Happy Friday! I hope all of you are well and well prepared for the rain that is in the forecast. I read in the Denver Post that skiing is great right now, maybe some of you will hit the slopes over the weekend!

Lots of cool stuff to talk about today.

Hye Seung has a new essay out:  “Multiculturalism as ‘New Enlightenment’: The Myth of Hypergamy and Social Integration in Punch,” The Journal of Korean Studies,  Vol. 23, No. 1 (March 2018): 135-152.

She is also presenting this week’s research roundtable. 11-12, BSB A 217. Wee hoo!

Scott has a new article too: “Dead, But Still Breathing: The Problem of Postmortem Movement in Horror Films,” New Review of Film and Television Studies, Vol. 16, no. 2 (March 2018): 98-122.

Time quoted Kari regarding Nikki Haley’s response to folks in the White House. “I don’t get confused,” Haley said. Kari talks about the gender tight rope Haley is walking.

Tenure Track Faculty, don’t forget about the summer RA program. The department funds 40 hours of research support by employing the GTA of your choice. With Gloria gone, please let me know who you are choosing and we will make the necessary arrangements. If you have already communicated your choice to Gloria, we are set.

Which leads me to how we are going to stay on top of work until we hire a new lead administrative support.

First of all, lets recognize we are not going to get all of the work done or done as quickly and as efficiently as we have. That said, we have shifted some duties for the short term at least.

Carly will be helping Elizabeth and me stay on top of scheduling.

Dawn will be doing extra work on the daily financial transactions. That will almost certainly mean we will take a bit extra time on travel.

Crucially, Amparo Jeffrey—the lead administrative support in JMC—will be filling for Gloria until we hire a replacement. Amparo will take care of HR and some of the bigger budget issues. Amparo has years of experience here at CSU, serving in Gloria’s role in English and now in JMC. If you have particular HR questions—FML, payroll, sick live—direct them first to me but then also to Amparo. Her email is amparo.jeffery@colostate.edu. Amparo, thanks so much for your help!

Meanwhile, I am working with CSU HR to begin the search for our new lead administrative support. I am hopeful we will have a new person in place and becoming comfortable by the time we return from summer.

Our departmental end of year party is at Café Vino, May 3 from 4:30 pm – 7:30. As always, everyone on the Friday Email list is invited, as is family—however you define it.

Finally, a less pleasant note. This is tough time of semester, isn’t it? So much to do. So little time. More importantly, so little energy, so much stress. Many of our students are struggling. Many of you are struggling as well. One of the tricks for many of us is that we are tired and stressed and at the end of our tether, but when students come to us with their concerns and worries, we don’t get to quit. We don’t get to stop. Our lack of energy and our super abundance of stress does not get to take precedence. How do we, as teachers, keep our energy and spirits going even in these weeks that are the hardest? I will share in a moment what I try (though it isn’t always successful).

But right now I want to remind you of the enormous resources that the university offers. Tell Someone here at CSU gets you immediate access to many of these resources. You can call (970) 491-1350. You can find the link to an online referral form here: http://supportandsafety.colostate.edu/tellsomeone.

You can contact Tell Someone about any member of our community that you have concerns about. Maybe a student has suddenly stopped coming to class or their behavior has changed. Maybe a colleague seems distressed. Call Tell Someone.

If you are struggling and you’re an employee, the university offers a rich suite of resources through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). They offer free legal advice (I have used this service), free counseling, financial information, resources regarding child or elder care.

https://ombudsandeap.colostate.edu/employee-assistance-program/

We don’t walk this path alone, friends. Reach out for help, reach out to help.

For me, bread making and meditation, dog petting and basketball, time with Elizabeth and friends: these help me stay sane. It is so easy to believe that I am too busy for that hour and a half of basketball, there is too much to do to devote 30 minutes to mediation. Surely buying bread at the store would be sufficient.

But in these moments of particular business, we need to slow down; in these moments of high stress, we need to check in with ourselves, our bodies, our friends, and our families.

Take care of yourself this weekend in whatever way makes the best sense to you.

Yours,
Greg