Since this is the first article of a new year, I feel it is best to make people who stumble onto this website aware of what is going on around here. I am doing this because I think people who visit the site are not getting a complete picture of my purpose here. I will break it down into several sections so that the chunks are readable and not just a wall of text.

Who are you?

My name is Brian Latimer. I am a college professor at Romulus University. I primarily teach communication courses at this SLAC. I was tenure-track until this year, when financial, administrative, and committee decisions decided it was best to show me the door. Am I mad about it? Yes. I thought I finally had a place to put my stakes down. I worked at several institutions with yearly contracts, and this place felt like the last stop I would have to make. When I arrived, everything felt right. I got along with colleagues (and still do), and my students responded well to my courses.

Fast forward to now, and I still get along with faculty and students. For reasons that escape me, students claim that I am their favorite. I am sorry that their bar for good instruction is so low. I will accept their praise, though. Very few people on campus know that I am not returning next year. I don’t feel the need to broadcast it around here, though it feels incredibly hypocritical of me to say that, given that I air my grievances on this website for others to read. For all of this school’s faults, it is leagues better than working at Remus College. That place took several years off my life.

What do you do here?

My goal with this website is simple. I talk about some aspects of academia that I feel are rarely discussed. Sure, there are online forums for professors to gripe. Still, I don’t think many of them address some of the more routine dilemmas and shenanigans that higher education is capable of producing. I feel that many forum posters are holding things back, and I don’t have a problem letting my opinions be known when necessary. This website is my personal scratching post. However, it is not the only thing I discuss here. I am fascinated by the culture of SLACs and the tensions between students, faculty, and administration. These constrictions are not as ever-present at larger institutions. They certainly exist, but at smaller schools, these relationships are more intimately known. I suppose it is one of the benefits of small class sizes, as most SLACs like to boast about.

What is Remus College?

Remus College is the name of my first novel in a series that I am putting together. It is a collection of stories from my experiences as a college professor. I also throw in some personal history to add flavor and insight into my perspective. I decided to write a novelization of events that some of my colleagues and I experienced in our careers. Many of the accounts really happened, but I put a humorous spin on them so the reader doesn’t fall into a complete depression as they read. I posted various selections from the first book as articles on this site to entice people to seek out the book. I realize the book isn’t for everybody, but I also know a lot of people who secretly enjoy schadenfreude. You know who you are.

Are you a jerk? 

I am realizing that many people outside my situation believe I am a pompous jackass. I will admit that my mouth can spew hazardous amounts of sarcasm and snark. However, I am not full of myself (something an obnoxious bore would say). I don’t think that I am the greatest thing since sliced bread or that my work is beyond reproach. I operate with a level of frankness that apparently my students appreciate, shockingly. At least that is what they tell me, and the student evaluations reflect. They know where I stand on most things and that I will give them an honest answer. I don’t know if my approach is just a residual effect of a trailer park upbringing or what, but it works for me. I probably come across as crass and mean. I would like to think that I am approachable once people get past my bluntness.

Can you wrap this up?

In summation, I am a snarky professor who has a wisecrack for every situation. I am a little angry right now because of my current situation, but like Monty Python used to sing, I always look on the bright side of life. I just like to veil it with enough sarcasm to choke a bull moose. Either you like me, or you don’t.