Russ&Suzie

Trip Log
2005-01-28 13:58:29 (UTC)

Ashland

I had been very worried about the missing pieces so set out
at 6 am to go to Ashland and got there around 12 noon.
Visited the library soon to find that most of the pieces
were in boxes under a table that no-one had pointed out to
Derek Chambers when he went to collect them. The exhibit's
coordinator, Joy Meeker, employed without her doctoral
degree, is presently in San Francisco where she is working
on it still. There are nine missing pieces still, as well as
two 3-ring binders that had been put together by Sandy
Lindow in Eau Claire. With the help of a friendly and
helpful housekeeping person, BIll Ertl, I searched the
entire library several times, looking under everything and
over all the book shelves. I learned from the librarians
that the pictures had fallen from the walls thereby breaking
the glass in a number of works. This had only slowly been
responded to by Ms Meeker and the art students whom had
assisted her.

On looking at the wall, it turned out that a very nice
system deploying rods suspended from an upper rail had been
installed, but perhaps because the rods had been lost or
misplaced,the pictures in the current exhibit were fastened,
as had the EPI pieces, using adhesive. Lesson for EPI: use
plexiglass whenever possible! much lighter and durable.

I went to the president's office and that person -- and her
secretrary -- not being there, I went to the academic dean's
office; he wasn't there but his secretary was and she
contacted Joy's significant other, Gus Smith, a
biology-natural resources professor, and he was helpful. In
Joy's office we discovered behind the door, in a shopping
bag, two pieces with broken glass. But the three-ring
binders and the remaining nine items are missing. Possibly
those coming from Eau Claire in fact never came but there
are two from Madison also still missing. Several people
testified to having seen the binders so they were for sure
there. I talked to a student, Derek, who recalled the
exhibit very well, having looked at it several times. He
especially recalled the window washing poem by the poet from
S. D.

I'm going to visit the dean again this morning and suggest
to him that I write for his, the library committee's and
others what I found. I'll also visit the library again and
make inquiries about the hanging system. I suspect that I'll
suggest that someone be clearly in charge, and tough. This
would make me feel better and perhaps help the university in
its processes. What has happened here is hardly a good
example for the students.




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