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#21
General Discussion / Re: cord cutting, redux
Last post by evil_physics_witchcraft - March 27, 2024, 05:53:26 PM
Ouch! That is some pricey internet and cable. We haven't had cable since 2006. Ha! We have one of those old 'black boxes' that lets us watch local tv and a couple of 'dumb' tvs. We also have some things like hulu and nf, but we may get rid of one since prices keep going up. I agree with the comment about using a laptop to watch news, etc. Really, it depends on what you like to watch...
#22
The State of Higher Ed / Re: J.D. Vance: "Sanctuary Cit...
Last post by Wahoo Redux - March 27, 2024, 05:43:37 PM
Pleasuring the useful idiots in the Republican party for political gain, in other words.

As with the other thread on Arizona, this is just another example.
#23
The State of Higher Ed / Re: IHE: Arizona Bill Restrict...
Last post by Wahoo Redux - March 27, 2024, 05:40:51 PM
Okay.  It just all seemed of a piece to me, something that could only happen with Republicans because the ground they stand on is so saturated with this particular animus right now.  I guess it could be one angry little worm somewhere in the system who is milking the Republican psyche.

It doesn't help these folks were so incompetent with money (seriously, was somebody embezzling or something?  How does an entire building full of administrators who have accountants get things so wrong?)

Hopefully it will be vetoed.
#24
The State of Higher Ed / Re: J.D. Vance: "Sanctuary Cit...
Last post by Langue_doc - March 27, 2024, 04:15:40 PM
Quote from: bio-nonymous on March 27, 2024, 06:33:20 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on March 27, 2024, 05:27:06 AM
Quote from: Wahoo Redux on March 26, 2024, 02:22:42 PMOhio U.S. Senator JD Vance Introduces Bill to Prohibit Universities from Hiring Illegal Aliens

QuoteOhio U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Indiana U.S. Representative Jim Banks (R-IN-03) have introduced a bill that would prohibit universities that receive federal funding from hiring illegal aliens.

The bill, titled the College Employment Accountability Act, would specifically amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to "prohibit an institution of higher education that employs unauthorized aliens from receiving funds from federal student assistance or federal institutional aid"

Institutions of higher education would have to participate in the E-Verify Program, which is a federal program that checks the immigration status of all employees, in order to receive federal funds under the bill.

Do universities hire a lot of "illegal aliens?"



They must be unfamiliar with HR protocols in colleges, private and public, where all potential employees have to provide evidence that they are either US citizens or green-card holders authorized to work in the US. There's a name for these one-page forms. Brains seem to be travelling south along the human spine these days!

I-9 forms--my newest RA just had to turn theirs in to get on the payroll! But the point of the legislation might be that ALL institutions don't use the form and to make a unified requirement?--Giving Vance the benefit of the doubt since I do not know the HR policies of all institutions.

Vance is either grandstanding or an ignoramus. The I-9 form and providing HR with the necessary documentation is a requirement for all institutions and workplaces. This is probably a federal requirement.
#25
The State of Higher Ed / Re: Indiana law requires "inte...
Last post by Hegemony - March 27, 2024, 03:36:03 PM
My guess is that it will be measured in the contents of the class.
#26
The State of Higher Ed / Indiana law requires "intellec...
Last post by Parasaurolophus - March 27, 2024, 03:33:01 PM
NPR's report on the https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2024/bills/senate/202/detailslaw.

QuoteA new Indiana law allows universities to revoke a professor's tenure if they don't promote so-called "intellectual diversity" in the classroom.

Supporters of the measure say it will make universities more accepting of conservative students and academics. But many professors worry the law could put their careers in jeopardy for what they say, or don't say, in the classroom.

"I'd say it ends tenure in the state of Indiana as we know it," said Ben Robinson, associate professor of Germanic Studies at Indiana University. . .

The law also creates a system where students and staff can submit complaints that could be considered in tenure reviews.


I don't imagine this will lead to more communists being hired in business schools or economics departments.

If its objective is to get more conservatives hired, I'm not sure that the law can actually do that consistently, rather than simply requiring you to hire a bunch of rando wackos. But also, how will this "intellectual diversity" be measured? By political party membership?
#27
General Discussion / Re: NYT Spelling Bee
Last post by cathwen - March 27, 2024, 03:31:09 PM
I got the shingles vaccines last summer. You're right, the first one isn't bad, but I had some mild flu-like symptoms with the second the next day. So I would recommend timing the shots with that in mind. (I got mine on a Friday so that I could languish on Saturday.)
#28
General Discussion / Re: The Venting Thread
Last post by apl68 - March 27, 2024, 03:02:45 PM
Thanks, Para!
#29
General Discussion / Re: The Venting Thread
Last post by Parasaurolophus - March 27, 2024, 02:37:48 PM
Quote from: apl68 on March 27, 2024, 02:06:09 PMI just realized that I've made the ghastly error of posting my vent here instead of on the venting thread!

I do apologize.  My earache must have made me even more out of it than I realized this morning.

Feeling better now.  These aches sometimes clear up as unexpectedly as they came.  Previous doctor visits have gotten me ear cleanings, a prescription that didn't seem to help much, and a trip to the dentist for an expensive mouth guard to keep me from grinding my teeth at night. Which was unpleasant and failed to fix the problem, so I gave up on it. 

The only thing that seems to help much is wearing a cap over my ears, and some time outside.  I felt better after running payroll-related errands outside late this morning.  Even though it was actually chilly and breezy out. 

Easily fixed!

So sorry about the earache, though. That sounds unbearable.
#30
The State of Higher Ed / Re: Colleges in Dire Financial...
Last post by aprof - March 27, 2024, 02:30:43 PM
Quote from: spork on March 27, 2024, 01:25:25 PM
Quote from: apl68 on March 27, 2024, 12:43:24 PM
Quote from: spork on March 27, 2024, 05:11:36 AMBluffton University will "merge" with University of Findlay.

I saw a news story where Bluffton's administration swore it had nothing to do with financial problems, but was about "getting ahead of the demographic cliff."  So perhaps more a matter of trying to head off fiscal trouble that they can see coming as a result of continuing projected declines in the number of students to recruit from.  It would suggest more foresight than many troubled schools have shown in recent years.

Bluffton doesn't have enough students to pay its bills. It was running deficits before it started getting pandemic aid, which has stopped.
96% acceptance rate, 54% graduation rate according to Google.  That is...not good.  Difficult to adjust to declines in applications when you are already accepting every warm body that applies.