To the students stuck dealing with this mess:

[From my seat in Buffalo, I can’t pretend to be as informed as you who are in the thick of it, but as a Naropa W&P alum who spent a significant portion of my time at Naropa as a fairly militant activist (I spent two years in prison after my first year at Naropa, for a direct action involving fire and a construction site), I offer these thoughts from my experience, my mistakes, and my love for Naropa and the Kerouac School.]

If financial “realities” are allowed to determine the future of Naropa, there will be no future for Naropa. And if financial conditions are ignored, there will be no future for Naropa. Such a situation is certainly frightening—for those of you who are current students, but also for those of us who will always love the place for what it did to us. But it is not a situation that calls for panic. Even if there are some there who don’t fully understand the value of the place, or who misunderstand its values, Naropa remains full of people who get it. I beg all of you there to work together to make sure that Naropa survives as the anomalous, bizarre, and indestructible jewel it is.

The students have more power than any other group at Naropa—maybe not officially, but without you nothing else happens. If that power is not recognized, you must (on behalf of all past and future students) help others to recognize it. Nothing substantial should happen at Naropa without the approval of the students. And having that power means that you owe it to past and future students to conduct yourselves on their behalf, helping to maintain it as a source of inspiration, disturbance, and fierce commitment to creative reality. However, if you see the administration as your enemies, you will be fighting a war, and wars do nothing but destroy what they’re ostensibly meant to protect. To the extent that we fight anyone, we are helping to destroy the community by making it just like every other shitty, dull institution in a nation of shitty, vicious competition. If we see that someone is fighting or competing for power, it is our responsibility to do our best to restore cooperation. Otherwise, Naropa will become just another nest of competition, corruption, infighting and personal agendas—in other words, it will become just another university. Please don’t let Naropa become just another university. There are more than enough of them already.

It’s always more difficult to communicate with administrators who may not be artists or practitioners, and you of course have to take this into account when dealing with them—but not in the sense of using this as an excuse to attack them. Instead, we must be even more patient, informed, straightforward, and compassionate with them, because they may not have the direct, personal appreciation for the value of our practices that we do. If you feel that elements in the administration are not listening, it may be that they don’t understand your language. Maybe some of them are speaking an impoverished language of capitalist institutional bureaucratic standardization and competition, but communicating with others is always and necessarily a task of patient translation, in both directions. If they don’t get it, help them.

This is not to say that I think you should compromise the important mission of the Kerouac School or any of its components and sister programs. I believe that the Kerouac School is the most important thing that Naropa does. In fact, Naropa needs to invest more in developing and enriching the Kerouac School. It’s not a matter of ambition, or growing the program, or keeping it “competitive,” it’s a matter of keeping it relevant and fresh, increasing its ability to serve its students.

To the extent that you act as informed members of the community—perhaps members who understand better than the administration the importance of the Kerouac School, because you understand it from its insides—then there is a greater chance that frightened people will be open to your help in figuring a way out of this crisis—and of course this is a financial crisis that is being felt by every university (and of course every working person) in the country. Once again, we find ourselves cleaning up a mess left by competitive, self-centered capitalist stupidity, and if we act like them, we’ll just make the mess worse.

The Kerouac School is the most important thing Naropa does. Without it, I fear Naropa would become Esalen or New College (i.e., a self-help retreat for the rich or an empty building inhabited by memories of experiment). Without it, Naropa would lose its edge. By losing its edge it would lose its connection to its founder, Chogyam Trungpa, who consistently risked everything that most people value in order to live an always-fresh reality. We are lucky to have him as an example of the messy, unpredictable risk of becoming ourselves. I trust you all to honor that tradition by finding unique and surprising solutions to living in a world that seems to want to reduce every difference to the same old story. To do that, we will no doubt have to sacrifice the temptation to grandstand or live out dull Hollywood clichés and ’60’s biopic versions of activism.

I’m confident that if you all talk together as people who want to save the place that the vast majority of you love, Naropa will continue. Even if there is a minority who has some weird agenda for the place, those who want to preserve its ability to surprise us all are certainly in the majority. If that majority works together, no one can hijack the place, or crash it. Just pulling off that kind of radical cooperation would go a long way to maintain and revivify its anomalousness, bizarreness, and indestructibility, and would earn the undying gratitude of those of us in the diaspora. We are all rooting for you.

In solidarity,

Jeremiah Rush Bowen

BA, W&P and INTD, Naropa University ’06

MA, Poetry, Temple University ’09

PhD candidate, Poetics, SUNY Buffalo

Dear Naropa colleagues and students:

The invitation below is for an opportunity to discuss campus issues.  I was recently made aware that there is an event scheduled for Thursday morning, however, because of a previous commitment I cannot attend on Thursday.  I have scheduled this conversation time for a time when no classes are scheduled so that students, faculty and staff can all attend this discussion.

In the spirit of service,

Stuart C. Lord, President

INVITATION

DISCUSSION WITH THE PRESIDENT

WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010

Time:  8:30am

Location: Student Center – Administration Building

The following letter has been sent on behalf of Stuart Sigman, VP for Academic Affairs.

July 2, 2010

Concern has been expressed that major decisions have been made concerning the future structure of Naropa University’s academic departments and programs, without involvement of the full university community.  I’m writing to assure you that no such decisions have been made and won’t be undertaken without fully engaging students, faculty and staff so all concerns and viewpoints can be considered.  Naropa is committed to a fully transparent process, which respects and incorporates our shared governance model.

The discussions concerning restructuring of the Division of Academic Affairs are part of the careful examination of the university’s overall finances, staffing and organization that began with community meetings in December 2009 and after the HLC accreditation site visit in March 2010.  This initiative, supported by the Board of Trustees, is focused upon the development of a sustainable and balanced budget, providing competitive salaries for faculty and staff, and enabling additional investments in the academic plan, enrollment management and information technology.  As you know, the new financial model recently precipitated a reduction-in-force, which has affected every area of the university. All divisions of the university except Academic Affairs also instituted permanent structural changes; Academic Affairs was given until mid-September to produce a reorganization plan.

As part of this ongoing initiative, the Division of Academic Affairs has been facilitating discussions about possible restructuring options through its shared governance process.  No recommendations or proposals have been submitted or approved at this point.  Over the past six weeks, the Faculty Executive Working Group (FEWG), comprised of Core Faculty representatives, has studied institutional data and shaped a set of hypotheses, recommendations and principles to guide the divisional reorganization.  Throughout this process, FEWG (assisted by two Administrative Directors) has maintained contact with Core Faculty, Adjunct Faculty, and AA non-instructional staff.  Two divisional meetings were also held: one to kick-off the process, and one to solicit input from our community.  As FEWG’s work winds down, my attention will turn to the data, analyses and preliminary proposals, and I will present my plan to President Stuart C. Lord in mid-September.  Before I submit my final report, there will be multiple opportunities for discussion with students, faculty and staff to ensure that all concerns can be considered.  A schedule of informational meetings and discussion circles will be distributed as classes resume in August.

Students, alumni and friends of the university have expressed concern that specific programs or departments will be significantly reduced or consolidated into other programs or departments.  I hope to allay those concerns in the coming weeks; it’s our intent and commitment to strengthen programs and departments and enhance the student experience while developing a structure that is fiscally sustainable – not to dismantle or cripple the successful academic programs that are the heart and soul of Naropa. 

I encourage you to stay engaged in our discussions. They are critical to the university’s future and your participation is vital to their success.

Sincerely,

Stuart J. Sigman, PhD
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear Committee,      attn: Lina Oh & Adriana Karagosian.

Thank you for your letter Lina and Adriana, and your apologies.

I was extremely distressed to hear about the shameful violation of Dr. Lord at the Friday night student reading, and will be reviewing the video of the performance in the next day. I strongly recommend that you desist from this kind of hateful display. I suggest that all of you read the Code of Conduct for the Naropa community and formulate your questions with scholarship and details and respect, and know what you are talking about and not be simply reactive and emotional. I don’t think you have been listening to what Lisa and I have been saying in our letter to the community nor what we said (with Reed Bye) during the 45 minutes of Socratic Rap. I am surprised you would view me or Lisa or any of your faculty as “enemies”.  This is pure ignorance. The people who have been guest faculty this summer also ARE your faculty. The SWP is part of the degree program as you must know.

I don’t know if you have any idea what it takes to put the SWP together and what it takes to have it run this intense month.  The “protest” has run us ragged. We have scores  & scores of emails & calls coming in- totally misinformed inquiries about the school & its future. This alarmist activism has not been constructive. We need to stay on track with our own roles in this SWP community.

Lisa and I have our own concerns, naturally, about the “cuts” & the future of the school & it’s the STUDENTS we are thinking about! Not just ourselves & our vision. But we are working with perspicacity and making our concerns known through respectful action, writing informed queries & engaging in dialogue.  We are working CONSTRUCTIVELY with the new re-structuring plan. The Kerouac School is not folding. We want it to survive for all our sakes, and especially your sakes.

We cannot support your protest outside the door of Dr. Stuart Lord.   We also are not excusing anyone from classes. We would like you to respect the guest faculty this week and not try to pull them into this maelstrom, which has not been productive. Teachers will be teaching in their classrooms. Other students have also urged us to make this request. They feel their time here has been compromised. Many of the other students do not support your protest & the form it has taken. They are here to write and study and spend time with this extraordinary faculty this final week.  It is a precious opportunity to work with these writers as writers yourselves. My advice is not to squander it.

I was extremely impressed by Val’s presentation on Diversity on Friday - his statement- written with intelligence and sincerity was very moving. We support this and have made our support known.

Further clarification: Dr. Stuart Lord was not responsible for not renewing Elizabeth Robinson’s visiting faculty position. The position ran out. Other people lost their jobs, Elizabeth Robinson is not the only person in our universe. I have supported her as a teacher here, I respect her as a poet and a member of the poetry community at large and I am sorry it did not work out for her to have the position renewed. I am saying it again, it was not renewed. She was not fired. I am sorry the situation became so inflamed and was not handled properly. It has now escalated and been tainted by a very acrimonious document which unfortunately reveals a counter-productive mentality. I highly recommend “closure” at this point.   This is now a dead issue. SWP directors do not want to hear of it again.   Elizabeth Robinson- in case you didn’t notice- has been working for us all summer! We hired her this summer!

Dr. Lord has been president for 1 year. He has inherited a difficult situation he did not create. Michele Naka-Piece from the FEWG has offered to meet with students and there are local Board members in town who can be contacted, but we say it again:  GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. Make informed inquiries & decisions about your actions.

There was a question about the “Naropa” sign on the lawn absent the dharma wheel. Everyone assumed Dr Lord had it removed. It was a Board decision 3 years ago. It is important to get the facts. Now you can query the Board about the decision.

It doesn’t seem to us and others in this community you are doing the real work at this point. We invite you to go deeper into what it means to be a responsible member of a community. We teach Investigative Poetics here. Lisa Jarnot taught this Week 2. I handed out the Sanders document. Steven Taylor also pointed to the work of Ed Sanders the other day.

Many of the problems- as with the rest of the world (wake up people!)- are financial. Do you have any idea of the cut backs in education and other services ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. We are in a recession. Naropa is struggling for its very survival. We need to raise more endowment, we need support for the archive work and many other things.

It is important that we honor the colleagues and friends who have been laid off. I don’t the sit-in will accomplish that.  Lisa and I ask you: what do you hope to accomplish at this point with your sit-in?

Lisa Birman, Reed Bye as Chair of W&P , and I will be addressing  students at 2:30 pm after the Monday panel. We will not have time for a discussion at this time. We need to clarify the decorum for this week. We are also writers ourselves who have spent our lives on a creative path.  We have also worked for years with Naropa and will struggle in hopes of having it survive with its original vision.

With respect and encouragement to stay on track with your writing & study and with your generosity and compassion, and respect for others.

Warm wishes,

Anne Waldman

What you weren’t told yesterday is that one of Daniel Staniforth (SWP Event Manager) and Julie Kazimer (SWP Finance and Registration Manager) is to be laid off as soon as the Summer Writing Program is over.  They are both writers and experienced college administrators and have been working with the JKS Summer Writing Program for three years, helping to bring in many procedural improvements.  Despite the pleas for an open process, one of them will not have the opportunity to contribute to the restructured JKS.

Here is some more info about them from the website.  As they are both integral to the program, something should be said and done about this decision. 

Daniel Staniforth
SWP Event Manager

Originally from England, Daniel Staniforth is a writer and composer now residing in Lafayette, CO. In addition to his position at Naropa, he serves on the part-time English faculty at Denver Metro State University. Daniel earned a Master’s degree in Literature from Miami University (of Ohio) and writes poetry, fiction and theoretical work. Some recent publications include Rogue Poetry Review and The Houston Literary Review. As a multi-instrumentalist and composer, he writes and records alternative, classical, and experimental music (including “sonic poet-scapes”). For more information, visit Flowforth Productions

Julie Kazimer
SWP Finance & Registration manager

Julie Kazimer is a prose writer from Denver, Colorado. After graduating with a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology, she decided to change career paths and focus on writing. Her works have appeared in various literary magazines. Most recently, Julie’s manuscript, The Body Dwellers, won the 2008 RMFW Colorado Gold Contest for speculative fiction. You can view a list of Julie’s current works at: www.juliekazimer.com

jack kerouac school of disembodied poetics has been a unique american example of a contemplative learning community for over thirty years. 

the school and its summer writing program hold the experimental approach to community and learning of black mountain university and the buddhist contemplative tradition in close relationship.  

in these ways the kerouac school’s attention to experiment and contemplation sets itself in direct opposition to the hierarchies and claims of mastery of corporate mainstream academy. 

the kerouac school is in danger! even in the midst of its widely loved summer writing program, the university administration is proceeding to drastically alter the mission of the school which, literally at times, built the university.

Please send an email to President Lord http://www.naropa.edu/president/contact.cfm

mfa 2oo6

jared hayes 

Dear Community & Friends of the Jack Kerouac School:

Lisa Birman and I are writing to you from the Summer Writing Program Office.  We know that the Naropa environment has suffered because of the recent downsizing of Naropa staff  at large. 23 staff members, though no one from Summer Writing Program or Writing & Poetics, were laid off in June. The community has suffered tremendously as these individuals were part of our world and community. We all have questions and concerns. Our hearts and support go out to those individuals.

However, there are some clearer answers now, and we are more than willing to address your grievances as much as we can.  Students are gathering these days to address and protest their concerns, which center on issues of transparency, student involvement in university-wide decisions, diversity issues, and the well being of the campus and all who are engaged here.  We are all going through this process together and we support this deep engagement on the part of the students.  We acknowledge the financial sacrifice and contributions our students make to this environment. They have prepared a respectful statement of concerns. We are urging them to be accurate and to check facts and details.

We know that the Higher Learning Commission (which grants accreditation) in a visit to the University has made strong critiques and recommendations concerning the way Naropa works with its budget.  The situation as it has been is not sustainable for a school this size. A group of university-wide faculty (FEWG) has been working to make proposals concerning a re-structuring of the school that would not go into effect most likely until the fall of 2012. One of the proposed models is that the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics would hold all its wings together (MFA, Low-residency MFA, BA, Summer Writing Program and Writing Center, Print Shop). We think that is likely. We have been told in a meeting with the Office of Academic Affairs yesterday (July 1) that the Summer Writing Program 2011 will retain its current structure, although there will be some budget cuts.

There also appears to be some misunderstandings about the current structure of the Kerouac School. In its current incarnation, The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics consists of two departments: The Department of Writing and Poetics (which houses the MFA in W&P, the Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing, and the BA in Writing and Literature) and the Department of the Summer Writing Program. The Kerouac School also has various other responsibilities and interests, such as the Kavyayantra Printshop (primarily under the purview of W&P), and the Audio Archive (the content of which is primarily SWP events and classes). Under the proposed new structure, both W&P would stay under the umbrella of the Kerouac School, possibly joined by the Naropa Writing Center.

One of the problems, as we see it, has been a silence around the layoffs, although there have been some “healing circles” and meditation sessions. It seems there are legal issues of confidentiality.  And we are trying to understand those implications ourselves.  The uncertainly of Naropa’s future has also been a huge issue, we are both feeling more confident now as we ourselves seek answers from the NU Administration.  The school has always been a ground of struggle and sacrifice. I have been here every summer since 1974, and Lisa — an MFA graduate — has been in her role 10 years!  We can certainly attest to the upheavals of the past.

But we want you to know that The Kerouac School community has been sharing a terrific pedagogical and creative summer together; every panel, lecture, reading, and discussion has been of the highest quality — all of us have been present. The caliber of student work —  readings, panels, and discourse — is excellent.  The guest faculty have been stellar, their engagement, as well, is incredibly inspiring. We have a week to go, which will highlight themes of performance, collaboration, and small press publishing.  Our protest is part of our practice.

We want you to know that we are here, that we support and acknowledge our students, that we are up and running, and that the SWP staff, Reed Bye, interim Chair of the W&P Department, and Naropa administrative staff and trustees are willing to meet with students to clarify and listen to concerns. We are part of a larger world and culture that is going through tremendous change, paradigm shifts of all kinds. We will all have to do with less and continue to cultivate our empathy and compassion and our artistic paths. We exist amidst huge waves of suffering as the oil spill continues to gush and harm many sentient beings and the vegetal world, as war rages, as financial cuts are made that affect everyone.  It is our duty to stay awake and to provide feedback in our own communities. The writing community here at Naropa has always been an activist one, and a spiritual one. We honor this lineage.

“And while I’m here I’ll do the work.  And what’s the work? To ease the pain of living — everything else, drunken dumbshow”  - Allen Ginsberg

“The ground of imagination is fearless” -Diane di Prima

With gratitude and respect,

Anne Waldman                                                Lisa Birman

Co-founder, KSDP                                          Director, SWP

Chair, Artistic Dir, SWP                                 Faculty, Low-Res MFA

Core Faculty, W&P