And Hitt will be Santa*

People are justifiably happy about this so I hate to shit on it, but the inconsistency is just too much. From John Hitt:

In light of these successes, I am recommending four paid university holidays for eligible employees from December 28 to 31. These days will be in addition to normal state holidays on Christmas (December 25) and New Year’s Day (January 1). Please talk with your supervisor for more details about how this applies to you.

Earlier this year, because of budget cuts, Hitt was threatening employees with mandatory furloughs. Now, he is giving away free vacation time. Hitt is like one of those horrible parents that loves you in one moment and hates you the next. One moment he’s pawning your bicycle (a metaphor for academic department cuts and threatened furloughs) and the next he’s giving you a PlayStation 3 (a metaphor for the extra vacation time).

* Thanks to a reader for pointing out Hitt’s inconsistency and for the title of this post.