Closing Shop

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, this blog is now closed. I’ll leave the content up, but new comments won’t be posted. I’ll be back in some way or some form, but I shant say how.

Randolph College Screwed the Pooch

Today’s topic is one near and dear to my heart. I’m going to talk about what was formerly Randolph-Macon Women’s College, although it now goes by a new name.

I first heard about RMWC in the late 90s–I’d say about ‘97, but maybe as late as ‘98, when my sister was preparing for college. At the time, both my brother and sister were college shopping; one, was graduating from high school, the other had left Virginia Military Institute after some disastrous experiences. My mother was extremely worried about the single-sex experience for my sister following bro’s VMI year (VMI had just gone co-ed, but the ratio male:female was still extreme).

As our summer vacation that year, the four of us (mom, sis, bro and I) drove around VA for Virginia Private College Week. We hit the easy ones first (Bluefield College and Emory & Henry) and then moved eastward for the harder ones (U of Richmond, Randolph Macon College, RMWC, the public Longwood College, and my eventual alma mater Hampden-Sydney College). It was a breakneck couple of days, and the three kids all found places we loved (E&H for bro). In a short time, sis finished high school and was RMWC bound.

She loved it there and with good reason. It was academically stimulating, having a broad range of courses and and a variety of professors for its size, as well as the ability to have more control over majors, including the possibility of a build-your-own (a rarity to be sure). It also had a fun side. Traditions such as Pumpkin Parade and Tacky Party gave the ladies opportunities to bond with their sisters (and the roving gentleman). The Odd Tree and Even Post (or is it the reverse?) created healthy competition as the classes decorated the others’ ground without being caught. In short, RMWC provided a healthy and fun environment for young women to learn.

Honestly, I happened to love it there as well. Attending the nearby men’s college, Hampden-Sydney, I loved being able to go visit my sister, have a good time with her and her friends (and mine too) and maybe find a girlfriend. And she enjoyed coming to see me–she loved my escorting her and her friends to the frats and she loved checking out the “man-meat”. We had a nice reciprocal relationship.

However, what we had enjoyed is no longer around. The Board of Trustees at RMWC decided to admit men this past year and things have gone downhill ever since. I’ve been following the story for months, watching as the students protested and filled out their transcripts for transferring, recoiling in horror over the art debacle, and shaking with rage over the stupidity of the administration’s handling of their problems.

Were I an Alumna, I would be outraged and trying everything in my power to stop what’s happening there. Since I’m not, I’ll have to be content with being a brother-in-spirit. I can’t stop giving money to the school–I would have to start first. I can’t transfer to another women’s college, for obvious reasons. I can’t try to take the school to court; I have neither the money, nor the law background to do so. All I can do is raise awareness.

The impetus for my post is myriad. The first reason was an email my sister sent a few hours ago. Already, the contents of letter have found their way onto the internet, so I won’t repeat it. The short of it, is that in trying to become more global RC has cut many of their globally minded majors (German, Russian, Japanese, American Studies). That decision is so backwards that it’s hard to believe that someone isn’t out to wreck the school.

Next, was a little tidbit that popped up in a comment thread and with little digging, turned me off the new president completely. John E. Klein, the new president of RC, has little experience with education. I can find about three years worth of work in the administration of another school; the rest of his experience is in the business world. From the press release from the college (found here) we find this doozy of a quote from one of the trustees:

He clearly recognizes and appreciates the history and caliber of our academic program and the many things that make this College unique, particularly our deep commitment to women’s education. He has strength in business and management, but he is so much more than that. He fully appreciates the value of a liberal arts education and is himself a supporter of the arts.

Had Klein actually had a recognition and appreciation for the college’s history, how could he support the move to going co-ed? How could he want to cut programs “that make this College unique” such as Russian, Japanese and American Studies. These are all unique programs in the state of Virginia and outside of a major public university, I doubt there are many, if any, other colleges with those programs.

However, the real kicker, is in the last line “[he is] a supporter of the arts.” Really? A supporter of the arts? The guy trying to sell the artwork from the Maier Museum of Art, the college’s art museum, is a supporter of the arts? The guy who raided and stole from the college’s museum and tried to pass off the commotion as a bomb threat, when the museum is a bomb shelter left over from the Red Scare of the 50’s, is a supporter of the arts?!?

A supporter of the arts is one who would buy new pieces of art for the college. A supporter of the arts would not sell a piece of art save to buy even more art. A supporter of the arts would not try to sell art bought by a trust designated to buy art, nor try to break that trust. A supporter of the arts would not even attempt to sell the principal piece of a collection that has been in the college’s hands since the Great Depression. A piece, I might add, that was bought by the students of the college and the citizens of Lynchburg.

This is ludicrous. It’s inanity and too fantastic to believe. What sort of temerity does this Board and President have? These are the actions that would be used to destroy a college, not build it up. I dearly hope that the courts stop the sale of art and that somehow Randolph College can gain back some of the prestige it has lost. I would love for the school to return to its roots as a woman’s college, although I doubt that could happen easily or without losing what little honor the college has left.

Self.com Writer Admits To Sexism

Well, not entirely. It’s a good headline, though. I just read this article that I found on msnbc, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it yet. Maybe by the time I finish, I’ll have worked through my thoughts.

We start the article by finding out that “My Husband is a Better Mother.” That’s a kicker to start off with, but let’s go a bit further. Apparently, the author can’t decide on how she feels about it. On the one hand, Andrea Todd is angry that her daughter prefers her husband over her. On the other, she tries to point out why it’s healthy for her daughter to have such a good relationship with dad.

Todd enjoys the freedom that the father/daughter relationship gives her–she can enjoy the company of adults and doesn’t have to worry about neglecting her child. She knows about her daughter’s medical records, and she can distinguish her daughter’s moods. Todd’s obviously in her child’s life and is trying to have a good reltionship. I find this to be a very healthy attitude; too bad I can’t say that for the rest of the article.

Why I Love Europe Part I

This is the first in a series of articles dedicated to why I love Europe.

If you’ve met me, you might have noticed that I have a large, unconditional crush on Europe and the various cultures therein. You might know about my large cache of French Pop; my love of Czech beer; how BBC America has beat out Cartoon Network as my favorite TV station of all time and how I’ve started thinking with an English accent. Today, I have something else to talk about – my new crush on Denmark.

Really, Slate? In ALL Aspects?

In my last post, I had a link to a Slate.com about Hillary Clinton. I didn’t want to bring it up at the time, but….I will now. Let me quote a little something for you:

Clinton’s ideological enemies have had fun, too. Matt Drudge posted a sound clip of it, and Sean Hannity raised the pressing question of whether Clinton’s laughter was presidential. Hannity should be reminded that George Bush’s Beavis laugh was such an accurate imitation of the teenage cartoon reprobate he should have had to pay royalties. Like all aspects of the Clinton campaign, there’s sexism in the giggle critique: Women can only laugh in certain preapproved ways. Historically, men have categorized women’s laughter as a way to diminish them—they either cackle like a witch, or they titter like a schoolgirl.

What passes for coverage of the presidential race

I’m getting really sick of the 2008 presidential campaign already, and we have yet to hit any primaries. This is the kind of stuff that passes as “coverage” of the race:

Obama stops wearing flag pin!

Hillary has funny laugh!

Romney won’t watch Mormon movie!

Granted, I did sensationalize the titles a bit, but those were the main points I got from looking at them. It’s also not like these are hard to find. I found these three in under a minute of trying for each one. So please media – Knock it off!

October is DV Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Let me say that again…October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Get it?

Let me try this from a different angle…October, the month with a certain holiday, is Domesitc Violence Awareness Month. Getting the picture? Doesn’t make much sense does it? Why would someone take the month capped off by monsters and candy and use it to make people aware of DV? I’ve got my theory, but I need to give you some set up first.

From 2/14/2005

The following was first posted on February 14, 2005. Some of the ideas expressed in this Classic Post are still with me and will no doubt remain for many years to come. As with all Classic Posts, read at your own discretion.

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>Well, it’s that lovely time of year again. Time for mischief and fun. Time to get candy and dress up. Well, this is no Halloween, but it can be a lot sexier. That’s right, it’s NSAD!!!!

Classics Posts

I’ll be adding some posts from my old blog as Classic Posts for the sake of posterity and so that new readers can read what I wrote years ago. I’ve gone through some of what I’m planning to re-post and they are not quite as good as I remember them. Suffice it to say, these posts will be rambling diatribes, full of off-colour humor, and genreally not well written. However, they do give a peek at my psyche from years past. Given my current thoughts, I would not write posts such as these today.

First Time All Over Again

There’s not much here now. I’ll be transitioning from my old blog to this one and putting some old posts up as Classics. Until I actually get all that accomplished, I doubt I’ll have much to say.