The Fora: A Higher Education Community

One of my friends just sent me this. He's at one of the Commonwealth Campuses and is worried about the future. They have already been told that for teaching faculty, regardless of years of service or rank, their 5 year contracts will be converted to one year. Several of their engineering departments do not have enough faculty to teach the required courses because faculty who have retired or left for other positions have not been replaced. He said his particular campus has not run at a deficit in the several years he's been there, but the administration at University Park is making the majority of the cuts from the Commonwealth Campuses. Not sure where the money is going because their tuition is among the highest in the Big Ten.

Penn State offers Voluntary Separation Incentive Program to eligible Commonwealth Campus employees

https://www.psu.edu/news/administration/story/penn-state-offers-voluntary-separation-incentive-program-eligible-commonwealth/

Quote from: kaysixteen on Today at 02:43:54 PMExactly when are the high holydays of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Those desiring to use religious accommodations must needs realize that their god(s), etc., may well be calling them to make, ahem, actual sacrifices for so doing.   Certainly Jesus is  full of statements to this effect in the NT.

My school has the same policy as Puget's. It is completely agnostic as to faith, so it would treat Pastafarian holidays the same as the more familiar Catholic ones. We just don't ask (nor do we read doctor's notes). The spirituality office sends out a long list of religious holidays in case we want to be prepared. I think most faculty just see that the list is long and trying to schedule around them is futile.

Ok, but eventually, even multiple failures ought to be able to garner the student enough basic course-related info to pass the class, without, ahem, actually having learned much of anything.

Exactly when are the high holydays of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Those desiring to use religious accommodations must needs realize that their god(s), etc., may well be calling them to make, ahem, actual sacrifices for so doing.   Certainly Jesus is  full of statements to this effect in the NT.

Perhaps one who is young enough could come up with an answer here, but maybe just stick with Cooper, and 1) let the kiddoes learn about the past, and 2) come to respect their elders.

If I were Lord-God-King of the universe, all schools at any level receiving any federal funding would be required to have the same summer break, fall break, winter break, and spring break, so family members can take vacations at the same time. However, for better or worse, I am not at that level yet.

Two good pieces of grant news in one day!
But I have a ton of work and grading to do. Finding it very hard to concentrate.

Quote from: Langue_doc on Today at 10:03:10 AM

QuoteI still wonder what diversity officers spend their time doing.

Some of them send emails defining privilege, which according to the former Diversity Officer at Johns Hopkins, includes among others "white people, heterosexuals, cisgender people, men, and Christians". 

QuoteChief Diversity Officer Steps Down Amid Backlash Over 'Privilege' Email

QuoteDr. Sherita Hill Golden has stepped down from her role as vice president and chief diversity officer at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

The act comes two months after backlash for an email newsletter in which Golden explained the concept of privilege, according to reporting from The Baltimore Sun. In the January newsletter from the Baltimore hospital and research center's diversity office, Golden wrote that "privilege" was the "word of the month," defining it as "a set of unearned benefits given to people who are in a specific social group." The social groups were categorized, in part, as white people, heterosexuals, cisgender people, men, and Christians.

A correction is unfolding in the DEI space before our eyes. This is a good thing, we need DEI initiatives but we need correction to the discourse.

This article should be viewed as paid advertisement or the ACLU director who wrote it never practiced tax law or administrative law a day in his life. A non profit designation is an administrative action and there is nothing wrong with the agency giving it having the ability to investigate. This is what is meant by executive power.

Good afternoon!

QBwSBB yesterday for bollard, oddball, and rollbar. Genius with pangram so far today.

LB: I had the "official" multiplexes-show. No solution yet today.

Ciao_yall, Rouffignac and Font-de-Gaume are truly amazing. I understand reluctance to visit a reconstructed cave. However, Lascaux II is painstakingly done, the guides are fabulous, and the lectures beforehand are fascinating. More touristy, to be sure, though. The others are off the beaten path. Enjoy the southwest! I love that region.

Happy puzzling and vacationing!