The rodeo of incompetence moseys along

Just got the phone call a little while from the complete and utter tool who has been our department chair for the past year. Regular readers who get amused by faculty politics might remember the long and tawdry affair that was his administration----he was truly the Emperor Commodus of department chairs. When I passed the reigns over 12 months ago, we were four full time tenure tracks with two full time adjuncts; I now stand as the only one left remaining (at least for the moment).

He's going to Shitburg State Junior College in Bunghole, Texas. I'm planning on giving his actual info to our pal Dr. Rusty Shackleford who can make his life a living hell, Texas being a small place academically.

This continues the exodus at our college---we have approximately 75 tenured/tenure track folks, and this year, not counting retirments, we now have lost 9 confirmed, with another three probable departures during the summer, of which six were assistants and three are associates or full (one of each, and the third I'm not sure of whether he had been promoted or not).

The official word from our President at the last faculty meeting: there was a problem with low faculty morale caused by.........faculty members with low morale.

Meanwhile, I'm back upstairs to the kitchen where I'm currently playing Risk with the two eldest who stayed home from school today. I'm playing the Columbus/Ward Churchill strategy----I've got the Americas, and have huge redoubts in Iceland, Alaska, and North Africa, with a tripwire of forces in Europe. Mr. Skinny (age 7) is playing the Khan Gambit, and currently has Asia dominated, although we'll see if he can hold it. He's already drawn his flag and his castle. Miss Somersault (age 9) is trying to play the Captain Cook hook by holding Australia and eastern Africa.

I'll let you know who wins.