for the first year students, which, if they enroll in the basic 101 course, they are required to buy. It is a nice little money maker for our department. Actually, it funds itself and various happenings geared toward the first year students. It contains essays written by graduate students about different aspects of the field. Every spring there is also an essay contest from which student essays are chosen to illustrate certain types of assignments. Last year I submitted an essay. This year the Cajun Princess and I are on the editing committee.
Just recently Kendall/Hunt began publishing this little volume for us, which is nice because now it actually looks legitimate. The editing committee consists of three members –usually one veteran and two new people. The structure cuts down on the tendency for committees to start over from the beginning. Although I’ve not worked closely with our veteran committee member (VCM), I’ve heard rumors of her, for lack of a better term, flakiness. The tricky thing is I also get the sense that she is fairly territorial. Last semester she was distracted by comps so we didn’t expect her to be on the ball getting this thing going. However, I did contact our Director to make sure we weren’t missing any deadlines. She reassured me that all was well. Early last week, out of the blue, the Director sends a departmental email stating that submissions for our writing contest can be dropped of in the departmental office.
CP and I emailed, “Quoi?” to each other, but decided that when our presence was required we would be notified. Then there was another request last Friday – Could one of the committee members give a brief description of our project (graduate submissions and the student essay contest) at the next required meeting of TAs? (Tomorrow)
Not knowing who would respond, I said that I would speak at the meeting. Then I emailed VCM and CP to set up a meeting (which is today). Here’s the deal…I don’t want to step on VCM’s toes, but this thing needs to get done in a timely fashion. So far there doesn’t seem to be a problem. In her last email she thanked me for organizing this meeting. I’m not sure if that means I need to step back now or not. It’s just that for the last two years the book has arrived late to the bookstore, and I think that has a little to do with things at our end. One thing I am good at is organizing meetings, delegating, and following up to make sure stuff gets done, which means I want to play that role on this committee. The meeting this afternoon will probably tell me all I need to know. Whether it’s politically savvy or not, I have an agenda for this meeting and other commitments mean I need to make sure we stick to it.