Though in the end I did not choose to retire early,
I want to send commendations to Cheryl Daggett, Kelly Dickinson
and all the others at Human Resources who stepped up to the challenge
that the early retirement incentive program presented the campus.
The staff brought technical expertise, patience and great humanity
to complex questions hundreds of us brought to their offices.
To manage a near insurmountable workload, they worked long days,
including weekends, to see all who wished to meet with them. Their
professionalism and dedication are a shining example to all of
us during these difficult (and sad) times.
MARGO CULLEY
professor,
English Department
This should be stated first: it is not that I despise
the Global Education requirement, nor that I want to see it eliminated.
It is certainly burdensome on my academic course load, but so
was taking Computer Science to fulfill my R2 requirement.
However, I do have my criticisms of the aforementioned
Global Education requirement. Specifically, I take issue with
the notion that my African history class (History 160, "Africa
to 1500") does not count toward the completion of my requirement
because it happened, "too long ago."
As it has been explained to me, classes only count
against the Global Education requirement if they are steeped in
modernity. This is a preposterous notion, both ignorant in its
creation and stupid in its execution. To claim that modern Africa
-- my area of study -- or, for that matter, any other continental
area, isn't impacted by its history is ridiculous. History does
not stop being important simply because it occurred before somebody's
specific date, in this case 1500. For instance, it could be argued
that Columbus "discovering" the "New World"
was relatively important -- we get a day off for its celebration
-- yet it unfortunately happened before Global Education's completely
random date, thus rendering his landing administratively worthless.
However, acknowledging that UMass is slow to change
and loathe to take criticism, I ask only that the explanation
for the date of 1500 be put on the Global Education requirement's
web page (www.umass.edu/csbs/globaled.html).
If no explanation can be posted -- and I truly doubt there is
some amazing argument out there for restricting approved continental
study to post-1500 Africa -- could the rule itself at least be
posted on that same webpage?
Yes, there is an approved class list, but one doesn't
expect classes about a continent to be administratively ignored
simply because of the classes' dates. If the rule were posted,
students having the audacity to think that a class about Africa
would count against an expected requirement wouldn't make the
same mistake that I did.
Not that I think that studying Africa is a mistake
-- it's just that I despise the idea that I'd be told what I choose
to study about a continent doesn't count because it happened "too
long ago."
SAM WILKINSON
Political Science
Class of 2002
