The Exam

Arnold Gray stretched in his uncomfortable chair. It was late in the day, almost 5 PM. He was one of a four-person state oral exam panel which had started at 8 AM, had so far interviewed seven candidates for promotion and was an hour behind schedule. DeWitt Bender, Arnold's branch chief, who was almost 60 years old but looked as fresh and dapper now as he had that morning, asked, "Should we try for one more today?"

Jerry Mitchell, the baby-faced Personnel Board man, was ostensibly chairman of the panel but everyone in the room knew that Bender was running the show. Mitchell looked at Bender and evidently decided that the older man wanted to continue because he said, "I think we can squeeze it in."

Cornell Washington, who represented the department's civil rights section on the panel, said, "Okay, let's do it." Washington was a burly black man in his thirties, a former college football player who'd gone on to law school before being appointed to his present job.

Bender opened a folder in front of him and said, speaking to Arnold, "Our next aspirant is George Rozier. He's in your section, isn't he?"

"That's right," said Arnold, knowing Bender was fully aware that Rozier was in his section and also that he had been trying to get Rozier promoted for the last two years. "I'd say he was the backbone of the section," he added, thinking that he might as well get that in right away.

Bender frowned. "Don't I recall some small problem involving Rozier recently?"

Again, Arnold knew that Bender remembered exactly what the problem was. "Yes," he said. "Rozier's working on a study for Dr. MacDonald. It's a complex job, matching the state's birth tape with tapes from several health sections. Rozier's probably the only person in the department who can handle it. Dr. MacDonald thinks he should get the results right away so he called me and then he called you."

"Ah, yes," said Bender. "I remember that phone conversation now. Dr. MacDonald was quite upset. I believe he said something about Rozier telling him to keep his pants on. Dr. MacDonald is a good friend of Dr. Sanders, our esteemed department head and so should not be upset."

"True," said Arnold. "And, with your usual skill, you smoothed things over and Rozier's been working overtime so we should have something for Dr. MacDonald next week."

Mitchell had been studying his copy of Rozier's file. "How old is this fellow Rozier now, 50 isn't he? And he hasn't had a promotion in the last 15 years. Seems to me he has a problem."

"Maybe his problem is that he hasn't had a promotion in 15 years," said Arnold.

Mitchell's blue eyes opened wide. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean that not getting promoted can make you a little testy." MItchell, who had been with the state for less than two years, had already reached the same level as Rozier had after 20 years. Of course, Mitchell was a political appointee.

"Hasn't he had some difficulties with other supervisors?" asked Washington. "There's a note in his file from Geraldine Dunlap."

"And there should be a note in there from me replying to that note," said Arnold. Geraldine Dunlap was head of the other section in Bender's branch. She'd obtained that position through what was politely called networking and, since she didn't really know how to do her job, was always asking Arnold for help.

A few weeks ago, bypassing Arnold, she'd gone directly to Rozier, telling him she needed to get some information for the Director right away. Rozier, struggling with the study for Dr. MacDonald, had come to Arnold to, as he'd put it, get Geraldine off his back. Arnold had then had an acrimonious session with his fellow section head.

The session had merely aggravated their relationship as they were already rivals for the Branch chief position which would be vacant when Bender retired, something which during the last year he'd been regularly threatening to do. Arnold knew that Geraldine had been waging an all-out campaign for the promotion, calling upon all her contacts in the department and trying to attract the Director's attention as much as possible. His own chances, if he had any, depended on Bender's being more or less his mentor.

"Yes," said Washington, "I see. Does he have a problem working with women?"

"No" said Arnold. "It was just that he was being put in an awkward position."

"All right," said Bender. "If we keep on talking about Rozier, we'll never get to see him today. Mitchell, why don't you get him in here."

Mitchell got up with alacrity and went out the door. Arnold looked at his watch. They'd never get out before six. He loosened his tie. The room was small and stuffy and seemed to be running out of air as the day went on. Mitchell came back with George Rozier following him. Well, thought Arnold, here we go.

Rozier was tall, about six feet, but also fat, weighing well over 300 pounds. He had a large round face with long hair and a full beard. Arnold was glad to see that Rozier had at least trimmed his beard for the interview. He was also wearing what looked like a fairly new suit, although like everything Rozier wore it had become rumpled.

Rozier squeezed himself into the chair at the end of the table. Mitchell opened with the standard first question, to give them a run-down on his career with the State. Rozier cleared his throat and began. He'd started with the State when he was 32, a relatively advanced age, in an entry-level position and in the next few years had advanced to what was known as the journeyman level. There, as Mitchell had mentioned, he'd stayed, with no further promotions even though the work he did became more difficult and complex.

Arnold knew that Rozier had graduated from a prestigious college and had then taught for about seven years. He didn't know why Rozier had then chosen to take an entry-level state job. The only reason Rozier had given on his application was a desire for a change. Arnold suspected that the real reason was some kind of personality clash with his fellow teachers at the college.

When Rozier was through with his recital, Bender asked the next question, to describe some of the projects he was now working on. Rozier leaned back in his chair, as much as his bulk allowed him. Arnold could see him almost visibly relax as he described fluently the study for Dr. MacDonald and another study involving statistical comparisons. This was Rozier's element. But although Washington seemed to be listening closely, Mitchell looked bored.

Arnold asked one or two questions to bring out the difficulty of the work Rozier was doing. Rozier's answers were clear and crisp. But then Mitchell, coming to life, said, "I find it strange that even though you're capable of doing these complex studies, you've been at the same journeyman level for 15 years. Do you have any explanation for that?"

"Everyone knows that the State's had a budget crunch for the last few years," Arnold quickly put in. "Promotions have been hard to get."

"I haven't gotten a promotion because I don't know the right people," said Rozier.

Arnold groaned inwardly. He'd had Rozier come into his office a few days before to brief him on the oral exam. "Look," he'd told him. "I'm going to give you as good an evaluation as possible. And I'll try to help you out during the interview. But you'll have to do your part. Give them the answers they want. Above all, don't lose your temper." Now Rozier was about to step into quicksand.

"What do you mean by not knowing the right people?" asked Mitchell, leaning forward like a rat sensing its prey.

Rozier scowled at him. "The right people, the ones who get you moved up. I've never been connected, isn't that the word? I'm just one of the guys in the trenches who do the work."

Arnold flinched even though he couldn't have agreed with Rozier more. Of course, the biggest lie about State service was that promotion was based on merit. The lie was propagated with the full connivance of the State's employee unions. But you weren't supposed to come right out and say it, least of all to an oral exam panel.

"So you think you've been unfairly kept down?" asked Mitchell.

Rozier scratched his head. "I don't know," he said. "I'm not saying it's me personally. It's just the way the system works. And now with affirmative action, it's even worse than it's always been."

Oh, no, thought Arnold. Now he's brought in affirmative action. As he expected, Washington immediately asked, "Do you have a problem with affirmative action, Mr. Rozier?"

Before Rozier could answer, Arnold said, "Look, it's almost six o'clock. I don't know about anyone else, but if I don't run to catch the bus right now I'll be stuck downtown for the night." As he spoke, he looked steadily at Bender.

"I don't know," said Mitchell. "This is such an important area it seems to me we have to explore it."

"And we will explore it," put in Bender smoothly. "But tomorrow when we have more time and can go into it thoroughly." He looked down at his slim gold watch. "I think it's time to adjourn for the day."


Arnold, holding his tray, looked around and saw Bender sitting alone at a table in the corner. He walked over to the table and sat down. Bender had called him the first thing that morning and told him to meet him in the building cafeteria for breakfast.

"If anybody can spoil eggs," said Bender, "it's a cook in a State cafeteria."

"But I understand he knows the building manager, so he'll still get promoted."

"Yes. Do you know why I wanted to see you before the interviewing started again?"

"To talk about George Rozier?" The panel wasn't going to be able to conclude Rozier's interview before that afternoon. In order not to have to re-schedule all the other applicants for that day, Rozier was to appear at 4 PM and so would once again be the last person seen.

"To talk about you," said Bender. "I don't give a damn about Rozier, but I do care about you. I know you're trying to help Rozier, but I suggest that you pull in your horns."

"Why?"

"Because when I leave State service, and I do intend to leave it soon, I don't want to have Geraldine Dunlap getting my job. I want you to have it."

Arnold was pleasantly surprised. It was the first time that Bender had come right out and told him this. The question of who'd succeed Bender when he left had been on Arnold's mind, probably more than he'd have admitted.

Arnold had worked for the State for 20 years. His college record was unspectacular. After graduation, he'd had two or three selling jobs, none of which he'd liked. Then he'd gotten a job with the State and had advanced slowly but steadily. His ambitions were modest and he'd have been happy to stay in his job as section chief, staying clear of the politics which were inevitable with being a branch head.

But he'd gotten married at about the same time he'd gotten the State job and now had two girls, one a junior in college and the other a senior in high school. Although his wife worked part-time, with their girls' expenses they pretty much lived from paycheck to paycheck. The older girl was talking about going to medical school. The pay of a branch head was considerably higher than that of a section chief, and he could really use the extra money.

"I suppose I should say thanks. So what's the problem?"

"If you keep on trying to back up Rozier, Mitchell and Washington are not going to look favorably on your becoming a branch chief."

"Mitchell? He's just a little punk on the personnel board."

Bender sighed elaborately. "Oh, Arnold, I try to teach you and you still have so much to learn. Mitchell is a political appointee, and in the next few years he'll be a deputy director, maybe in our department. And Washington is in a powerful position. The Director is very sensitive to affirmative action. Besides, he admires Washington because he used to play football."

"Yeah, I know. I've had a couple of go-arounds with Washington. That was when we were trying to get rid of one of our clerks. She was completely incompetent but she happened to be black. We eventually got her transferred to another section."

"All the more reason not to further antagonize Washington now."

"I'm just trying to do my best for one of my staff. What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong is that Rozier is a troublemaker and by backing him you get the label of being a troublemaker pinned on you. He's a losing proposition, Arnold. Give him up."

"But Rozier's probably the best statistician in the department. He deserves to get a promotion."

"Does that really matter? And think, what if he should be promoted. Can he supervise others? Can he get along with other managers? Can he deal with the politicians?"

"Maybe he can. Hell, the guy's been trying to get a promotion for 15 years. No wonder he's pissed off at the world. Maybe if he finally did get promoted, he'd change."

"You don't really believe that," said Bender.

"I don't know."

"Well, think about what I said." Bender put a napkin delicately to his lips and wiped off the remains of his eggs. He stood up. "It's time we started the interviews."


The interviewing went more quickly the second day and they were only half an hour behind when Rozier was called in. Washington immediately asked him to clarify his views on the State's affirmative action program. Arnold knew what the politically correct answer was, that the State owed it to its citizens to seek out and hire more minorities so as to have a properly representative work force. Instead, Rozier answered, "You mean reverse discrimination?"

Arnold felt like strangling Rozier at that moment. Despite his conflicts with Washington, he felt that the black lawyer tried to be fair. But throwing the phrase "reverse discrimination" at him wasn't going to get his vote for a promotion.

Washington's mouth had become a straight line and his face took on a menacing look, probably the same look it had, thought Arnold, before a big football game. "Exactly how do you define that, Mr. Rozier?" Washington asked.

"I mean that hiring, and promoting minorities and women over white males is just as much discrimination as giving preference to white males."

"So you would abandon affirmative action?"

"I'd try to hire and promote people based on their qualifications for the job."

"I see," said Washington. He glanced at Mitchell, then said, "Thank you for your opinion."

Mitchell said, "Now, Mr. Rozier, let's suppose you're head of a section and have two employees who can't seem to work together. How would you handle that?"

Arnold was surprised that Washington had dropped the affirmative action issue so quickly. He wondered if Washington had already decided to disqualify Rozier and felt that further questions were not needed.

Rozier's answer to the question of how to handle two conflicting employees also wasn't quite the politically approved one. Instead of saying that he'd hear them both out and then persuade them to modify their views so that the section could present a consensus, he said he'd tell them to shape up or he'd bang their heads together.

The next question, a standard one asked all applicants, was a technical one, about setting up a study to determine if the birth defects found in a certain city were accidental or might signal a statewide problem. This called for statistical reasoning and Rozier gave a clear and concise account of the information he'd collect in the most economical manner and how he'd analyze it to answer the question.

Finally, Rozier was asked to summarize the reasons why he thought he should be promoted. Rozier again pointed to the complexity of the work he'd done and its value to the department. If he were given wider responsibility, he said, he could do even more valuable work. He ended by saying that he hadn't meant to imply yesterday that the state's promotion system was unfair, just that after all the time he'd served at his present level he believed he was overdue for moving up to the next level.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Rozier," said Mitchell. "And thank you for being so good as to come here a second time." As soon as Rozier was out of the room, Mitchell said, "I take it we all agree he's an unsuitable candidate."

Washington said, "His views on affirmative action are certainly unacceptable."

Bender looked at Arnold and said, "He's in your section. What do you think?"

Arnold said slowly, "Well, he's an unusual person. You can see that just by looking at him. And he has his drawbacks. But look at some of the other candidates we've passed. They haven't been with the State half the time Rozier has. And they don't have one-tenth of his job skills."

Mitchell said, "Oh, come on. You know it's not a question of his job skills. He just isn't fit to be a State manager. Just look at him. Do you think somebody like that should be representing the State at, say, some public meeting or professional conference?"

I'd rather have him representing the State than somebody like you, thought Arnold. "Since when is it a crime to be fat? What does affirmative action say about that?"

"It's not something to joke about," said Washington. "No, I agree, he's not qualified."

Mitchell looked at Arnold. "We'd like it to be unanimous," he said. "You know it always looks bad when everyone on a panel turns down a candidate except one member. Not to mention that it opens us up to an appeal."

Arnold said, "I can't see disqualifying Rozier. He doesn't deserve that."

Washington said, "I don't think you're acting in the best interests of the department."

Bender cleared his throat to draw everyone's attention. "I can't help but agree that, despite his, er, technical competence, we have an unsuitable candidate here. But I wonder if we can in all good conscience disqualify him. I suggest we give him a passing score, but the lowest one possible. That would make it very unlikely that he'd ever actually get a promotion."

"But what if another program is created and more managers are needed," objected Mitchell. "It's conceivable that even if he's at the bottom of the list he'd still be eligible."

"Conceivable, possibly, but I assure you, with our present budget situation, not very likely. Now, it's getting late. What is the panel's pleasure?"

"I'd hate to see Rozier become a manager," said Washington, "but I think l can live with that."

Mitchell said, "If it was up to me, I wouldn't even want that guy on a list, but, okay, if you two want it that way I'll go along with you. What about you, Arnold?"

Arnold put his fingers together, a mannerism he realized he'd picked up from Bender. "I think it's a dirty trick," he said. "But I guess it's the best Rozier can get, so I'll go along, too."

"Good," said Bender. "Well, that should conclude our business for the day." He gathered up his papers and quickly left the room, as if to make sure that nothing else came up. The others rose to their feet. Mitchell came over to Arnold. "You know," he said, "if you were smart you wouldn't get yourself mixed up with a guy like Rozier. He's a troublemaker and a malcontent, just the kind of employee we don't need."

"Thanks for the advice," said Arnold.

"Just a word to the wise. Anyway, I'm glad you came over to our side in the end."

Arnold knew he should just keep his mouth shut and leave. "Mitchell," he said, "I'll never be on your side."

"Oh, then maybe your chances of promotion are just the same as Rozier's."

Don't say anything more, Arnold told himself. Just take your stuff and get out of here. Go home. He'd like to tell Mitchell to go screw himself. Instead, he said, "We'll see about that." He knew it was a weak response.

Mitchell smiled and was about to say something when Washington came up to them. "I think it's time we called it a day," he said, inserting his large body between the two men.

Mitchell shrugged. "Sure. Give me a call, Cornell, and we'll have lunch."

"I'll see what my schedule is," said Washington. Then, putting an arm around Arnold's shoulders and pushing him toward the door, he said, "Come on, you've had a rough day. I'll buy you a drink."

Going down in the elevator, Arnold said, "Thanks for getting me out of there. But how come?"

"Simple. I don't want to see Geraldine Dunlap made a branch chief any more than Bender does. She’d just cause me more problems."

The elevator reached the ground floor. They went out into the street. After being in that stuffy little room all day, Arnold felt it was like getting back into the real world.

"Do you want that drink?" asked Washington.

"Thanks, but I'll take a rain check. Do you really think Mitchell has that much clout?"

"Let's just say you don't go out of your way to bump heads with a governor's appointee. There are other ways to get around them. Even an old football player like me has learned that."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Arnold. But he still felt he'd let down Rozier. He also felt that in a way he'd let down himself. He said good night to Washington and ran to catch the bus that would take him away from the complex of State buildings and back home.

The End