Suggestions for New Threads/Discussions/Forums

[aside]

I think that while there are different takes on specific issues, dividing the community by rank or job type, especially with such a small community, is problematic.

Absolutely agree.

[ciao_yall]

...then someone has to police what constitutes "adjunct-related whining" in comparison to simply posting from the experience and perspective of an adjunct.

It's like porn.

You know it when you see it.

[polly_mer]

...then someone has to police what constitutes "adjunct-related whining" in comparison to simply posting from the experience and perspective of an adjunct.

It's like porn.

You know it when you see it.

I don't want to be the mommy continually checking for naughtiness.  I will be the cop of last resort as a service to the community, but I'm not going to be mommy to anyone over the age of <checks current calendar> 10.

[polly_mer]

I'll start some of the proposed useful-to-adjuncts discussions as their own threads in the relevant boards and let's have a discussion.

In regards to being a part time worker, I think of issues like strategies for getting more job security,

http://thefora.org/index.php?topic=34.0 explicitly offers unionization as a possibility for discussion

maximizing income, how many places to teach at

http://thefora.org/index.php?topic=34.msg781#msg781

how to get jobs at places with better students

http://thefora.org/index.php?topic=86.0

when to ignore "mandatory training" and "required faculty meetings"

http://thefora.org/index.php?topic=87.0

where to meet students or keep student papers when you don't have an office

http://thefora.org/index.php?topic=88.msg782#msg782

[marshwiggle]

I'll start some of the proposed useful-to-adjuncts discussions as their own threads in the relevant boards and let's have a discussion.

Should there be a specific place for explicitly non-financial issues? Discussions about logistics regarding office space (or lack therof), uncertainty about scheduling, and so on, but without explicit or implicit focus on how this affects paying the rent would potentially be of interest to many who are not freeway fliers. I know if I could avoid the "paying the rent" rabbit hole I'd still like to talk about the other things.

Anyone else think this has merit?

[polly_mer]

I'll start some of the proposed useful-to-adjuncts discussions as their own threads in the relevant boards and let's have a discussion.

Should there be a specific place for explicitly non-financial issues? Discussions about logistics regarding office space (or lack therof), uncertainty about scheduling, and so on, but without explicit or implicit focus on how this affects paying the rent would potentially be of interest to many who are not freeway fliers. I know if I could avoid the "paying the rent" rabbit hole I'd still like to talk about the other things.

Anyone else think this has merit?

I thought that's what I did in starting most of those threads.  What did I unintentionally do for the, say, office space thread where I purposely refrained from finances?

[marshwiggle]

I'll start some of the proposed useful-to-adjuncts discussions as their own threads in the relevant boards and let's have a discussion.

Should there be a specific place for explicitly non-financial issues? Discussions about logistics regarding office space (or lack therof), uncertainty about scheduling, and so on, but without explicit or implicit focus on how this affects paying the rent would potentially be of interest to many who are not freeway fliers. I know if I could avoid the "paying the rent" rabbit hole I'd still like to talk about the other things.

Anyone else think this has merit?

I thought that's what I did in starting most of those threads.  What did I unintentionally do for the, say, office space thread where I purposely refrained from finances?

Those individual threads are a great idea; maybe what's needed is a PSA based on your listing of those threads for new members who are adjuncts so that they can find all of those threads. The old "Non-Tenure Track" board was kind of a beacon, but it led to the same issues bleeding into all kinds of different threads. Helping people find relevant threads without the beacon is the trick. (There were all kinds of boards I never looked at on the CHE fora, so if there were threads that may have been relevant in them I wouldn't have known. As always SPADFM, so my experience may be unusual.)

[polly_mer]

One way to raise awareness of how very much Some Situations Are Different From Yours (SSADFY) is to discuss everyone's concerns as a normal part of teaching, service, research, job hunting, etc. instead of fragmenting into very targeted interest groups by job title.  If nothing else, it's a great reminder to the chairs/deans/others who are reading about the breadth of experiences that constitute academia and perhaps encounter suggestions on how to improve working conditions.

SPADFM so part of the point in starting with only a handful of boards when we have only a few handfuls of threads was so people could browse quickly through everything.  I'm having deja vu here because that's how I interacted with the CHE fora back when they were starting out.  The quick browse through each board is pretty easy since most boards have single digits of threads.

Going forward, what I read in various places is more people navigate the way I have for years using "show unread posts", "show new replies", and "view recent posts" so that grouping by boards is less necessary for those who are registered members.  A click brings up the one page of new stuff since I last visited and that's pretty easy to scan.

I will mention for perspective that the CHE Nontenure Track board has had about 30 threads in the past year.  In contrast, the CHE In the Classroom board has had about 30 threads in the past month while CHE Job-Seeking Experiences has had about 30 threads in the past 2 months.

If someone would like to curate a thread labeled something like "Useful threads for novices", then I encourage folks to do so.  However, all novices have access to this thread and can click for themselves if looking through under 10 boards of averaging under 10 threads each looking for interesting topics is not their cup of tea.

[polly_mer]

I would suggest a health issues board. I am currently finding some of the threads there more informative than my doctor.

I encourage you to start a thread or two to bring over current discussions or get the ball rolling.

The numbers from the CHE Health Issues on the Job thread indicate 15 threads in the past year and a half.  They are important threads, but that's not a lot of active discussion to warrant starting with a designated board.

[mamselle]

The Spousal hire question has come up three times in the past week on one board, forum, or another.

Is there a thread for that already on these fora (before I start a duplicate?)

What board should I put it in?

M.


ETA: Or maybe it could just go here:

   http://thefora.org/index.php?topic=92.0

[Parasaurolophus]

The Spousal hire question has come up three times in the past week on one board, forum, or another.

Is there a thread for that already on these fora (before I start a duplicate?)

What board should I put it in?

M.


ETA: Or maybe it could just go here:

   http://thefora.org/index.php?topic=92.0

That does seem like a good place for it, although maybe it's too complex an issue to have the consensus view(s) easily summarised? Shrug. What do you think?

[marshwiggle]

Is there a way to set your personal time zone? I looked around on the profile settings but didn't see it.

[polly_mer]

The Spousal hire question has come up three times in the past week on one board, forum, or another.

Is there a thread for that already on these fora (before I start a duplicate?)

What board should I put it in?

M.


ETA: Or maybe it could just go here:

   http://thefora.org/index.php?topic=92.0

That does seem like a good place for it, although maybe it's too complex an issue to have the consensus view(s) easily summarised? Shrug. What do you think?

I think we probably want a continuing discussion along with the brief summary.

[polly_mer]

Is there a way to set your personal time zone? I looked around on the profile settings but didn't see it.

Click Profile.
Hover over Modify Profile and select Look and Layout.
On the line marked Time Offset, try Auto Detect.  If you'd rather be a bit more sneaky, then choose a different Time Offset.

[marshwiggle]

Is there a way to set your personal time zone? I looked around on the profile settings but didn't see it.

Click Profile.
Hover over Modify Profile and select Look and Layout.
On the line marked Time Offset, try Auto Detect.  If you'd rather be a bit more sneaky, then choose a different Time Offset.

Excellent! Thanks.