Tuesday, June 24, 2008

O Canada, my home and non-native land!

Sort of a bad news/ good news post here....

First, here's a new-to-the-tenure-track academic talking about getting dicked around by various American "universities" for twenty years (although it sounds like the last ten have been okay). Cringe-inducing quote:
During my 20-year stint as a part-timer, I built a repertoire of horror stories like thousands of other part-timers. One college announced that I would no longer be needed there because my students complained about my forcing them to read pornography in the class. The books they referred to were Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Louise Erdrich’s Tracks, and John Irving’s The World According to Garp. When I pointed out that these books were on reading lists for classes taught by others, I was told, “Yes, but they have tenure so I can’t do anything about it.”

The mentality of American college administrators in a nutshell...

Secondly, and in a very much related story, I have now recieved my permanent residency in Canada! I just have to go in and swear some sort of oath. ("So, uh, no more Budweiser, eh? Getcherself a real beer, okay!") Anyway, I am now, officially, a resident and can both work in Canada and get a health card there. To celebrate, I plan to break my foot.

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