Recently, a friend asked me a variation of the question in the title. I was caught off guard. There is a general impression that participating in university politics makes you more bitter and cynical. I don’t think it is true, yet. But I have to agree that it had an effect.

It is hard to understand precisely how it changed me; you would need to ask someone who knows me and knew me before. But, for instance, I can see that I used to jump at opportunities, excited to explore new ideas, and complain about how slow it is to make anything happen and how it is all the administration’s fault. Now I find myself repeatedly pushing back, putting things in perspective and trying to reflect on what kind of resources would be needed for something to happen before jumping to conclusions. In this sense, I think it made me a lot more realistic. A friend said that sometimes it takes the joy out of things. I think it is a good way of putting it :D

Experiencing the work and the discussions outweighs that reduced joy though. It is giving me a much broader perspective on how the university works and how decisions are made, and I am learning where we can expect to make a positive difference and where it is hopeless. In general, it is a great opportunity to be challenged by different perspectives on all kinds of matters and explore the complexities of our institution.

I also like the professionalism of the people in the council. There can be tense discussions, but I have seen everyone being professional and working with the best interests of our university in mind. This was quite refreshing.