The Venting Thread

[apl68]

Are there any nearby (or far-off) librarians you might reach out to who have had the same headaches? Maybe they found the pathway to library gold??

;--}

(In her best school-marm voice...))Don't you DARE go up there, young lady! You've just been injured and talking about rainbow bruises.

Do you want more? Get someone else to do it!!!!! (If there is someone else...)

M.

It probably WILL end up being me on the ladder, since I have the longest reach on the staff.  Plus, I hate asking other staff members to do unusual things that I'm not willing to do myself.  I don't plan to do it until early next week, after I've had a few more days to recover.  I've got to get it done before Thursday, because that's when the Board of Trustees will be using the room for a meeting.

BTW--I'm sorry if I've given a wrong impression or failed to correct a mis-impression but...though I am a librarian, I am not a lady.  I'm a guy librarian.

I'm not really that young any longer either.

[Langue_doc]

Your gender isn't an issue here, apl68. Your insurance will not cover your treatment should you get injured in your workplace, the library. Do get an outside vendor to take care of the mold issues in the vents.

[clean]

Your insurance will not cover your treatment should you get injured in your workplace,

??

Workman's compensation should!

But it is always safer to NOT get hurt!

[Langue_doc]

Not all medical practices accept workers compensation. apl68, talk to a librarian from another site.

[FishProf]

Enrollment Management over-admitted students in popular program (which my department provides the first 2 semesters of coursework) by 33%.   

Things that haven't increased by 33%:
1) Support staff
2) Supply budget
3) Lab space
4) Faculty lines

Grrrrr.

[clean]

Not all medical practices accept workers compensation. apl68, talk to a librarian from another site.

That is true.  As the employer (or their insurance company) is paying, they may select the doctor. 

the bottom line is that 'getting hurt at work' does not mean that you are not covered by insurance. 
However, Workman's Compensation has  a  lot of protections for the injured employee!

Still,  it is always best NOT to get hurt ANYWHERE! 

[apl68]

I appreciate everybody's concern for my well-being.  Honestly, though, I'm not trying to be hardheaded or macho or anything.  We have eight people working here, and I probably have as much business climbing a ladder as any of us.  We have one who's limping with a hurt knee, another with an appointment to see a pulmonary specialist, a third who's seeing a chiropractor with chronic neck problems, etc.  And we're a small town where available local service vendors are limited.  Somebody has to do the job.  I promise to be careful!

[Economizer]

Maybe? I was thinking more about illegal stuff in motorized vehicles. And, I should have termed it contraband perhaps. There seem to be autos associated with most all of the shootings about which I am writing. Being about to frustrate the portability of weapons should
curb the occurence of shootings.

Or, don't worry so much about what kinds of stuff people have in their cars? Contraband is a human, political definition.

Black's Law Ductionary has contreband as a legal term, although its definition leans toward illegal imports or exports. In essence, however, it seems to refer to items that are against the law to have or utilize, specifically.

[clean]

I am giving a take home exam this term (following through since last year when we went to Covid time).  I gave them the final exam 10 days ago (maybe 11).  The exam is not until Monday. 
Last night a student writes, "As I am working through these questions, I'm realizing that a lot of these are more advanced than anything we covered in class. What do you suggest would help? Would the homework be an okay place to study? " 
The exam is almost exclusively problems. 

Now I am finding that any questions I respond to include the page/figure/chart from the text,  the day the class discussed the issue (class recordings are available for review and all the paper notes are available as well), and I include the problems that were assigned from the text.  It has certainly slowed my response time, but the answers are now VERY thorough!

Still, I m annoyed that I am using time when I get questions that are really from prerequisite classes!  It is bad enough that some of these students (Junior level FINANCE majors) didnt learn this in the prereq class, but I covered these topics myself!  (How many times, and in How Many Courses does it take before they actually LEARN how to do things like this??)

So I get questions like, "I calculated the variance by square rooting the std dev that I got from the calculator, is that not correct? "  (note that they are allowed to use Excel if they choose).

" If we have already calculated the variance of the market and the variance of asset A, wouldn't covariance be the product of those two variances? "

"I was reviewing how to solve for standard deviation and on the in class examples the probabilities were whole like .30 and .40 so when we "tricked the calculator" as you said, we entered the numbers 3 times for the .30 and four times for .40, it makes since because it is out of 100% (10 number sets).

However, on my exam I got half percentages like 0.25 and 0.15 for probability, how do I enter the numbers in to solve it correctly? I don't get it because I can't enter the numbers 2 and a half times? Additionally, I was reviewing the first exam and on this same type of problem it gave whole probabilities like .10, .20, .30, and .40 also understandable to enter into the calculator like the in-class example. I just don't understand how to solve it with half number probabilities like 0.15 and 0.25? Please provide some guidance on this.

I replied, and was given a follow up statement - "I have divided my probabilities by "5" and am left with 5, 3, and 12 these numbers do not add up to 10? The example you gave in the last email is understandable .25, .50, and .25 would be 1, 2, 1 in the calculator. The least common denominator between .15, .25, and .60 is 300, which gives me decimals not whole numbers to enter into the calculator. "

....The least common denominator between .15, .25, and .60 is 300[.... and Variance is the square root of standard deviation....   from FINANCE majors!

THESE FAILURES ARE NOT MY FAULT!!!

While I have spent a lot of CLASS TIME to make sure that they are supposed to know HOW to do things (and not rely on preprogrammed calculator or Excel functions), they seem lost! They are unable to do them WITH OR WITHOUT a calculator!! 


Exams are Monday.  My preliminary, targeted RETIREMENT DATE is in 'only' 1334 DAYS!!!
If my portfolio holds up, and these sorts of questions, along with the students falsely claiming that the exam questions are much harder than anything done in class (which means when they get to Watch ME solve the problems!!)  Retirement may become a very welcome option!!


Bastards!

[Economizer]

So, by following your directions and prior instruction, and by beginning preliminary work specifically prepared by you for them prior to a final exam, your students allow you to determine the approximate number of "bastards" in each of your classes, each semester? Interesting! Very Interesting. Perhaps, though, you fail to give proper attention to their individual utilization of expletives, during their calculations, maybe?

[clean]

They are free to use the expletive functions on Both their calculator, AND excel if they think it will help!! 
IF it helps in solving the problems, I will encourage it for future classes!

Even if it is found to be helpful, unless there is a YouTube link (or they think that using it is against the rules) I m not sure how many will use it, though they may wait until the end of the window and then email me to tell them where to find it.  (They will then become quite proficient at it, upon reading my reply similar to:" rework homework problems 5 & 6, from chapter 4;  Review the WebEx recording from 2/28; watch the MindTap videos showing step by step instructions to solve problems 5&6; or search YouTube if they desire  (and to please send any links that they find particularly helpful so that I can add the to the list of YouTube videos already available on Blackboard).

[the_geneticist]

My vent: our provost had said that students can petition to take their classes remotely.
They do not have to give a reason.  There is no "firm deadline" for them to submit their request.
Granted, we are not required to provide a remote option for our classes, but I'm guessing we will get a LOT of pressure to do so in the name of "being flexible". 
Can I just put a blanket "NO" reply for my lab courses?

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

THIS is why I can't have student workers. It should not take a MONTH to process paperwork to hire a student worker. HR, what the hell are you all doing?

[apl68]

I've been having recurring ear aches as the weather changes.  Today it has been so bad I've been unable to concentrate on my work.  I took a nap and applied heat to them over a long lunch to try to some relief.  I got a little, but still don't feel very good.  It's bad enough that I've made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow.  I'll have the doctor check the banged-up shins then too, although they still seem to be on the mend.  The bruising and swelling are still gradually diminishing.

I don't need this much trouble during the days when I've got to be preparing for a Board of Trustees meeting.

[apl68]

My ears checked out clean and infection-free.  Apparently they hurt because of a lifetime of grinding my teeth.  Looks like I'll have to revisit the dentist's suggestion about making a mouth guard to wear at night. 

And the shins just need some more time to finish healing.  About what I expected.