There are so many of us faculty who have been beaten down for 2.5 years at the whim and fancy of Thames. This week, I see many posts regarding such matters. Without prejudice and without surrender, I would like to suggest that perhaps we should take the week off from this message board and focus on things we enjoy that are not necessarily associated with USM -- families, friends, yard work, pleasure reading, research projects, or simply ourselves. It seems as though our batteries are running low and that a few days removed from the board are exactly what we need to recharge for the remainder of the semester. Again, I'm not suggesting a surrender. There's just not a lot that can be accomplished by hashing and rehashing topics on this "off" week. My suggestion: set a reminder on your Outlook/Calendar/Lotus Notes/whatever to tune back in on next Sunday night. Perhaps a few days "unplugged" from the board and USM's problems would give us an opportunity to refresh ourselves from the inside out.

Just my $.02.