Okay, so I had to wander off, and my internet access now is sketchy, at best.
There is something to the idea that this is basic polital wrangling, except that it happens everywhere. Purchasing screws your order up? Roll over. "Support" staff move your lecture room to one without white/chalk boards (depending on your preference)? Roll over. Hate crime on campus? Roll over. (And, for the record, I'm not making that one up. I might post on that sometime, but not yet. Actually, I'm not making any of it up.) Library decides to cancel X high-impact journal (that many people use) in favor of 2*X very, very low impact journals? Roll over. Awarding of summer UG funds based on "liking" not the submitted proposal? Roll over. Random power shutdowns announced 30 minutes in advance? Roll over. I could go on and on. I've never seen anything quite like what goes on at my current institution. And don't just roll over, advise your newer colleagues to do the same!
Part of what is going on is that the university is very much in transition, only now really becoming purely research-driven (it's an interesting thing to be in on -- I have a lot more power than I would elsewhere at this stage -- but also exhausting), and there is a split in the tenured faculty between research and teaching focus. The teaching group hate all of the new people, even though many of us are very good teachers, because our teaching loads are lower, and they don't understand research, and as the caliber of hires has gone up, the earlier crop feels more insecure. It's not a new story. This means that people get worn out fast -- I think the exhaustion is a large part of what's happening; people start all fired up and are just worn down by having to fight everything. It is also a transition largely opposed by the "support" staff, which is where a lot of the problems are coming from.
The example I gave in the post is not a good one, because of all the other issues involved, but it is illustrative. The real shock there was the raw animosity displayed at the table. There was an attitude of "we had it hard, so you should suffer, too" rather than "what can we do to make it better for those who come after us?" which was the attitude of the untenured. There was a discussion related to this sort of thing over at BitchPhD not that long ago, in response to an article in Nature (that last link is subscription only).
I will stress that the untenured women were not asking for "muffins" but for equal treatment under the law. We're asking for basics -- to be treated as our male colleagues are treated, as a matter of fact, not in response to demands. I hope that when I get to that stage, I will be able to maintain the standards set by my gender-blind graduate and undergraduate programs, and not put new women in a position where they have to point out that they are being discriminated against in order to have the basic amenities and appropriate respect. And yes, Lime, that is a direct response to you, and I'm sorry to hear that you think equal access to things like restrooms is offensive.
And, it's okay, Strawberry, don't be scared. Other than pointing out that you need to proof, not just spell check, I won't do anything. Welcome.
(* walking away whistling, praying I didn't miss any little errors in this *)
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Posted by Chartreuse Circe to academicsecret at 8/07/2006 08:21:20 AM
