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Holy Academia

By Cecil Verger

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Cecil Verger
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-0595-5

Contents

I. Symbolic Liaisons.....................................1II. A Twist New..........................................9III. Ode to Dictators....................................14IV. Playing with Administrator...........................21V. On Being Verbose......................................26VI. Soft ness on the Trail...............................33VII. All about Humility and Humanity.....................39VIII. A Visit to Brazil..................................45IX. Gender Equity........................................50X. Financial Problems....................................56XI. Obliteration.........................................61XII. A Welcome Invitation................................67XIII. Ode to Friendship..................................72XIV. All about the Past..................................77XV. Contributions and Retribution........................85XVI. Because.............................................90XVII. Forbidding Distance................................98XVIII. Cupid's Waltz.....................................103XIX. Silences............................................108XX. Companionship........................................116XXI. El Dorado...........................................124XXII. Days of Yore.......................................132XXIII. All About What?...................................140XXIV. Revival of the Past................................148XXV. All About a Dragon..................................159XXVI. Wisdom and Logic...................................167XXVII. Benevolent Mishap.................................172XXVIII. Modern Living....................................179XXIX. Friends and Foes...................................184XXX. Half-Time Teaching..................................190XXXI. Civilization.......................................195XXXII. Humanity in Plexiglass............................202XXXIII. Life.............................................210XXXIV. Next Step.........................................215XXXV. Creativity.........................................220XXXVI. All About Friendship..............................230XXXVII. Indiscreet Trip..................................236XXXVIII. Sobriety........................................244XXXIX. Ars Amatoria......................................249XL. Bitterness...........................................257XLI. Depression Problem..................................264XLII. Wicker Basket......................................270

Chapter One

Symbolic Liaisons

It was very simple, at first. Professors teach in their field. They publish their research in their specialties. They attend conferences to learn and hear about the latest being done by their colleagues. If they are proficient in the three dimensions, they get promoted, which means they receive an increase in their yearly scheduled income, distributed monthly. Besides, as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, employed as a Teaching Assistant, not too highly paid, but in scholastic, and flattering situation, I was convinced that professors were direct descendants of universal Gods. Intelligent, learned, devoted, they did their utmost to educate their students. How could they be wrong about anything? At first glance, errors do not appear possible or at least likely. Wishful thinking! Assorted prejudices still prevail according to different predispositions, be they against blacks, whites, gays, the female gender, or even the male gender.

Happily employed in a mid-size university of about twenty-five thousand students, I realized on a sunny day that my salary was twenty percent lower than the salaries of my male counterparts who were doing exactly the same job, who had exactly the same ranking, and were hired at exactly the same time. I should be more precise. One of my friendly colleagues had a question that would change my life.

"Did you check the Report of Academic Staff?" she asked.

"What in the world is this kind of report?" I retorted.

"It is a list of professors in academia with their attributed earnings!"

The male gender was receiving favoritism beyond belief! Actually, long before, at the beginning of my career in the present university, the discrepancy was brought to my attention, through very odd circumstances. I had not been professionally in a position to react to the information. I had been hired and my contract was for three years; it was not wise to complain under these conditions.

At that time, I normally had lunch at the cafeteria. Now and then, I was joined by a colleague, George Tumeric, who came to the department at the same time I did. One day, George appeared rather distressed.

"What's the matter, George?" I asked. "You look somewhat befuddled."

"I cannot handle the drive to and from my house anymore," he volunteered.

"What's wrong with it?"

"It takes me two hours to come here and two hours to get back home every day. We have not been able to sell our home to date, and my wife has to remain on the spot to show it to possible buyers," he explained.

Collegial thoughts came into my mind.

"George, why don't you stay in my guest room? My children and I do not utilize it right now, and you are welcome to sleep there during the week, Check with your wife to see if this is agreeable," I said.

"Oh, Nicole, that would be a most welcome solution to my temporary problem of transportation. Thank you so much," he answered.

George moved in with me and my kids, and we became very good friends. One evening, during a casual conversation, he underlined how poorly university professors in his field were paid.

"Yes, indeed, after twenty-five years of schooling, one may indeed expect more compensation!"

"With a salary of fifteen thousand a year, my gasoline bill alone is a big handicap," he countered.

Astonished, I remained silent. We had both being hired in the 1970s, in 1977 to be precise, to perform similar duties, but his salary was three thousand dollars more than mine. One quarter of my salary more than what I was paid! I was in a state of shock that became worse when rumors were being created and spread about me and my behavior with married men. I was actually living, quite openly, in my home, with a married man! Gossip went around, without real and valid input. Obviously good deeds are not necessarily rewarded.

"Is it true that you and George are having an affair? He is married, you know. Some people think that it is a way of life for the French. Nicole, you are from France, are you not?" volunteered a usually very nice colleague.

Indeed, I was born in France, but I denied the rumors that stuck to my reputation during the following years. Personally, I was less influenced by the gossip than by the information about the salary discrepancy that George had revealed. Eventually, I just about ignored it, although it was not exactly easy to make ends meet.

But when discrepancies in salaries for the female gender were again brought to my attention, I already had received tenure in my position, a big and important insurance. Outside of academia few people realize the meaning of tenure, a warranty of employment for the rest of your working capacities, with health support. For no specific reasons I remembered the conversation I had with George and the information he had given me about salary. It had not stuck in my mind, nor been a negative attitude toward my duties. It...