The Fora: A Higher Education Community

Quote from: downer on Today at 08:07:04 AM

QuoteI'm not going to lie you have been one of my toughest professors! I feel that's a good thing because it challenged me to do better however like I said before I still feel I'm not a C+ student in these types of classes.

I am a bit concerned about this student's other professors. But maybe it's me.

Stu's writing suggests that C would be a very generous grade.

Submitting missed work after grades have been submitted and posted isn't fair to the other students in the class and also to the instructors concerned. Adjuncts would be grading and revising the grade roster on their time as most of them wouldn't be on the payroll after the end of the semester.

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.

Quote from: Hibush on Today at 02:46:30 AM

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.

Is there evidence that MIT was actually doing that?
Our DEI/HR reps are clear that doing so is completely unacceptable. We're trying to hire the best people, and some skills in serving a diverse audience are valuable but subscribing to a particular ideology is definitely not.

As apl said, there is a lot of perception going on here. 

And I'm not sure that people are always aware that they have a mindset or ideology at work. I've been through enough aggressive, angry, person-shaming trainings to have seen this in action.  As I've said, and ciao has also said, simply trying to be a good person is not enough. And when I look up "DEI" online, I find some pretty declaratory statements about what it is, but does anyone have a specific method for making sure it works?

I still wonder what diversity officers spend their time doing.

QuoteI'm not going to lie you have been one of my toughest professors! I feel that's a good thing because it challenged me to do better however like I said before I still feel I'm not a C+ student in these types of classes.

I am a bit concerned about this student's other professors. But maybe it's me.

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.