With the recent University of California budget crisis and resulting decline in financial support for graduate students, a feeling of discouragement is endemic in my department. It’s difficult to be enthusiastic in the classroom when the UC President openly disses the Humanities and the job prospects are grim. Added to that is the trauma from the recent murder of a neighbor.
Shared via the Creative Commons from flickr user kendrak
Oh, and by the way, many of us graduate students just received letters informing us that we’ll soon be forced to move from our somewhat-affordable old campus apartments and into newer and more-expensive high-rise campus housing. Though staff and faculty are working hard to support us through this tough time (even while they, too, are taking similar hits in job security and/or salary), morale is at an all-time low.
Adding insult to injury, on several recent mornings there have been hours of high-pitched alarms blaring throughout our university complex, with no explanation of why this is happening. On one of those occasions, the following parody of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” song emerged among colleagues on Facebook.* I share it here, thinking that many of you are probably facing similarly discouraging times. And perhaps you can suggest a few lyrics of your own based on the happenings at your institutions…
The Twelve Woes of the Quarter
On the first day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
one a-larm a’blar-ing
On the second day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
two streets closed
and one alarm a’blar-ing
On the third day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
three broken copiers
two streets closed
and one alarm a’blar-ing
On the fourth day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
four stymied admins
three broken copiers
two streets closed
and one alarm a’blar-ing
On the fifth day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
five fur-lough days…
four stymied admins
three broken copiers
two streets closed
and one alarm a’blar-ing
On the sixth day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
six parking tickets
five fur-lough days…
four stymied admins
three broken copiers
two streets closed
and one alarm a’blar-ing
On the seventh day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
seven office hours
six parking tickets
five fur-lough days…
four stymied admins
three broken copiers
two streets closed
and one alarm a’blar-ing
On the eighth day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
an eight a.m. final
seven office hours
six parking tickets
five fur-lough days…
four stymied admins
three broken copiers
two streets closed
and one alarm a’blar-ing
On the ninth day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
nine regents choking
an eight a.m. final
seven office hours
six parking tickets
five fur-lough days…
four stymied admins
three broken copiers
two streets closed
and one alarm a’blar-ing
On he tenth day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
ten chancellors hiding
nine regents choking
an eight a.m. final
seven office hours
six parking tickets
five fur-lough days…
four stymied admins
three broken copiers
two streets closed
and one alarm a’blar-ing
On the eleventh day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
eleven faculty fleeing
ten chancellors hiding
nine regents choking
an eight a.m. final
seven office hours
six parking tickets
five fur-lough days…
four stymied admins
three broken copiers
two streets closed
and one alarm a’blar-ing
And, on the twelfth day of the quarter, the UC gave to me:
twelve under-appreciated TAs
eleven faculty fleeing
ten chancellors hiding
nine regents choking
an eight a.m. final
seven office hours
six parking tickets
five fur-lough days…
four stymied admins
three broken copiers
two streets closed
and one a-larm a’blar-ing
*Kudos to Melissa Bruninga-Matteau, Christine Hetrick Eubank, Da Rita, Allison Salazar & others for their contributions to this song.
January 13, 2010 at 3:43 pm |
Hello from Wexford Ireland, I enjoyed the article. Very Good.