Even though I work at a SLAC, the institution still makes an effort to indicate that scholarly pursuits are happening at Romulus University. They accomplish this facade by putting together two events that showcase the talents of the faculty and staff. We hold a symposium and a research conference on campus every year.

Before the pandemic, these events happened on consecutive days as part of a week-long scholarship event every spring. Since then, the original organizer retired. I volunteered to take these projects on since I still care about research, even though I work in an environment where extracurricular academic activity is not exactly encouraged. I took on the projects as a personal challenge and a strong indicator to the institution that I wanted to contribute here.

My first effort didn’t go according to plan. Not because of planning on my part, but because the school revamped the academic calendar in such a way that it would discourage students from attending the events. The first problem was that the events did not occur on consecutive days. The Brain Trust suggested that they happen a week apart.

The first event was the faculty symposium. I advertised the need for volunteers back in November, and needed a title for presentations in February for an event scheduled in April. Surely, people could piece together something in that time frame. Sadly, the vast majority did not. I had seven presentations come across my desk (including my own) by the deadline.
An event that typically involved almost all of the faculty and a good chunk of the staff shrank to a tiny handful. Three of the presenters were not regular members of the institution. They were emeritus professors who jumped at the chance to speak.

Meanwhile, the rest of the faculty didn’t bother to take part. I don’t know if it was because they were too busy with the curriculum changes we underwent that they thought they couldn’t handle a twenty-minute presentation, but they declined. Attendance was lousy for the event. Something that once filled our auditoriums with students couldn’t even attract a smattering of students and faculty.

I think that was the most crushing part. Nobody came to the event. I had old professors visiting campus, and nobody bothered to say hello. One of those visitors wrote me a long-winded email inquiring as to what had happened to the event. I tried my best to reply, but I felt that my excuses were lackluster, at best.

Fast forward to the start of the new academic year. At the opening faculty meeting, the Brain Trust wants to move the symposium to the Fall. Without so much as a question to me about relieving me of the task, the First Year Experience director took it away from me. In a way, I am happy to give it up. Nobody showed up the last time around, and now I don’t have to surrender it awkwardly when I leave in May.

After the meeting, the director hunts me down, asking if I will present at the symposium. Since they didn’t want to change the theme, I could repeat the same topic. I was going to participate in the colloquium anyway, so this wrinkle doesn’t matter. I asked if they would invite back the emeritus professors. The director’s face scrunched up like they just tasted something sour and replied, “The students don’t need to see those boring old people.” Their words took me aback. They worked here, and they still have some knowledge to impart. Why not listen to them?

Regardless, the gig was no longer mine to oversee. At least for a couple of days until I received a panicked email from the director asking if I would take over the responsibility of organizing the event. I decided to retake control of the event. I also invited back the “old boring professors” just to make the director uncomfortable.

I mentioned before that Romulus University is falling apart. This little incident with the symposium is just a symptom of a larger problem that will only get worse. This place retains too many benign tumors. One day, it will cause a problem, and I will not be here to witness it. Now that’s a real tragedy.