The Venting Thread

[mamselle]

I was thinking of asking if it were time to jump ship, but didn't want to pour more oil of troubled waters unnecessarily...

There's a CV thread a-brewin' somewhere around here....

M.

[Parasaurolophus]

Update: My chair had the same understanding I did, so she escalated to the union. The union says at least two others are in the same boat, and the union has the same understanding of the policies we have. In particular, they echoed (unprompted) our sentiment that if this is how HR interprets the collective agreement then there is no meaningful parental leave for faculty at the university.

So: they will be filing a grievance.

I'm just relieved that it turns out I'm not a total (sleep-deprived) idiot, and that others who know what they're talking about share my understanding.

[mamselle]

Impressive.

Glad you have such good backup.

Hope it works out well.

M.

[Harlow2]

Update: My chair had the same understanding I did, so she escalated to the union. The union says at least two others are in the same boat, and the union has the same understanding of the policies we have. In particular, they echoed (unprompted) our sentiment that if this is how HR interprets the collective agreement then there is no meaningful parental leave for faculty at the university.

So: they will be filing a grievance.

I'm just relieved that it turns out I'm not a total (sleep-deprived) idiot, and that others who know what they're talking about share my understanding.

Fingers crossed for you. Parental leave has been working better at My College, but was nonexistent until a few years ago, and required great effort to establish.

[EdnaMode]

Our campus has a mask mandate. That said, there is an ever-increasing number of students who, although they wear their masks in the classrooms when under direct supervision, do not wear masks when they are in the hallways, the common areas, or are gathered in classrooms without supervision. Our dean of students, when asked how this should be handled, said that perhaps they could put up more signs, but that there was nothing else to be done and we should be pleased that the unvaccinated students are getting regularly tested and the positive rate is less than 10%. A colleague asked why have a mandate if it is unenforceable and could they start to go maskless themself because they find masks annoying just as the students do. DoS said of course they couldn't and seemed appalled they would even ask.

I've continually found the DoS less than supportive of faculty, always wanting to be the cool dude with students, and I have to agree with my colleague, why have a mandate if there are no consequences for students not following it? This is the same guy whose office, last year, was sending us notification of students' positive results and quarantine status AFTER the students were already back in class from quarantine. I didn't particularly like having to rely on students to inform me of when they could and could not attend class. I am SO ready for this to be over with, it has been handled poorly on my campus from the get-go. As for me, I shall remain masked, and require my students to wear their masks in class, and give the ones I see in common areas without masks *the look* which usually results in them putting their mask on - but I know full well they take them back off immediately after I'm gone.

Well, they put up more signs. They're really nice laminated signs complete with fancy graphics. Wonder how much that cost? Oh well. Students still aren't reading them or heeding them. I'll just add that to the list of things I can't do diddley about, and go on with my day.

[the_geneticist]

I've had several students contact me saying they have COVID.  Ok, stay home, feel better, you're excused from the assignments.

My vent: even with all the promises about contact tracing, notifying instructors, etc. I have heard NOTHING from campus about any sick students.

I am really hoping we can stay in person for a few more weeks, but I'm getting nervous.

[OneMoreYear]

I am working with a new system that is supposed to be great for my students. I have managed to delete about 8 hours of my work in the system, and it appears to be irretrievable. It is going to be a long night. 

[mamselle]

I am working with a new system that is supposed to be great for my students. I have managed to delete about 8 hours of my work in the system, and it appears to be irretrievable. It is going to be a long night.

I know that feeling....it's sickening!

But there may be a workaround to having to re-do all the work. I'd call IT immediately, AND use their chat-help line, AND email them, all three, describing the situation as you did here.

Possible scenarios:

1. Is the original software for the system is housed on your computer itself, as in, did you have to download an .exe file to your own computer to use it?

2. Or was it accessible from within your login-based school account, meaning it's the school's own proprietary system, possibly with an in-house IT drive it's backed up to?

Either way, and especially if it's supposed to support student work, IT should be told of the possibility of such a problem, and asked to see if they have a backup, either in-house or in the cloud somewhere.

And deeper-down, there should be a retrievable file on your own hard drive, and IT should know how to find that for you.

If nothing else there should be a background Auto-save if it's at all worth its cost, and you should be able to get the last saved version before the file was lost.

At least if there's any computer justice...and if anyone in your IT department knows what they're doing, it should be.....

Still, maddening...

M.

[OneMoreYear]

I appreciate those thoughts, mamselle. Unfortunately, it's not a system supposed by our IT department. It's a system recommended by other faculty in our college, but not hosted by us. It has some really great features, and it's my fault for doing things while extremely tired. I probably should not have attempted to use it this semester, as I'm just too burnt to be doing new things.

[mamselle]

Sorry to hear that.

Still, commiserations.

Computers are supposed to make our lives easier...

A-hem.

M.

[AmLitHist]

As expected, I got renewal notices for my driver's license and state ID card in today's mail.  Not expected:  I have to take the damned written exam. GAH. I'd rather resit my oral exams right now, rather than take the written test.

[Harlow2]

That would be unusual (I hope!) in My State.  When I moved here the manual was well over a hundred pages long and contained multiple conflicting rules.  Sorry, AmLitHist.  Hope yours is short and easy.

[ab_grp]

Yikes, ALH! I would not want to have to retake the written exam.  The only reason I passed is because I went back the day after I failed and ended up on the same computer and got the exact same questions (and my dad had gone over the ones I had missed with me).  Can't get that lucky again! I'm glad I didn't have to take it when I moved to this state.  At least now they have some apps and other ways of prepping besides just the manual.  Good luck!

[Langue_doc]

ALH, why on earth would the DMV want you to take a written test? Presumably, the laws haven't changed since you last took it. I think I had to take an eye exam a few years ago, but that's valid for another four years.

[AmLitHist]

ALH, why on earth would the DMV want you to take a written test? Presumably, the laws haven't changed since you last took it. I think I had to take an eye exam a few years ago, but that's valid for another four years.

Luck of the draw.  Illinois requires a written test once every 8 years if you've had a ticket (I haven't had any since one for speeding in 1984), and then once every 4 years after age 75.  Otherwise, it's random.  Yay, lucky me. 

It won't be all that hard, but it's mostly just the idea. And I can never keep straight all the distances (how far ahead you have to use the blinker, for instance).