Faculty Pushing Back on Mandatory On-Campus Rules

[kaysixteen]

My point was that the cc admins may well be either a) openly pandering to walmart management ethos requirements, or b) overthinking what they think walmart would want.

[apl68]

My point was that the cc admins may well be either a) openly pandering to walmart management ethos requirements, or b) overthinking what they think walmart would want.

I would find it plausible to suppose that a community college in Bentonville would be highly influenced by Walmart, all right.  As others on the thread have noted, though, this sort of thing has become widespread.

Speaking of Walmart, a part-time library staff member here works at the local Walmart in the evenings.  Yesterday he did not seem entirely pleased to see the much-needed rain we had gotten.  It seems that whenever there's a hard rain, it also rains inside the local store.  They have to put tubs and buckets out all over the place.  Sounds a bit like the high school I attended back in the day. 

Anyway, it looks like they can't get their roof fixed until Corporate in Bentonville gives them the okay to spend the money.  It's an open question when, or whether, they will do so.  I know that some years ago they solved the problem of leaky public water fountains at the store by permanently shutting down all of the public water fountains.  I guess maintaining their small-town stores would interfere with funding all the things they're doing in Bentonville.

[FishProf]

Exactly. Why not just address the profs who set up robo-classes with 100% of grading based on automatic quizzes and never respond to student emails? Oh, because then you have to argue with that prof who claims they are being unfairly targeted.

My school would first need a policy stating that mode of teaching is no longer accepted.

Which they have explicitly refused to do.

[apl68]

Exactly. Why not just address the profs who set up robo-classes with 100% of grading based on automatic quizzes and never respond to student emails? Oh, because then you have to argue with that prof who claims they are being unfairly targeted.

I've taken at least one class like this while working for my MLS.  It was highly annoying.  This class was an exception in that MLS program.  Any program where stuff like this is the norm ought to pay a penalty in terms of accreditation.

[kaysixteen]

Let's just say that WM is not known for spending a lot on things like maintenance, janitorial upkeep, heat and a/c, and, well...

[mahagonny]

My second to last year as Chair, the Provost decided to require Chairs to be on campus one day each week, every week.  At least one of each of these things happened:
1) The Chairs didn't comply b/c they were away during part of the summer.  Permission was occasionally sought.
2) Some Chairs did their assigned work ONLY on that day, and productivity plummeted.
3) Some Chairs scheduled in-person meetings with the Provost each week, thereby forcing the Provost to be on campus, as she was not wont to do. (Any rumors that they coordinated things so they met on different days to maximize the pain are unverified)
4) Some Chairs resigned.  When the fall rolled around, several re-upped.  At full Chair pay (a quirk of the budgeting system).  Several others did not, and NO Chair work was completed for those departments.

This was the 1st Summer of COVID.  No one was around anyway.

A Moral (?): What some people will willingly do voluntarily, they will absolutely refuse to do when required.

I take a different moral from this.

[Wahoo Redux]

This reminds me of my undergrad job in the dormitory cafeteria.  I worked the sandwich station.  Complaints about the quality of the food were rampant, so the managers decided we would be much more "professional" if we stood behind our stations instead of sitting when we had no customers.  There was usually a rush of sandwich-eaters at the beginning of lunch and then business immediately petered out.  And there we all were, standing behind our stations to make the food taste better.

I'm sure this new rule makes all sorts of hairy-chested conservative thinkers happy.

[mahagonny]

I'm sure this new rule makes all sorts of hairy-chested conservative thinkers happy.

And how should they respond to the knowledge that you despise them?

[research_prof]

The future (and probably present at this point) of employment is "work from anywhere as long as you get your stuff done". In other words, if faculty teach in person, they need to show up to teach in person. If they teach remotely, they can teach from anywhere. In terms of research, faculty should be free to decide what works for themselves and their research groups. In terms of service, I am sure committees can sometimes meet over zoom and sometimes in person. Administration is another story, but to some extent can also be done remotely.

In other words, as long as people get their stuff done, I do not understand why anyone should be forced to physically be present in their office. For example, I am by far more productive when I am sitting on my couch or desk at home on my own writing my grants and papers. I am also much more comfortable and needless to say that I get to spend much more time with my family (= personal happiness).

[Ruralguy]

We want to know what your "different moral" from the story above is. Do share, Mahagonny.

[clean]

hairy-chested conservative thinkers

This phrase made me wonder if liberal thinkers are smooth chested? 

Would those with  Dolly Parton-like physiques  be more likely to be conservative or liberals? 



(and now I regress to a joke my grandfather told me when I was a teen.... "Why are Dolly Parton's feet so small?   
because nothing grows in the shade).


Sorry to distract from the topic at hand! 

[Ruralguy]

One problem, Resaecrh_prof, is that different schools and departments define "stuff" in very different ways. A school like mine really needs to have faculty present much of the time (no, not 9-5 , 5 days a week at a particular desk, but available). Committees are another issue, and I agree, much of that can be Zoomed, and is more efficient that way anyhow. I think the problems arise when students at an R1 (and their parents) want faculty to be available. Yet these faculty are mostly hired for other reasons, so those faculty work on the things that will get them tenure. Being at a desk so that students may or may not make use of them does not seem like a good use of time when they are primarily judged on scholarship. Of course, that source of conflict could arise at any sort of school.

[Ruralguy]

I'm reporting Clean to the Title IX gods  for that joke!

[research_prof]

One problem, Resaecrh_prof, is that different schools and departments define "stuff" in very different ways. A school like mine really needs to have faculty present much of the time (no, not 9-5 , 5 days a week at a particular desk, but available). Committees are another issue, and I agree, much of that can be Zoomed, and is more efficient that way anyhow. I think the problems arise when students at an R1 (and their parents) want faculty to be available. Yet these faculty are mostly hired for other reasons, so those faculty work on the things that will get them tenure. Being at a desk so that students may or may not make use of them does not seem like a good use of time when they are primarily judged on scholarship. Of course, that source of conflict could arise at any sort of school.

That's why faculty have office hours. Yes, they need to be available during office hours as well and, of course, available over email during the week. That's how teaching works at the R1s I am familiar with.

[Wahoo Redux]

hairy-chested conservative thinkers

This phrase made me wonder if liberal thinkers are smooth chested? 

I always heard "shave my harry chest" or "it will put hair on your chest" for either the lack of manly exploits or excessive desire for manly exploits.  I just assume conservative men are hairier, but I could be wrong. 

I bet'cha mahagonny knows about this.  Hey mahag, how hairy are you?  ;)

Would those with  Dolly Parton-like physiques  be more likely to be conservative or liberals? 

Conservative.  Definitely conservative.