baptism by fire

That's how the semester has gotten underway. The first week ended with our faculty meeting to choose which candidate to make an offer to. Worst case scenario was theme for the day. First, the vote was a tie. Then there were harsh words levied, feelings hurt, non sequiturs flitting around like blackflies, colleagues being assholes, veiled threats, power plays, and a defector from the "good" side thinking he could save the day (somehow, save the day by leaving his compatriots flapping in the proverbial breeze).

Now, it's time for week two. Guess what? There's another faculty meeting on Friday. This time to decide on offers of graduate student admissions and fuunding. How many hopes and dreams will be dashed because of a polarized, warring faculty? I may sneak in a video camera. Perhaps there's a market for Scholars Gone Wild videos.