[stylist] Request for advice

Tue Jan 21 22:52:32 UTC 2014

Each department has it's own budget. And, within that department, each prof 
has her own budget. It is established once a year, and it does not fluctuate 
during the year. What is in your budget is yours to decide how and where you 
will spend it. And, the other thing is that you MUST spent it all, or else 
when the new budget is made up, you may be given less for the next year as 
they may think you do not need the full finding if you have money left over. 
It does NOT carry over from one year to the next - in my experience. You 
plan your budget expendetures, you are granted a budget allowance, and you 
spend that money during the year. It makes sense and it works very well.
Lynda

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brad Dunse" <lists at braddunse.com>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2014 12:13 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] Request for advice

>I appreciated Lynda's perspective as well. I work on a campus as an outside
> contractor... there always seems to be money, though it might float from
> department to department. I also think you can't blame anyone for looking
> for a free presentation, as long as they aren't holding your love for
> blindness awareness as randsome.
>
> Brad
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Donna Hill
> Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2014 9:44 AM
> To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Request for advice
>
> Hi Lynda,
> Thank you for your input. You know the academic world from the inside, and
> your comment about there always being money available has given me ideas
> about how to throw the ball back into their court. The word you used was
> "insulting," and that has been the word banging around in the back of my
> brain. I do feel like it is an insult, and as a blind person I have had to
> struggle with not allowing obvious insults to side-track me. I don't feel
> like I'm nearly back to 100% after all that Rich and I have been through
> with his health over the past 7 months. I feel like I'm not as good at
> deflecting this sort of thing as I ought to be, knowing what I know.
>
> Also, you can't blame someone for trying to get something for nothing 
> (well,
> I guess you can, but let's just say I don't want to approach them with 
> that
> perspective). I'm thinking of suggesting they speak to other groups and
> approach the university with a joint project. Educators aren't the only
> professionals who encounter blind people in their careers. I will tell 
> them
> that we're over an hour away, and as a blind person I have to get someone 
> to
> drive me. I also thought I'd say something about the fact that I feel that
> it is important to do occasional presentations for free, but that due to 
> the
> expense of it, I limit those to small groups in our immediate area.
> Donna
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lynda 
> Lambert
> Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2014 6:38 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Request for advice
>
> Donna,
> As a retired tenured faculty member of a private college, I can tell you
> there is always a budget for any speakers we bring to campus.  This is 
> hard
> to believe they would ask you to come for FREE, give of your time, give 
> them
> a free book, and expect a blind person to get there on their own 
> initiative
> with no offer of payment at all.  It just does not "fit" with anything I
> have ever known as a professor.
>
> This reminds me of a call I had a little while back asking me to come to a
> conference and be a speaker - nearly 1/2 way across PA, with no offer of 
> any
> compensation nor even a room for the night. Do you think I even returned
> that call?  NOT!
> That is my take on what they proposed to you. I think it is insulting, at
> the least.
>
> Lynda
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2014 3:34 PM
> Subject: [stylist] Request for advice
>
>
>> Hi Friends,
>> As most of you know, I have been trying to promote my new novel The Heart
>> of
>> Applebutter Hill. I recently had an article in the Wilkes-Barre
>> Times-Leader, and I used the occasion to contact professors in that area
>> in
>> education departments and those heading up disability services
>> departments.
>> I told them about the article, the book and the recommendations it has
>> received from professionals in education, rehabilitation and the arts as 
>> a
>> classroom resource for diversity-inclusivity and anti-bullying
>> initiatives.
>> I offered them a free copy of an electronic version of the book (I have 7
>> e-book versions, which covers about everything including reading it on a
>> computer).
>>
>> My question is how to handle a response I received today. It's from a
>> married couple, both of whom are Ph.D.s and on the faculty of a 
>> university
>> in Wilkes-Barre. They don't use e-readers, and didn't address the
>> possibility of using their computer to read it.
>>
>> Block quote
>> Thank you for your e-mail. I would love a copy of your book, but I would
>> like a print version.  I don't use a kindle or e-reader of any kind. We
>> have
>> a Forum Series at (name of university) and would like you to present if
>> you
>> are available sometime in the fall between 4 and 6 PM Mon.-Thurs.
>>
>> You could talk about your book and even have a book signing and/or, you
>> might discuss your experiences in education and inclusion. Unfortunately,
>> we
>> do not have a budget, so we cannot offer you an honorarium, but we do 
>> hope
>> that you will agree to speak anyway.
>> Block quote end
>>
>> They go on to invite me to call them and give their home and work 
>> numbers.
>>
>> Here's the situation. E-books are free for me to give away; print books
>> are
>> not. At my author price and shipping, it costs about what Amazon charges.
>> At
>> this point, I have been restricting give-aways of the print copies to the
>> press, contest entries, online give-aways (like GoodReads), for the 
>> people
>> who either critiqued the book prior to publication and those who wrote
>> recommendations. I also am giving some to local community leaders to help
>> generate local interest, and I have set some aside for Learning Ally and
>> our
>> state NLS and so forth.
>>
>> So, they want me to send them a book and also to show up and do a program
>> for nothing other than the possibility of selling a few books. This is an
>> hour each way. Rich has been ill for 7 months and has severe (and 
>> possibly
>> unreversable) nerve damage in his arms and legs.
>>
>> If I were to go anyway, I would have to hire a driver; the person would
>> have
>> to set aside about 4 hours of their time in addition to the milage. The
>> last
>> time I did something similar, one professor promised me a letter of
>> recommendation. That was last February. I also never got the advance
>> release
>> copy back. The school liked it enough to make a Power Point display that
>> they showed at some meeting, but for whatever reason that promise was
>> never
>> kept.
>>
>> There's no way I'm going over there without even a token honorarium; even
>> if
>> I found a free ride, Rich would kill me on general principles. *grin* If 
>> I
>> send them a book, then I'm letting the door open for others to request
>> print
>> copies. I could suggest that they ask their school's library to order one
>> from Baker and Taylor and borrow it.
>>
>> So, what do you think? How should I handle this?
>> Thanks,
>> Donna
>>
>> -- The Heart of Applebutter Hill - a novel on a mission:
>>
>> http://DonnaWHill.com <http://donnawhill.com/>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
>
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