anthro careers/niu/'open jobs'

James Carucci (Carucci@SMTP.LMS.USACE.ARMY.MIL)
Mon, 12 Dec 1994 08:14:28 -0600

gosh! mike salovesh is 'gloomy as hell...'
complaints about having to look at 200 job applications for the new
archy position at NIU; have to use 'crib sheets' there are so many
applications!!

if any of you entrenched, gloomy, long-toothed old profs want to
have the perspective of someone who has bought into this gloomy
system, and supplied scores of applications.... i'd be happy to share
my viewpoint.

but i'll not make this personal. i'll make it a simple criticism.
in all the applications i've prepared, in all the job announcements
i've responded to, the BIGGEST DAMN PROBLEM is embodied in idiotic
job announcements LIKE NIU's!!!

you have 200 job applications because your stupid department couldn't
get it's shit together and decide if you wanted a mesoamericanist, a
new world archy, a midwest or southwest archy, or someone who could
teach pottery, underwater basket weaving, and search for new hominid
fossils at the same time. YOU and NIU ARE THE BIGGEST PART OF THE
PROBLEM.

i talked to fred smith about this... he really did not defend the
practice very adequately or very strongly. he said something like,
"well, some people in the dept. wanted a midwest archaeologist, and
some wanted a mesoamericanist... so we decided not to list a
speciality in the job announcement".

too bad, mike, you have so much to sift through and look at. i spent
last year at the field museum... and hated [absolutely HATED]
chicago. niu is too close to chicago. when your stupid "open" job
announcement was published in the anthro newsletter, i realized you'd
get 200 applications; that 20 of them would be 10 times better than
mine [more publications, as you pointed out in an earlier post]. and
besides, chicago sucks; and i don't really want to be part of a
department that can't decide what kind of archaeologist they are
shopping for.

not a flame; just facts.
jim carucci.