I received the following as an anonymous hand-written note in my campus mail. I think it is in response to our March 4th faculty meeting. The author requested that it be posted to the Moon Room.
Have you ever witnessed a sudden eruption of violence? I have, and it is so interesting to see who turns into a puddle and who becomes sharper and more capable than ever. We heard today that Guilford is in a “live ammunition” moment. We don’t have time for our customary long form reasoning and reckoning. I can sense that some of our brightest and most capable fair sea captains may need support and understanding in this time. Others who are merely functional under predictable circumstances could turn out to be life savers. We should expect these inversions.
I wanted to offer this perspective because there seems to be an assumption that this is a grim time for Guilford. Maybe we should just skip sharing good news at the end of faculty meeting, right? When outsiders ask me about Guilford, I say I need a raise. I also say that this is a time of change, challenge, excitement and innovation. I say that we are in a manageable scale model of our troubled and threatened world and we have everything we need. I know that I am not alone in feeling unafraid and even lucky to be right here, right now.