The Fora: A Higher Education Community

Quote from: Wahoo Redux on May 07, 2024, 09:14:00 AM

Quote from: ciao_yall on May 07, 2024, 09:08:56 AM

Quote from: dismalist on May 07, 2024, 08:31:28 AM

QuoteIn announcing the change, M.I.T.'s president, Sally Kornbluth, said diversity statements constituted a form of compelled speech that do not work.

If they don't work, they wouldn't have to be abolished. Problem is they do work in selecting faculty.

I disagree. I have seen some that were so cringeworthy we were able to avoid wasting our time interviewing the candidate.

Why were they cringeworthy?  What does someone say in a DEI statement that is so wrong it eliminates them as a job candidate?

Trying to remember specifics.

• One just wrote "I have no idea what to say here."
• Another made a point about making sure to compliment immigrants on their English.
• "I talk to everyone, CEO to janitor, top to bottom."

That sort of thing. People who are more about making the point that they see humanity in those others might see as sub-human or inferior as opposed to being reasonably educated about why a college with a diverse student population might be asking such a question.

Hola, whatever time it is...

2fer and QB and I'm losing track which day we are on so to avoid spoilers I won't share.

cathwen, We went to Font-de-Gaume and Rouffignac but not Lascaux. Not feeling the reproductions. Caves were amazing and eerie - strange to think that humans have been creating art for at least 36,000 years.

Regarding cars, I bought my last one used on Carvana. Maybe I paid a little too much but was a reliable source and the car has been great so far. Highly recommend if you know what you want and don't feel a need to test-drive.



Happy solving!

Just a bit of T1 today.

To be fair to my chair, I just asked for their opinion. The chair was not telling me what to do.

Up to now, no student had tried to pull this one on me. I try not to anticipate problems until they happen.

I require documentation for most medical excuses but documentation doesn't seem to be appropriate here.

I will probably add a new para to my syllabi from now on.

One of my boomer colleagues, when he was on faculty, used to play Alice Cooper's "School's Out For Summer" on the last day of class, as students were leaving his classroom.

I'm sure that was a propos back when he started in the 1980s, but playing that today on the last day of class is a multiple meta meme.

Can anyone think of a contemporary alternative to Alice Cooper's "School's Out For Summer?" The ideal anthem would have the same effect as Alice Cooper's anthem for the 80s/90s college students.

Quote from: downer on Today at 06:14:20 AMI'm not sure whether requiring students to arrange alteratives to due dates for religious reasons is compatible with my school's policy.

I did check with the dept chair about a student who asked to be able to make up missed work after final grades were submitted, and the chair said yes, allow it.

In absence of an official & published school policy, you can dictate terms of accommodating religious exemptions. It's a lot easier if it's specified on a syllabus. When in doubt, put it in your syllabus. Surely, you have some kind of general make-up policy for absences, missed work, missed deadlines, etc. . . . ?

As for the Chair letting someone make up work after a faculty member has submitted grades, that's not the chair's call. That's the faculty member's call. If a Chair wanted to do that at my place, there would be a hearing process first, via a formal grade appeal by the student, and by then a flake student wouldn't show up anyway, and the grade would stand (This is separate from any complaints about the chair's violation of governance, which if a professor is bored enough, would pursue that, too).

We have an extensive policy. It focuses on missing classes, not extensions on assignments -- students are expected to plan ahead to complete assignments working around their observances (instructors are responsible for making sure they have enough warning and lead time to do so). Certainly the policy would not allow making up any work after the semester has ended!

Quote1. Students are expected to review each course syllabus at the beginning of each term and inform instructors within the first two weeks of class if there are any potential conflicts due to religious observance. It is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor of these conflicts within the first two weeks of the semester. Students who miss class will be required to complete any work that is missed, and they may be required to submit additional assignments to make up for the missed class time.

2. Should a student need to miss class for religious reasons, the absence should be excused. Classes missed for travel plans are not considered excused absences. Only the dates of the holidays themselves are considered excused absences.

3. Students must be informed of any exams or due dates that fall on a date immediately after a religious holiday at least two weeks prior to such dates.

4. If classes will be missed, students must consult with their instructors and agree upon a plan to make up any excused absences. Such plans should be in writing and available to both parties.

Quote from: Wahoo Redux on May 07, 2024, 07:52:37 PM

Quote from: Hibush on May 07, 2024, 10:36:08 AMI wonder how MIT worded the request so that it appeared to be compelled speech.

I think it actually has to do with the answer: you must answer in a very specific way, with specific jargon, and agree to a specific ideology, to get the job.  That is my takeaway from the mass of articles and complaints out there.

If I were truthful, I would say that all students are equal in my eyes until they F*** up in my classes, and then some students are obviously better than others no matter their ethnic or race or religion or socioeconomic status.  But that absolutely would not fly.  And I can't just say, "I am very aware that some topics are sensitive to some people, so I avoid those unless they are absolutely necessary or are brought up by a student, and then I take steps in class and out to make sure that said topics are handled appropriately." DEI wants more than this, and I am never sure what that is.

That uncertainty is a big part of what causes such paranoia and pushback around DEI.  Maybe a lot of it is more perception than reality, but perception matters a lot in getting people on board with something.

The only time I ever missed significant classes when I was an undergrad was when I took out two weeks early one November to go on a short-term mission trip.  It was not school-sponsored, but it was a church-supported school, and my profs were all understanding.  I let them know about the plans before time, and managed my work accordingly that semester to get everything done.  As I recall, it was all done informally through the individual instructors.  I didn't have to seek any special permissions.

This week our library's HVAC system has pulled its annual beginning-of-summer flake-out.  Seriously, I don't believe we've had a single year in two decades that we didn't lose air conditioning right about the time the full summer heat set in.  The only difference from year to year is precisely what will go wrong with the system.  This time it was a broken coupling on the chilled water pump.  The pump itself probably needs replacing in the near future.  We had our usual expensive out-of-town service call yesterday, and the system is now up and running.

Also this week, I have a bad cold.  The need to oversee HVAC work, prepare for a Board of Trustees meeting tomorrow, take care of payroll, etc. means that I've still been having to come in each day.  I can usually only take half-days when I'm sick like this.