workload

[Barbara Richmond]

How fascinating, we've gone from a technician without a master
key to the one who gets to sit in on interviewing new faculty!
And now the discussion of work load.  When I first saw the job
description from Baylor I thought, "No wonder Danny died."

This all comes at an interesting time for me.  A proposal has
just been submitted to the Probost concerning the piano techni-
cian's status and a piano replacement and rebuilding program.
For five years I've been engaged in a battle, though mostly
cordial, with the director of the School of Music.  I've written
reports, gotten estimates, squeaked at every opportunity. Always
the answer has been--we need to buy timpani, the piano lab, the
computer lab, the new science building--you name it.  For four
years he did nothing, was unwilling to move on the subject, un-
til last spring when the *fit hit the shan*, so to speak.  He
proposed to me that I should teach students to tune pianos,
since I couldn't seem to keep up with the demand, taking care of
88 instruments in 12 hours per week--yes that includes all con-
cert work, too.  I won't go into details of the conversation
(well, maybe in a bar at a convention) but I was livid.  I must
have looked like dragon lady--I believe I was breathing fire--
when I approached the chair of the keyboard division.  I told
him the only reason I was even still in the building was that I
was putting my husband through graduate school, but as soon as
he was finished, I would be leaving.  I'm not the type who
practices the "If I don't get my way, I'll take my toys and go
home" principle, but I had had it.  Soon the piano faculty were
alerted, meetings held and the promise made of "we'll do some-
thing."  They did do something, but still, I had to gently prod
them along.

On 2-14-95 a packet was sent to the Provost containing a report
written by me, the Guidelines, an inventory of instruments (in-
cluding date of manufacture), the current job description, a
break down of how I spend my hours working--what gets done and
what does not get done and it's impact on students and prospec-
tive students, prices of new instruments, an estimated value of
the inventory and faculty testimonials making and supporting the
proposal to create a full-time technicians position *and* crea-
tion of an annual piano replacemtn and rebuilding program.  Last
Monday the Chair of the Keyboard Division and the Director of
the school of Music (strong-armed by the Chair of Keyboard) made
the presentation.  I asked the Chair how it had gone.  "It was
very well received.  We'll see what comes of it."

I would like to be optimistic, but I have a feeling that as long
as I'm here, my position won't change.  It is more likely that
when I do leave, panic will set in and they'll make the change in
order to attract a real technician (I replaced a technician
shaped object, who, God bless him, had very limited skills and
was deaf.)

The nicest thing for me that has come from all this has been the
support and appreciation expressed by the faculty--which has
made staying on bearable.  The sweetest comment came from one of
the piano faculty who said, "Barb, you can't leave.  If you did,
I would have to quit playing the piano."

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has waged a similar
campaign. Did I spell that right?

Barbara Richmond
Illinois Wesleyan University
or, it could be the Twilight Zone
Bloomington, Illinois
berich@heartland.bradley.edu

--
Obey gravity; it's the law.