The Fora: A Higher Education Community

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.

Nassau County is a cesspool of political corruption and waste. But at least the rookie cops there make $100,000 a year to do jack shit. This used to be an excellent institution of higher education.

Quote from: EdnaMode on May 08, 2024, 04:59:37 PMThey 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.

Yeah, this really pissed me off considering we were hired with the promise that we would look forward to multiple of your contracts for the rest of our career. Of course the president received something called an evergreen contract, which means she will be renewed in perpetuity. What is good for the goose is not for the gander at Penn State and it stinks.

Quote from: EdnaMode on May 08, 2024, 04:59:37 PMNot sure where the money is going because their tuition is among the highest in the Big Ten.

Administrative bloat. Main campus has an absurd number of redundant administrators. They sign our emails so I know.

Quote from: kaysixteen on May 09, 2024, 08:55:57 PMI confess I too would be most interested to learn what kind of school has three dozen chaplains, and what, ahem, is the scope of religious affiliation held by this assemblage?

A big, historically secular school. So there is room for a lot of things to happen on campus.

The majority of chaplains are various Christian denominations, in addition to the usual Roman Catholic and many Protestant groups, there are Orthodox, Mormon, Christian Science, Korean.

Also major world faiths like Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Bhuddist, Sikh.

On the spiritual-but-not-religious edge there are secular and multifaith chaplains.

In the non-mainstream religious sphere, there is a pagan student group, but they appear to have no chaplain. None for pastafarians (or even rastafarians) and none from the Satanic Temple. I expect there could be, but there just isn't enough demand for their spiritual counsel among the undergraduates.

I don't have a good sense of how interest is spread among students. Obviously the Jewish and Muslim faith groups have been busy the last few weeks, providing comfort for their community members who are feeling under pressure from world and campus events. 

Quote from: Wahoo Redux on May 09, 2024, 11:01:18 AM

Quote from: secundem_artem on May 09, 2024, 08:37:54 AM

Quote from: Wahoo Redux on May 09, 2024, 07:13:22 AMIHE: UC Berkeley Investigates Pro-Palestinian Dinner Protest Fracas

QuoteThe Council on American-Islamic Relations shared on X a video showing Fisk coming up behind Afaneh, grabbing the phone in her hand from which she was reading the speech, putting her arm around Afaneh's shoulder and saying, "Leave, this is not your house, it is my house." Chemerinksy also says "Please leave our house." Fisk then tries to pull Afaneh's microphone out of her hands. Afaneh says UC is funding weapons manufacturers and Fisk, relinquishing the mic, says "I have nothing to do with what the UC does."

So you can invade my house but I'm the one being dragged up to see what transgressions I have committed?

In a state with stand your ground laws, the response could well have involved a load of buckshot with the invader on the receiving end.  But in Berkley??????  It seems not.

Truly we are living in cloud cuckoo land.

The charges of "Islamophobia" are simply hysterical.

The professor should have simply called the police, but I guess anger took over.

Well, it was a private party.

QuoteChemerinksy, a free speech scholar, has written that the presidents of the third-year law school class had asked him and Fisk to have graduating law students over for dinner last month.

The monumental ingratitude of insulting your hosts is shocking.

A person with any class and integrity would simply and politely decline the invitation.

Yet more evidence of why I should never be made Lord-God-King of the universe, alas.

I confess I too would be most interested to learn what kind of school has three dozen chaplains, and what, ahem, is the scope of religious affiliation held by this assemblage?

Updates on the protests:

Quote'Past Time' to Clear Penn Encampment, Governor Says

QuoteUnion Theological Seminary will divest from holdings that profit from the war in Gaza.

QuoteColson Whitehead cancels his commencement speech at UMass Amherst after arrests of protesters.

QuotePolice arrest protesters at M.I.T., where suspensions have ramped up tension.

QuoteA pro-Palestinian encampment at Penn grows as commencement nears.

QuoteIn a surprise, Cornell's president resigns.

QuoteU.S.C.'s president is censured by the university's academic senate.

QuotePolice officials say that U.C.L.A. protesters had metal pipes, bolt cutters and an occupation manual.

NBC News: ASU post-doc on leave after harassing Arab woman.

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on May 09, 2024, 10:39:23 AMMore T1 today; I'd like to manage a large chunk. Maybe I'll start on something else, too. We'll see.

Did a large chunk plus about 600 new words for my straggling book chapter of a couple months ago.