At 9 a.m. yesterday morning I was let go by the University. By 9:30 I was escorted back to the building and asked to turn in my keys. The officer told me that I had about 10 minutes to pack a bag and vacate the premises, which would be fine if I were a standard employee and not someone...who lived in the building. I asked when I would be able to return and I was told that I had to make an appointment with my supervisor, and I would be allowed approximately 2 hours to clear everything out. Fine, except... where do I sleep now? Where am I going TONIGHT?
I think that's what bothered me the most at the time. I am not an overly emotional person, but... I was now homeless. I lost my job and my home in the matter of half an hour. Probably the only thing that saved me was the fact that the Vice-President is a mother. She and I had a very good talk, and eventually I was given a 7 day extension on my eviction. It's better than nothing. Of course, they had to give me new keys since...they changed my locks by 10 a.m.
This was not a sudden decision. Yesterday was a payday. My direct deposit did not appear. Instead I was handed a paper check. That takes more than a day. Apparently there were even students who knew about this weeks ago, let alone the staff members who leaked the information to them. This was just done wrong on so many different levels, not the least of which is that they waited until after right after RA training and Freshman Move-In to do it.
One irritating thing about this has been some of the support I received. "This is the kick you needed," "Now you're free," "You can move on to what you're meant to do," etc. ad infinitum. I will agree that I probably needed a bit of a boost out of here, but again...I'm homeless. This isn't the kind of boost that anyone should have to endure. I love you all and I am thankful for the support, but I was thinking in the immediate. I couldn't even shower and change clothes, or make breakfast. Being fired is one thing, but being locked out of your home is another.
So how do I feel? Betrayed. I have shown a tremendous amount of loyalty to my University over the years. I have skipped classes to work the desk because no one else would do so. I have turned down summer internships because I knew that no one else would step up and do the work that needed to be done. I worked one entire summer without pay because they needed me. (That was a very long and hungry summer.) I've continually done more with less and less, and rarely complained. I just made it happen. And when it was time for me to go, it was without a great deal of fanfare, or consideration. Indeed, there was only the slight rustling of a few papers, a signature or two, and a police escort...
I wasn't even fired. I was summarily dismissed... The distinction is an important one. They chose the far colder and more impersonal option. It was grouped under the en masse at-will layoff the University has been executing over the past few weeks, but I'm confused. Someone has to run the hall. You can't just eliminate my position. Well, maybe you can...
The worst part is that my staff is leaderless. My sudden and impromptu termination has left them without someone in charge. I don't know how long they'll have to be this way. Half my staff is new and half of them are going to be too busy with school and personal matters to try and fill my shoes. They have questions that I cannot answer. Or should not...I actually took a break from writing this post to help them out, and when I realized that I was again behind the desk, I felt... I don't know what I felt, but there was the sensation of walking into one's childhood home after someone else has bought it and changed the carpet.
My university's motto has always been Veritas et Utilitas, which they translate as "Truth and Service." But that has always been misleading. It translates more correctly as "Truth and Usefulness," and it fits. Because as soon as you're no longer deemed useful enough, well...I'll let you finish that sentence on your own.
In truth and...service, ladies and gentlemen, it has been my pleasure...
Legal Note: Opinions in this post are my own and not representative of the university I work for or the people I work under. All suppositions, presumptions, theories, hypotheses, etc. are my own. This blog is for entertainment purposes only, blah blah blah. There are purposely no names included in this post, and I have revealed nothing that violates either general expectations of privacy or the University confidentiality agreement, which, actually... I never signed anyway. All of that is to say...don't be trying to sue me.
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