Well bloggie, today is officially my last day as a Graduate Student Assistant at the UGL. I’ve had enough memories here to last me a lifetime…So many people influenced my experience here. I consider myself to be very blessed in having had an opportunity to meet such great faculty and new friends. This position has changed my life. It has helped me to grow, mentally, spiritually, professionally, and personally.
Beginning next week, well really tomorrow, I’ll be an employee at the Arts League of Michigan’s Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center in Detroit, MI. I feel so blessed to have gotten the job I wanted. I’m graduating on Thursday, and I already have a start date for my new job. I think it’s safe to say that most people who are graduating don’t have job offers, much less a start date. I have both…
Eventually, my position with the Carr Center will enable me to travel the world. When that day comes, it'll be simply delightful…In the meantime, I’ll remain in Detroit where I’ll have the opportunity to help my community and fulfill my dreams all at the same time. I guess my parting words are, it’s been an adventure and I’m looking forward to facing the new challenges that will ultimately make me a better person. As Gandhi once said, “be the change you want to see in the world.” And that’s exactly what I plan to be, or should I say continue to be…
I think my blog for this week will be short and sweet! Actually, until about thirty minutes ago I didn’t have a clue as to what I was going to discuss. That is until a patron walked up and began to talk to me for what had to be a good thirty to forty-five minutes. She actually wanted to checkout a reserve textbook, but somehow she got stuck on my navy blue hoodie. You see, here lately, when I work on Saturday’s I wear my Obama hoodie. It’s warm, comfortable, and doesn’t require that I iron it which is the main reason I wear it frequently. Still, I know that showing support for our current president so openly is bound to bring about judgments or possible sneers from others. I would not consider myself to be a diehard Obama follower or fan but I do respect what he has accomplished. The woman took an interest in my hoodie because on the front it says “The First Black President.” I know that doesn’t leave much room for speculation. Anyway, after she finished reading the front, she smiles and asked me if it were me? Trying to rid my face of the obvious “are you serious look,” I smile and add he’s on the back of the hoodie. Next, she goes “well he’s really not black he’s actually half mulatto.” I responded yes, that may be the case, but in America we have an old little saying that just one drop of black blood makes you black. Don’t quote me on that phrase exactly as I have probably added to the original statement, but in America if a person has just 1 drop of black blood they’re mostly considered to be black. Once I was done speaking, the patron asked me if I was going to be a lawyer, to which I replied “nope, I’m gonna be a librarian.” This revelation opened up a whole can of worms on the patron’s part! As she spoke, I realized that she desperately needed somebody to listen to her. She shared things with me about her estranged husband, her living situation, and the strained relationship with her daughter. Perhaps, she felt as comfortable talking to me because she saw a similarity between her daughter and me. What I recognized about patrons such as this woman and others recently, is their need to have someone who will listen to them talk. Yesterday, for example, a patron known as the “hurricane lady,” called in to find out about you guessed it, hurricanes. I couldn’t find what she wanted to know and she became frustrated and started yelling at me. Thankfully, I was able to remain under control and not get too frazzled by the whole reference interview gone badly. A co-worker, who also happens to be a full-time librarian at WSU, shared something with me. She told me that a lot of times people who approach the desk, or even call aren’t necessarily looking for “help.” They’re more so looking for someone to be available to talk and hear them out. Remembering what Karen shared with me yesterday, helped me to keep calm as the woman went on-and-on about her life and its problems.
I cannot believe that it’s been a year since I started working at the Undergraduate Library. Time flies! I wrote my very first blog well over a year ago, and I have less than four months before I graduate! Let’s just say I’m not exactly bummed out to be leaving the University professionally or academically. When I think about it, I’m actually glad that my work contract ends once I graduate because it allows me to set my sights higher. I know, I know, you don’t bite the hand that feeds you, but what should you do when that same hand begins punching you? Enough, I digress. I guess my blog for this week will be a rant of some sort of why I am happy my time at Wayne State University is quickly winding down.
First, it was announced this week that the Interim President, Allan Gilmour, at WSU will officially become the University’s tenured President in late August of 2011. This was news to me because I didn’t even know Gilmour was the Interim President…Be that as it may, I was very curious to look deeper into his career. Apparently, Gilmour is both a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Michigan. He has a pretty extensive and impressive career in the area of finance and served in many high positions for Ford Motor Company.
Upon learning of Mr. Gilmour’s past career with Ford, I became even more interested to research just who he was. I started thinking about the Big 3 here in Detroit, and wondering if it was under his leadership that Ford Motor Company began to tank. No offense, but I’ve heard stories about the large sums of money paid to the company’s plant workers that didn’t seem to match their levels of education. I quickly realized that trying to blame Gilmour for the financial crisis of Ford a few years back was hardly fair. Still, something didn’t sit well with me about the hiring of this retired Vice President from Ford Motor Company…
On Thursday, I had lunch with a friend who introduced me to a distinguished staff member here at WSU. The person shall remain anonymous out of respect to his/her views and for the sake of privacy. During our introduction, this person mentioned the announcement of WSU’s newly elected President. Something was said in this conversation that I never considered. I finally understood why I had trouble accepting the selection of Allan Gilmour as Wayne’s 11th President.
Despite Gilmour’s successes with Ford Motor Company or even Prudential Financial Inc., he lacks a substantial amount of experience in running an academic institution. Yes, his past work experience is impressive, but most of it has been spent in corporate America and not in Academia!So tell me, what exactly qualifies him to be the President of a University? Could it be the fact that WSU is becoming a business vs. an academic institution?
Last year, for example, before I could even register for classes I was prompted to enter into this agreement. The agreement said that I accepted all financial responsibility from my tuition as a student. This same agreement also stated that I could not file for bankruptcy and have my educational loan debt cleared because educational debt was separate from bankruptcy. I had to enter into this formal agreement before I could register for classes.
Behind the new registration requirements, I believe that Gilmour will no doubt run Wayne State as a business. Unfortunately, the powers that be seem content with the changes in store for Wayne and I don’t know if I should be jumping up and down because my ride on the Wayne Express is ending or falling on my knees to pray for what might lay ahead.
Just last year, the University made headlines about the disheartening number of blacks graduating in comparison to whites. Only time will confirm my suspicions about WSU becoming more obsessed with the Benjamin’s and less onequal access to education…
I’m baaaack!!! I haven’t blogged in quite awhile, so it feels better than ever to be back! This school semester was everything that I’d imagined it would be. There were times where I had so much work to complete. Times I sacrificed sleep. Times I stayed on campus for hours completing homework. Times I wanted to give up…Needless to say, I am very grateful for having successfully completed my fall courses.
Honestly, a lot has happened from September until now and a few things caught me by total surprise. I think the most shocking news came from learning that two of the African American librarians at the UGL were retiring. News of their retirement deeply saddened me because they were integral in my success as a Graduate Student Assistant. Plus, there aren’t too many Black Librarians roaming this campus, so having two leave at the same time was unfortunate to hear. Being able to identify with other librarians who shared my skin tone and perhaps could relate to my experiences in the library program was comforting. Still, I do wish Dee Callaway and Debbie Tucker the very best that life has to offer…they will surely be missed. Since my fall courses required my attention in so many areas, I’ve decided to list this semester’s five most memorable moments.
Memorable Moment 1: Back in September, I had to give a book talk on “A long way gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier,” by Ishmael Beah. The purpose of book talking is to present a book in such a way that people will walk away wanting to read it. I think mostly Teachers and/or School Library Media Specialists use book talks to especially appeal to young readers. What I decided to do for my book talk was rap to Naughty by Nature’s OPP; this was one of Beah’s favorite songs growing up. I can’t describe the exuberance felt while rapping to my Young Adult Literature class! That experience alone has to be one of the best moments in my graduate education.
Memorable Moment 2: September was also the month that my Urban Libraries Seminar course met at the Arts League of Michigan’s Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center. The Carr Center is located in Paradise Valley, which is in the Detroit, MI area. I didn’t expect to be left speechless by the building’s beautiful interior design or its overall ambience. As we toured the building, I was crying by the time we made it up to the theater. Despite the construction it desperately needed, I was mesmerized by the theater’s grandeur. The nostalgia throughout the building radiates this indescribable energy that played an essential part in my crying. Before it was the Carr Center, the building was known as the Harmonie Club. The Harmonie Club was constructed in 1895 and was a musical society for German immigrants. During that time, it was also known to offer fine dining, a tavern, card rooms, a bowling alley, lounges, and of course, musical events. (http://www.artsleague.com/carr_center.htm)
Memorable Moment 3: In my seminar’s course, I was partnered with two other students at the Carr Center to complete a research assignment. The focus of my research centered on Detroit’s theater contributions by African Americans. Back when I was in Undergrad, I remember going to see a play at the Detroit Repertory Theater with a friend. The actors were amazing, but one definitely stood out to me, and his name was Council Cargle. It turns out that Mr. Cargle has been involved in the Detroit theater scene for years and is a highly respected veteran actor within the community. This assignment allowed me the opportunity to work with Mr. Cargle and he was an extremely humble and kind man. He even did some narration work for a video that I created, as part of my research assignment. I was beyond honored to finally make his acquaintance because I had heard such great things about him and really respected his work. I treasured the experience of meeting Mr. Cargle and deeply believe that from this experience a friendship blossomed.
Memorable Moment 4: Presentation Day, Wednesday December 2, 2010! Presenting my research to my seminar’s class, and Mr. Ragsdale, the president of the Carr Center, was wonderful. There was a sense of pride and exhilaration in having the opportunity to share insightful information about the ten people I researched. As I spoke about each of them, I tried to convey the importance of their lives and the meaningful contributions they made to theaters primarily in Detroit or perhaps around the world. On that night, I stood as a proud person of color recalling the stories and contributions of accomplished African Americans. They did…so I can…meaning there’s no excuse why I cannot be as equally determined and unstoppable in achieving my dreams.
Memorable Moment 5: After the realization that my courses were complete, an excitement rose within me because I am going into my final semester at WSU. In May of 2011, I will be a proud graduate of the School of Library & Information Science. I am five months away from completing my coursework and walking across the stage! Where did the time go?
Final Thoughts: I’d like to add that this will be my last blog for this year. It is hoped that once the New Year rolls around, I can once again dedicate time to writing a blog every week. It will be a year in January that I started working at the UGL, and a year that I began blogging. I look forward to what 2011 will bring, but currently I’m simply looking forward to my holiday break! Until next year…
