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jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g8ztrrn
g9051wv
1,602,850,423
1,602,857,541
4
14
Learn to say “no”.
Not one of those is even close to being an "administrative task"
0
7,118
3.5
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g90307l
g9051wv
1,602,856,383
1,602,857,541
3
14
There will be much more admin as a tenure track faculty, unfortunately.
Not one of those is even close to being an "administrative task"
0
1,158
4.666667
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g8zxfe3
g8zzig4
1,602,852,966
1,602,854,290
4
6
I have 3 RA jobs and one teaching assistant job. Sometimes, 60%of my time in a week is just meetings, with 25% being time taken up by emails. I would say I work fulltime and do my PhD work on the side. Meetings are exhausting and draining but my jobs pay well enough. If you don't have any RAs or TAs, I'm not sure what forms you're filling out. I only have to complete one annual form related to my PhD work. Edit: just noticed your STEM flare. We probably havent different experiences, I'm in humanities
Welcome to academia. This is what all of your faculty are doing, in a larger scale.
0
1,324
1.5
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g8zyr6k
g8zzig4
1,602,853,815
1,602,854,290
5
6
This sounds pretty normal, and this is even more prevalent when you become an academic or move into industry.
Welcome to academia. This is what all of your faculty are doing, in a larger scale.
0
475
1.2
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g8zzig4
g8ztrrn
1,602,854,290
1,602,850,423
6
4
Welcome to academia. This is what all of your faculty are doing, in a larger scale.
Learn to say “no”.
1
3,867
1.5
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g9021pl
g8zxfe3
1,602,855,822
1,602,852,966
5
4
It is great that youbare thinking about time management. Im a new PI and time management is basically half of what determines our success. I would echo what people are sayingng about meetings--stitch in time saves nine and all, meetings are important. Id would consider making meetings even more important to your bench science--can you make schemes for your talks that will eventually be yohr papers graphical abstract? As you prepare for meetings can you make pub quality figures/organize your data for writing papers will be easy... can you refine your background slides e rytime to point they are pro level anx ready to use for defense? Can you use deadline of meeting to force yoursel e to reD and highlight one new key paper for literature (and write 3 line blueb with ref so your thesis and paper intro writing woll be breeze etc...
I have 3 RA jobs and one teaching assistant job. Sometimes, 60%of my time in a week is just meetings, with 25% being time taken up by emails. I would say I work fulltime and do my PhD work on the side. Meetings are exhausting and draining but my jobs pay well enough. If you don't have any RAs or TAs, I'm not sure what forms you're filling out. I only have to complete one annual form related to my PhD work. Edit: just noticed your STEM flare. We probably havent different experiences, I'm in humanities
1
2,856
1.25
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g9021pl
g8ztrrn
1,602,855,822
1,602,850,423
5
4
It is great that youbare thinking about time management. Im a new PI and time management is basically half of what determines our success. I would echo what people are sayingng about meetings--stitch in time saves nine and all, meetings are important. Id would consider making meetings even more important to your bench science--can you make schemes for your talks that will eventually be yohr papers graphical abstract? As you prepare for meetings can you make pub quality figures/organize your data for writing papers will be easy... can you refine your background slides e rytime to point they are pro level anx ready to use for defense? Can you use deadline of meeting to force yoursel e to reD and highlight one new key paper for literature (and write 3 line blueb with ref so your thesis and paper intro writing woll be breeze etc...
Learn to say “no”.
1
5,399
1.25
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g8zxfe3
g8zyr6k
1,602,852,966
1,602,853,815
4
5
I have 3 RA jobs and one teaching assistant job. Sometimes, 60%of my time in a week is just meetings, with 25% being time taken up by emails. I would say I work fulltime and do my PhD work on the side. Meetings are exhausting and draining but my jobs pay well enough. If you don't have any RAs or TAs, I'm not sure what forms you're filling out. I only have to complete one annual form related to my PhD work. Edit: just noticed your STEM flare. We probably havent different experiences, I'm in humanities
This sounds pretty normal, and this is even more prevalent when you become an academic or move into industry.
0
849
1.25
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g90u8kb
g8zxfe3
1,602,870,329
1,602,852,966
5
4
I agree with the top comment that there's sort of a gradient of admin tasks to research tasks. Minute per minute though, definitely over a quarter of my time lately has been spent on what you count as administrative items. Maybe up to half the time, if you include all the work I do to coordinate the resources I need to collect and analyze data. I actually enjoy the admin tasks more than the research haha, at least admin tasks don't come back underpowered and insignificant :(
I have 3 RA jobs and one teaching assistant job. Sometimes, 60%of my time in a week is just meetings, with 25% being time taken up by emails. I would say I work fulltime and do my PhD work on the side. Meetings are exhausting and draining but my jobs pay well enough. If you don't have any RAs or TAs, I'm not sure what forms you're filling out. I only have to complete one annual form related to my PhD work. Edit: just noticed your STEM flare. We probably havent different experiences, I'm in humanities
1
17,363
1.25
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g8ztrrn
g8zyr6k
1,602,850,423
1,602,853,815
4
5
Learn to say “no”.
This sounds pretty normal, and this is even more prevalent when you become an academic or move into industry.
0
3,392
1.25
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g90u8kb
g8ztrrn
1,602,870,329
1,602,850,423
5
4
I agree with the top comment that there's sort of a gradient of admin tasks to research tasks. Minute per minute though, definitely over a quarter of my time lately has been spent on what you count as administrative items. Maybe up to half the time, if you include all the work I do to coordinate the resources I need to collect and analyze data. I actually enjoy the admin tasks more than the research haha, at least admin tasks don't come back underpowered and insignificant :(
Learn to say “no”.
1
19,906
1.25
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g90u8kb
g90307l
1,602,870,329
1,602,856,383
5
3
I agree with the top comment that there's sort of a gradient of admin tasks to research tasks. Minute per minute though, definitely over a quarter of my time lately has been spent on what you count as administrative items. Maybe up to half the time, if you include all the work I do to coordinate the resources I need to collect and analyze data. I actually enjoy the admin tasks more than the research haha, at least admin tasks don't come back underpowered and insignificant :(
There will be much more admin as a tenure track faculty, unfortunately.
1
13,946
1.666667
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g925efv
g90v9ss
1,602,895,619
1,602,870,846
3
2
I also keep track of my time, and here are my percentages for this year, in decreasing order. ​ * Well-defined research projects other than dissertation: 29% (yes, yes, I know. This needs to be lower next year. But this time has resulted in great collaborations and in publications.) * Preliminary research & seminar attendance: 21% (thinking/learning about things that may not be useful) * Dissertation: 18% * Service: 13% (organizing, reviewing, mentoring, etc) * Teaching: 11% (paid to do it) * Travel, presentation prep, networking: 6% * Pointless administration: 2% (still, thats about 25 hours) I think that this way of categorizing time helps to get a better idea of what's being accomplished when I send emails or prepare for meetings.
Yes. Totally normal. I hate having to jump back and forth between administrative tasks, meetings, and heads-down focused research. I have classes Tuesday / Thursday, so this quarter I worked to make all of my meetings fall on those days. I count those as my meeting days, where the only things that get done are meetings, administrative stuff, and email. M/W/F are reserved for focused research, reading, coding, and writing. That means that 40% of my week is dedicated to all the things that are not actually research that I’m still required to do.
1
24,773
1.5
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g90yyaq
g925efv
1,602,872,694
1,602,895,619
2
3
That's high, but I also don't consider meetings or meeting prep admin because that's part of my research and important feedback about what direction to take or exposure to other ideas (for when I'm listening to someone present or journal club style meetings). I also had to learn to not spend much time drafting perfect emails because that can eat up hours and hours and profs/grad students do not care.
I also keep track of my time, and here are my percentages for this year, in decreasing order. ​ * Well-defined research projects other than dissertation: 29% (yes, yes, I know. This needs to be lower next year. But this time has resulted in great collaborations and in publications.) * Preliminary research & seminar attendance: 21% (thinking/learning about things that may not be useful) * Dissertation: 18% * Service: 13% (organizing, reviewing, mentoring, etc) * Teaching: 11% (paid to do it) * Travel, presentation prep, networking: 6% * Pointless administration: 2% (still, thats about 25 hours) I think that this way of categorizing time helps to get a better idea of what's being accomplished when I send emails or prepare for meetings.
0
22,925
1.5
jc7vv5
askacademia_train
0.96
PhD students, how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks? It's mentally exhausting. I keep track of my time, and I can see that over the past year and a half, 26% of my time was spent between meetings, preparing for meetings, filling out university and committee forms, and reading and writing emails. Is this normal? This is not including the time I spend preparing for classes and teaching either, so there are some weeks where I feel like I haven't actually worked on anything. That's not to say that meetings are not productive - they're often necessary. I've just realized how long it takes to prepare for them, and of course that's something I need to work on. I'm just curious if people have more or less administrative stuff to do and whether it also feels like an added mental drain or whether it feels like something that is more integrated with your research as a whole.
g925efv
g91hkyu
1,602,895,619
1,602,881,746
3
2
I also keep track of my time, and here are my percentages for this year, in decreasing order. ​ * Well-defined research projects other than dissertation: 29% (yes, yes, I know. This needs to be lower next year. But this time has resulted in great collaborations and in publications.) * Preliminary research & seminar attendance: 21% (thinking/learning about things that may not be useful) * Dissertation: 18% * Service: 13% (organizing, reviewing, mentoring, etc) * Teaching: 11% (paid to do it) * Travel, presentation prep, networking: 6% * Pointless administration: 2% (still, thats about 25 hours) I think that this way of categorizing time helps to get a better idea of what's being accomplished when I send emails or prepare for meetings.
Not that much time as a grad student, but probably 75%+ of my time as a faculty member. There is about 25% of my time left to be a scientist. Lol.
1
13,873
1.5
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftjust
fftrlnd
1,580,222,444
1,580,227,682
139
242
Some minor drama happened when a PI started talking AND answering questions about the research (!) during his student’s dissertation defense. PI’s are expressly not supposed to even talk during their student’s defense. Everyone was abuzz after that, but this PI has also been known to do weird things in general so I think everyone ended up shrugging their shoulders. Yes, he’s tenured.
There are rumors that the head of my program is leaving. The starter of those rumors? The head of my program.
0
5,238
1.741007
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftrlnd
fftp5ig
1,580,227,682
1,580,226,619
242
93
There are rumors that the head of my program is leaving. The starter of those rumors? The head of my program.
Department chair who wants to remove all MA, MFA people from full-time NTT (not adjuncts to clarify) positions who teach lower division courses and replace them with newly minted PhDs for the same low wages, therefore diluting the actual value and work of a PhD. Oh, and the PhDs who take such positions will never have the opportunity to advance to a TT position. Ethics at it’s finest. 😒
1
1,063
2.602151
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftr9yz
fftrlnd
1,580,227,554
1,580,227,682
88
242
Our Department was officially shut down! Reduced to a MA only Program and faculty dispersed throughout other departments. Embarrassing. Largely a product of an ultra conservative "run the University like a business" President, but also certainly due to a Department that was mired in political divisions and poor job placement after graduation.
There are rumors that the head of my program is leaving. The starter of those rumors? The head of my program.
0
128
2.75
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftrlnd
fftrj57
1,580,227,682
1,580,227,655
242
63
There are rumors that the head of my program is leaving. The starter of those rumors? The head of my program.
PI has a chronic illness that incapacitates them for 4-6 weeks every 6-12 months. Totally at random, no warning at all. Same PI insists on supervising all their grad students in the lab, and forbids them from even going in when PI is off sick, unless they are in constant text based contact while in there. Slows everyone's research to a grinding halt, then it takes another couple of weeks to get caught up when PI comes back. PI is not open to suggestions that there may be a better way to manage this, ie let students have a bit more autonomy, maybe stop committing to every single project that crops up, have some trusted people in the lab who can take over temporarily...
1
27
3.84127
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftiite
fftrlnd
1,580,221,457
1,580,227,682
39
242
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
There are rumors that the head of my program is leaving. The starter of those rumors? The head of my program.
0
6,225
6.205128
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftqcff
fftrlnd
1,580,227,194
1,580,227,682
37
242
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
There are rumors that the head of my program is leaving. The starter of those rumors? The head of my program.
0
488
6.540541
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftrto4
fftjust
1,580,227,769
1,580,222,444
216
139
We have two pregnancies, both due in May, and are planning concurrent/separate baby showers.
Some minor drama happened when a PI started talking AND answering questions about the research (!) during his student’s dissertation defense. PI’s are expressly not supposed to even talk during their student’s defense. Everyone was abuzz after that, but this PI has also been known to do weird things in general so I think everyone ended up shrugging their shoulders. Yes, he’s tenured.
1
5,325
1.553957
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftp5ig
fftrto4
1,580,226,619
1,580,227,769
93
216
Department chair who wants to remove all MA, MFA people from full-time NTT (not adjuncts to clarify) positions who teach lower division courses and replace them with newly minted PhDs for the same low wages, therefore diluting the actual value and work of a PhD. Oh, and the PhDs who take such positions will never have the opportunity to advance to a TT position. Ethics at it’s finest. 😒
We have two pregnancies, both due in May, and are planning concurrent/separate baby showers.
0
1,150
2.322581
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftr9yz
fftrto4
1,580,227,554
1,580,227,769
88
216
Our Department was officially shut down! Reduced to a MA only Program and faculty dispersed throughout other departments. Embarrassing. Largely a product of an ultra conservative "run the University like a business" President, but also certainly due to a Department that was mired in political divisions and poor job placement after graduation.
We have two pregnancies, both due in May, and are planning concurrent/separate baby showers.
0
215
2.454545
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftrj57
fftrto4
1,580,227,655
1,580,227,769
63
216
PI has a chronic illness that incapacitates them for 4-6 weeks every 6-12 months. Totally at random, no warning at all. Same PI insists on supervising all their grad students in the lab, and forbids them from even going in when PI is off sick, unless they are in constant text based contact while in there. Slows everyone's research to a grinding halt, then it takes another couple of weeks to get caught up when PI comes back. PI is not open to suggestions that there may be a better way to manage this, ie let students have a bit more autonomy, maybe stop committing to every single project that crops up, have some trusted people in the lab who can take over temporarily...
We have two pregnancies, both due in May, and are planning concurrent/separate baby showers.
0
114
3.428571
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftrto4
fftiite
1,580,227,769
1,580,221,457
216
39
We have two pregnancies, both due in May, and are planning concurrent/separate baby showers.
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
1
6,312
5.538462
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftqcff
fftrto4
1,580,227,194
1,580,227,769
37
216
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
We have two pregnancies, both due in May, and are planning concurrent/separate baby showers.
0
575
5.837838
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftiite
fftjust
1,580,221,457
1,580,222,444
39
139
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
Some minor drama happened when a PI started talking AND answering questions about the research (!) during his student’s dissertation defense. PI’s are expressly not supposed to even talk during their student’s defense. Everyone was abuzz after that, but this PI has also been known to do weird things in general so I think everyone ended up shrugging their shoulders. Yes, he’s tenured.
0
987
3.564103
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftt3n1
fftp5ig
1,580,228,273
1,580,226,619
110
93
Bigger drama here. I'm in a smaller faculty, so we don't have a department chair only a dean (we'll call them Dean X). Dean X's current term is almost up and they are at the maximum number of terms that my school usually allows. Dean X has a couple of minions who have been campaigning to faculty members for another term and two of them even went to the provost. Little does Dean X know...there's an internal candidate gunning for the job that is backed by basically every single female faculty member and a few of the junior male faculty who are sick of the Dean's favoritism of a few people.
Department chair who wants to remove all MA, MFA people from full-time NTT (not adjuncts to clarify) positions who teach lower division courses and replace them with newly minted PhDs for the same low wages, therefore diluting the actual value and work of a PhD. Oh, and the PhDs who take such positions will never have the opportunity to advance to a TT position. Ethics at it’s finest. 😒
1
1,654
1.182796
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftr9yz
fftt3n1
1,580,227,554
1,580,228,273
88
110
Our Department was officially shut down! Reduced to a MA only Program and faculty dispersed throughout other departments. Embarrassing. Largely a product of an ultra conservative "run the University like a business" President, but also certainly due to a Department that was mired in political divisions and poor job placement after graduation.
Bigger drama here. I'm in a smaller faculty, so we don't have a department chair only a dean (we'll call them Dean X). Dean X's current term is almost up and they are at the maximum number of terms that my school usually allows. Dean X has a couple of minions who have been campaigning to faculty members for another term and two of them even went to the provost. Little does Dean X know...there's an internal candidate gunning for the job that is backed by basically every single female faculty member and a few of the junior male faculty who are sick of the Dean's favoritism of a few people.
0
719
1.25
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftruwy
fftt3n1
1,580,227,783
1,580,228,273
79
110
Interesting question. I study in JMI, New Delhi, its minority status university in India. A month ago police entered the library and lathi-charged on students. Students were protesting against an act passed by parliament which discriminates on the basis of religion. Exams where suspended for more than a month. The cases has been filed against the police and the protest still boils hot. I hope that's not too much.
Bigger drama here. I'm in a smaller faculty, so we don't have a department chair only a dean (we'll call them Dean X). Dean X's current term is almost up and they are at the maximum number of terms that my school usually allows. Dean X has a couple of minions who have been campaigning to faculty members for another term and two of them even went to the provost. Little does Dean X know...there's an internal candidate gunning for the job that is backed by basically every single female faculty member and a few of the junior male faculty who are sick of the Dean's favoritism of a few people.
0
490
1.392405
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftt3n1
fftrj57
1,580,228,273
1,580,227,655
110
63
Bigger drama here. I'm in a smaller faculty, so we don't have a department chair only a dean (we'll call them Dean X). Dean X's current term is almost up and they are at the maximum number of terms that my school usually allows. Dean X has a couple of minions who have been campaigning to faculty members for another term and two of them even went to the provost. Little does Dean X know...there's an internal candidate gunning for the job that is backed by basically every single female faculty member and a few of the junior male faculty who are sick of the Dean's favoritism of a few people.
PI has a chronic illness that incapacitates them for 4-6 weeks every 6-12 months. Totally at random, no warning at all. Same PI insists on supervising all their grad students in the lab, and forbids them from even going in when PI is off sick, unless they are in constant text based contact while in there. Slows everyone's research to a grinding halt, then it takes another couple of weeks to get caught up when PI comes back. PI is not open to suggestions that there may be a better way to manage this, ie let students have a bit more autonomy, maybe stop committing to every single project that crops up, have some trusted people in the lab who can take over temporarily...
1
618
1.746032
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftiite
fftt3n1
1,580,221,457
1,580,228,273
39
110
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
Bigger drama here. I'm in a smaller faculty, so we don't have a department chair only a dean (we'll call them Dean X). Dean X's current term is almost up and they are at the maximum number of terms that my school usually allows. Dean X has a couple of minions who have been campaigning to faculty members for another term and two of them even went to the provost. Little does Dean X know...there's an internal candidate gunning for the job that is backed by basically every single female faculty member and a few of the junior male faculty who are sick of the Dean's favoritism of a few people.
0
6,816
2.820513
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftt3n1
fftqcff
1,580,228,273
1,580,227,194
110
37
Bigger drama here. I'm in a smaller faculty, so we don't have a department chair only a dean (we'll call them Dean X). Dean X's current term is almost up and they are at the maximum number of terms that my school usually allows. Dean X has a couple of minions who have been campaigning to faculty members for another term and two of them even went to the provost. Little does Dean X know...there's an internal candidate gunning for the job that is backed by basically every single female faculty member and a few of the junior male faculty who are sick of the Dean's favoritism of a few people.
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
1
1,079
2.972973
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftiite
fftp5ig
1,580,221,457
1,580,226,619
39
93
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
Department chair who wants to remove all MA, MFA people from full-time NTT (not adjuncts to clarify) positions who teach lower division courses and replace them with newly minted PhDs for the same low wages, therefore diluting the actual value and work of a PhD. Oh, and the PhDs who take such positions will never have the opportunity to advance to a TT position. Ethics at it’s finest. 😒
0
5,162
2.384615
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffupq5t
fftr9yz
1,580,246,946
1,580,227,554
89
88
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
Our Department was officially shut down! Reduced to a MA only Program and faculty dispersed throughout other departments. Embarrassing. Largely a product of an ultra conservative "run the University like a business" President, but also certainly due to a Department that was mired in political divisions and poor job placement after graduation.
1
19,392
1.011364
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftr9yz
fftiite
1,580,227,554
1,580,221,457
88
39
Our Department was officially shut down! Reduced to a MA only Program and faculty dispersed throughout other departments. Embarrassing. Largely a product of an ultra conservative "run the University like a business" President, but also certainly due to a Department that was mired in political divisions and poor job placement after graduation.
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
1
6,097
2.25641
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftr9yz
fftqcff
1,580,227,554
1,580,227,194
88
37
Our Department was officially shut down! Reduced to a MA only Program and faculty dispersed throughout other departments. Embarrassing. Largely a product of an ultra conservative "run the University like a business" President, but also certainly due to a Department that was mired in political divisions and poor job placement after graduation.
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
1
360
2.378378
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffupq5t
fftruwy
1,580,246,946
1,580,227,783
89
79
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
Interesting question. I study in JMI, New Delhi, its minority status university in India. A month ago police entered the library and lathi-charged on students. Students were protesting against an act passed by parliament which discriminates on the basis of religion. Exams where suspended for more than a month. The cases has been filed against the police and the protest still boils hot. I hope that's not too much.
1
19,163
1.126582
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu07u9
ffupq5t
1,580,231,634
1,580,246,946
64
89
Old chair finally stepped down last semester and a new chair got appointed. All but one faculty approved of the choice. The one faculty member opposing the appointment had been at the school for a decade longer than the new chair and apparently believes they stripped him of his honor because the chair is a woman (despite him also being a minority in our field). To get back at her, he took a position at a different local university over the winter holidays without informing anyone, hoping to make her scramble to find an instructor for the mandatory introductory master's level course he was supposed to be teaching in the spring. The one person he eventually told was his TA for the course (with whom he had a meeting scheduled the day of informing), who immediately reached out to the chair, giving the chair a week to find a new professor to teach the course before he turned in his immediate notice the day before the semester started. Oh, and he isn't responding to questions about course material or anything else he left behind. It's been his course for many years. It's terrible.
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
0
15,312
1.390625
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffupq5t
fftrj57
1,580,246,946
1,580,227,655
89
63
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
PI has a chronic illness that incapacitates them for 4-6 weeks every 6-12 months. Totally at random, no warning at all. Same PI insists on supervising all their grad students in the lab, and forbids them from even going in when PI is off sick, unless they are in constant text based contact while in there. Slows everyone's research to a grinding halt, then it takes another couple of weeks to get caught up when PI comes back. PI is not open to suggestions that there may be a better way to manage this, ie let students have a bit more autonomy, maybe stop committing to every single project that crops up, have some trusted people in the lab who can take over temporarily...
1
19,291
1.412698
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffupq5t
ffty8tv
1,580,246,946
1,580,230,410
89
54
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
Former grad student was given a masters degree despite not finishing their comprehensive exam in its entirety. Department had to completely change the comprehensive exam after the fact because a *lot* of grads found out and were pissed.
1
16,536
1.648148
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu2zwt
ffupq5t
1,580,233,390
1,580,246,946
56
89
Well, not my department, but a neighboring one just had the head arrested by the feds for lying about his connections to the Chinese government. Meanwhile, my entire department (and a bunch of others) are moving to a new building in the summer, so that's utter chaos. Also, my advisor is so sick of the university's bullshit that she's trying to leave. Which means I'm on a clock to defend before that happens.
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
0
13,556
1.589286
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffucsr5
ffupq5t
1,580,239,256
1,580,246,946
52
89
A year ago we had a professor take a shit in the stairwell as he was getting fired for harassing students and LGBQT members of the community. Crazy thing is there was a grad student who was caught choking people and making death threats so for a while we didn't know which one of the psychos did the deed. Thankfully they are both gone now.
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
0
7,690
1.711538
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffupq5t
ffu0kui
1,580,246,946
1,580,231,888
89
47
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
New Provost shows up and wants to change how we do tenure and promotion and wants departments to create clear criteria for tenure (most think that is good). Makes it very clear departments know their discipline best and they should set the standards. We spend a semester working on them, voting, etc. The Dean says he will not support what we proposed and the Provost called a last minute special meeting to basically say the same thing. The Dean says he will not support lowering standards. The problem is, the entire tenure process is changing. Before, we rated candidates, and the informal guidance was around excellence (get X number of publications to get a top rating). Now, we are changing to an up/down system, so we are now defining the floor (you must get at least X number of pubs). But the Dean is still stuck on the old guidelines saying anything less is lower standards. So we showed them guidelines from peer institutions to show our recommendations are in line. They didn't care. We argued the institution does not support faculty research. Their response, if there is something we need for research, then we should ask, after all, if we have higher standards for research, the administration should give us more resources (little cart before the horse). We pointed out that we just came off of a 4 year budget crisis and the first thing that was cut was the university internal grant program, the second was faculty conference travel, and the third was any and all course releases. Plus 4 years without raises means people have been teaching more summer classes to make up for lost income so that has hurt research productivity. If we vote in these higher standards, then they are in our bylaws and they don't change next time the administration wants to raid the grant program. Neither the Dean or Provost will say exactly what they want, just that they cannot support our recommendation. What they are clearly doing is trying to frustrate us to have us just guess at what they want with a higher number, therefore it would be on the faculty, not the administrators (don't complain, it was your idea). Whispers of a no-confidence vote for our dean have started.
1
15,058
1.893617
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffupq5t
fftiite
1,580,246,946
1,580,221,457
89
39
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
1
25,489
2.282051
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftqcff
ffupq5t
1,580,227,194
1,580,246,946
37
89
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
0
19,752
2.405405
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu0j0w
ffupq5t
1,580,231,853
1,580,246,946
27
89
This started when I was in grad school and is ongoing. The Chair of a very rigorous and popular program stopped renewing the contracts of NTT and started offering them to his friends, who would teach \*for free.\* I TA'd for one of them. He was a disaster. He had taken the very class he was "teaching" and had received a C. He didn't offer office hours because he worked for free and didn't feel like it was fair to ask him to come in an extra two hours a week to do so, especially since he had to pay for parking.
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
0
15,093
3.296296
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffulvqu
ffupq5t
1,580,244,715
1,580,246,946
27
89
I am responsible for performance reviews in our department. Our Dean decided to add another form which rates each person on teaching, research and service with one number out of 3 for each based on very simple criteria, not taking into account proportions of the above, seniority etc. I disagreed with design of ratings but was overruled and went ahead and rated everyone while doing their other university-sanctioned performance reviews. Turned them in and was told I had to remove any "excellent" ratings as "It won't motivate them to do better". So now I am in the position of handing back forms that tell my staff that someone who comes in really early, puts in huge amounts of extra time and creates 150+ small videos to help students understand concepts (and gets great student satisfaction) gets an "acceptable - just doing your job" and so does someone else who turns up and delivers the same old material for the last 10 years and does nothing to keep current. I anticipate resignations, very unhappy people and a drop in overall performance. Shit is going to hit the fan.
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
0
2,231
3.296296
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffttdai
ffupq5t
1,580,228,377
1,580,246,946
19
89
It is pretty quiet in my cray-cray department right now. Hmmm, it’s almost disturbing how quiet it is. I’m sure something is brewing though.
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
0
18,569
4.684211
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftwt6f
ffupq5t
1,580,229,827
1,580,246,946
19
89
The director of my department was hired on after 4 people complained to the hire ups about her emotional and psychological abuse. I had to take 2 weeks off before the winter break just to gain my sanity back. I have been here a year, and through her interim director position and on the hiring committee for her position and there is nothing I could do to spare us from her getting the FT position. Now, others have quit; one is waiting for retirement; and I am trying to find another department to transfer to. The only problem I have with our system is, I can't bring up the issues to anyone else, or say anything to any outside departments or I would look like the "pot stirrer" or the "troublemaker". Her fake politeness is overly sappy, and I am sure she's ruining my transfer opportunities, because while I have a great work ethic, "It's my personality she doesn't like".
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
0
17,119
4.684211
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffupq5t
ffunnxh
1,580,246,946
1,580,245,774
89
18
I see your petty stories and I raise it: two lecturers are sharing an office, X loves it extra warm and stole a third (3) heater from another office, Y loves it much colder and ratted on X to the building manager regarding where that heater came from. The admin person who lost their heater is also super annoyed and thats all they talk about.
The phd student on long-term sick leave, and supposedly too weak for months to come to the lab, posted photos on insta of herself getting drunk during a night out.
1
1,172
4.944444
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftruwy
fftrj57
1,580,227,783
1,580,227,655
79
63
Interesting question. I study in JMI, New Delhi, its minority status university in India. A month ago police entered the library and lathi-charged on students. Students were protesting against an act passed by parliament which discriminates on the basis of religion. Exams where suspended for more than a month. The cases has been filed against the police and the protest still boils hot. I hope that's not too much.
PI has a chronic illness that incapacitates them for 4-6 weeks every 6-12 months. Totally at random, no warning at all. Same PI insists on supervising all their grad students in the lab, and forbids them from even going in when PI is off sick, unless they are in constant text based contact while in there. Slows everyone's research to a grinding halt, then it takes another couple of weeks to get caught up when PI comes back. PI is not open to suggestions that there may be a better way to manage this, ie let students have a bit more autonomy, maybe stop committing to every single project that crops up, have some trusted people in the lab who can take over temporarily...
1
128
1.253968
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftiite
fftruwy
1,580,221,457
1,580,227,783
39
79
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
Interesting question. I study in JMI, New Delhi, its minority status university in India. A month ago police entered the library and lathi-charged on students. Students were protesting against an act passed by parliament which discriminates on the basis of religion. Exams where suspended for more than a month. The cases has been filed against the police and the protest still boils hot. I hope that's not too much.
0
6,326
2.025641
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftqcff
fftruwy
1,580,227,194
1,580,227,783
37
79
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
Interesting question. I study in JMI, New Delhi, its minority status university in India. A month ago police entered the library and lathi-charged on students. Students were protesting against an act passed by parliament which discriminates on the basis of religion. Exams where suspended for more than a month. The cases has been filed against the police and the protest still boils hot. I hope that's not too much.
0
589
2.135135
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu07u9
fftrj57
1,580,231,634
1,580,227,655
64
63
Old chair finally stepped down last semester and a new chair got appointed. All but one faculty approved of the choice. The one faculty member opposing the appointment had been at the school for a decade longer than the new chair and apparently believes they stripped him of his honor because the chair is a woman (despite him also being a minority in our field). To get back at her, he took a position at a different local university over the winter holidays without informing anyone, hoping to make her scramble to find an instructor for the mandatory introductory master's level course he was supposed to be teaching in the spring. The one person he eventually told was his TA for the course (with whom he had a meeting scheduled the day of informing), who immediately reached out to the chair, giving the chair a week to find a new professor to teach the course before he turned in his immediate notice the day before the semester started. Oh, and he isn't responding to questions about course material or anything else he left behind. It's been his course for many years. It's terrible.
PI has a chronic illness that incapacitates them for 4-6 weeks every 6-12 months. Totally at random, no warning at all. Same PI insists on supervising all their grad students in the lab, and forbids them from even going in when PI is off sick, unless they are in constant text based contact while in there. Slows everyone's research to a grinding halt, then it takes another couple of weeks to get caught up when PI comes back. PI is not open to suggestions that there may be a better way to manage this, ie let students have a bit more autonomy, maybe stop committing to every single project that crops up, have some trusted people in the lab who can take over temporarily...
1
3,979
1.015873
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffty8tv
ffu07u9
1,580,230,410
1,580,231,634
54
64
Former grad student was given a masters degree despite not finishing their comprehensive exam in its entirety. Department had to completely change the comprehensive exam after the fact because a *lot* of grads found out and were pissed.
Old chair finally stepped down last semester and a new chair got appointed. All but one faculty approved of the choice. The one faculty member opposing the appointment had been at the school for a decade longer than the new chair and apparently believes they stripped him of his honor because the chair is a woman (despite him also being a minority in our field). To get back at her, he took a position at a different local university over the winter holidays without informing anyone, hoping to make her scramble to find an instructor for the mandatory introductory master's level course he was supposed to be teaching in the spring. The one person he eventually told was his TA for the course (with whom he had a meeting scheduled the day of informing), who immediately reached out to the chair, giving the chair a week to find a new professor to teach the course before he turned in his immediate notice the day before the semester started. Oh, and he isn't responding to questions about course material or anything else he left behind. It's been his course for many years. It's terrible.
0
1,224
1.185185
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftiite
ffu07u9
1,580,221,457
1,580,231,634
39
64
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
Old chair finally stepped down last semester and a new chair got appointed. All but one faculty approved of the choice. The one faculty member opposing the appointment had been at the school for a decade longer than the new chair and apparently believes they stripped him of his honor because the chair is a woman (despite him also being a minority in our field). To get back at her, he took a position at a different local university over the winter holidays without informing anyone, hoping to make her scramble to find an instructor for the mandatory introductory master's level course he was supposed to be teaching in the spring. The one person he eventually told was his TA for the course (with whom he had a meeting scheduled the day of informing), who immediately reached out to the chair, giving the chair a week to find a new professor to teach the course before he turned in his immediate notice the day before the semester started. Oh, and he isn't responding to questions about course material or anything else he left behind. It's been his course for many years. It's terrible.
0
10,177
1.641026
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftqcff
ffu07u9
1,580,227,194
1,580,231,634
37
64
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
Old chair finally stepped down last semester and a new chair got appointed. All but one faculty approved of the choice. The one faculty member opposing the appointment had been at the school for a decade longer than the new chair and apparently believes they stripped him of his honor because the chair is a woman (despite him also being a minority in our field). To get back at her, he took a position at a different local university over the winter holidays without informing anyone, hoping to make her scramble to find an instructor for the mandatory introductory master's level course he was supposed to be teaching in the spring. The one person he eventually told was his TA for the course (with whom he had a meeting scheduled the day of informing), who immediately reached out to the chair, giving the chair a week to find a new professor to teach the course before he turned in his immediate notice the day before the semester started. Oh, and he isn't responding to questions about course material or anything else he left behind. It's been his course for many years. It's terrible.
0
4,440
1.72973
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu07u9
ffttdai
1,580,231,634
1,580,228,377
64
19
Old chair finally stepped down last semester and a new chair got appointed. All but one faculty approved of the choice. The one faculty member opposing the appointment had been at the school for a decade longer than the new chair and apparently believes they stripped him of his honor because the chair is a woman (despite him also being a minority in our field). To get back at her, he took a position at a different local university over the winter holidays without informing anyone, hoping to make her scramble to find an instructor for the mandatory introductory master's level course he was supposed to be teaching in the spring. The one person he eventually told was his TA for the course (with whom he had a meeting scheduled the day of informing), who immediately reached out to the chair, giving the chair a week to find a new professor to teach the course before he turned in his immediate notice the day before the semester started. Oh, and he isn't responding to questions about course material or anything else he left behind. It's been his course for many years. It's terrible.
It is pretty quiet in my cray-cray department right now. Hmmm, it’s almost disturbing how quiet it is. I’m sure something is brewing though.
1
3,257
3.368421
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftwt6f
ffu07u9
1,580,229,827
1,580,231,634
19
64
The director of my department was hired on after 4 people complained to the hire ups about her emotional and psychological abuse. I had to take 2 weeks off before the winter break just to gain my sanity back. I have been here a year, and through her interim director position and on the hiring committee for her position and there is nothing I could do to spare us from her getting the FT position. Now, others have quit; one is waiting for retirement; and I am trying to find another department to transfer to. The only problem I have with our system is, I can't bring up the issues to anyone else, or say anything to any outside departments or I would look like the "pot stirrer" or the "troublemaker". Her fake politeness is overly sappy, and I am sure she's ruining my transfer opportunities, because while I have a great work ethic, "It's my personality she doesn't like".
Old chair finally stepped down last semester and a new chair got appointed. All but one faculty approved of the choice. The one faculty member opposing the appointment had been at the school for a decade longer than the new chair and apparently believes they stripped him of his honor because the chair is a woman (despite him also being a minority in our field). To get back at her, he took a position at a different local university over the winter holidays without informing anyone, hoping to make her scramble to find an instructor for the mandatory introductory master's level course he was supposed to be teaching in the spring. The one person he eventually told was his TA for the course (with whom he had a meeting scheduled the day of informing), who immediately reached out to the chair, giving the chair a week to find a new professor to teach the course before he turned in his immediate notice the day before the semester started. Oh, and he isn't responding to questions about course material or anything else he left behind. It's been his course for many years. It's terrible.
0
1,807
3.368421
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftiite
fftrj57
1,580,221,457
1,580,227,655
39
63
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
PI has a chronic illness that incapacitates them for 4-6 weeks every 6-12 months. Totally at random, no warning at all. Same PI insists on supervising all their grad students in the lab, and forbids them from even going in when PI is off sick, unless they are in constant text based contact while in there. Slows everyone's research to a grinding halt, then it takes another couple of weeks to get caught up when PI comes back. PI is not open to suggestions that there may be a better way to manage this, ie let students have a bit more autonomy, maybe stop committing to every single project that crops up, have some trusted people in the lab who can take over temporarily...
0
6,198
1.615385
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftqcff
fftrj57
1,580,227,194
1,580,227,655
37
63
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
PI has a chronic illness that incapacitates them for 4-6 weeks every 6-12 months. Totally at random, no warning at all. Same PI insists on supervising all their grad students in the lab, and forbids them from even going in when PI is off sick, unless they are in constant text based contact while in there. Slows everyone's research to a grinding halt, then it takes another couple of weeks to get caught up when PI comes back. PI is not open to suggestions that there may be a better way to manage this, ie let students have a bit more autonomy, maybe stop committing to every single project that crops up, have some trusted people in the lab who can take over temporarily...
0
461
1.702703
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffty8tv
ffu2zwt
1,580,230,410
1,580,233,390
54
56
Former grad student was given a masters degree despite not finishing their comprehensive exam in its entirety. Department had to completely change the comprehensive exam after the fact because a *lot* of grads found out and were pissed.
Well, not my department, but a neighboring one just had the head arrested by the feds for lying about his connections to the Chinese government. Meanwhile, my entire department (and a bunch of others) are moving to a new building in the summer, so that's utter chaos. Also, my advisor is so sick of the university's bullshit that she's trying to leave. Which means I'm on a clock to defend before that happens.
0
2,980
1.037037
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftiite
ffty8tv
1,580,221,457
1,580,230,410
39
54
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
Former grad student was given a masters degree despite not finishing their comprehensive exam in its entirety. Department had to completely change the comprehensive exam after the fact because a *lot* of grads found out and were pissed.
0
8,953
1.384615
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftqcff
ffty8tv
1,580,227,194
1,580,230,410
37
54
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
Former grad student was given a masters degree despite not finishing their comprehensive exam in its entirety. Department had to completely change the comprehensive exam after the fact because a *lot* of grads found out and were pissed.
0
3,216
1.459459
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffttdai
ffty8tv
1,580,228,377
1,580,230,410
19
54
It is pretty quiet in my cray-cray department right now. Hmmm, it’s almost disturbing how quiet it is. I’m sure something is brewing though.
Former grad student was given a masters degree despite not finishing their comprehensive exam in its entirety. Department had to completely change the comprehensive exam after the fact because a *lot* of grads found out and were pissed.
0
2,033
2.842105
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffty8tv
fftwt6f
1,580,230,410
1,580,229,827
54
19
Former grad student was given a masters degree despite not finishing their comprehensive exam in its entirety. Department had to completely change the comprehensive exam after the fact because a *lot* of grads found out and were pissed.
The director of my department was hired on after 4 people complained to the hire ups about her emotional and psychological abuse. I had to take 2 weeks off before the winter break just to gain my sanity back. I have been here a year, and through her interim director position and on the hiring committee for her position and there is nothing I could do to spare us from her getting the FT position. Now, others have quit; one is waiting for retirement; and I am trying to find another department to transfer to. The only problem I have with our system is, I can't bring up the issues to anyone else, or say anything to any outside departments or I would look like the "pot stirrer" or the "troublemaker". Her fake politeness is overly sappy, and I am sure she's ruining my transfer opportunities, because while I have a great work ethic, "It's my personality she doesn't like".
1
583
2.842105
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu2zwt
ffu0kui
1,580,233,390
1,580,231,888
56
47
Well, not my department, but a neighboring one just had the head arrested by the feds for lying about his connections to the Chinese government. Meanwhile, my entire department (and a bunch of others) are moving to a new building in the summer, so that's utter chaos. Also, my advisor is so sick of the university's bullshit that she's trying to leave. Which means I'm on a clock to defend before that happens.
New Provost shows up and wants to change how we do tenure and promotion and wants departments to create clear criteria for tenure (most think that is good). Makes it very clear departments know their discipline best and they should set the standards. We spend a semester working on them, voting, etc. The Dean says he will not support what we proposed and the Provost called a last minute special meeting to basically say the same thing. The Dean says he will not support lowering standards. The problem is, the entire tenure process is changing. Before, we rated candidates, and the informal guidance was around excellence (get X number of publications to get a top rating). Now, we are changing to an up/down system, so we are now defining the floor (you must get at least X number of pubs). But the Dean is still stuck on the old guidelines saying anything less is lower standards. So we showed them guidelines from peer institutions to show our recommendations are in line. They didn't care. We argued the institution does not support faculty research. Their response, if there is something we need for research, then we should ask, after all, if we have higher standards for research, the administration should give us more resources (little cart before the horse). We pointed out that we just came off of a 4 year budget crisis and the first thing that was cut was the university internal grant program, the second was faculty conference travel, and the third was any and all course releases. Plus 4 years without raises means people have been teaching more summer classes to make up for lost income so that has hurt research productivity. If we vote in these higher standards, then they are in our bylaws and they don't change next time the administration wants to raid the grant program. Neither the Dean or Provost will say exactly what they want, just that they cannot support our recommendation. What they are clearly doing is trying to frustrate us to have us just guess at what they want with a higher number, therefore it would be on the faculty, not the administrators (don't complain, it was your idea). Whispers of a no-confidence vote for our dean have started.
1
1,502
1.191489
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu2zwt
fftiite
1,580,233,390
1,580,221,457
56
39
Well, not my department, but a neighboring one just had the head arrested by the feds for lying about his connections to the Chinese government. Meanwhile, my entire department (and a bunch of others) are moving to a new building in the summer, so that's utter chaos. Also, my advisor is so sick of the university's bullshit that she's trying to leave. Which means I'm on a clock to defend before that happens.
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
1
11,933
1.435897
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu2zwt
fftqcff
1,580,233,390
1,580,227,194
56
37
Well, not my department, but a neighboring one just had the head arrested by the feds for lying about his connections to the Chinese government. Meanwhile, my entire department (and a bunch of others) are moving to a new building in the summer, so that's utter chaos. Also, my advisor is so sick of the university's bullshit that she's trying to leave. Which means I'm on a clock to defend before that happens.
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
1
6,196
1.513514
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu0j0w
ffu2zwt
1,580,231,853
1,580,233,390
27
56
This started when I was in grad school and is ongoing. The Chair of a very rigorous and popular program stopped renewing the contracts of NTT and started offering them to his friends, who would teach \*for free.\* I TA'd for one of them. He was a disaster. He had taken the very class he was "teaching" and had received a C. He didn't offer office hours because he worked for free and didn't feel like it was fair to ask him to come in an extra two hours a week to do so, especially since he had to pay for parking.
Well, not my department, but a neighboring one just had the head arrested by the feds for lying about his connections to the Chinese government. Meanwhile, my entire department (and a bunch of others) are moving to a new building in the summer, so that's utter chaos. Also, my advisor is so sick of the university's bullshit that she's trying to leave. Which means I'm on a clock to defend before that happens.
0
1,537
2.074074
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffttdai
ffu2zwt
1,580,228,377
1,580,233,390
19
56
It is pretty quiet in my cray-cray department right now. Hmmm, it’s almost disturbing how quiet it is. I’m sure something is brewing though.
Well, not my department, but a neighboring one just had the head arrested by the feds for lying about his connections to the Chinese government. Meanwhile, my entire department (and a bunch of others) are moving to a new building in the summer, so that's utter chaos. Also, my advisor is so sick of the university's bullshit that she's trying to leave. Which means I'm on a clock to defend before that happens.
0
5,013
2.947368
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftwt6f
ffu2zwt
1,580,229,827
1,580,233,390
19
56
The director of my department was hired on after 4 people complained to the hire ups about her emotional and psychological abuse. I had to take 2 weeks off before the winter break just to gain my sanity back. I have been here a year, and through her interim director position and on the hiring committee for her position and there is nothing I could do to spare us from her getting the FT position. Now, others have quit; one is waiting for retirement; and I am trying to find another department to transfer to. The only problem I have with our system is, I can't bring up the issues to anyone else, or say anything to any outside departments or I would look like the "pot stirrer" or the "troublemaker". Her fake politeness is overly sappy, and I am sure she's ruining my transfer opportunities, because while I have a great work ethic, "It's my personality she doesn't like".
Well, not my department, but a neighboring one just had the head arrested by the feds for lying about his connections to the Chinese government. Meanwhile, my entire department (and a bunch of others) are moving to a new building in the summer, so that's utter chaos. Also, my advisor is so sick of the university's bullshit that she's trying to leave. Which means I'm on a clock to defend before that happens.
0
3,563
2.947368
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffucsr5
ffu0kui
1,580,239,256
1,580,231,888
52
47
A year ago we had a professor take a shit in the stairwell as he was getting fired for harassing students and LGBQT members of the community. Crazy thing is there was a grad student who was caught choking people and making death threats so for a while we didn't know which one of the psychos did the deed. Thankfully they are both gone now.
New Provost shows up and wants to change how we do tenure and promotion and wants departments to create clear criteria for tenure (most think that is good). Makes it very clear departments know their discipline best and they should set the standards. We spend a semester working on them, voting, etc. The Dean says he will not support what we proposed and the Provost called a last minute special meeting to basically say the same thing. The Dean says he will not support lowering standards. The problem is, the entire tenure process is changing. Before, we rated candidates, and the informal guidance was around excellence (get X number of publications to get a top rating). Now, we are changing to an up/down system, so we are now defining the floor (you must get at least X number of pubs). But the Dean is still stuck on the old guidelines saying anything less is lower standards. So we showed them guidelines from peer institutions to show our recommendations are in line. They didn't care. We argued the institution does not support faculty research. Their response, if there is something we need for research, then we should ask, after all, if we have higher standards for research, the administration should give us more resources (little cart before the horse). We pointed out that we just came off of a 4 year budget crisis and the first thing that was cut was the university internal grant program, the second was faculty conference travel, and the third was any and all course releases. Plus 4 years without raises means people have been teaching more summer classes to make up for lost income so that has hurt research productivity. If we vote in these higher standards, then they are in our bylaws and they don't change next time the administration wants to raid the grant program. Neither the Dean or Provost will say exactly what they want, just that they cannot support our recommendation. What they are clearly doing is trying to frustrate us to have us just guess at what they want with a higher number, therefore it would be on the faculty, not the administrators (don't complain, it was your idea). Whispers of a no-confidence vote for our dean have started.
1
7,368
1.106383
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffucsr5
fftiite
1,580,239,256
1,580,221,457
52
39
A year ago we had a professor take a shit in the stairwell as he was getting fired for harassing students and LGBQT members of the community. Crazy thing is there was a grad student who was caught choking people and making death threats so for a while we didn't know which one of the psychos did the deed. Thankfully they are both gone now.
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
1
17,799
1.333333
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffucsr5
fftqcff
1,580,239,256
1,580,227,194
52
37
A year ago we had a professor take a shit in the stairwell as he was getting fired for harassing students and LGBQT members of the community. Crazy thing is there was a grad student who was caught choking people and making death threats so for a while we didn't know which one of the psychos did the deed. Thankfully they are both gone now.
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
1
12,062
1.405405
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu0j0w
ffucsr5
1,580,231,853
1,580,239,256
27
52
This started when I was in grad school and is ongoing. The Chair of a very rigorous and popular program stopped renewing the contracts of NTT and started offering them to his friends, who would teach \*for free.\* I TA'd for one of them. He was a disaster. He had taken the very class he was "teaching" and had received a C. He didn't offer office hours because he worked for free and didn't feel like it was fair to ask him to come in an extra two hours a week to do so, especially since he had to pay for parking.
A year ago we had a professor take a shit in the stairwell as he was getting fired for harassing students and LGBQT members of the community. Crazy thing is there was a grad student who was caught choking people and making death threats so for a while we didn't know which one of the psychos did the deed. Thankfully they are both gone now.
0
7,403
1.925926
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffttdai
ffucsr5
1,580,228,377
1,580,239,256
19
52
It is pretty quiet in my cray-cray department right now. Hmmm, it’s almost disturbing how quiet it is. I’m sure something is brewing though.
A year ago we had a professor take a shit in the stairwell as he was getting fired for harassing students and LGBQT members of the community. Crazy thing is there was a grad student who was caught choking people and making death threats so for a while we didn't know which one of the psychos did the deed. Thankfully they are both gone now.
0
10,879
2.736842
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftwt6f
ffucsr5
1,580,229,827
1,580,239,256
19
52
The director of my department was hired on after 4 people complained to the hire ups about her emotional and psychological abuse. I had to take 2 weeks off before the winter break just to gain my sanity back. I have been here a year, and through her interim director position and on the hiring committee for her position and there is nothing I could do to spare us from her getting the FT position. Now, others have quit; one is waiting for retirement; and I am trying to find another department to transfer to. The only problem I have with our system is, I can't bring up the issues to anyone else, or say anything to any outside departments or I would look like the "pot stirrer" or the "troublemaker". Her fake politeness is overly sappy, and I am sure she's ruining my transfer opportunities, because while I have a great work ethic, "It's my personality she doesn't like".
A year ago we had a professor take a shit in the stairwell as he was getting fired for harassing students and LGBQT members of the community. Crazy thing is there was a grad student who was caught choking people and making death threats so for a while we didn't know which one of the psychos did the deed. Thankfully they are both gone now.
0
9,429
2.736842
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu0kui
fftiite
1,580,231,888
1,580,221,457
47
39
New Provost shows up and wants to change how we do tenure and promotion and wants departments to create clear criteria for tenure (most think that is good). Makes it very clear departments know their discipline best and they should set the standards. We spend a semester working on them, voting, etc. The Dean says he will not support what we proposed and the Provost called a last minute special meeting to basically say the same thing. The Dean says he will not support lowering standards. The problem is, the entire tenure process is changing. Before, we rated candidates, and the informal guidance was around excellence (get X number of publications to get a top rating). Now, we are changing to an up/down system, so we are now defining the floor (you must get at least X number of pubs). But the Dean is still stuck on the old guidelines saying anything less is lower standards. So we showed them guidelines from peer institutions to show our recommendations are in line. They didn't care. We argued the institution does not support faculty research. Their response, if there is something we need for research, then we should ask, after all, if we have higher standards for research, the administration should give us more resources (little cart before the horse). We pointed out that we just came off of a 4 year budget crisis and the first thing that was cut was the university internal grant program, the second was faculty conference travel, and the third was any and all course releases. Plus 4 years without raises means people have been teaching more summer classes to make up for lost income so that has hurt research productivity. If we vote in these higher standards, then they are in our bylaws and they don't change next time the administration wants to raid the grant program. Neither the Dean or Provost will say exactly what they want, just that they cannot support our recommendation. What they are clearly doing is trying to frustrate us to have us just guess at what they want with a higher number, therefore it would be on the faculty, not the administrators (don't complain, it was your idea). Whispers of a no-confidence vote for our dean have started.
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
1
10,431
1.205128
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu0kui
fftqcff
1,580,231,888
1,580,227,194
47
37
New Provost shows up and wants to change how we do tenure and promotion and wants departments to create clear criteria for tenure (most think that is good). Makes it very clear departments know their discipline best and they should set the standards. We spend a semester working on them, voting, etc. The Dean says he will not support what we proposed and the Provost called a last minute special meeting to basically say the same thing. The Dean says he will not support lowering standards. The problem is, the entire tenure process is changing. Before, we rated candidates, and the informal guidance was around excellence (get X number of publications to get a top rating). Now, we are changing to an up/down system, so we are now defining the floor (you must get at least X number of pubs). But the Dean is still stuck on the old guidelines saying anything less is lower standards. So we showed them guidelines from peer institutions to show our recommendations are in line. They didn't care. We argued the institution does not support faculty research. Their response, if there is something we need for research, then we should ask, after all, if we have higher standards for research, the administration should give us more resources (little cart before the horse). We pointed out that we just came off of a 4 year budget crisis and the first thing that was cut was the university internal grant program, the second was faculty conference travel, and the third was any and all course releases. Plus 4 years without raises means people have been teaching more summer classes to make up for lost income so that has hurt research productivity. If we vote in these higher standards, then they are in our bylaws and they don't change next time the administration wants to raid the grant program. Neither the Dean or Provost will say exactly what they want, just that they cannot support our recommendation. What they are clearly doing is trying to frustrate us to have us just guess at what they want with a higher number, therefore it would be on the faculty, not the administrators (don't complain, it was your idea). Whispers of a no-confidence vote for our dean have started.
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
1
4,694
1.27027
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffu0kui
ffu0j0w
1,580,231,888
1,580,231,853
47
27
New Provost shows up and wants to change how we do tenure and promotion and wants departments to create clear criteria for tenure (most think that is good). Makes it very clear departments know their discipline best and they should set the standards. We spend a semester working on them, voting, etc. The Dean says he will not support what we proposed and the Provost called a last minute special meeting to basically say the same thing. The Dean says he will not support lowering standards. The problem is, the entire tenure process is changing. Before, we rated candidates, and the informal guidance was around excellence (get X number of publications to get a top rating). Now, we are changing to an up/down system, so we are now defining the floor (you must get at least X number of pubs). But the Dean is still stuck on the old guidelines saying anything less is lower standards. So we showed them guidelines from peer institutions to show our recommendations are in line. They didn't care. We argued the institution does not support faculty research. Their response, if there is something we need for research, then we should ask, after all, if we have higher standards for research, the administration should give us more resources (little cart before the horse). We pointed out that we just came off of a 4 year budget crisis and the first thing that was cut was the university internal grant program, the second was faculty conference travel, and the third was any and all course releases. Plus 4 years without raises means people have been teaching more summer classes to make up for lost income so that has hurt research productivity. If we vote in these higher standards, then they are in our bylaws and they don't change next time the administration wants to raid the grant program. Neither the Dean or Provost will say exactly what they want, just that they cannot support our recommendation. What they are clearly doing is trying to frustrate us to have us just guess at what they want with a higher number, therefore it would be on the faculty, not the administrators (don't complain, it was your idea). Whispers of a no-confidence vote for our dean have started.
This started when I was in grad school and is ongoing. The Chair of a very rigorous and popular program stopped renewing the contracts of NTT and started offering them to his friends, who would teach \*for free.\* I TA'd for one of them. He was a disaster. He had taken the very class he was "teaching" and had received a C. He didn't offer office hours because he worked for free and didn't feel like it was fair to ask him to come in an extra two hours a week to do so, especially since he had to pay for parking.
1
35
1.740741
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffttdai
ffu0kui
1,580,228,377
1,580,231,888
19
47
It is pretty quiet in my cray-cray department right now. Hmmm, it’s almost disturbing how quiet it is. I’m sure something is brewing though.
New Provost shows up and wants to change how we do tenure and promotion and wants departments to create clear criteria for tenure (most think that is good). Makes it very clear departments know their discipline best and they should set the standards. We spend a semester working on them, voting, etc. The Dean says he will not support what we proposed and the Provost called a last minute special meeting to basically say the same thing. The Dean says he will not support lowering standards. The problem is, the entire tenure process is changing. Before, we rated candidates, and the informal guidance was around excellence (get X number of publications to get a top rating). Now, we are changing to an up/down system, so we are now defining the floor (you must get at least X number of pubs). But the Dean is still stuck on the old guidelines saying anything less is lower standards. So we showed them guidelines from peer institutions to show our recommendations are in line. They didn't care. We argued the institution does not support faculty research. Their response, if there is something we need for research, then we should ask, after all, if we have higher standards for research, the administration should give us more resources (little cart before the horse). We pointed out that we just came off of a 4 year budget crisis and the first thing that was cut was the university internal grant program, the second was faculty conference travel, and the third was any and all course releases. Plus 4 years without raises means people have been teaching more summer classes to make up for lost income so that has hurt research productivity. If we vote in these higher standards, then they are in our bylaws and they don't change next time the administration wants to raid the grant program. Neither the Dean or Provost will say exactly what they want, just that they cannot support our recommendation. What they are clearly doing is trying to frustrate us to have us just guess at what they want with a higher number, therefore it would be on the faculty, not the administrators (don't complain, it was your idea). Whispers of a no-confidence vote for our dean have started.
0
3,511
2.473684
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftwt6f
ffu0kui
1,580,229,827
1,580,231,888
19
47
The director of my department was hired on after 4 people complained to the hire ups about her emotional and psychological abuse. I had to take 2 weeks off before the winter break just to gain my sanity back. I have been here a year, and through her interim director position and on the hiring committee for her position and there is nothing I could do to spare us from her getting the FT position. Now, others have quit; one is waiting for retirement; and I am trying to find another department to transfer to. The only problem I have with our system is, I can't bring up the issues to anyone else, or say anything to any outside departments or I would look like the "pot stirrer" or the "troublemaker". Her fake politeness is overly sappy, and I am sure she's ruining my transfer opportunities, because while I have a great work ethic, "It's my personality she doesn't like".
New Provost shows up and wants to change how we do tenure and promotion and wants departments to create clear criteria for tenure (most think that is good). Makes it very clear departments know their discipline best and they should set the standards. We spend a semester working on them, voting, etc. The Dean says he will not support what we proposed and the Provost called a last minute special meeting to basically say the same thing. The Dean says he will not support lowering standards. The problem is, the entire tenure process is changing. Before, we rated candidates, and the informal guidance was around excellence (get X number of publications to get a top rating). Now, we are changing to an up/down system, so we are now defining the floor (you must get at least X number of pubs). But the Dean is still stuck on the old guidelines saying anything less is lower standards. So we showed them guidelines from peer institutions to show our recommendations are in line. They didn't care. We argued the institution does not support faculty research. Their response, if there is something we need for research, then we should ask, after all, if we have higher standards for research, the administration should give us more resources (little cart before the horse). We pointed out that we just came off of a 4 year budget crisis and the first thing that was cut was the university internal grant program, the second was faculty conference travel, and the third was any and all course releases. Plus 4 years without raises means people have been teaching more summer classes to make up for lost income so that has hurt research productivity. If we vote in these higher standards, then they are in our bylaws and they don't change next time the administration wants to raid the grant program. Neither the Dean or Provost will say exactly what they want, just that they cannot support our recommendation. What they are clearly doing is trying to frustrate us to have us just guess at what they want with a higher number, therefore it would be on the faculty, not the administrators (don't complain, it was your idea). Whispers of a no-confidence vote for our dean have started.
0
2,061
2.473684
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffv5d8m
fftiite
1,580,256,059
1,580,221,457
44
39
Adjunct “Ted” is the reason we have “decoy” department parties that no one comes to, and then secret fun ones without him. He gets wasted and goes off on racist and/or sexually explicit rants. (He’s a POC and says this makes it okay.) He gives the women lingering hugs and congratulates those of us who “chose brown men” as our spouses. He calls other POC “stupid” for not starting race-related arguments in the intro non-majors survey course. Ted quit a FT gig to come live in this city with “Jen,” the department coordinator. Following their inevitable, explosive breakup, Ted sent a drunken rant about Jen to the college president, VP, and deans. After a tense year of Ted being passive-aggressively “helpful” (obnoxious), Jen quit without warning the week before school started this past August. Now we’re holding the search to replace Jen, and Ted has already let us know that he’s 1. initiating a discrimination complaint against the dean for not responding to his emails, and 2. applying for Jen’s former job and will sue if he’s not hired. Even if he weren’t a toxic psycho, he’s not the right person for the job just based on experience, and I wish I could tell him to go ahead and sue now so we can get that shit dismissed and not have to come in during the summer to deal with it. You may be wondering why Ted still gets classes in our department. I’m not sure, but I suspect a combination of inertia and passing the buck. Fun fact: I’ll be coordinator next year and I have no problem cutting Ted loose. He’s welcome to file his specious Title IX and/or racial discrimination complaint against me. I volunteer as tribute and dare a motherfucker to ask me the real reason why Ted doesn’t work here anymore. It’s not gossip if it’s a deposition, Ted.
Bigger drama, Consolidation of multi campus university. We've had a long period of massive expansion of the number of students thanks to baby boomers, plus an expansion in public sector financing. Now, enrollments are low and state is pushing for consolidation.
1
34,602
1.128205
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffv5d8m
fftqcff
1,580,256,059
1,580,227,194
44
37
Adjunct “Ted” is the reason we have “decoy” department parties that no one comes to, and then secret fun ones without him. He gets wasted and goes off on racist and/or sexually explicit rants. (He’s a POC and says this makes it okay.) He gives the women lingering hugs and congratulates those of us who “chose brown men” as our spouses. He calls other POC “stupid” for not starting race-related arguments in the intro non-majors survey course. Ted quit a FT gig to come live in this city with “Jen,” the department coordinator. Following their inevitable, explosive breakup, Ted sent a drunken rant about Jen to the college president, VP, and deans. After a tense year of Ted being passive-aggressively “helpful” (obnoxious), Jen quit without warning the week before school started this past August. Now we’re holding the search to replace Jen, and Ted has already let us know that he’s 1. initiating a discrimination complaint against the dean for not responding to his emails, and 2. applying for Jen’s former job and will sue if he’s not hired. Even if he weren’t a toxic psycho, he’s not the right person for the job just based on experience, and I wish I could tell him to go ahead and sue now so we can get that shit dismissed and not have to come in during the summer to deal with it. You may be wondering why Ted still gets classes in our department. I’m not sure, but I suspect a combination of inertia and passing the buck. Fun fact: I’ll be coordinator next year and I have no problem cutting Ted loose. He’s welcome to file his specious Title IX and/or racial discrimination complaint against me. I volunteer as tribute and dare a motherfucker to ask me the real reason why Ted doesn’t work here anymore. It’s not gossip if it’s a deposition, Ted.
They're doing Lend Me a Tenor but I think that's technically a comedy.
1
28,865
1.189189
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffv5d8m
ffu0j0w
1,580,256,059
1,580,231,853
44
27
Adjunct “Ted” is the reason we have “decoy” department parties that no one comes to, and then secret fun ones without him. He gets wasted and goes off on racist and/or sexually explicit rants. (He’s a POC and says this makes it okay.) He gives the women lingering hugs and congratulates those of us who “chose brown men” as our spouses. He calls other POC “stupid” for not starting race-related arguments in the intro non-majors survey course. Ted quit a FT gig to come live in this city with “Jen,” the department coordinator. Following their inevitable, explosive breakup, Ted sent a drunken rant about Jen to the college president, VP, and deans. After a tense year of Ted being passive-aggressively “helpful” (obnoxious), Jen quit without warning the week before school started this past August. Now we’re holding the search to replace Jen, and Ted has already let us know that he’s 1. initiating a discrimination complaint against the dean for not responding to his emails, and 2. applying for Jen’s former job and will sue if he’s not hired. Even if he weren’t a toxic psycho, he’s not the right person for the job just based on experience, and I wish I could tell him to go ahead and sue now so we can get that shit dismissed and not have to come in during the summer to deal with it. You may be wondering why Ted still gets classes in our department. I’m not sure, but I suspect a combination of inertia and passing the buck. Fun fact: I’ll be coordinator next year and I have no problem cutting Ted loose. He’s welcome to file his specious Title IX and/or racial discrimination complaint against me. I volunteer as tribute and dare a motherfucker to ask me the real reason why Ted doesn’t work here anymore. It’s not gossip if it’s a deposition, Ted.
This started when I was in grad school and is ongoing. The Chair of a very rigorous and popular program stopped renewing the contracts of NTT and started offering them to his friends, who would teach \*for free.\* I TA'd for one of them. He was a disaster. He had taken the very class he was "teaching" and had received a C. He didn't offer office hours because he worked for free and didn't feel like it was fair to ask him to come in an extra two hours a week to do so, especially since he had to pay for parking.
1
24,206
1.62963
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffv5d8m
ffulvqu
1,580,256,059
1,580,244,715
44
27
Adjunct “Ted” is the reason we have “decoy” department parties that no one comes to, and then secret fun ones without him. He gets wasted and goes off on racist and/or sexually explicit rants. (He’s a POC and says this makes it okay.) He gives the women lingering hugs and congratulates those of us who “chose brown men” as our spouses. He calls other POC “stupid” for not starting race-related arguments in the intro non-majors survey course. Ted quit a FT gig to come live in this city with “Jen,” the department coordinator. Following their inevitable, explosive breakup, Ted sent a drunken rant about Jen to the college president, VP, and deans. After a tense year of Ted being passive-aggressively “helpful” (obnoxious), Jen quit without warning the week before school started this past August. Now we’re holding the search to replace Jen, and Ted has already let us know that he’s 1. initiating a discrimination complaint against the dean for not responding to his emails, and 2. applying for Jen’s former job and will sue if he’s not hired. Even if he weren’t a toxic psycho, he’s not the right person for the job just based on experience, and I wish I could tell him to go ahead and sue now so we can get that shit dismissed and not have to come in during the summer to deal with it. You may be wondering why Ted still gets classes in our department. I’m not sure, but I suspect a combination of inertia and passing the buck. Fun fact: I’ll be coordinator next year and I have no problem cutting Ted loose. He’s welcome to file his specious Title IX and/or racial discrimination complaint against me. I volunteer as tribute and dare a motherfucker to ask me the real reason why Ted doesn’t work here anymore. It’s not gossip if it’s a deposition, Ted.
I am responsible for performance reviews in our department. Our Dean decided to add another form which rates each person on teaching, research and service with one number out of 3 for each based on very simple criteria, not taking into account proportions of the above, seniority etc. I disagreed with design of ratings but was overruled and went ahead and rated everyone while doing their other university-sanctioned performance reviews. Turned them in and was told I had to remove any "excellent" ratings as "It won't motivate them to do better". So now I am in the position of handing back forms that tell my staff that someone who comes in really early, puts in huge amounts of extra time and creates 150+ small videos to help students understand concepts (and gets great student satisfaction) gets an "acceptable - just doing your job" and so does someone else who turns up and delivers the same old material for the last 10 years and does nothing to keep current. I anticipate resignations, very unhappy people and a drop in overall performance. Shit is going to hit the fan.
1
11,344
1.62963
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffv5d8m
ffuwnik
1,580,256,059
1,580,250,748
44
30
Adjunct “Ted” is the reason we have “decoy” department parties that no one comes to, and then secret fun ones without him. He gets wasted and goes off on racist and/or sexually explicit rants. (He’s a POC and says this makes it okay.) He gives the women lingering hugs and congratulates those of us who “chose brown men” as our spouses. He calls other POC “stupid” for not starting race-related arguments in the intro non-majors survey course. Ted quit a FT gig to come live in this city with “Jen,” the department coordinator. Following their inevitable, explosive breakup, Ted sent a drunken rant about Jen to the college president, VP, and deans. After a tense year of Ted being passive-aggressively “helpful” (obnoxious), Jen quit without warning the week before school started this past August. Now we’re holding the search to replace Jen, and Ted has already let us know that he’s 1. initiating a discrimination complaint against the dean for not responding to his emails, and 2. applying for Jen’s former job and will sue if he’s not hired. Even if he weren’t a toxic psycho, he’s not the right person for the job just based on experience, and I wish I could tell him to go ahead and sue now so we can get that shit dismissed and not have to come in during the summer to deal with it. You may be wondering why Ted still gets classes in our department. I’m not sure, but I suspect a combination of inertia and passing the buck. Fun fact: I’ll be coordinator next year and I have no problem cutting Ted loose. He’s welcome to file his specious Title IX and/or racial discrimination complaint against me. I volunteer as tribute and dare a motherfucker to ask me the real reason why Ted doesn’t work here anymore. It’s not gossip if it’s a deposition, Ted.
A teacher was more or less asked to leave his job after leading a course module that stirred controversy. The fun thing is that more than 80% of students taking the course rated the module as "the best part of our entire program" or "extremely enlightening", while a tiny number of students (10ish %) felt offended and went complaining to the administration. Interesting times.
1
5,311
1.466667
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffttdai
ffv5d8m
1,580,228,377
1,580,256,059
19
44
It is pretty quiet in my cray-cray department right now. Hmmm, it’s almost disturbing how quiet it is. I’m sure something is brewing though.
Adjunct “Ted” is the reason we have “decoy” department parties that no one comes to, and then secret fun ones without him. He gets wasted and goes off on racist and/or sexually explicit rants. (He’s a POC and says this makes it okay.) He gives the women lingering hugs and congratulates those of us who “chose brown men” as our spouses. He calls other POC “stupid” for not starting race-related arguments in the intro non-majors survey course. Ted quit a FT gig to come live in this city with “Jen,” the department coordinator. Following their inevitable, explosive breakup, Ted sent a drunken rant about Jen to the college president, VP, and deans. After a tense year of Ted being passive-aggressively “helpful” (obnoxious), Jen quit without warning the week before school started this past August. Now we’re holding the search to replace Jen, and Ted has already let us know that he’s 1. initiating a discrimination complaint against the dean for not responding to his emails, and 2. applying for Jen’s former job and will sue if he’s not hired. Even if he weren’t a toxic psycho, he’s not the right person for the job just based on experience, and I wish I could tell him to go ahead and sue now so we can get that shit dismissed and not have to come in during the summer to deal with it. You may be wondering why Ted still gets classes in our department. I’m not sure, but I suspect a combination of inertia and passing the buck. Fun fact: I’ll be coordinator next year and I have no problem cutting Ted loose. He’s welcome to file his specious Title IX and/or racial discrimination complaint against me. I volunteer as tribute and dare a motherfucker to ask me the real reason why Ted doesn’t work here anymore. It’s not gossip if it’s a deposition, Ted.
0
27,682
2.315789
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffv5d8m
fftwt6f
1,580,256,059
1,580,229,827
44
19
Adjunct “Ted” is the reason we have “decoy” department parties that no one comes to, and then secret fun ones without him. He gets wasted and goes off on racist and/or sexually explicit rants. (He’s a POC and says this makes it okay.) He gives the women lingering hugs and congratulates those of us who “chose brown men” as our spouses. He calls other POC “stupid” for not starting race-related arguments in the intro non-majors survey course. Ted quit a FT gig to come live in this city with “Jen,” the department coordinator. Following their inevitable, explosive breakup, Ted sent a drunken rant about Jen to the college president, VP, and deans. After a tense year of Ted being passive-aggressively “helpful” (obnoxious), Jen quit without warning the week before school started this past August. Now we’re holding the search to replace Jen, and Ted has already let us know that he’s 1. initiating a discrimination complaint against the dean for not responding to his emails, and 2. applying for Jen’s former job and will sue if he’s not hired. Even if he weren’t a toxic psycho, he’s not the right person for the job just based on experience, and I wish I could tell him to go ahead and sue now so we can get that shit dismissed and not have to come in during the summer to deal with it. You may be wondering why Ted still gets classes in our department. I’m not sure, but I suspect a combination of inertia and passing the buck. Fun fact: I’ll be coordinator next year and I have no problem cutting Ted loose. He’s welcome to file his specious Title IX and/or racial discrimination complaint against me. I volunteer as tribute and dare a motherfucker to ask me the real reason why Ted doesn’t work here anymore. It’s not gossip if it’s a deposition, Ted.
The director of my department was hired on after 4 people complained to the hire ups about her emotional and psychological abuse. I had to take 2 weeks off before the winter break just to gain my sanity back. I have been here a year, and through her interim director position and on the hiring committee for her position and there is nothing I could do to spare us from her getting the FT position. Now, others have quit; one is waiting for retirement; and I am trying to find another department to transfer to. The only problem I have with our system is, I can't bring up the issues to anyone else, or say anything to any outside departments or I would look like the "pot stirrer" or the "troublemaker". Her fake politeness is overly sappy, and I am sure she's ruining my transfer opportunities, because while I have a great work ethic, "It's my personality she doesn't like".
1
26,232
2.315789
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffunnxh
ffv5d8m
1,580,245,774
1,580,256,059
18
44
The phd student on long-term sick leave, and supposedly too weak for months to come to the lab, posted photos on insta of herself getting drunk during a night out.
Adjunct “Ted” is the reason we have “decoy” department parties that no one comes to, and then secret fun ones without him. He gets wasted and goes off on racist and/or sexually explicit rants. (He’s a POC and says this makes it okay.) He gives the women lingering hugs and congratulates those of us who “chose brown men” as our spouses. He calls other POC “stupid” for not starting race-related arguments in the intro non-majors survey course. Ted quit a FT gig to come live in this city with “Jen,” the department coordinator. Following their inevitable, explosive breakup, Ted sent a drunken rant about Jen to the college president, VP, and deans. After a tense year of Ted being passive-aggressively “helpful” (obnoxious), Jen quit without warning the week before school started this past August. Now we’re holding the search to replace Jen, and Ted has already let us know that he’s 1. initiating a discrimination complaint against the dean for not responding to his emails, and 2. applying for Jen’s former job and will sue if he’s not hired. Even if he weren’t a toxic psycho, he’s not the right person for the job just based on experience, and I wish I could tell him to go ahead and sue now so we can get that shit dismissed and not have to come in during the summer to deal with it. You may be wondering why Ted still gets classes in our department. I’m not sure, but I suspect a combination of inertia and passing the buck. Fun fact: I’ll be coordinator next year and I have no problem cutting Ted loose. He’s welcome to file his specious Title IX and/or racial discrimination complaint against me. I volunteer as tribute and dare a motherfucker to ask me the real reason why Ted doesn’t work here anymore. It’s not gossip if it’s a deposition, Ted.
0
10,285
2.444444
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffuwnik
ffu0j0w
1,580,250,748
1,580,231,853
30
27
A teacher was more or less asked to leave his job after leading a course module that stirred controversy. The fun thing is that more than 80% of students taking the course rated the module as "the best part of our entire program" or "extremely enlightening", while a tiny number of students (10ish %) felt offended and went complaining to the administration. Interesting times.
This started when I was in grad school and is ongoing. The Chair of a very rigorous and popular program stopped renewing the contracts of NTT and started offering them to his friends, who would teach \*for free.\* I TA'd for one of them. He was a disaster. He had taken the very class he was "teaching" and had received a C. He didn't offer office hours because he worked for free and didn't feel like it was fair to ask him to come in an extra two hours a week to do so, especially since he had to pay for parking.
1
18,895
1.111111
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffttdai
ffu0j0w
1,580,228,377
1,580,231,853
19
27
It is pretty quiet in my cray-cray department right now. Hmmm, it’s almost disturbing how quiet it is. I’m sure something is brewing though.
This started when I was in grad school and is ongoing. The Chair of a very rigorous and popular program stopped renewing the contracts of NTT and started offering them to his friends, who would teach \*for free.\* I TA'd for one of them. He was a disaster. He had taken the very class he was "teaching" and had received a C. He didn't offer office hours because he worked for free and didn't feel like it was fair to ask him to come in an extra two hours a week to do so, especially since he had to pay for parking.
0
3,476
1.421053
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
fftwt6f
ffu0j0w
1,580,229,827
1,580,231,853
19
27
The director of my department was hired on after 4 people complained to the hire ups about her emotional and psychological abuse. I had to take 2 weeks off before the winter break just to gain my sanity back. I have been here a year, and through her interim director position and on the hiring committee for her position and there is nothing I could do to spare us from her getting the FT position. Now, others have quit; one is waiting for retirement; and I am trying to find another department to transfer to. The only problem I have with our system is, I can't bring up the issues to anyone else, or say anything to any outside departments or I would look like the "pot stirrer" or the "troublemaker". Her fake politeness is overly sappy, and I am sure she's ruining my transfer opportunities, because while I have a great work ethic, "It's my personality she doesn't like".
This started when I was in grad school and is ongoing. The Chair of a very rigorous and popular program stopped renewing the contracts of NTT and started offering them to his friends, who would teach \*for free.\* I TA'd for one of them. He was a disaster. He had taken the very class he was "teaching" and had received a C. He didn't offer office hours because he worked for free and didn't feel like it was fair to ask him to come in an extra two hours a week to do so, especially since he had to pay for parking.
0
2,026
1.421053
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffuwnik
ffulvqu
1,580,250,748
1,580,244,715
30
27
A teacher was more or less asked to leave his job after leading a course module that stirred controversy. The fun thing is that more than 80% of students taking the course rated the module as "the best part of our entire program" or "extremely enlightening", while a tiny number of students (10ish %) felt offended and went complaining to the administration. Interesting times.
I am responsible for performance reviews in our department. Our Dean decided to add another form which rates each person on teaching, research and service with one number out of 3 for each based on very simple criteria, not taking into account proportions of the above, seniority etc. I disagreed with design of ratings but was overruled and went ahead and rated everyone while doing their other university-sanctioned performance reviews. Turned them in and was told I had to remove any "excellent" ratings as "It won't motivate them to do better". So now I am in the position of handing back forms that tell my staff that someone who comes in really early, puts in huge amounts of extra time and creates 150+ small videos to help students understand concepts (and gets great student satisfaction) gets an "acceptable - just doing your job" and so does someone else who turns up and delivers the same old material for the last 10 years and does nothing to keep current. I anticipate resignations, very unhappy people and a drop in overall performance. Shit is going to hit the fan.
1
6,033
1.111111
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffulvqu
ffttdai
1,580,244,715
1,580,228,377
27
19
I am responsible for performance reviews in our department. Our Dean decided to add another form which rates each person on teaching, research and service with one number out of 3 for each based on very simple criteria, not taking into account proportions of the above, seniority etc. I disagreed with design of ratings but was overruled and went ahead and rated everyone while doing their other university-sanctioned performance reviews. Turned them in and was told I had to remove any "excellent" ratings as "It won't motivate them to do better". So now I am in the position of handing back forms that tell my staff that someone who comes in really early, puts in huge amounts of extra time and creates 150+ small videos to help students understand concepts (and gets great student satisfaction) gets an "acceptable - just doing your job" and so does someone else who turns up and delivers the same old material for the last 10 years and does nothing to keep current. I anticipate resignations, very unhappy people and a drop in overall performance. Shit is going to hit the fan.
It is pretty quiet in my cray-cray department right now. Hmmm, it’s almost disturbing how quiet it is. I’m sure something is brewing though.
1
16,338
1.421053
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffulvqu
fftwt6f
1,580,244,715
1,580,229,827
27
19
I am responsible for performance reviews in our department. Our Dean decided to add another form which rates each person on teaching, research and service with one number out of 3 for each based on very simple criteria, not taking into account proportions of the above, seniority etc. I disagreed with design of ratings but was overruled and went ahead and rated everyone while doing their other university-sanctioned performance reviews. Turned them in and was told I had to remove any "excellent" ratings as "It won't motivate them to do better". So now I am in the position of handing back forms that tell my staff that someone who comes in really early, puts in huge amounts of extra time and creates 150+ small videos to help students understand concepts (and gets great student satisfaction) gets an "acceptable - just doing your job" and so does someone else who turns up and delivers the same old material for the last 10 years and does nothing to keep current. I anticipate resignations, very unhappy people and a drop in overall performance. Shit is going to hit the fan.
The director of my department was hired on after 4 people complained to the hire ups about her emotional and psychological abuse. I had to take 2 weeks off before the winter break just to gain my sanity back. I have been here a year, and through her interim director position and on the hiring committee for her position and there is nothing I could do to spare us from her getting the FT position. Now, others have quit; one is waiting for retirement; and I am trying to find another department to transfer to. The only problem I have with our system is, I can't bring up the issues to anyone else, or say anything to any outside departments or I would look like the "pot stirrer" or the "troublemaker". Her fake politeness is overly sappy, and I am sure she's ruining my transfer opportunities, because while I have a great work ethic, "It's my personality she doesn't like".
1
14,888
1.421053
ev5i7e
askacademia_train
0.98
What drama is happening in your department right now? After hearing some interesting tales of pettiness, I'm looking to hear yours. What drama is happening among your department or school now? How do you plan to cope with it?
ffttdai
ffuwnik
1,580,228,377
1,580,250,748
19
30
It is pretty quiet in my cray-cray department right now. Hmmm, it’s almost disturbing how quiet it is. I’m sure something is brewing though.
A teacher was more or less asked to leave his job after leading a course module that stirred controversy. The fun thing is that more than 80% of students taking the course rated the module as "the best part of our entire program" or "extremely enlightening", while a tiny number of students (10ish %) felt offended and went complaining to the administration. Interesting times.
0
22,371
1.578947