A personal McCarthy era experience during my high school years

Reading Dr. Greenberg’s column on the McCarthy era, described in my most recent posting, brought to mind a personal McCarthy era experience as a high school student - when I was surreptitiously interrogated by my teachers about possible Communist leanings in my family. Here is what I wrote to Dr. Greenberg.

I will share a personal McCarthy-era story about which I only gained insight a few years later.  An equally precocious colleague and I - he later became Director of Bell Research Labs - discovered that we could purchase books incredibly cheaply from a bookstore in Greenwich Village that specialized in distributing Communist tomes (presuumably subsidized by the Russian government).  Soon our bookshelves were filled not only with classics such Capital, and The Communist Manifesto but also less classical propaganda pieces such as Principles of Leninism, by Joseph Stalin.

For my senior history paper, I produced a 100-plus page exposition entitled Democracy vs. Communism (even then my writings tended to be in the long side).  The section on Communism quoted extensively from the works noted above and many more. Happily for myself and possibly for my parents, I concluded Communism had not lived up to its promises and that democracy was, indeed, the preferable system  I received an "A" for the paper.  

Soon afterwards, I was invited to meet with a panel of three teachers, one my History teacher and two others whom I did not know well - perhaps the principal was present also, I can't remember.  They were interested, particularly, in my family's library the kinds of discussions we had at home and the degree to which I discussed my work with my parents.  Proud of my accomplishments and thinking I had been singled out for special praise, I happily shared how my friend and I had a accumulated such a treasure trove of communist books, at ridiculously low prices.  My parents, incidentally, were conservative republicans. They did, however, tolerate independent thought and reading on the part of their eldest child.

The story had a happy ending of sorts.  I not only won the graduation prize for outstanding work in history, but also the medal awarded by the Veterans for Foreign Wars for "character and leadership." Apparently I emerged from the interrogation as a duly certified 'loyal American.'

Patriotism and 'loyalty oaths' in a politically contentious time

Milton Greenberg was American University’s Provost for many years and then, briefly, Interim President. Now retired, he often contributes thoughtful columns on higher education to the Chronicle of Higher Education and other outlets. This week, in the on line journal “Inside Higher Ed,” he wrote a very different column about the McCarthy era in American history. The name is from Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy. In 1950s, McCarthy sparked an anti-communist witch hunt that destroyed many lives, but netted very few serious threats to America’s security. Dr. Greenberg expresses particular concern about some political candidates who have been distinguishing between ‘true Americans’ (their supporters) and others who, presumably are not ‘true Americans.’ A Minnesota Congresswoman, campaigning for reelection, according to Public Radio, recently called for investigations of ‘un-American activity, though, apparently, with a disastrous impact on her campaign.

Here is the conclusion of Dr. Greenberg’s column:

Members of the academic community need to be especially sensitive to the misuse of allegedly patriotic fervor. Professors have always been the target of oath laws and patriotic suspicion, presumably because of their influence upon the young. But the assumption cannot be escaped that oaths and other patriotic demands directed at teachers suggest that they are more likely to betray their country than others, which is not only patently absurd, but a threat nevertheless to the core beliefs of academic freedom. This absurdity was humorously captured by an anonymous bard, a faculty member in California in the early 1950s when the university was besieged by investigations and loyalty oath demands:

Ode to Hysteria: University Division

I am the very model of a member of the faculty
Because I’m simply overcome with sentiments of loyalty
I daily think of reasons why I’m glad to be American
And thank the Lord I’ve always been a registered Republican
The thoughts I think are only thoughts approved by my community
I pledge allegiance to the flag at every opportunity
I haven’t had a thing to do with Communist conspirators
And neither have my relatives, descendants, or progenitors.

The rise of the patriotism issue in our presidential election of 2008 amidst contemporary worldwide conflicts, threats to peace and actual warfare in which our country is engaged makes it imperative to guard against partisan claims to allegiance and patriotism. An agreement to disagree, so basic to American life, though alien to much of the world, is, in the absence of unlawful acts of betrayal, the core of American liberty.

You can reed the complete column, which I strongly recommend, at:

 http://insidehighered.com/views/2008/10/27/greenberg

Amtrak's 'Metropolitan Lounge' - a different sort of travel experience

Train travel is one of my addictions, though I rarely have the opportunity to indulge. I decided the South Asia conference provided an opportunity. I booked Greyhound passage from Madison to Milwaukee, local train passage (‘The Hiawatha’) from Milwaukee to Chicago and passage for a 17 hour trip from Chicago to Washington to DC on ‘The Capital Limited.’ I have made the trip before and it is a beautiful one, even though much is in darkness. The ‘horseshoe bend’ in the Allegheny mountains near Pittsburgh is particularly spectacular.

But as my itinerary makes clear, train travel is not an option if one is pressed for time. My journey began at 9:30 AM and scheduled arrival time is 1 PM (except that in my experience, intercity trains in the US never arrive on time). Travel time - by air - from Washington DC to Singapore or Colombo is not much different. No jet lag on this journey however.

When I picked up my tickets in Milwaukee, the agent told me that in Chicago, I would be able to relax in the ‘sleeping car lounge.’ When I arrived at Union station, the lounge location was not obvious and so I checked with Amtrak ‘Passenger Services’. I also wanted to get an idea of the amenities provided so I asked the agent,, ‘Is the lounge like Airport Business Class Lounges.’ ‘I don’t know,’ was the candid response, ‘I’ve never been to an airport.’

In a post I wrote from Doha, Quatar, I described business class lounges as providing a cocoon that insulated travelers from international airports’ inhumanities. Union Station’s ‘Metropolitan Lounge’ too provided a welcome respite and work space during a long layover. But there were differences. The hostesses were, for the most part, venerable rail employees, presumably with long seniority. They were civil, rather than gracious. The lounge also seemed to serve double duty for off duty redcaps and other employees who hung out and chatted genially with one another. Wireless accessibility was advertised, but only functioned sporadically. There was also one public use computer. A technician who tinkered with the wireless hub to get it working told me he thought the computer was a relic from when Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were developing computers in their garages. Wireless service did work, after tinkering. However bare wires connected the wireless hub to the wall connection. Amenities consisted of a soft drink disperser that resembled those installed in American University’s undergraduate dining hall and a coffee dispenser of uncertain functionality. There was also no food available. Though the lounge catered to travelers who had paid first class fares, this was clearly a low budget operation, catering to a clientele with little clout, who were too old, and/or too marginalized to require serious attention..

That was what was most striking. It was the differences between the Doha (and other Business Class lounge) clienteles and those waiting for trains to depart in the metropolitan lounge. In Doha, I was one of the oldest guys in the room and virtually everyone was working on a laptop in Chicago, there were only two others who might have been business travelers, there was only one other laptop in evidence, and at 70, I appeared to be one of the younger individuals - or at least younger men - in the room. Almost everyone was very casually dressed, one of an older married couple, and on some sort of recreational trip or visiting family. No wonder the wifi was sporadic and there was only one 1980s vintage computer available. None of the clients really cared or, if there were some who did, Amtrak’s management had decided they could safely be ignored - or patronized.

Intercity train travel is clearly a declining transportation mode in the US, though it is thriving in Europe. Perhaps it is because air travel is so much more efficient, even if less pleasant. But I am not convinced. For mid-haul trips, I believe rail travel could not only be more pleasant but also more time efficient and cost effective. All that is required is a management team that is more creative and innovative. Such a team could inspire passenger service staff to be less slovenly, indifferent and patronizing. If Amtrak was run by the management of Singapore Airlines, or even the management of American University’s Center for Teaching Excellence, things would be different.

A humane scale academic conference

I hate most academic conferences. Since conferences are places where important ‘networking’ is done, this is unfortunate. Here is the prtoblem.. Conferences (academic and otherwise) have, for the most part, grown too large and impersonal. They are held in large ‘conference hotels.’ There are hundreds of panels, many of indifferent quality. Much of the ‘knowledge’ being exchanged is irrelevant to all but a small in-group of aficionados. There is academic pretension and posturing. Drinking and dining facilities are overpriced, overcrowded and under served. Conference attendees are, after all, a captive audience.

There are other sorts of academic/professional gatherings. Years ago I regularly attended the annual global modeling conferences held at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, located outside of Vienna. Most of those attending had played major roles in developing an entirely new field of study (see my coauthored book, Groping in the Dark: the First Decade of Global Modeling for a recounting). Annual meetings of ‘The Balaton Group,’ an environmental network mostly founded by global modelers was another example. We limited the meetings’ size to 50 so that every member would have time for long conversations with every other member. To become a member, one needed to have done cutting edge work on environmental sustainability.

This weekend I attended another conference that rose to a high standard of collegiality and value added. I had heard good things about the annual South Asia Conference but never attended. I was told that it has been held in the same venue, Madison, Wisconsin, for the last 37 years. About three hundred South Asianists were in attendance. The time allotted for paper presentations - about 25 min - was long enough so that the information provided could be serious and substantive. Discussants had read the papers on which they were commenting and offered civil, thoughtful observations. Attendees, too seemed to be knowledgeable about the subject matter and, in many instances knew the panelists.

Madison is a virtually ideal conference site. The setting is beautiful. The town is both the State Capital and site of a world-class Land Grant university. The main drag, State Street offers a cornucopia of high quality moderately priced ethnic restaurants. The airport is humane scale and when I engaged a taxi, I was told that the service to my hotel was free! My hotel, Madison’s Campus Inn was both inexpensive and beautifully appointed.

A high point of these thoroughly delightful meetings was the annual gathering of the American Institute of Sri Lankan studies. Elsewhere, I have described the unique community of scholars who study Sri Lanka as humane scale. Though I have not been active, especially since becoming an academic administrator, I knew many of those present. There was a young woman who, researching Tamil dialects, who had lived in an adjoining Kandy apartment at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies. There were co-editors of a a book on Sri Lanka to which I had contributed. Another scholar and I had lived together in the same Colombo guest house when he was beginning his research. Many in attendance, too, were familiar with my work on Sri Lanka.

It seems so obvious what is required to put on a good conference and to create a collegial, mutually affirming community of scholars. One has to wonder why most conferences are so inhumane and why such communities are so rare.

Financial and Information Techology Travails on a Friday Night

In these turbulent economic times, everyone is concerned about their investments. But my strategy has been conservative, with more half of retirement savings tucked away in a secure “Teachers Retirement” annuity. As financial markets plummeted, last week, resisted the temptation to check on my holdings. I would not succumb to panic. I would stick with my strategy.
On Friday night, last week however, I decided to take a quick look before leaving the office. I attempted to log into the TIAA/CREF on line site. The site rejected my password. It had always worked before. What was the problem? I tried again. No luck. I changed my password, following the instructions on the site carefully. Quickly a new password was sent to me by email. I changed it as directed, following the instructions on the site carefully. I tried to log on once again. No luck. I switched from my MacIntosh to my windows laptop and tried again. No luck. 45 Minutes had by now elapsed.

I contacted TIAA/CREF by telephone, using the instructions provided on the site and quickly reached a consultant. They would check on the problem and get back to me within seven to ten business days, she said. In the interim, I could request information about by account by telephone. 60 minutes had by now elapsed. I called the number provided for account information. Again, I quickly reached a consultant. After receiving identifying information, she said she would check my account. Soon, she came back on the line. Yes I did have an account with TIAA/CREF, she told me, however there were no funds in my account. This was disturbing news at the end of a week when major banking institutions had failed or been taken over by the government and global stock indices had experienced wile - mostly downward - gyrations. The consultant said she understood my concern and promised to wait while I checked my recently received TIAA/CREF quarterly report. It showed a very substantial balance.

Well... she said, we have been experiencing some problems with our system, but I can’t do anything more for you now. Why don’t you call back on monday morning, she suggested, cheerfully. About 75 minutes had by now elapsed.
The prospect of spending the weekend wondering whether my retirement savings had been a casualty of the financial crisis or some problem with TIAA/CREF’s system was not cheering. I decided to ‘escalate’ and called my TIAA/CREF ‘wealth management advisor on her mobile phone. Not surprisingly - by now it was after 7 PM on a Friday evening - there was no answer. I turned back to my computer and began drafting an email message to my Wealth Management Advisor and Customer Relationship Specialist explaining the evening’s circumstances and seeking their assistance.

I was about half way through my task when the telephone buzzed. My Wealth Management advisor was on the line. She had checked my account using a back-up system. I was still solvent. I was not the only one who had encountered problems. A unusually large number of TIAA/CREF clients, no doubt motivated by the turbulent financial circumstances had tried to log into the system. The system had responded by refusing log ins and with other malfunctions. Hundreds of emails had been received. TIAA/CREF technicians were working to resolve the problem. Nearly two hours had by now elapsed since I first sought information about my account, on line.

Since my own AU organization, the Center for Teaching Excellence, has IT responsibilities I often work with IT technical professionals and know something about their distinctive culture. When there is a system malfunction, their immediate concern is to get things working properly once again. Taking valuable time out to share information with customers not a natural priority. When an IT organization does immediately share ‘bad news’ I know that a manager has been unequivocal and unbending in his (or her) demands that this be done. Apparently TIIA/CREF’s IT organization has no such managers. (Happily, AU’s IT organization now has three of them).

After thanking my Wealth Management Advisor profusely for checking my account and calling me back, I offered a suggestion. When I system problem occurs, why not quickly post information and recommendations for customers on the TIAA/CREF log in page. This could significantly reduce system overload, email volume, phone call volume and client angst. ‘That sounds like a good idea,” she responded. “I’ll pass it along.”

After wishing her a good weekend and concluding the conversation, I turned to my computer and erased the email I had been drafting. More than two hours had elapsed. It was after 8 PM. I decided to call it a day.

A letter to my grandson about choosing a college

Not long ago, my son called. My grandson was beginning the college application process and considering American University, among others. He was interested in international economics. Could I write with advice about the process in general and AU, specifically, he asked. I though my response might be of interest to other high school seniors, their parents and grandparents.

Dear Grandson

A couple of days a ago, your dad called me and said I might be able to provide some helpful advice about your college plans; also that you were considering American University as a possibility. Of course, I hope you will also feel free to write or call me yourself if you have questions about college related matters. No matter what I am doing, I will be happy to take time to answer your questions, assuming that I have something to offer.

About international economics I have nothing to offer off the top of my head. My own field is international development, which is somewhat related, however it is much easier to find out about graduate than undergraduate programs, I have written to the director of undergraduate economic studies at AU, who I know quite well, and also to two other colleagues who might be helpful. As soon as they get back to me I will pass their thoughts along.

For now, let me say something about choosing a college in general and then about American University. Of course the undergraduate experience I know best is my own (and that of your great grandfather) at Dartmouth College. Dartmouth is one of the best of a genre of institutions that focus predominantly on undergraduate education but also have a few outstanding graduate programs. In the top tier, I would also rank Swarthmore, Amherst, and Williams. Other fine institutions in this model that I know something about include Haverford, Wesleyian, Trinity, Grinnell, Bowdoin, Bates (in Maine) and many, many more. The advantage of such institutions is that you are likely to get more attention from top ranked senior faculty. This was my experience at Dartmouth where I was in the history honors program my last two years and developed a very close relationship with an outstanding historian who supervised my honors thesis. Probably this would not have been possible if I had attended Princeton or Stanford, which were more graduate-oriented institutions that I considered. Among the other “Ivy League” universities, I have heard good things about Brown, which a daughter of a friend attended.

Graduate institutions may offer a somewhat larger faculty and a more prestigious one, however if you are applying you should make sure that the faculty members you might like to take classes with actually teach undergraduates. At AU, with a student population about equally divided between graduates and undergraduates, I have not taught an undergraduate course for many years, though I might do so next year. My own view is that if you are going to a university with strong graduate as well as undergraduate programs, you might want to consider one that offers “Collegiate Living’. The flagship of these is Yale, with residential colleges that have traditions going back many years, however there are a relatively small number of others - perhaps 100 - that also have all or some of their students living in residential colleges. You should check out the Yale website to get a feel for this educational model at its best. Middlebury, from which your Aunt graduated, is another. You can find out more about collegiate living by checking out “The Collegiate Way” website with its online newsletter. I believe the site also lists all the universities that have collegiate living. I believe that Rice, which I know you are considering is one of them,

Now about American University. I will learn more about the Economics Department from my colleague and will pass the information along. And, of course, your dad can share his experience. My feeling is that AU is the best of the three Washington-based Universities as far as undergraduate education is concerned. The campus has become quite beautiful - more beautiful than when your dad attended - and the faculty is stronger too. A number of senior faculty do teach at least one undergraduate course, however many undergraduate courses, especially in the first and second year are taught by younger ‘temporary faculty’ who are not on tenure track. I should say that many of these are fine teachers, including several who were my doctoral students, but they do lack the depth of research experience that more senior faculty offer. Building a relationship with a senior faculty member can be helpful when you are applying to graduate school.

The great strength of AU, as your dad will tell you, is its accessibility to Washington DC. AUs students have been rated as the most politically active in the country in the National Survey of Student Engagement and I can personally attest to the fact that it is true. Going to a city based university such as AU as opposed to one located in a rural area, such as Dartmouth, is largely a matter of taste. Personally, I enjoyed the somewhat isolated setting of Dartmouth, with fewer distractions and would choose it again. If you decide on a city location, however, I would definitely choose Washington DC and would give AU serious consideration. Incidentally, AU has a significantly larger undergraduate student population of women than men (about 65 - 35 per-cent). I don’t know whether you would rate this as a positive or negative feature. Of course if you went to AU, I would be available as a resource and would be able to get to know you better. Naturally that would be fun for me and, perhaps, for you as well.. I would not give that much weight in the overall picture of choosing a college, however.. Sadly AU does not have residential colleges, though it does have one other live-in faculty member and one with his office in a dorm. Another weakness of AU, though with less impact on undergraduate programs is that its programs are somewhat uneven in quality. Some, such as public affairs, political science, justice law and society, and of course, international service are among the very best in the world. Others are more average or even below average. Most of the science programs would not be rated as strong - there are no Ph.D. programs in the sciences - but the biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics departments have some truly exceptional teachers. Not having significant graduate programs is probably a benefit for undergraduates; they receive more personal attention from very high quality faculty members.

That’s probably enough for one email. Let’s keep in touch as you make your college plans.

Love

Your grandfather

A beautiful couple

I often reflect on the gap between the real and the ideal in marriages I observe. It it is particularly evident in older couples I see shopping or traveling together. At best these couples seem bored with each other or indifferent to one another. At worst they seem openly hostile. They are ugly couples. There is no joy in their relationship. How did this happen? I wonder what they looked like on the day when those who are “coupled” seem most beautiful to each other - and to others - on their wedding day.

Sitting next to me on my Doha - Washington flight is a couple, in their mid eighties I would guess, who are just as beautiful now as they must have seemed on their wedding day. Both the man and woman seem frail but resilient. That they care for each other is evident in the careful attention they give to each other. They seem to radiate civility, grace and good humor. They seem to take joy in each other’s company and in living. What a pleasure it has been, on this fourteen hour-trip, to observe them and be in their presence.

Missing from America's financial crisis - acknowledgement of responsibility, apologies and atonement

During my six days in Sri Lanka, the full scope of America’s financial crisis escaped me. International events are sparsely covered in local newspapers and I had no access to television. After many visits over many years, I find in natural to assume a Sri Lankan perspective, even during a short stay.

My wake up call came late last evening in Doha, the capital of Quatar Emirate, where I made a brief stopover between flights. Interestingly, the wide screen television in my elegantly furnished hotel room did not seem to offer either BBC or CNN. I turned to the English service of Al Gazerra for a news update. (How Al Gazerra and CNN differ might be the topic of another posting). Failure of the US House of Representatives to pass Secretary Paulson’s financial bail out package, and its implications, was the sole news story. Pictures showed the historic vote’s conclusion in the House chamber. Experts speculated about the possible impact on stock prices in the upcoming day’s trading. Wall Street stock traders were shown exhibiting stress, panic, exhaustion and despair. A beleaguered Treasury Secretary Paulson urged further negotiations. This is a crisis and something must be done, he emphasized. A seemingly detached President Bush spoke of the need for bipartisan cooperation, failing to acknowledge the number of Republican votes that had helped defeat the bailout package. Republican Presidential candidate John McCain seem to blame both the crisis and the bailout package’s defeat on Democratic Presidential candidate Barrak Obama

Perhaps I have missed it, but there are phrases that seem absent from discussions of the financial crisis, at least those that I have heard. Phrases I have been seeking are ones like “I made mistakes, I regret those mistakes, I take responsibility, I apologize. I will do whatever I can to make things right.” In the past several weeks we have witnessed the collapse of investment banking houses, of the two federal mortgage lending agencies and, now, of several commercial banks. Each of these organizations had chief executives. They held positions of responsibility, They drew large salaries, including ‘performance bonuses.’ They made false and misleading (perhaps not intendedly false and misleading) statements about the health of their organizations. They failed in leadership or regulatory oversight. They have now departed the scene in disgrace, but not without benefitting from bloated (in my opinion) ‘golden parachutes.’

In traditional Japanese society, those who failed in leadership positions, often atoned for their failures by committing suicide. Public acknowledgement of failure, along with an apology to those impacted is still common. In Korea, some political leaders and business leaders have reflected on their shortcomings during extended retreats in Buddhist monasteries.

The consequences of America’s financial crisis are still unfolding - day by day. The future is uncertain. What seems clear is that many will suffer though no fault of their own. We would all feel better about the suffering that may lie ahead, I believe, if those responsible would acknowledge their complicity, “I made mistakes,” they should say. “These mistakes have caused the loss and pain you are suffering. I regret those mistakes. I take responsibility. I apologize. I will do whatever I can to share your suffering - and I will do whatever I can to make things right.”