Professor dies of Covid-19 during online lecture

[Katrina Gulliver]

This prof was still teaching despite her illness (but how many would have done the same?)
https://www.leftvoice.org/professor-dies-of-coronavirus-during-zoom-lecture

[Ruralguy]

Well, she was online and felt well enough to speak, etc. so, she probably didn't think she was risking her life or anyone else's.

[Caracal]

Well, she was online and felt well enough to speak, etc. so, she probably didn't think she was risking her life or anyone else's.

I did a cursory check and the story seems real enough, although my language skills aren't good enough for me to really read the accounts in the Argentinian papers. It does trigger my spidey sense just a little bit though. I'm not suggesting its a fake story, but I wonder if it might be a slightly more complicated one than it is being made to seem.

I'm also not really convinced this is a story about bad working conditions. No idea what the situation is in Argentina, but I'm an adjunct and I've never felt like I couldn't cancel classes when I was unwell. I've had one or two times where I found myself teaching a class and feeling really poorly, but that wasn't because I thought I'd get fired if I called in sick. It was always that I woke up feeling a little cruddy, but it felt like just something that would go away once I got in gear. It wasn't till I was actually in the middle of a class and realized that I felt like I might throw up that I realized I really shouldn't be there.

My bar for calling in sick would probably be higher if I didn't even have to go in to school. Chris Cuomo was hosting a television show from home while he had COVID. Not sure, I would be doing that, but it probably would depend on how bad I actually felt. I'm assuming that while this poor person was sick, it looked like a pretty mild case until something went really wrong.

[mahagonny]

Well, she was online and felt well enough to speak, etc. so, she probably didn't think she was risking her life or anyone else's.

I did a cursory check and the story seems real enough, although my language skills aren't good enough for me to really read the accounts in the Argentinian papers. It does trigger my spidey sense just a little bit though. I'm not suggesting its a fake story, but I wonder if it might be a slightly more complicated one than it is being made to seem.

I'm also not really convinced this is a story about bad working conditions. No idea what the situation is in Argentina, but I'm an adjunct and I've never felt like I couldn't cancel classes when I was unwell. I've had one or two times where I found myself teaching a class and feeling really poorly, but that wasn't because I thought I'd get fired if I called in sick. It was always that I woke up feeling a little cruddy, but it felt like just something that would go away once I got in gear. It wasn't till I was actually in the middle of a class and realized that I felt like I might throw up that I realized I really shouldn't be there.

My bar for calling in sick would probably be higher if I didn't even have to go in to school. Chris Cuomo was hosting a television show from home while he had COVID. Not sure, I would be doing that, but it probably would depend on how bad I actually felt. I'm assuming that while this poor person was sick, it looked like a pretty mild case until something went really wrong.

That depends on how good your health is. Before I was able to get health insurance I used to miss more days and I also went to work sick more often. I guess having a regular physician who knows you and the proper regular medications prescribed is a better health situation. Many adjunct faculty over the years have lived and worked without health insurance. Some unions have been able to get access to a health insurance pool with an employer contribution. They should start the effort now if they haven't  yet.

[Ruralguy]

When I was reading the story in another venue, and by then it was likely already third hand, it just seemed to be an unfortunate incident, not really necessarily related to anyone forcing her to work while sick.  But it seemed odd because it said that no one got to here before her husband returned from work? Does that mean that no students called emergency services or the college administration even after they saw she was in distress?  If that's so, then that's the true shame of the story.

[jimbogumbo]

When I was reading the story in another venue, and by then it was likely already third hand, it just seemed to be an unfortunate incident, not really necessarily related to anyone forcing her to work while sick.  But it seemed odd because it said that no one got to here before her husband returned from work? Does that mean that no students called emergency services or the college administration even after they saw she was in distress?  If that's so, then that's the true shame of the story.

The first time I saw this story it did say that students were calling to try to get her help. Not this source though.

[adel9216]

If this is true, how traumatizing it must have been for her students.

[mahagonny]

When I was reading the story in another venue, and by then it was likely already third hand, it just seemed to be an unfortunate incident, not really necessarily related to anyone forcing her to work while sick.  But it seemed odd because it said that no one got to here before her husband returned from work? Does that mean that no students called emergency services or the college administration even after they saw she was in distress?  If that's so, then that's the true shame of the story.

What this about 'forcing someone to work when they're sick?' Do they mean, like, the college announces 'should any student complain that you were absent from teaching too often during the semester, we will not offer you any sections to teach in the succeeding semester.' Why would anyone announce such a thing that only advertises the shitty deal adjunct faculty have, and the stark contrast to the generous provisions tenured people get, when they can just discontinue you at the end of the semester with no explanation? Why embarrass everyone needlessly?

[Caracal]

When I was reading the story in another venue, and by then it was likely already third hand, it just seemed to be an unfortunate incident, not really necessarily related to anyone forcing her to work while sick.  But it seemed odd because it said that no one got to here before her husband returned from work? Does that mean that no students called emergency services or the college administration even after they saw she was in distress?  If that's so, then that's the true shame of the story.

What this about 'forcing someone to work when they're sick?' Do they mean, like, the college announces 'should any student complain that you were absent from teaching too often during the semester, we will not offer you any sections to teach in the succeeding semester.' Why would anyone announce such a thing that only advertises the shitty deal adjunct faculty have, and the stark contrast to the generous provisions tenured people get, when they can just discontinue you at the end of the semester with no explanation? Why embarrass everyone needlessly?

Like a lot of things about adjuncting, you have to rely on individual relationships, rather than institutional ones, which always is potentially dangerous. I honestly have no idea what the policy is, or even if there is a policy about cancelling class for illness  where I teach. When I'm not well enough to teach, I just cancel the class and send an email to my chair. But, I'm (knocks wood) generally healthy and rarely miss class. My chair's a nice guy, but if got some sort of chronic illness and started missing lots of classes every semester, at some point that's going to become a problem that is most easily solved by not giving me classes.

All that said, when, in normal times, I teach class when I'm not feeling great, I'm not motivated by fear of losing my job. When you're teaching four classes in a day, cancelling them all is a huge pain.

[mahagonny]

You can get forgiveness and concern from a chair if you're lucky but you can't get health insurance that way.

It may be that adjunct faculty are worrying about getting their employment discontinued and so work when they are sick. Though no one tells them they must. I used to do that. A full professor who had previously been dean and taught on my floor once told me to stop coming to work sick.

The stress of the job, the uncertainly about work, the lack of respect, the isolation, the stress of unionizing against opposition should be highly suspect as affecting overall health.

[wellfleet]

This made the Washington Post today:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/09/05/paola-desimone-college-professor-coronavirus/

[Chris J]

And so:
RIP, Professor Paola deSimone, age 46. Died of Covid-19 WHILE TEACHING an online class in world history in Argentina.