(HM:  Heidi MacDonald, Interviewer)

HM:  You know, the problem about the V.P.’s job is, you know, you handle whatever arrives on your desk whether you like it or not.  Whatever you’re ... you may have a plan for what you’re going to do and have all these kind of strategies and good intentions and everything else but the fact is you’re also on the receiving end of a lot of completely unplanned and often, unwanted ...

HM:  Hate mail.

SO:  ... stuff.  Well everything.  All kinds of stuff.  I mean it’s not even hate mail but you know accidents happen, things go wrong, all kinds of stuff, right?  And basically, we grow up as academics and we have an academic framing of the world and we see everything in terms of ... it’s all about the students.  You have got the faculty, you got the programs, the Dean, and all the rest of it.  But then over here there’s all this other stuff going on about.  The building needs to be heated and lighted, you have to meet all the safety requirements, you have to do this, you have to anticipate that.  There’s this initiative from this government.  There’s this thing from that people.  And the budget’s leaking like a sieve.  And there’s all this other stuff that you have to deal with.  And it’s a very hectic way to live and chunks of time where you can just sort of sit down and sort the stuff out in your head ... they’re not so easy.  But, you know, to come back to it again.