The Venting Thread

[AvidReader]

Working on an application today, and one of the responses uses an academically ambiguous term (think "How is discipline useful?", but not discipline). Wrote a polite query about what kind of discipline (e.g. self-discipline or classroom discipline) and just received a response: "The committee would like to know how discipline is useful." I know they would. I'd like to know which type they want to know about. Restating the prompt does not answer my question.

AR.

[Langue_doc]

So many vents---

Went on a walk with one of my outdoors organizations last week. Enjoyed the walk, but was notified later that one of the participants on the walk had tested positive for Covid that night. Now I'm not sure if whatever I have now is Covid or not, and am too much of a coward to find out. The only symptoms are exhaustion--no fever or respiratory symptoms.

Had a tire replaced about a couple of weeks ago. The ride has been uncharacteristically bumpy, so took the car back yesterday. The shop did the fancy tests with videos of the car's innards to prove that they did the diagnostics, and then had me drive the car with the technician coming along. The drive was still bumpy, with the car steering to the left if I took my hand off the wheel, but the techinician claimed not to notice anything. I was told that all four tires had differnt wear patterns so this could be the reason. Driving is no longer fun.

Make him drive the car and see how long he is willing to go without a hand on the steering wheel...

These are relatively narrow NYC streets where you not only have to drive slowly, but also have to work your way around awkwardly double-parked cars very s.l.o.w.l.y, hoping that you don't hit the cars on either side. I was more concerned about the bumpy ride, which I think is the result of four tires with different wears. So the demonstration was not very effective.

[ciao_yall]

Our Department and the College has been unrealistic in their demands this semester (So what else is new?) and I think a lot of what was asked of me this semester was not in my job description. I will be documenting more moving forward.

I also had a ghost student show up AFTER the final exam (disappeared about a month after classes started) and stu politely inquired about 'make up work.' Um, no.

I had one email me one year later asking to meet. I suggested a small independent coffee shop near the college. He showed up carrying a Starbucks.

Had all his arguments and explanations queued up but...

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Our Department and the College has been unrealistic in their demands this semester (So what else is new?) and I think a lot of what was asked of me this semester was not in my job description. I will be documenting more moving forward.

I also had a ghost student show up AFTER the final exam (disappeared about a month after classes started) and stu politely inquired about 'make up work.' Um, no.

I had one email me one year later asking to meet. I suggested a small independent coffee shop near the college. He showed up carrying a Starbucks.

Had all his arguments and explanations queued up but...

WOW!

[AmLitHist]

My sister (73) has been in the hospital since the Tuesday after Thanksgiving; went in for extreme shortness of breath, and with high potassium and creatinine numbers. She immediately had a couple of draws of fluid from her chest, and all kinds of tests. No signs of pneumonia, and after all sorts of blood work and other imaging, no diagnosis. She's to have a kidney biopsy yet this week, and a lung biopsy next Tuesday. Right now they can't get her potassium regulated. They placed a dialysis line earlier this week, and that treatment's start is pending.

Cancer gallops (rather than runs) in our family on both sides. She's T2 diabetic and went through septic shock 6 years ago, with multiple other problems in the meantime. I have a bad feeling about all this.
 
It especially sucks since she's literally my last direct family member:  no other siblings, and our parents and all the aunts and uncles are gone. She's always been the one who's been there for me and understands me in a way no one else ever has.

One more reason added to why I hate the holiday season. And though it's finals week, I can't keep my mind on grading or give much less of a sh*t about my whiny students' excuses.


I just needed to say it here, where I'm sure some of you can understand. (Things at home are similarly going to sh*t lately, and I can't even muster the interest to write/worry about them at the moment.)

[Parasaurolophus]

After two years of negotiation (and us working without a contract), the administration has caved and agreed to everything the union was asking for.

This is good news, especially with two years' worth of retroactive salary increases. But... wtf was the point of stalling for so long if you were just going to cave entirely?

[dismalist]

After two years of negotiation (and us working without a contract), the administration has caved and agreed to everything the union was asking for.

This is good news, especially with two years' worth of retroactive salary increases. But... wtf was the point of stalling for so long if you were just going to cave entirely?

Both sides are playing a game called "Chicken". The admin blinked first. 'Coulda been the other way around, or nobody blinks and perhaps the faculty strikes or leaves, and the admin closes down the place.

Here is the payoff matrix for the game of chicken, with two card rivers racing toward each other:


                            Player A   
                         Swerve      Straight
Player B      Swerve    0, 0        -1, +1
              Straight +1, -1    -1000, -1000

Both players want that one point, knowing full well that it could cost them 1000 points each. Real world behavior in the union/management case is attuned to the fact that they can communicate with each other -- in contrast to two drivers charging each other -- and this consists of trying to convince the other side that "I really mean it", and such. That takes time.

This is a good and thorough article on the subject:

Game of Chicken

[mythbuster]

AmLitHist, please accept my virtual hug. After several years of Christmas family medical emergencies, I too am no longer a fan of the "Holiday Season".
   I hope that they determine how to treat your sister, or at least to make her comfortable quickly. Be good to yourself and only give the grading the minimum effort required. At this point, they grades are most likely already determined anyway.
 

[AmLitHist]

AmLitHist, please accept my virtual hug. After several years of Christmas family medical emergencies, I too am no longer a fan of the "Holiday Season".
  I hope that they determine how to treat your sister, or at least to make her comfortable quickly. Be good to yourself and only give the grading the minimum effort required. At this point, they grades are most likely already determined anyway.
 

Thanks, Mythbuster. I appreciate the hug. And I'm doing the minimalist grading--but even at that, I've found another half-dozen plagiarism cases that are so blatant, I can't ignore them. I hate filing plagiarism cases--a waste of time and a lot of work on the instructor's part.

After two years of negotiation (and us working without a contract), the administration has caved and agreed to everything the union was asking for.

This is good news, especially with two years' worth of retroactive salary increases. But... wtf was the point of stalling for so long if you were just going to cave entirely?

Sounds like my place, Parasaurolophus. We generally go to Federal arbitration, sit at impasse for a year or two (seriously), and then we still don't get much of anything and definitely nothing retroactive. That's why my BS meter went nuts this past summer:  about 45 days after negotiations opened, all faculty got 2 steps on the salary scale (the first since I've been here 20 years), amounting to an 8% raise, plus a step both next year and the following year (4% raise per year)--with no arbitration or even heated discussion by the union. Yes, I'm glad to have the steps and the raise (finally), but I'm also suspicious.

In truth, this Admin is dying for us to be listed as one of the local Best Places to Work; in addition, they've been blowing through capital improvements money like a drunken sailor (e.g., there will be 4 brand new buildings on my campus by the end of 2025, whereas the last new building went up in 2004, and our current buildings have been completely neglected for a decade--unreliable water and electric service, mold in the air ducts, etc.). A number of us faculty peons of a suspicious bent can see the raises being a "gotcha" when Admin has driven us into the financial ground: "Well, increasing costs, plus these new facilities, plus all those raises put us here!" Of course, the bigwigs are all taking home well north of a quarter million dollars every year, and have cushy retirements and guaranteed payoff buyouts in their contracts. 

SIGH.

[Parasaurolophus]

What do you mean, "another chance"? You AIed all of your fucking work, you twerp. 

[arcturus]

The alphabetical listing of students in the LMS is NOT THE SAME AS the alphabetical listing of students provided by the registrar. I entered 100+ grades on the listing provided by the registrar last week, following the order as presented in the LMS. A student contacted me today asking about their grade. When I followed up, I discovered that four students have the wrong grade recorded because the LMS ignores capitalization in their alphabetical listing. This resulted in two pairs of student names being flipped in the two lists. Arghhhh!

[RatGuy]

I had to postpone a date tonight because I was attacked by a pitbull while walking my dog. I scooped him up and carried him like a baby, but the pitbull kept snapping at my dog's feet (two nails bitten off). Thankfully he didn't knock me over. A neighbor saw it happening and jumped in his car, drove to my side, and let me in. Drove me to my house. My vet said that I saved my dogs life by scooping him, and that if I'd fallen we'd both be dead.

Neighbor called 911 and animal control was dispatched. I don't know what happened bc I took my dog to the vet. I filed a police report later and they told me that I'd hear back by Friday.

I hope y'all never have to go through that. It's gonna take me a while to recover mentally (luckily I just have bruises on my knees and thighs)

[Larimar]

I had to postpone a date tonight because I was attacked by a pitbull while walking my dog. I scooped him up and carried him like a baby, but the pitbull kept snapping at my dog's feet (two nails bitten off). Thankfully he didn't knock me over. A neighbor saw it happening and jumped in his car, drove to my side, and let me in. Drove me to my house. My vet said that I saved my dogs life by scooping him, and that if I'd fallen we'd both be dead.

Neighbor called 911 and animal control was dispatched. I don't know what happened bc I took my dog to the vet. I filed a police report later and they told me that I'd hear back by Friday.

I hope y'all never have to go through that. It's gonna take me a while to recover mentally (luckily I just have bruises on my knees and thighs)

Yipes! Sorry to hear about that. Glad you and your dog are physically okay.

[apl68]

Fear of dog attacks when I'm outside the city limits has greatly reduced my bicycle riding in the countryside in recent years.  I've never been able to get over my fear of being attacked again since I was seriously injured in a dog attack while bicycling several years ago.  And there aren't many routes outside the city limits where I can ride very far and not run into packs of dogs. 

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I had to postpone a date tonight because I was attacked by a pitbull while walking my dog. I scooped him up and carried him like a baby, but the pitbull kept snapping at my dog's feet (two nails bitten off). Thankfully he didn't knock me over. A neighbor saw it happening and jumped in his car, drove to my side, and let me in. Drove me to my house. My vet said that I saved my dogs life by scooping him, and that if I'd fallen we'd both be dead.

Neighbor called 911 and animal control was dispatched. I don't know what happened bc I took my dog to the vet. I filed a police report later and they told me that I'd hear back by Friday.

I hope y'all never have to go through that. It's gonna take me a while to recover mentally (luckily I just have bruises on my knees and thighs)

Damn! Glad you're both ok. Was it a neighbor's dog, or a stray?