To March or Not to March?

Dear The Mums,

In today’s mail I received a four-page, single-spaced letter from Baruch College that provides all the details for the 48th commencement exercises, which are scheduled for Thursday, May 30.  Even though that's the date of your third yahrzeit, it’s not the date that’s an issue for me.  It’s the location:  Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.  You likely knew it in its previous incarnation, Shea Stadium—and as a loyal daughter of the House that RuthBuilt, I’m equally sure that you’d never willingly set foot in it.  

Even if I do everything required—order and pay for a cap and gown, secure guest tickets, pick up the academic regalia at the appointed time, schlep to Citi Field, arrange for Daddy to schlep to Citi Field (Amy will be out-of-town that day), and march in the processional (no, unlike the last time I graduated, Meryl Streep is not leading this one)—I’m not at all sure I will then want to sit (or subject Daddy to sitting) in a folding chair in the sun for three hours amidst more than 2,000 graduates and 10,000 guests.  Just the thought of trying to find him afterwards makes me anxious.

On the other hand, I worked hard for this degree, it took me a long time to finish it, and there’s a certain unbridled joy that likely will come from participating in all that pomp and circumstance (even if Baruch is the school I loved to hate).  Will I be sorry if I’m not there to enjoy it?  Will I regret squandering the opportunity to move my tassel from the right to the left when the degree is officially conferred?  Will I lament not having photos of the occasion?  Perhaps…

Regardless of what I decide to do, I know that you--as you are everyday--will be there with me...even if we find ourselves at Citi Field.

xoxo,

~ Boo!

All Body Parts All the Time

The content of this blog post may not be suitable for all readers.  Reader discretion is advised.

A friend recently suggested that my life is “all body parts all the time.”  In some ways, she’s not wrong.

With my reconstruction now complete, I’m able to turn my full attention to researching and writing my master’s thesis which also focuses on a particular (but different!) body part.  
 
In case you haven’t been following the story, I’m writing about the Haredi practice of metzitzah b’peh (oral suction as part of Jewish ritual circumcision) that, in the last eight years, has resulted in 11 cases of neonatal herpes in New York City, including the death of two babies. Recently the New York City Board of Health voted to require Haredi mohelim to obtain written consent from parents before performing metzitzah b'peh as part of the baby's bris.  The Haredim have filed a lawsuit against the city, and a judge ordered a stay on the requirement until the next hearing, which is scheduled for November 14.

But, rather than get into further details here, I’ll let you read the section on Jewish ritual circumcision that I’ve just completed...which also partially explains why I haven't been able to blog here in recent weeks. 

Jewish Ritual Circumcision

According to Klein (1992), “[t]he operation of ritual circumcision consists of three steps:

1.      Milah, the cutting off of the foreskin.

2.      Peri’ah, the tearing of and folding back of the mucous membrane to expose the glans.

3.      Metsitsah, the suction of the blood from the wound.” (p. 422)

Initially, these steps were described in the Talmud—a compilation of rabbinic writings completed by the 5^th century—in the context of what can and cannot be performed on the Sabbath.  According to the Talmud, “We may perform all the necessities of circumcision on the Sabbath.  We may circumcise, uncover the corona, draw the blood, and place a bandage and cumin upon it.”

Later, these same steps were described again by Moses Maimonides, the 12^th century Torah scholar and physician in his Mishneh Torah (Repetition of the Torah).  This 14-volume work describes all the laws of Jewish observance as detailed in Jewish texts (Torah and Talmud).  In his Mishneh Torah, Maimonides writes:

How is the circumcision performed?  The foreskin that covers the crown of the penis is cut off until the entire crown is revealed.

Afterwards, the soft membrane that is beneath the skin should be split along the mid-line with one’s nails and peeled back to either side until the flesh of the crown is revealed.

Afterwards, one should suck the place of the circumcision until all the blood in the further reaches is extracted, lest a dangerous situation arise.  Any [mohel] who does not perform metzitzah should be removed from his position.  After one has performed metzizah, one should apply a bandage, a compress, or the like. (Touger, 1991)

It is important to note that the Hebrew Maimonides used to describe the third step in the process is metzitzah [suction], not metzitzah b’peh [suction by mouth].   Although the text does not explicitly specify the suction method to be used, it is plausible to presume that during Maimonides’ time, suction by mouth was the only feasible way to draw blood away from the circumcision wound.  Touger (1991) offers this commentary on the text, providing an explanation of why metzitzah b’peh has largely been abandoned by all but the most ultra-Orthodox Jews:

Traditionally, the mohel sucks out the blood with his mouth.  Nevertheless, in previous generations, the Rabbis did grant license to use a pipette because of the possibility that germs in the mohel’s mouth might infect the child.  Today, there are authorities who suggest the use of a pipette because of the danger that the mohel could contract AIDS. (pp. 220-221)

And yet, like their brethren in 19^th century Hungary and Germany who believed the commandment to perform metzitzah b’peh was handed down from God to Moses, Haredim in New York City continue this custom, believing that their practice imbues it with the weight of Jewish law.  According to Dvoretzky and Roth (2012), counsel to the International Bris Association (IBA), one of the three organizations that has filed suit against New York City for its efforts to obtain parental consent prior to ritual circumcisions in the Haredi community:

Traditionally, metzitzah was performed using direct oral suction—metzitzah b’peh (“MBP”)—and this method remains in widespread use in Hasidic, Orthodox, and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities.  Indeed many prominent rabbinic authorities maintain that MBP is the only legitimate way to properly complete the circumcision in accordance with Jewish law. (p. 26)

It seems extremely unlikely, therefore, that the Haredim will forsake metzitzah b’peh under any circumstances, despite the possible health risks to both the infant and the mohel that have been identified by generations of scientific experts—and heeded by rabbinic authorities—beginning in the 19^th century.

Yes, at the moment it is all body parts all the time!  Stay tuned....

Glass, China and Reputation

Dear Baruch College,

Again and again and again, you’ve proven yourself to be the school I love to hate, and yesterday was no exception.  On my way home from an appointment across town, I stopped in at the computer lab in the library building to print the syllabus and first reading assignment of the new semester, which begins for me on Thursday, February 3rd.  I figured that now would be an especially good time to get a jump on the reading.

The computer lab was nearly empty, and before too long I’d logged in, located the articles I needed, and sent each one to the printer.  The trouble began, though, when I attempted to log in at the printer station to retrieve them.  After entering my username and password (the very same ones I'd used to access the articles in the first place), I received a message that said something along these lines:

The system cannot locate you in the database.
If this problem persists, contact the Administrator.

Ever the optimist, I tried several times, even moving to a different printer and attempting yet again, all to no avail.  In a last ditch effort to get a hard copy of the reading assignment, I stopped in at the HelpDesk office where the following conversation ensued:

HelpDesk Techie:  Help you?

Me:  Yes, the system won’t let me print.

Techie:  Are you enrolled in the winter session?

Me:  No…..

Techie:  Spring semester officially begins next Friday.  You’ll be able to print then.

Me:  Even though the professor’s already posted the syllabus and reading assignments for the first class?...

Technie:  Next Friday…

Me, dripping with disdain and sarcasm:  Great…thanks.

And so I trekked home where, ironically enough, I found this blast email from the registrar’s office:

Dear Student:

Welcome back to the Spring semester!

Please note these very important details before the start of the term:

1)      Classes begin on Friday, January 28. If you wish to withdraw at 100% refund, you need to do so by the end of the day on Thursday, January 27.

2)      If you want to drop/add classes starting Friday, you need to use the REPLACE button to avoid incurring charges.

3)      Check your classroom assignments again, some have changed.

4)      Make sure your tuition bill has been paid!

Baruch, I believe your registrar forgot one other very important detail:

5)  Even if your professor has posted reading assignments on Blackboard, you will not be able to print them until Friday, January 28th, the first day of the spring semester.

Thanks, Baruch, for yet again upholding the reputation you have, from my perspective, so justly earned.  As Ben Franklin so rightly quipped:  “Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked, and never mended well.”

See you soon,
JanetheWriter

Letter to My Blog

Dear Blog,

I know you probably think I’ve abandoned you, but, of course, that’s not the case.  And, I know, too, that it’s no excuse that life is, once again, getting in the way of my keeping in touch with you, but truly, that’s the story.

The semester’s back in full swing and I’ve been busy reading an over-the-top amount of material for class each week and, for the last few days, researching and writing the first paper, which is due in about 10 days.  (Thankfully, I picked an extremely timely topic related to the gubernatorial election and there's plenty of useful, easily accessible material available right from my laptop.  Citing the sources, however, is still as time consuming as ever.)  Factor in that a colleague’s been on vacation for the last two weeks, and that I’m trying to sort through a bunch of medical “stuff” related to recently having tested positive for the BRCA2 genetic mutation (increasing my lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancer) and you’ll understand—I hope—why I’ve been somewhat out of touch. 

Although it’s fairly mundane, I can tell you that yesterday morning I used the MTA’s new Select Bus Service on the M15 for the first time.  Much to my amazement, I went from 34th and First all the way up to 79th and First in a matter of 15 minutes.  On Third Avenue, that same trip can take double or even triple the time, even on a Saturday morning, so I was pleasantly surprised to be able to duck into Starbucks for a tall iced green tea before the Shabbat minyan at Shaaray Tefila.  The sense of community during the service seemed especially evident yesterday, and the discussion of Lech L’cha that followed the service could have gone on for hours.  This parasha—Ma’s favorite—is so jam packed with material relevant to our own time, it could take weeks to unpack it fully.  Next week, though, we'll move on to Vayeira.

In any event, except for class on Tuesday night and the twice-yearly memorial service at Haven Hospice on Thursday night, this week promises to be a bit calmer than the last few.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to be in touch again soon so we can catch up.  In the meantime, please know that I think of you often and miss you lots.  Take care of yourself and I'll see you soon!

xoxo,
JanetheWriter

Economics Schmeconomics

So, do you think if Myron Scholes or Paul Krugman stepped in to sit for my economics final tomoorrow night anyone would notice?

Yeah...like I could make that happen...

So Little Time...Still

With my economics final just four days away, I've not had a lot of time to devote to writing for this blog. I do have a new post up on the Union's blog, though, and hope that you'll pop over there to read it.

Once the exam is over (9 p.m. on Tuesday night), I'm looking forward to getting back to more pleasant pursuits -- sleeping in on the weekends, soaking in some city sights and sounds, writing leisurely, checking out my new synagogue, and reading some good books. Any suggestions on that front?

So Much to Write...So Little Time

We're short staffed in the office, my three-hour, in class economics final is less than two weeks away and on top of all that, I've managed to squeeze in a few marches in the "schmuck parade." Needless to say, I'm burning the candle at both ends at the moment.

Earlier today, though, I did carve out a bit of time to craft a post for the Union's blog that I'm sharing with you here.

I hope to get back to this one soon. Thanks for reading.

Study Buddies Extraordinaire

When I started grad school two years ago (before Baruch became the school I love to hate), Stefani, my friend and colleague, told me that the best part of the whole experience would be the friends I’d make. Was she ever right about that.

Meet Amy and Michael, my Baruch study buddies. In January 2007, Amy and I met in Introduction to Public Affairs. The next semester, in Research and Analysis I (a euphemism for statistics), we met Michael, and the three of us have been inseparable in the halls of academe ever since. Research and Analysis II followed, and then Communication in Public Settings. Now, we’re muddling through Economic Analysis and Public Policy together on Tuesday nights. And, as if that’s not enough togetherness, Michael and I also share an independent study seminar on Thursday nights.

Reliable, trustworthy, fun and funny, they're the best. I couldn’t ask for better study buddies. Thanks, guys. And, oh, where do you want to go for dinner after class next week?!

Twenty Five Random Things About Me

In a post last week, I said that I “proudly hold the title ‘Queen of Lists.’” Indeed, on most Fridays, I compile a “weekend list” that includes all the things I need to accomplish before returning to work on Monday. Typically, it includes such things as:

• Change towels/linens
• Laundry
• Read for class
• Pay bills (with a list of the specific bills that are due in the coming week)

Today’s weekend list also included the following task: Print slides for economics class.

To accomplish this task, I left the office, met a friend for coffee, and then headed to the library building to print the slides. (Although I could, of course, print them at home, it is a lot of pages for my less-than-heavy-duty printer and since I receive a thousand pages of printing each semester as part of the "technology fee," this seemed like a good use for some of those pages.) Unfortunately, when I logged in at the computer center, Blackboard, the electronic program that makes all course materials available via the web, was down. The yellow-vested students posing as “Staff” were of no help whatsoever. Said one to a young woman a few seats away from me who also was unable to access Blackboard, “It was working an hour ago…maybe it’ll come back in a while. If not, try later tonight.” Very helpful… yet again, confirming the notion that Baruch is, in fact, the school I love to hate.

And so I came home, only to find myself “tagged” by several Facebook friends, asking that I “write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals” to send back to the people who tagged me, as well as to others. So, although I cannot yet cross off “Print slides for economics class” from my weekend list, I have created the following list of “Twenty Five Random Things About Me.” Enjoy…

1. In high school I took a professional assessment test that said I should consider a career as a nun.

2. I could live on carbs...french fries, mac and cheese, baked potatoes...

3. I was once fired from a job because, according to my boss, I couldn't write.

4. I love Judaica and Jewish music of all kinds. Can't wait for the next Biennial CD to come out.

5. I married the first guy I ever dated, but I don't necessarily recommend this approach.

6. In high school I drove a 1976 Toyota Corolla station wagon -- bright yellow with wood paneling on the side.

7. During my senior year of college and for a few years after, I drove a turquoise blue Dodge Aspen (with a big rust spot on the hood).

8. I spend waaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on Facebook.

9. Unreturned phone calls and bad grammar are two of my biggest pet peeves.

10. I've never lived outside the United States.

11. I've never been to Chicago.

12. I don't own a DVD player...and have only had my iPod for about a year.

13. One summer during college, I worked for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (way before EasyPass) and could recite -- in the correct order -- every exit from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to the George Washington Bridge. Now?...Not so much. And, no, I wasn't a toll collector. I worked in the administrative offices at Exit 9 (New Brunswick).

14. During the other summers (and during winter breaks), I worked at the Franklin Township Public Library...always had first dibs on the best new books...and ran the projector for the Saturday kiddie movies. (No DVDs back then -- you actually had to thread the film through the projector.)

15. My own favorite movie is the Sound of Music and my favorite part is near the end when the nuns take the starters out of the Nazis' cars (hmmmmm, see #1 above...) so the Von Trapps can get a head start over the Alps.

16. Last fall I started writing my own blog. I'm not sure that I "get" the whole blogging phenomenon, or know exactly where I'm going with mine, but for the moment I'm having a good time with it.

17. I also write regularly for the Union for Reform Judaism's blog.

18. As a sophomore in college, I attended a rabbinic recruitment weekend at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, but it didn't "take." (hmmmmm, see #1 above).

19. Woefully out of touch with pop culture, I don't know Brad Pitt from Tom Hanks, from Tom Selleck...Britney Spears from Paris Hilton from Lindsay Lohan...or anyone in between. And truthfully, I don't really care who these people are or what they're up to...

20. Don't know Merlot from Cianti, Chardonnay from Pinot Noir... often just order the house white or a Riesling. Blue Moon is my beer of choice and I drink my margaritas on the rocks with no salt (bad for the hypertension).

21. Before NYC, I lived in Los Angeles, CA and before that just outside Hanover, NH. To move my car from New Hampshire to California, I drove over Loveland Pass during a blizzard. To get it from LA to NYC, I put it on a car carrier. Much better...

22. Two summers ago, I survived two weeks of travel in eastern Europe and Israel with hundreds of 16-year-olds and no luggage. The things I could tell you about Czech and Polish underwear you do not want to know.

23. Except for Jeopardy, the Food Network and re-runs of House and Law and Order SVU, I hardly watch any television.

24. When I was about 7 or 8 years old, I got lost on the Washington Mall on the Fourth of July. Apparently, my mother was less concerned about finding me than she was about figuring out how she would explain my disappearance to her own mother. Obviously, my family found me and all's well... ;-)

25. I have never colored or straightened my hair...and I don't intend to do either anytime soon.

Taking a Cue from Ima on (and off) the Bima

To those of you who know me (or have heard my I-was-a-NFTY-flight-chaperone-in-Eastern-Europe-and-my-luggage-never-showed-up saga), it will come as no surprise that I carefully plan things in advance, always like to have my ducks in a very straight line, and frequently don’t do terribly well when things veer (even ever so slightly) from “the plan.” To elaborate just a bit, I’m extremely focused and motivated, proudly hold the title “Queen of Lists” (gleefully crossing off the tasks as they are completed), and take great pains to show up on time if not early to work, school, wherever... At the same time – unlike most Type A personalities – I am not an Academy Award-winning multi-tasker (I can’t talk on the phone and do much of anything else well at the same time).

And so it is that I’m spending time this weekend researching flights from New York to Tulsa for a friend’s wedding in the middle of March. But it’s not just any weekend in the middle of March. It’s March 21, which is three days before Tuesday, March 24, the day of the midterm exam in Economic Analysis and Public Policy, one of the two graduate courses in which I’m enrolled this semester at behemoth Baruch, the school that drives me crazy. Given my self-admitted Type A personality, neither will you be surprised to learn that I’m a serious student, spending lots of time -- not all of it positive, I freely admit -- devoted to schoolwork and trying to balance the rigors of the academic world with a full-time job, a social life and, sometimes, The Schmuck Parade. In fact, both my sister and a good friend recently told me that, with the start of the spring semester just days away, “It’s time to batten down the hatches." (Yes, I’ve already requested March 20, 23 and 24 as vacation days, scribbling “out-of-town wedding and midterm exam” on the required paperwork. And, if I could, I’d start studying for the exam this weekend, but since the semester doesn’t start until Monday, that just isn’t an option – even for me.)

Instead, I’m going to take a cue or two, or seven or 29 or 362 from Ima on (and off) the Bima. Although I don’t know “Ima” personally, we do work in the same crazy Jewish world, are friends on Facebook (with 13 mutual friends, which, although not a huge number, is a good Jewish number nonetheless) and follow each other on Twitter. I read her blog, Ima on (and off) the Bima, and, from time to time, her other one, too. From all this e-info, I know that Ima is a married working mother of three young (and quite adorable) kids who, if I had to guess, doesn’t require a whole lot of sleep. She does however, teach, preach, read (81 books in 2008), write, parent, take lots of photos, cook, bake (she recently made a cake that looked exactly like an iPod nano!) and oh-so much more.

So, if Ima on (and off) the Bima can do all these things all the time, surely I can attend a wedding in Tulsa on Saturday, March 21 (mazel tov, Abby and Donnie) and take a midterm exam in New York on Tuesday, March 24, right?!

Procrastination Pays!

Finally, some good news from behemoth Baruch. In today’s mail, I received the following letter:

December 2008

Dear students:

As all of you are aware, the School of Public Affairs has had, as part of the curriculum, a Computer Competency Requirement. In the past, students have completed this requirement by either successfully passing a timed exam, or by registering for the PAF 8000 workshop.

Due to increasing demand by students that the requirement be revised, the issue was brought to the School of Public Affairs Curriculum Committee, and was later voted on by the faculty of the School of Public Affairs. It was decided that the existing Computer Competency Requirement will be eliminated effective immediately. Students with a graduation date of February 2009 or later
will no longer need to have satisfied the requirement in order to graduate.

The Registrar’s Office has also been made aware of this change. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at Spa.Advisement@baruch.cuny.edu.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Engel
Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Programs
School of Public Affairs
Baruch College, CUNY

To those of you who know me well, it will, I know, come as somewhat of a shock to learn that although I am one-third of the way through the master’s program, I had not yet taken the Computer Competency timed exam nor registered for the PAF 8000 workshop. And so it is that I have learned (finally!) from firsthand experience that sometimes—not often, but sometimes—procrastination pays!

Bernard Baruch Must Be Spinning in His Grave

Today at lunchtime, I walked from 40th and Third down to 25th between Third and Lex to pay my tuition bill at Baruch College, where I’m enrolled in the MPA program at the School of Public Affairs. I’ve taken to paying this bill in person because my experience with Baruch’s behemoth administration has been that if there’s something to screw up, they’ll screw it up.

I should have been suspicious when, much to my surprise, there was no line at the Bursar’s Office, even though the deadline for tuition payments for the spring semester is tomorrow. However, the walls of the office were plastered with homemade-looking signs that said something along the lines of “No credit card payments are accepted at the Bursar’s window.” Lovely…

Not one to believe everything I read, I stepped to the first empty window and, slid my bill and my Visa card into the tray. The conversation with the woman behind the window went something like this:

Me: “I’d like to pay this bill.”
Window woman: “Only pay by credit card online.”
Me: (slightly apoplectic): “I can’t pay this here?”
Window woman: “Only pay by credit card online.”

Muttering things that most definitely would not pass the “family blog” test, I left the window and the building and, with my blood pressure somewhere on the way to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, returned to my desk after my fool’s errand.

Fast forward to the evening. Immediately upon returning home from the office, I logged onto eSIMS, Baruch’s online student information and registration system, and navigated my way to the tuition payment page. There I learned that the College accepts only American Express, Discover or MasterCard. I, of course, wanted to pay with my Continental Airlines Visa card (the only card I ever use) so I could get airline miles. Nine hundred and four miles in one shot is nothing to sneeze at, but noooo…no such luck.

And so I pulled my American Express card from my wallet, dusted it off (I don’t remember the last time I used it) and entered the account number, the expiration date and the name on the account, as well as the email address to which I wanted the payment confirmation to be sent into the form on the screen,. When I hit “Next,” the total showed $904 for tuition and $23.96 as a transaction fee.

Assuming the fee was there because I was using a “high-end” American Express card, I dug out a brand new MasterCard (it arrived just yesterday) that I got to ensure overdraft protection on my checking account. Again, I entered the account number, the expiration date, the security code from the back of the card, the name on the account and the email address to which I wanted the payment confirmation to be sent. When I hit “Next,” the total again showed $904 for tuition and $23.96 as a transaction fee.

Again I felt my blood pressure creeping up, not only at having to repeat the process again and again, but also at what my father would call “aroisgevorfene gelt,” (thrown away money). And so, yet again, I went back to the payment page, and this time selected the electronic funds transfer option. Experienced now, I entered my checking account number, the bank routing number, the name on the account and the email address for payment confirmation. Just as I was going to hit “Submit Payment,” the screen flickered and without warning I was back at the eSIMS home page. Urghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

And so one last time I navigated my way to the tuition payment page, selected the electronic funds transfer option, and entered my checking account number, the bank routing number, the name on the account, the email address for payment confirmation and the name of the goat my father bought for two zuzim (just checking to see how carefully you're reading!). This time, the total showed $904 (no transaction fee!) so before you could say “Bernard Baruch,” I hit “Submit Payment” and almost immediately received the promised email confirming my payment.

Speaking of Bernard Baruch, the man was an extraordinarily successful financier, business mogul and presidential advisor on economic matters. How ironic. I have no doubt that if he had even the slightest inkling of what’s going on in the Bursar’s Office (and at the online payment site) at the school that bears his name, he’d be spinning in his grave.

Making Change Happen

Earlier this week, I blogged extensively on RJ.org about my attempts to change the Friday night online registration timeslot that was assigned to me the week before by Baruch College. As I was emailing with the Hillel director and the rabbinic chaplain and trying – ultimately without success – to speak with someone in the registrar’s office, I was reminded of an earlier time in my life when I also opted to challenge a school's policy...

It was 1977 and I was a freshman in a typical suburban New Jersey high school. Intent on following in an older cousin’s footsteps, I wanted to join the local chapter of the Key Club, sponsored by Kiwanis, the international service organization. As I learned, however, much to my dismay, in my high school membership in the Key Club was limited to boys, although there was a Keyette Club, the girls’ equivalent. Separate, but equal didn’t do it for me, though, and at the tender age of 14, I was ready to buck the system.

I notified the president of the Key Club that I wanted to join. Although he tried to persuade me to join the Keyettes, I persisted and was granted an “interview.” This was 1977, remember, and so what I really got was a “hazing.” On the assigned day, I showed up after school to the chemistry lab where the meetings were held – the advisor was a chemistry teacher – and faced a roomful of snickering upper class high school guys. Undaunted, I followed their instructions and, after donning a lead apron and a blindfold, stood on a worktable and did what they demanded. I sang the national anthem, sniffed the obnoxious but harmless fumes rising from beakers they held under my nose, ran my hands through the unknown goo they held in front of me and followed a host of equally sophomoric commands. Finally, my ordeal was over and I was free to go home and await the Club’s decision.

About a week later, it arrived. My request to join had been denied – no explanation given. Before the end of the day, my parents were in the principal’s office and within a few months, the Key Club and the Keyette Club were one. By then, however, I’d made my point and felt no need to join.

More than 30 years later, though, the lesson about change and the incredible power we possess to make it happen – even if not on the first try -- lives within me still.

A Different Kind of Writing

Work and school kept me so busy last week that I didn’t have time to “percolate” or craft a new blog post—either for this blog or for the Union for Reform Judaism’s blog. Of course, just because I wasn’t writing for this venue doesn’t mean I wasn’t writing at all.

In fact, I spent quite a bit of time crafting, among other things, a one-page memo for my MPA graduate school class. This once-a-week course, Communications in Public Settings, focuses on the diffusion of innovation and the role of communications in social change. The professor, a young, energetic and enthusiastic rhetorician, jam packs a lecture, group work, public speaking and discussion and dialogue into each 150-minute session, expecting that we’ll complement it with a significant investment of time in reading, writing and thinking in preparation for the next week’s class. And, for the last few weeks I have been doing just that.

The assignment for this memo, the first written work of the semester, was to select an African country (any one would do) and, using Toulmin-style arguments (a specific, dry, just-the-facts format that includes claims, grounds and warrants), make a case for why this particular country is an ideal site for a pilot project to help it achieve United Nations Millennium Development Goal #2, universal primary education.

So, here’s my memo:

DATE: September 11, 2008
TO: Young, Energetic and Enthusiastic Rhetorician/Professor
FROM: JanetheWriter
SUBJECT: United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) #2 pilot site

Since the end of its 11-year civil war in 2002, Sierra Leone (no, I didn't use Wikipedia as a reference for this memo) has been rebuilding its political, economic and educational infrastructure, and positive activity in each of these sectors plays a critical role in making the country an ideal location in which to pilot universal primary education initiatives.

Political stability is returning to Sierra Leone. Parliamentary elections in 2007—the first since the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers in 2005—brought Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) into the presidency and returned the country to a 1991 constitutionally-mandated constituency-based system (US Department of State). Local government elections held outside the Western Area in July 2008 were conducted largely without incident, furthering cooperation between local councils and chiefdom authorities that was begun after the first such elections in 2004 (United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone). Stability within a country’s government and support of its political system by citizens contribute significantly to its overall ability to provide services—including primary education—to its populace.

Sierra Leone is recovering from a severe economic collapse in the 1990s. In the mining sector, the economic foundation of the country, diamond exports have increased from $1.2 million in 1999 to $142 million in 2005 and that same year, exports of rutile and bauxite resumed after a 10-year suspension (US Department of State). On the agricultural front, where subsistence farming accounts for more than half of Sierra Leone’s national income, the government is working to provide skills training to farmers and to increase food and cash crops (US Department of State). Development initiatives with neighboring countries and passage of the Investment Promotion Act to attract foreign investors are among other economic-strengthening activities underway (US Department of State). Like political stability, a solid economic base is a key component in a country’s ability to provide adequate resources and education for its citizens.

Restoration of Sierra Leone’s educational system is ongoing, but much work remains. Although the government abolished school fees in 2001 and made primary education compulsory in 2004, 25 to 30% of children remain out of school and only 35% of the population is literate (http://www.actionaid.org/, CIA World Factbook). The student-teacher ratio is 66:1 but, because 40% of the country’s teachers have inadequate qualifications and training, the student to qualified teacher ratio is 112:1 (http://www.actionaid.org/, http://www.education-action.org/). In addition, during the war, 70% of the country’s schools were destroyed or closed; those that have reopened are badly damaged and lack such basic equipment as chairs or benches (http://www.education-action.org/). By further rebuilding its educational infrastructure, Sierra Leone will advance its recovery from civil war and reclaim its stature as a nation whose people are known for their educational attainments.

What do you think? Did I make a strong enough case? Would you select Sierra Leone as the pilot site for MDG #2? Why or why not?

Oy…that sounds like another assignment!

A Step in the Right Direction

Baruch College's main classroom building, the "Vertical Campus,” on 25th Street between Third and Lexington is a sleek and modern facility. Its interior showcases bold chrome, sweeping heights and vast open spaces.

As a trade-off for these supposedly desirable design elements, elevators in the core of the building have landings only on floors 2, 5, 8 and 11. Escalators and staircases make up the difference. All of this means that if, as mine does, your class meets on the 6th floor, you either have to take the elevator to the 5th floor (an experience much like riding the #6 train at rush hour) and walk up one flight or continue to the 8th floor and walk down two flights.

Alternately, you can take the escalators to the 5th floor and then continue in a stairwell to the 6th floor, but in reality that means walking up all six flights because, with great regularity, no matter the season or the semester, those moving staircases do not.

Indeed, getting them moving again would be a step in the right direction. In the meantime, as I have become oh-so-very fond of saying when it comes to this and to oh-so-many things Baruch, "Welcome to the City University..."