Monday, April 25, 2011

Spring madness

I have a question: how many of you have noticed that at the end of the spring semester, universities (or departments) get a little squirrelly?

Maybe some issue comes along that wouldn't rattle anyone in the fall, but in the spring everyone starts sending furious emails about it.

Or maybe a department meeting gets very tense all of a sudden over a seemingly minor issue.

Or everyone gets in an uproar about some announced policy that's been around for ages but now is seen as the decline of civilization and the end of Truly Serving the Purposes of a Liberal Education.

I can't describe it any better than this, but in my house, we call it the annual spring madness and all but place bets on when it will strike. I've seen it wherever I've taught, so it's not limited to one place. Have you seen it, too?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes. We like the term, "Hatepril." :D

Anonymous said...

Yes, today, more than once.

michele said...

I suspect Hatepril might owe something to the weather. Particularly here in northern climes, the end of the semester comes just as winter is finally breaking, and I know I for one do NOT want to read another email, sit in another meeting, grade another paper when there's sunshine and a warm breeze outside.

Just a theory, but I suspect we start behaving badly in April for the same reasons our students do.

Ink said...

April is indeed the cruelest month.

But now I just want to call it "Hatepril." So great!

undine said...

N and m and ink m: hatepril--ha!

Prefacer.. More than once in a day? Yikes.

Michelle,that makes sense to me, except that I'd think people would be more happy rather than less.