[Susan McLean]

In my experience with universities, protests alone do not get administrations to change decisions. The protests are useful, in that the administration in this case probably underestimated the widespread outrage that their decision would cause, and they need to see how many people are upset by it. They are probably counting on the fact that there are no other comparable conferences that formalists can attend. If there were, many poets might well migrate elsewhere. But where would they go? What does get administrations to change is (a) revelations of wrongdoing by the administration (which may or may not be forthcoming when an investigation takes place) and (b) legal action. My guess is that both of those take time and that we ourselves can't do much about it except to urge journalists to do some investigating and Kim (if she so chooses) to take the legal route.

Susan

[R. S. Gwynn]

Pat, you have said three things that don't jibe: first, you said that the advisory board's financial committee requested the audit; second, you said that Kim requested it; third, you said that you requested it. Please clarify.

[W.F. Lantry]

Originally Posted by Pat Valdata

As soon as the meeting concluded, the dean left the room like she was shot out of a cannon, without a word to any of us.

This is actually interesting, especially since we have it first person. Now, it's perfectly possible the Dean was late for some other meeting, etc. It's also possible that what happened later is post hoc, ergo propter hoc.

But here's what jumped out at me: meetings at Universities are held, not to decide something, but simply to confirm and place an official stamp on decisions which have already been made through long quiet negotiations with all interested parties. The conventional wisdom is that people only really have difficulties when things get done without building wide consensus beforehand. It makes sense, since no one person, no matter how well-informed or well-intentioned, can possibly see all the implications of an action. Neither can a single advisory board. Nobody hears the whole tune. And when the elephants start dancing to a tune only they can hear, it is the grass that suffers.

Best,

Bill

[Norman Ball]

What's does it mean when a 'dean leaves the room like she was shot out of a cannon'? I mean I know it's a metaphor. I hack around in poetry a bit. But can you go to jail for leaving a room in this manner? What does it reveal about the character of the person departing? What exactly is being implied, insinuated?

I come from the private sector which admittedly is not nearly as vicious as the poetry-academic world. So pardon my naivete. Nonetheless I find bits of this thread absolutely ghastly. This isn't the make-believe world of the poetry section. On this side, they grade on a different curve, especially when metaphors start morphing into personal slurs. Hey Alex, are you watching what's going down on your turf?

[Robin-Kemp]

Sam, certainly all three could be true. Why attack Pat? If the Board asked for an accounting from the university, all this infighting is misplaced. I get the sense this is much bigger than the poetry conference. And I trust Pat's integrity, having known her for over 20 years.

[W.F. Lantry]

Originally Posted by Robin-Kemp

And I trust Pat's integrity, having known her for over 20 years.

Exactly. We've all known Pat since the glory days of CREWRT-L. We have good reason to trust her.

Best,

Bill

[R. S. Gwynn]

Robin, please read Pat's account of the meeting as carefully as I did.

[Terese Coe]

"...the Poetry Center's 3rd quarter Advisory Board meeting"

"The board's financial committee requested an audit"

"Kim and her advisory board were all in favor of it--it seems that the university and its foundation are the ones who are uncomfortable with the concept."

Pat, is the "Advisory Board" the same as "Kim's advisory board"? Whether one and the same or not, who appointed this or these board(s)? Who appointed the "financial committee"? This is crucial information, and I don't know if it's available on the University website, but even if it is, we don't know if it's up-to-date.

To be transparent, I have not attended WC for a number of years, probably since 2006 or later. And on another aspect of the issue, rage doesn't help anyone do anything right. In fact it has already caused some to indulge not only in sensationalism but in rash and distasteful slander in this thread. I seriously doubt the media interest in all things sensational and slanderous is going to accomplish much in the way of WCU backtracking and re-hiring Kim as Director.

The fact that Anna Evans gave her tacit assent (as the Editor of Raintown Review) to vicious and totally unsupported printed comments by her employee, Quincy Lehr (e.g. "I'd like to kick Dana Gioia in the balls," not to mention several other slurs on Gioia in print in RR) continues to be troubling in relation to this thread.

[Anna M Evans]

Er...what? Quincy is his own person and I am not his boss.

[Ned Balbo]

I know I'm not a regular here, but did I miss something?

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