Thank you for accepting my earlier submission to your review.

Writing to my university colleagues, outlined below, has prompted me to 
make this new submission, which has the single, vital, reinforcing message 
that better organization and related communication are necessary everywhere 
for future success.  The fact that the economy and society are power 
structures, is almost always conveniently ignored by many academics. This 
is therefore ignored by those that they have trained.  Fortunately or 
unfortunately, we sociologists are somewhere near the intellectual and 
social bottom.  Don't let that happen to you?

Cheers, Carol

Hi Ian and School

As I understand it, the Standing Committee wanted substantial discussion 
before voting on a committee structure for the School.  Ian then sent 
everybody a message, suggesting a discussion at 3pm tomorrow in L020B (or 
whatever).  I said I would come if others did.  (I am marking essays at 
home.  IS THE MEETING ON?  PLEASE TELL ME.)

Basically, my position is as follows.  I have read the document entitled 
School Board: about governance, and I also have my three proposed committee 
structures/organization charts (but I'm not sure which of these we are 
discussing.)  I have also read the Teaching and Learning Committee 
Report.  To my knowledge, this is the first one I have received.  I found 
it clear as mud.  Lest I be accused of gratuitously insulting colleages, 
let me point out that as school representative on the Library Committee, 
only yesterday, I found the Rodski Behavioural Research Groups' library 
client satisfaction survey to be of almost equal value.

I think the Faculty has three major management functions which are also 
highly policy related.  These are research, PG teaching and UG 
teaching.  All other administrative functions appear to me to be 
subordinated to these.  (Community service becomes a woolly concept if 
disengaged from these primary organizational functions?)  For example, 
Lynda Mathews, has produced an excellent marketing report for us all to 
look at.  Rosemary and I organized a highly successful fire drill to 
protect us just last week.  Dianna is helping to develop a better village 
in Nepal, etc.  Everything else should be connected to what we do best - 
research and teaching.

I recommend we abolish the Teaching and Learning Committee.  I have 
absolutely no idea how one can sensibly have a disembodied concept such as 
'Teaching and Learning', without close and clearly designed reference to 
the prior research, teaching and related policy context in which this 
process should occur.  The fact that I had no idea what the Teaching and 
Learning Committee report was saying makes me even more determined that the 
Teaching and Learning Committee should be abolished.  (Ann Poulos once sent 
us all a research proposal which was apparently funded, but which horrified 
me, it seemed so irrational.  Yet I received no reply to any of my questions.)

With reference to the three proposed committee structures/organization 
charts, I would like to point out that we need to understand whether 
committees are reporting to higher decision making structures, or making 
their own decisions autonomously.  At present I cannot understand the 
charts which Ian has drawn because I do not know , from the lines he has 
drawn, the nature of the management or collegiality relationships by which 
the specific boxes are connected to each other.

Finally, you will notice that none of the committees in the document about 
governance have any aims - merely a list of things they might do.  This is 
foolish because it provides no effective way of regulating the committees' 
activities and their outcomes other than repeating them.  Like a black 
letter approach to law, it ensures that people may keep repeating the same 
old potentially stupid stuff ad nauseam, just because a past and higher 
authority said they should.

And this kind of thing goes on in every little corner of every Australian 
university?  Is it any wonder I live my life in despair and anger?  Perhaps 
I should go and commit suicide?  Are you listening, Ross or Lynne? (Seeing 
you're the heads of school and also the professors in psychology.)   Should 
I be counselled or sent to a psychiatrist again?  Perhaps you could find me 
a new lover as good as my last one?  Could I ever settle for anything 
less?  Will I ever find what I am searching for?  Aren't you supposed to be 
the leaders and the experts?  You tell me!

Cheers
Carol