This morning I feel the reassurance that God keeps me in good physical shape. My driveway was of course hopeless. At about 7 a.m. I embarked for town, walking, determined, because a good breakfast gets me essentially through the whole day. Conditions too severe for such a physical challenge? At age 70? Well I'm back home now and really none the worse for wear.
Many years ago I obtained outerwear that enables me to withstand a lot. Of course I don't do any of this for fun. I'm 70 years old and I need to set limits where practical. This morning I had to get breakfast. My refrigerator and freezer are not running in my home. That is clearly for the better in the long run, forces dietary discipline. I have gone from "diabetic" to "pre-diabetic" and so my health is hanging in there.
I feel good as long as I don't think about Donald Trump and politics. Is our governor really a "retard" like Trump claims? What if Walz were actually vice president as the fraud revelations came streaming out? He might have to answer for a lot of it. I can't ascribe all the "fraud" allegations to political motives, based on news I am consuming now.
So will Minnesota remain a "blue" state? A firewall against MAGA? Out here in the rural hinterlands we have allowed the Republicans to take over. And maybe that's good news as far as our U of M-Morris is concerned. Even though there is so much associated with UMM that would appear to revulse Republicans, I think we'll be spared for the sake of the job security of those Republicans. Everyone knows that UMM is an economic driver out here.
So we have our notoriously pro-MAGA congressperson Michelle Fischbach, she of the reverential attitude toward the Orange Man. Plus we have our state legislators, the died-in-the-wool Republicans Torrey Westrom and Paul Anderson. I have never met Anderson. As for Westrom, I once thought I had some rapport with him. However, he did not answer an email I sent him when I wanted to express concern about the Federal government's attack on "DEI." This was a menacing specter. The onslaught vs. DEI seemed so real and intense. And there we sat out here with our UMM and its unabashed DEI policies, hung out on the clothesline as it were.
UMM with its "multi-ethnic" building and the special policy toward the Native Americans, even though the Supreme Court has decisively ruled against "affirmative action." If the decision means what it says, the Native policy here ought to be toast. But you know how people in the political world can massage the language. For the Federal government to suddenly turn the screws on our UMM would upset the interests of Fischbach, Anderson and Westrom. The three would like to proclaim "nothing to see here."
We have already lost the Appleton prison out in this neck of the woods. Oh but it could be worse: look at what happened to Lexington, Nebraska, where the huge Tyson Foods plant announced closure. The sky is falling there. So it would be really nice if we could keep UMM going. No big disruption.
Actually there has already been a disruption: the enrollment collapse caught the attention of the Star Tribune. Heads rolled after that, at least the head of the local chancellor. The abrupt move by central U administration made clear that the status quo is not acceptable. Who knows what new actions will be taken? But actions are necessitated. And I expect the timeline will be tight.
Looks like everyone at UMM will be objectively reviewed. This is not a time for the comfortable little fiefdoms or good old boys clubs.
If UMM could stay a little under the radar before, assuming some "autonomy," well I think that's over.
It is very difficult to beat down the fiefdoms of academia. I have sensed this in K-12 public schools as bad as anywhere. But any dam can be broken if pressures mount. Is it true that our outgoing chancellor went out of her way to support the lowest tier of faculty while frustrating and holding back the top tier? Sounds strange, sounds drastic. But I sure have that on good authority. So if I hear out and about that there is bitterness on campus about how the chancellor situation was handled, I should attribute this to the bottom tier folks raising a ruckus.
Supporting the top tier may end up ensuring our campus thrives by all yardsticks. There's enough talk through the media that young people are increasingly skeptical of the value of a college degree.
Sorry, but I could not be impressed by all the talk of the "degree in three." Is this just a "less is more" argument? I'd want to hear something more substantive about how the three-year thing really puts young people in an optimum position at graduation. I joked about where this scheme might end up: offer a degree to any kid who can pay the bill! And that way lies madness, also most likely the end for our campus.
I think the new chancellor is going to prioritize trying to get more students from this part of the state. Ironic, because this would mean just going back to UMM's roots, what its primary purpose was going to be. Oh, we're happy to welcome students from anywhere. We certainly need more students, like about double of what we have. I remember the recently-deceased Dean Monson saying one morning at DeToy's: "I don't see UMM students around anymore. They used to be all over the place."
Many things have changed in Morris. We used to have a big midsummer festival that rivaled the Glenwood Waterama. We were certainly excited to get that started. What happened to that enthusiasm? The museum should have a big exhibit with lots of photos about the old "Prairie Pioneer Days" with its headquarters at the park. Our community leaders lost interest in it.
What would Morris be like without UMM?
Addendum: Remember when our great state senator Charlie Berg of Chokio talked about the Native Americans "sending smoke signals?" Let us not forget that Berg was one of those masters of the "quotable quote." Remember Joey Bishop as an Indian in the movie "Texas Across the River?" "Those aren't Cronk smoke signals, I only read Cronk." The Indians in the comedy series "F Troop" were played by Jewish guys.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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