The Fora: A Higher Education Community

Quote from: Hegemony on March 13, 2024, 01:42:59 AMMythbuster, you can watch Oppenheimer on Amazon Prime or on YouTube for $5.99. Worth doing.

The DVD is awful Very small 2:40 aspect screen. bad lighting. I couldn't watch. I hATE watching small screens

Good morning/afternoon!

QBwSBB for portrait and papyri. Today I reached QB with a 1L nudge for the last word.

LB: I also had zirconia-ambush. I found a 2fer today also.

Happy puzzling!

I've always wondered how many people take my stance when the side they agree with uses a tactic that makes their life difficult in some way or otherwise is unsympathetic for reasons other than the cause. My personal stance is that you may have my agreement but no longer my support. Here are a few examples:

-California had a 2008 ballot proposition regarding gay marriage which I was in favor of legalizing. I was held up during a traffic shutdown not quite as extreme as the Golden Gate but they f'd my day in a number of ways. Did I actively "support" that cause in any material way afterward such as donating or giving my own time even if I still agreed with it? Nope. There are other places to put my energy.

-I've discussed on this forum before that while I believe in bodily autonomy on the choice issue, I also will not use my own time or resources to "support" the furthering of that agenda since I perceive (based on polling, party affiliation, etc.) the average pro-choice female as voting for nanny state issues that negatively affect me to a disproportionate degree. Again, you have my agreement but not my support. There are many other issues I could give time, money or energy to.

The bottom line is that even if I agree with your side, that doesn't really guarantee any active involvement from me that may have value to you. I might give a limited amount of time or funds to causes I believe in and support in any given year. Many worthwhile causes exist that could be the subject of my limited resources. If I have to remove a group from consideration, one that has actively hassled me in some way by preventing me from accessing a bridge or engaging in a business activity without a thousand licenses and permits is easy to remove. I'll direct my support to any number of other worthwhile causes that are not promoted by people making my life more difficult.

Maybe they could allow food trucks to come to campus.

It's pretty horrible to think of a campus of 12,000 with no dining options whatsoever.  And pretty astonishing that any school that size could get itself into such a situation.  For now I guess everybody will just have to brown-bag it.  It's what I did through six years of grad school.  We had dining services on campus.  I just couldn't afford them.  Good thing I really liked peanut butter.

Quote from: FishProf on Today at 08:31:47 AM

Quote from: downer on Today at 08:29:15 AMI admire the hardassity of the policy.

I don't see it as hardassity (but I will accept the label for myself), the exam is compromised once someone leaves.

The rule here for final exams (that has been in place for ages) is that people can be allowed in late until half an hour after the exam stars, but people can't leave until after an hour, so there's no possible overlap.

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on Today at 08:10:32 AM

Quote from: marshwiggle on Today at 08:04:13 AMIt's fine for students to "denounce" oppression; what they need to be made to understand that history is a long game. Whatever they do right now is unlikely to have any visible impact, but the concerted actions of people with influence and authority, over time, will change things for the better.

So is the idea that they should just wait until they have influence and authority, and then they should work for incremental change?

They have very little power right now, but they're hoping to influence some of the people with more power to start changing things for the better. What's wrong with trying to exert some influence, even if they're not successful? Is that not part of long-term incremental change for the better?

Remember the truckers in Ottawa, and blockading bridges to the U.S.? The idea that anyone who thinks they can support a righteous cause by engaging in illegal activity undermines the whole idea of what a democratic society is about. Legitimate protest is an opportunity to get people to hear your message, so that you have the chance to win them over to it. Extorting them into doing what you want in order to get on with their lives makes winning them over to your cause irrelevant.

Quote from: EdnaMode on April 23, 2024, 12:46:56 PMAt my institution, faculty are not allowed to schedule meetings in the conference rooms, and in the School of Engineering, all the scheduling goes through one person and I'm not sure how they manage to keep their job. Here's a synopsis of an email exchange.

Dear Glennis (not her real name),
Dr. Smith, Dr. Jones, Dr. Who, and I would like to schedule a meeting on Friday of this week sometime between noon and 4:30 PM. We do not care which conference room we are in as long as it has a projector and screen.
Thanks,
E M

Good afternoon, Dr. Mode,
I have scheduled Room 123 in our building for your meeting on Thursday at 10:30 AM.
Glennis

Glennis,
We cannot meet on Thursday, the only time we all have available this week is on Friday between noon and 4:30.
Thanks,
E M

Dr Mode,
My apologies, I changed it to 1:30 on Thursday.
Glennis

Glennis,
Again, none of us can meet on Thursday, we can only meet on FRIDAY between noon and 4:30. No other days or times will work.
Thank you,
E M

Dr. Mode,
So, does 1:30 on Friday in room 123 in our building work for you all? Let me know and I'll schedule that for you.
Glennis

Glennis,
Yes, that works, thank you for setting it up for us.
E M

And thankfully, the meeting did appear on all of our calendars. Finally.

Its like working with students.

Quote from: downer on April 23, 2024, 02:43:50 PMNassau Community College isn't on the brink of collapse, but it is going through hard times. Massive consolidation of departments, and they have got rid of all their food services.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/institutions/community-colleges/2024/04/17/nassau-community-college-consolidates-departments
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nassau-community-college-cafeteria-cafe-snack-bar-close/

Given the massive taxes residents of Nassau County pay, it's a little ironic. But their property taxes don't go towards the community college.

I am betting the vendor probably had a long term contract and was planning profit based off of pre-2021 or earlier enrollment numbers.  Either way, most colleges wouldn't be able to cough up 300K immediately to adjust a contract.

Quote from: FishProf on Today at 08:31:47 AM

Quote from: downer on Today at 08:29:15 AMI admire the hardassity of the policy.

I don't see it as hardassity (but I will accept the label for myself), the exam is compromised once someone leaves.

Well, for the exams this semester I gave them the questions 2 weeks previous. Many still hardly write anything or get it mostly wrong.