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Deborah Jean Oakley wrote: > Hello All, > > I'm an MTF professor at a small university soon to be going full time in > May this year after our graduation. At this point I'm out to six key > people on campus, including the dean of my department, and feel very > confident that all will go well with the transition. My question at > this point is one of timing, so I'm soliciting the opinions and > experiences of those who have gone this route before me. > > On the one hand, it would seem only fair to speak with the academic VP > sooner than later (in late March) to give them time to adjust to the > idea and deal with any issues regarding name change, etc. However, I > don't see that I can come out to the administration without coming out > to the University community as a whole. I want to be the one to > initiate this and not have it begun through rumor. So on the other hand > I wonder if it wouldn't be better to wait until the beginning of May, > just a few weeks before I begin full time, to do this. I know people > are already wondering about me, and that's fine, but my confidants have > kept the secret for nearly two years now and I think they will for > another two months; however, once I begin to tell others and it gets > out, I imagine it will spread like wildfire. I want to be the one to > strike the match, especially when it comes to informing the > administration. Based on my experience, I'd talk to attorney first. I tried to talk to my dean about being TS, and the next thing you know I'm locked out of my office and a warrant issued for my arrest, though my attorney could never discover a charge. Needless to say, I never taught another class there. Melissa Neal-Lunsford %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%