Politics as Usual, in the Grand Manner

I have blogged about how I feel about the current Dean of the law school, Salvador Carlota. He is a conservative in many ways--his ideas, his ways of doing things, even his vision for law school. As a liberal in many ways, I seriously did not think that I would ever find life serving with and under him. To my surprise, I did.

While my vision of law school and legal education and even life and law are very different from his, I have enjoyed my service with him at the helm of the law school. Inevitably, I would find myself wishing that the Dean would have more progressive thoughts or ideas but I would always weigh that against what he has done for the law school during his term--to stabilize the law school and to try (operative word: try) to unite and integrate the law faculty. And he has succeeded in bringing stability to the law school simply because he has been present and he has been a hands-on dean. It is a good way of leading by example to see the Dean in his office when he should be in his office and in class, when he should be in class; save for a few official travels, the Dean has been in Malcolm Hall when he shoud be. That, and the fact that his record as administrator cannot be doubted, has brought some stability to Malcolm Hall.

Now, that stability is threatened again simply because of politics as usual. In the coming days, the spectacle of a divided faculty will once again be in full display--simply because some people just cannot wait.

The Dean retires on December 10, 2007 yet but, even as the usual and traditional courtesies have yet to be accorded him, the first salvo has already been fired by those who cannot wait to make him a lame duck.

I marvel really at human character and human nature; what is it about the lust for power that makes people do such things? I note that even vultures wait for the prey to die before swooping down.

I would have wanted to describe all these as "a great shame" but I guess "shameless" would be a better word.