Carol Siegel, English professor, writer and beloved member of the community, is retiring at the end of this school year after working on campus for 32 years. Siegel was one of the first professors hired at the university in 1990 and became instrumental in the early development of WSU Vancouver as an institution.
“I absolutely love the students here. It’ll be so hard for me to say goodbye to them.” – Carol Siegel
According to Siegel, she not only taught and advised students but was part of the campus’ original land, building, art and break selection committees — while integrally involved in the hiring process of the entire original humanities department, IT department, library and Writing Center.
“For a long time, I would just say to the students, ‘if there’s something you don’t like about this campus, just blame me, because I picked out everything,’” Siegel said.
Siegel has taught many classes over her years at WSU Vancouver, including nearly 100 independent studies, spanning a wide variety of topics and exploring many facets of literature, film and women and gender studies. She said her favorite classes she taught include several independent studies on her favorite author, Toni Morrison, and a class she created called “Special Topics in Asian American Literature: Literature and Culture of Hawaii.”
Outside of teaching, Siegel has written many books, including “New Millennial Sexstyles,” “Goth’s Dark Empire” and “Sex Radical Cinema.” Although her main research focuses on gender and sexuality studies, she said she has always had an eye for closely examining the books, films and topics that she enjoys.
“Sometimes the research, especially with the youth cultures, was so much fun. In the ‘90s I went out to hear bands a minimum of twice a week … I’d come to school and I’d be so exhausted because I had been out listening to music and dancing until like two in the morning,” Siegel said. “Afterwards, when I was waiting for the bus, there’d be all these young people around and I would take out my interview forms and start interviewing people.”
After working for the university for over three decades, one problem the professor vocalized is the absence of a pension plan and having a no set minimum salary. She said that when she stepped back from her committee involvement to dedicate more time toward teaching, writing and keynote speaking, she faced a pay discrepancy. For years, Siegel has remained the lowest-paid full professor at the university; as stated on the Washington State Employee Salaries page, her professor salary was $97,000 in 2021. However, according to Siegel, this number includes a research grant and the pay she made for summer teaching, both of which are not part of her standard salary — the professor said she made $87,000 last year.
“This is the kind of thing that when I think about retiring and get depressed and want to cry because I’ll miss the students. … I think about how poorly I’ve been paid all these years because my priorities were to write things that to me, at least, matter politically, and to teach the students, and I feel like I’ve been punished for that financially,” Siegel said.
Siegel said she can see a lot of herself in many of the students at WSU Vancouver. Like them, Siegel worked multiple jobs alongside going to college. Throughout her doctoral program at the University of California, Berkeley, she was a cook and kitchen manager. Working throughout college taught her valuable financial lessons and she empathizes with students who have similar experiences.
“When I got here, I knew this was where I wanted to be, because so many of the students were like me. When I started, almost all of the students were returning women … they all worked outside of school, they are so highly motivated,” Siegel said. “I absolutely love the students here. It’ll be so hard for me to say goodbye to them.”
Siegel has made a permanent, lasting mark on WSU Vancouver and her legacy will stay with her students forever. During WSU Vancouver’s May 2022 commencement ceremony, Siegel was awarded the Students’ Award for Teaching Excellence, a student-nominated accolade given to professors who have gone above and beyond to ensure student success.
After retiring next May, Siegel hopes to move to Seaside, Oregon, to enjoy the coast and its community.
“The first time I went [to Seaside], I was walking on the beach and I looked and saw this women who was probably the age I am now, and she had her hair in those little pink rollers, and she shouted to this toddler, ‘come here, give grandma some sugar!’ and I thought, ‘my god I’m with my own people,’” Siegel said.
Sawyer is a senior studying anthropology at WSU Vancouver.