It’s that time of the summer—Fall semester is almost here. Teaching faculty, those who support them, and students are getting ready for classes. Some are looking forward to their return to campus; some never left. The important thing, though, is that the hopeful scent of preparation hangs in the air.

Just framing this post has gotten me thinking about the diversity of experience at UNLV. I was going to put in a line saying, “Those of us with kids in Clark County School District schools have already seen the school year begin,” but that would leave out a lot of folks. What about those with siblings in CCSD? Or education majors who have started their student teaching? It’s just a small reminder that we look at the world through our own frame, and that there are other frames, just as valid (and important).

There’s a saying attributed to Dwight Eisenhower that I know mostly because it’s featured in Civilization V: "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." The idea probably isn’t a revelation to you, but let’s take a minute to consider it. I suppose the former WWII Supreme Allied Commander and later president is telling us that, in the chaos of battle, even the most comprehensive plan goes out the window, but that the knowledge absorbed during the planning process will be essential in reacting to the reality unfolding.

Of course, most of what we do at UNLV is far more orderly than an amphibious invasion against a dug-in foe, so for most of us, our plans aren’t useless. I know that when I teach or give workshops I need to prepare extensively so that I stay focused on the subject matter I’m asked to discuss rather than simply waxing poetic about whatever strikes my fancy. Preparation leads to focus which, I hope, leads to a better class or workshop.

But when we prepare, we do so for reasons beyond improving our performance. For me, preparing before a class or workshop, like wearing a tie on my teaching days, is one way of showing respect to the students and participants. After all, I am asking them to give me the one thing that one of us aren’t getting any more of, time. I figure that the least I can do is spend some getting ready.

There are some cases where too much preparation can actually work against you—like live improv—but in general preparing can help us think critically about the future and do something about making that future one we want to live in. The key might be thinking back to what Ike said, which I’m going to rephrase far more succinctly than I did three paragraphs ago: don’t prepare because you know exactly how things will go, but prepare so that you aren’t surprised when things don’t go to plan.

So we can prepare for a class; we can prepare to welcome colleagues back to campus; we can prepare for meetings and prepare for physical activities. But how do we prepare for simply existing around other people in a professional and educational environment? Because from what I have seen, that can still be a challenge.

We hear often that the pandemic—and our collective reaction to it—changed how people relate. Having not been the Ombuds before March 2020, I don’t have a personal baseline to compare against, but considering everything I’ve seen as a human who’s lived through it, I think there’s at least some merit to that. I’ve heard—from folks in multiple departments that serve the campus—that, since the return, students but especially faculty and staff are less patient than before. People may be anxious about “peopling” again, or just used to marching to the beat of their own playlist.  

Maybe preparing can help, just a little. Driving to work (or walking, biking or busing), maybe take a few minutes to think about what will happen when we can’t get what we want when we want it. How might we react? Or when someone’s being mildly annoying and we can’t just turn off the camera because they are sitting in front of us? It might be worth it to think about some responses, so that if it by chance happens, we can pick a better one.

One last place I would like to advocate for preparing: tough conversations, or anything that makes us anxious or nervous. Because who gets wittier, who has better judgment when they are stressed out? Not many. Rather than having to think of what to say on the spot, it can make sense to play the conversation in your head first, thinking of the branches it might take, and imagine how you would respond. That way, you already have an idea of what to say, rather than blurting the first thing that pops into your mind which, while spontaneous, might not be circumspect or even what you really feel.

I’ve heard that the French have a term, “staircase wit,” that describes the perfect bon mot that comes after the dinner party has ended and only when the recipient is walking up the stairs to their (no doubt fashionable) Parisian flat. I don’t think there’s a Gallic monopoly on this condition. Maybe walking up those stairs before the part and thinking deliberately about likely topics might have helped.

What I’m really interested in here isn’t impressing you with random sayings that I’ve absorbed from 4X video games or whatever facts pop into my head when I think about preparing for the semester or the day. Instead, I want to remind you that if you’ve got something coming up and you’re not totally sure about how you’re going to play it, the Ombuds Office is a great place to visit. It is a space where we can travel in time together, exploring how different approaches might play out. And it’s a place where you can prepare for a difficult interaction or contemplate a strategy for everyday workplace or classroom living. If you’re not sure about what’s going to happen and want to start planning, send that email or make that call.

Because, as I often say, whether you are a student, faculty member, or other UNLV employee, the Ombuds Office has many resources available to help you through any conflict or communication issue you might be facing. If you are having an issue and are uncertain where to go, it is an excellent zero-barrier first stop. You have nothing to lose and quite a bit to gain.

If you would like to talk off-the-record and confidentially about any work- or campus-related concern, please make an appointment with the Ombuds. Our door is always open.

David G. Schwartz

UNLV Ombuds