Whistling past the graveyard re. UMN-Morris

I do believe there is a misspelling in the poster announcing a UMM music event. I'm quite sure it's supposed to be "Camerata."

 

The fall of our discontent in Morris. No doubt there are dark clouds hanging over our university campus here. Not subtle. Perhaps a sense of panic among those who depend on the place for a living? I have anecdotal evidence to the effect of "yes." 

Maybe if something drastic is in store, it should have happened already so we could deal with it and move on. I wonder now how many students will be retained into the next semester. Last year I got word of a drop-off but it remained a rumor. 

I attended graduation and did not get the best vibes there. The institution brought back some instrumental music. Through the breadth of UMM's history we have come to expect the concert band or "symphonic winds" to perform. An ensemble performed last spring but how many of the performers were current UMM students? That's a big question to weigh in assessing all of UMM music now. 

It would seem the institution is not intended as a platform for "community" ensembles. A "ringer" here and there was always acceptable at least to me. Seems a line is crossed now, and quite unapologetically. Unapologetically? Well the band now has the "comm" syllable in its name: short for "community." There, that ends any mystery. "COMM" in all-caps.

"Symphonic winds" was well established at the time of the tribute concert for my father. It was a terrific performance that day. I had told the director that Dad would have "crowd pleasers" as the musical fare. That's what we got. Dad felt the homecoming concert should also present crowd-pleasing music rather than the esoteric type. 

You can't blame UMM people for tapping into the esoteric or "dissonant" stuff  because it's, well, sophisticated i.e. consistent with a high-level institution of higher learning. But Dad would say with a wink that the concert-goers sure appreciated the crowd-pleasing stuff too. 

Looks like UMN-Morris should have worked harder to please the public through the years. There is a strong sense that the place may be about to go off the cliff. Is it too late for remedial action? Well it would seem so. Should the central U administration have done a better job guiding us? I mean, to see we were presenting a product here that would win widespread approval? Be popular? I don't see how you can say we have been. 

Just consider the Star-Tribune article that was like a sledgehammer to humble our institution and its elite denizens of "academia." Let's retire the term "academia" along with the "GPA" initials for grade-point-average. I have never been comfortable with those things flapping from the flagpole, as it were. There was a time when they were marketable. Well times change. The digital revolution continues to transform so many things in profound ways. 

 

A heavy lift 

But, just how "practicable" would it be for UMM to "close?" We'd need a person in charge here who is an expert with such things. I would argue that it is an important specialty, one commanding respect. That Dietz fellow at St. Cloud State appears in position to do this. "Guide an institution to its orderly demise or suspension." 

And Dietz has made no bones about how SCSU will not return to its salad days. That train has left the station, maybe to some relief among people like me who wanted to wince over the school's frivolous image. Such was the misbehavior at SCSU Homecoming, those observances came to be called "riots." Why oh why did a generation or two of college kids think it so important to drink alcohol to excess? Was it really fun? Did it taste good? 

I went through the motions to a limited extent, even tried marijuana because there was a time when you just had to. But to profess that I didn't like it? Or to understand why my peers were taking the trouble to do it? You had to fear rough peer disapproval. I know, people will say "you shouldn't have worried about that." 

That is correct. 

Young people are impressionable and insecure. I knew at the time these were vices. Today my old peers would agree with me on the alcohol. But not completely on the marijuana or "pot." Pot makes inroads as a mainstream activity. When I was young we drifted toward nonconformity as a way of showing that we disapproved of societal norms like going along with the Vietnam war. 

Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. 

 

Wrecking ball 

Seems like about half of the  St. Cloud State campus is set for demolishing. This blows my mind. I am familiar with the buildings there. I'm sure all of them went up with a sense of pride and careful planning. And think of the expense! Is UMM headed in the same direction? 

And I think we can forget about getting state money to add the elevator to the "multi-ethnic building." And for the life of me, how can we even get away with having a multi-ethnic building in our current age with the Donald Trump element in charge, making such demands with earnestness. Wipe out "DEI." 

State Senator Torrey Westrom

And if UMM thinks it can get away with being a holdout on this? Will people in power "look the other way?" I sent an email to Torrey Westrom with this precise concern and he did not answer me. I even informed him that I was a UMM benefactor. Usually that gets attention and would call for a response. But I guess I was tossing up a hot potato. 

How would Westrom and Paul Anderson defend what UMN-Morris stands for when such ideas fly in the face of what the national Republican Party is demanding? "Wipe out wokeness" and "go back to coal energy." 

I might opine that this is all flat-Earth stuff. But what matters is that these people have the reins of power now. The Democratic Party just "caved" with trying to stand up to the Republicans. The Democrats got nothing out of it. 

The government reopening should lead to a release of the "Epstein files." But don't bet on it. Extremely powerful and wealthy men will find ways to obstruct, I sense. Lawyers work around the clock on stuff like this. 

If Trump breaks through and succeeds with a "selective editing" lawsuit against the media, it will finish off the media as we've known it. Society passively sits back, mostly cheering what the Trump people want to do. 

So many memories here

Westrom and Paul Anderson belong to that political party and I know of no pushback by them. They might have to go along with the closure of UMN-Morris. They would acknowledge that UMM is an "economic driver" for the region. That's all well and good or it should be, but the lawmakers must respect a higher power. They have no choice: bow down for Trump, Stephen Miller et al. You think they have any choice? They are MAGA. 

I'm waiting patiently for the worm to turn. But it never does. Trump wanted to dump sewage on the crowds of "No Kings" protesters - huge masses of people who Trump refused to show even a modicum of respect for. Well, he presented an image of the sewage thing. Politicians should always say they look to the people. But we are in a new and scary age - at least I can see that. 

Western Minnesota remains totally "red" for its inclinations. Just read a typical dispatch from our congressperson, Michelle Fischbach. Her tone is constant: Republicans led by Trump are heroic, Democrats are just terrible, stupid and whatever. 

 

Most dire scenario 

Will UMM become a casualty of what's going on? The ax would fall from the Twin Cities campus because of the U's fear that UMM's "wokeism" could bring down the whole place. And I'm not sure the central administration has ever been too excited paying attention to our little campus. It appears that Cunningham has made her decision. Now we wait.

    

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com