COLLOQUY

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"What I read in this issue's article alarmed me greatly. I'm an adjunct faculty in Biology with Masters degree. I always succeeded as an..." -- May Zorba, Adjunct Faculty, Prairie State College (posted 1/23, 4:15 p.m., E.S.T.)

"My only question remains, why can't women wear..." -- Shannon Thornton, Ph.D. candidate, U.C.L.A. (posted 1/23, 2:55 p.m., E.S.T.)

"This article really "hit home" for me! I am an accomplished academician, scientist, and administrator. So as someone who enjoys nontraditional attire, I have experienced the prejudices that were discussed in the article, not only in..." -- Thomas Landefeld, Associate Dean; CSU-Dominguez Hills (posted 1/23, 12:15 p.m., E.S.T.)

"While employed by a Big-10 University as a fund raiser, I was often favorably impressed by faculty dress and demeanor, but often shocked by both dress and bad manners. I saw tenured faculty clean noses without..." -- Jacqueline Payne, Executive Director, LIbrary of Michigan Foundation (posted 1/23, 12:10 p.m., E.S.T.)

"A pre-graduate school visit with a young professor actually attracted me into the academy. I showed up unannounced at his office, skeptical of..." -- Scott Roberts, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Texas, Brownsville (posted 1/22, 4:45 p.m., E.S.T.)

"Perhaps the hiring committee should seek employment in the fashion industry and..." -- C. Bolek, Director of sponsored programs, UMES (posted 1/22, 4 p.m., E.S.T.)

"I was relieved to know other people are pondering this question. A very prominent male faculty member wears..." -- Anonymous graduate student at a South Florida University (posted 1/22, 2:15 p.m., E.S.T.)

"Many academics seem to take a perverse pride in slovenly dress, the message being read as "I am so secure in my intellectual achievements that..." -- Kim Allen Scott, Special Collections Librarian, Montana State University (posted 1/22, 11:10 a.m., E.S.T.)

"Getting a job in academe depends on the field as well as other things. In nursing one needs a doctorate and..." -- Mary Wilhite, Assoc. Prof., Adult Health Nursing, Univ. North Dakota (posted 1/21, 5:35 p.m., E.S.T.)

"Here is a poem that captures the angst of the moment's debate... ." -- Mark Fabiano, Communication Specialist (posted 1/21, 2:25 p.m., E.S.T.)

"For over 20 years, I have worn a coat and tie in the classroom to convey to students that I respect and take seriously what happens there. I have always believed..." -- William Barnett, Dept. of Religious Studies, Le Moyne College (posted 1/21, 12 p.m., E.S.T.)

"Your article about faculty dress was extremely insensitive and offensive to those of us in the profession who are truly "fashion impaired." Indeed, a less tolerant person than I might consider action against..." -- Walter S. Minot, Department of English, Gannon University, Erie, PA (posted 1/21, 11:30 a.m., E.S.T.)

"I really can't believe we're even having this debate. It's no wonder we..." -- Kevin Drumm, Regional Vice President, NH Community Technical College (posted 1/21, 10:10 a.m., E.S.T.)

"Mike Felker, Chair of the English Dept. at South Plains College recently posted that, 'After all, few of us want to be mistaken for students..." -- Heather L. Wilt, Sophomore, Communication; University of Louisville (posted 1/20, 6:10 p.m., E.S.T.)

"With all the problems facing education in the U.S., can you not find something more important to be concerned about than fashion? Also..." -- Daniel K. Miller, Professor of Veterinary Parasitology, UANL, Monterrey, NL, Mexico (posted 1/20, 4:25 p.m., E.S.T.)

"Only in The Chronicle would I find a juxtaposition of a piece on the discourses of disability, and concomitant claims about bringing physical challenges "out of the closet," and an essay indicating that..." -- Anonymous (posted 1/20, 1:55 p.m., E.S.T.)

"At South Plains College, dress plays only a slight roll in determining tenure (we just recently dropped our dress code for faculty), but plays a more significant roll in..." -- Mike Felker, Chair, Dept. of English, South Plains College (posted 1/20, 10:55 a.m., E.S.T.)

"Like it or not, the way we dress in public gives a very strong message to the people we meet about how we feel about ourselves. It also conveys..." -- Dr. June Ellman, Research Consulting Services (posted 1/20, 9:35 a.m., E.S.T.)

"After several decades in a variety of institutions a basic level of clean, pressed clothing would be a logical place to..." -- R. Stephen Nicholson, Senior Fellow for Higher Education Murdock Trust (posted 1/20, 9:30 a.m., E.S.T.)

"I own two suits, I wear them for job interviews or for shock value. On the job, I wear short sleeve shirts (a lot of Hawaiian patterns), and casual slacks or jeans. In hot weather, I will..." -- Edward P. Kardas, Professor, Southern Arkansas University (posted 1/20, 9:20 a.m., E.S.T.)

"As an American doctoral student teaching and studying in Australia, it is apparent that the "cult of frump" exists and flourishes beyond the States as well. To make time for the gym is to..." -- Jonathan D. Waks, Tutor (in the Australian sense of the word), & Doctoral Candidate - Dept. of Sociology, Syndey University, Sydney, Australia (posted 1/20, 9:15 a.m., E.S.T.)

"While serving as a professor in a hard science department for many years, I also advised students on job interviews and strategies, and coordinated..." -- George D. Klein, President & CEO, George D. Klein & Associates, Higher Education Consultants (posted 1/19, 3:30 p.m., E.S.T.)

"The connections between couture and perfume, e.g. where wearing Calvin Klein may mean either visible threads or the invisible aroma of fragrance, remind me of..." -- Steven L. Reagles, Professor of Communication, Bethany College (posted 1/19, 3 p.m., E.S.T.)

"I often have discussions about clothing with my fellow academics, because I seem to be the only young male professor who regularly wears a suit to campus. The general consensus seems to be..." -- R. Keith Sawyer, Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Washington University, St. Louis, MO (posted 1/19, 2:20 p.m., E.S.T.)

"As a corporate retread (25 years in industry -- information systems and banking management) coming to academia, I went through an acute period of distress trying to figure out..." -- Nancy J. Johnson, Assistant Professor, MIS, Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis, MN (posted 1/19, 2:15 p.m., E.S.T.)

"Dress for the job follows two directions at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. The first is comfort. Due to the sometimes extreme cold, practicality is..." -- Daniel Cole-McCullough, Director of Bands and Music Education, University of Alaska-Fairbanks (posted 1/19, 2:10 p.m., E.S.T.)

"We in the Business schools are lucky in this regard..." -- Kevin McNelis, Visiting Asst., New Mexico State Univ. (posted 1/19, 2 p.m., E.S.T.)

"Why is it not surprising that most of the examples from The Chronicle's article on academic fashion came from English departments, or from the equally fad-driven subcultures of..." -- Brian Gordon, Professor of History, St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley (posted 1/19, 11:10 a.m., E.S.T.)

"Most academics should be more image conscious. Whether we like it or not, our society is image conscious. Students are tuned in to..." -- Jacqueline Olich, Ph.D. Candidate, History Dept., UNC Chapel Hill (posted 1/19, 11:05 a.m., E.S.T.)

"The president of my institution in the early 'eighties once said to me, 'Mel, you always look like a professor.' He meant it to be a compliment, and I readily accepted it that way. But looking back..." -- Melvin E. Dieter, Professor emeritus, Asbury Theological Seminary (posted 1/19, 11 a.m., E.S.T.)