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[conjugate]

I'm mostly barefoot, though the bottoms of my feet have a layer of cat fur (not persian).

Symbolic oppression of cats ?

Static electricity?  Perhaps that's BU's fault.  Or Ben Franklin's, I forget which.

[pandora]

Have any of you wondered if someone who actually works at BU might step in here and. . . I don't know -- what would they do. . . ?  Maybe this entire thread exists to prove that no one from BU ever visits the Diversity Forum.

Ok: back to shoes and cats.

[dellaroux]

Maybe three was BC's quota.

Just FYI: BC (Boston College) is a Roman Catholic school up the road a piece from BU (Boston University), they're very different (don't know as to racial balance, but neither would appreciate being confused with the other, although it happens all the time).

[dellaroux]

scheherezade, I agree that if the word is spread that BU does not seem interested in hiring minorities then the pool of minorities available to them for hire is decreased. But that does not change the reality that the culture at the school appears to be one of apathy, at the very least, toward diversity of almost any kind.

I've gone through about half this thread to see if two things have been mentioned. Neither seem to have appeared, so sorry if I'm duplicating, but here goes...

1) BU has been and still is (effectually) ruled by one J. Silber, whose ideas about education are sometimes useful and more often Neanderthalish. Women, those who do dseconstructive literary criticism, and probably a host of other objectionable beings (including, most likely, those who don't look, speak or act "white"), find it hard to be hired, tenured, or listened to.

2) Despite improvements in this area, and despite its generally liberal political environment, New England has large (and largely hidden, even now) pools of those with grave reservations about social changes that have taken nearly a century to work out. Despite, or maybe even because of, the strenuous efforts of its towns and cities to uphold the diversity that has resulted from its very attractive educational and cultural climate, there is a large-scale "reaction formation" against those who don't speak English, look different, live differently, etc.

And a third:

3) Not only does the institution have no shame in making (I agree, probably unjustifiable) claims to racial diversity, (and not just in COM but throughout), but at least one of its highest officials has no publications, no degrees, and no documented (as far as I could find) completed research. Yet this individual oversees tenure decisions, sits on doctoral thesis committees, and passes judgement on academics whose educational abilities far outrank hus.

So, in answer to one other question: yes, someone who knows BU very well does read this forum....

[collegekidsmom]

Why do you say BU is "effectually" still ruled by Silber? It seems quite a different place under President Robert A. Brown. And yes, I agree many who know BU(and BC) quite well do read this forum.

[pandora]

Thanks, dellaroux!  That's all incredibly interesting info -- I don't know why I didn't think to ask the question sooner.  Not that this will necessarily do anything to alter an epically derailed thread, but I guess I was thinking that if I actually worked at BU, I would find the persistence of this one pretty aggravating.   Perhaps we can wait to see who refuses WC another job, and he can start a rant about that institution instead.  Or no, let's be more proactive, and start a new thread called "Fiork University -- have they no shame?"  I'll leave that up to the rest of you.

[jonesey]

Thanks, dellaroux!  That's all incredibly interesting info -- I don't know why I didn't think to ask the question sooner.  Not that this will necessarily do anything to alter an epically derailed thread, but I guess I was thinking that if I actually worked at BU, I would find the persistence of this one pretty aggravating.   Perhaps we can wait to see who refuses WC another job, and he can start a rant about that institution instead.  Or no, let's be more proactive, and start a new thread called "Fiork University -- have they no shame?"  I'll leave that up to the rest of you.

Why in the world are you talking about OP when you are answering to dellaroux and ignoring his relevant post that was all about topic at hand?

For someone who thinks this thread is epically derailed you are doing a great job of keeping it that way.

Did Windchimes get banned and come back under a different name? 

[sciencephd]

Thanks, dellaroux!  That's all incredibly interesting info -- I don't know why I didn't think to ask the question sooner.  Not that this will necessarily do anything to alter an epically derailed thread, but I guess I was thinking that if I actually worked at BU, I would find the persistence of this one pretty aggravating.   Perhaps we can wait to see who refuses WC another job, and he can start a rant about that institution instead.  Or no, let's be more proactive, and start a new thread called "Fiork University -- have they no shame?"  I'll leave that up to the rest of you.

Why in the world are you talking about OP when you are answering to dellaroux and ignoring his relevant post that was all about topic at hand?

For someone who thinks this thread is epically derailed you are doing a great job of keeping it that way.

Did Windchimes get banned and come back under a different name? 

Seems like it.  Perhaps one_note would be a more suitable choice.

[prytania3]

Thanks, dellaroux!  That's all incredibly interesting info -- I don't know why I didn't think to ask the question sooner.  Not that this will necessarily do anything to alter an epically derailed thread, but I guess I was thinking that if I actually worked at BU, I would find the persistence of this one pretty aggravating.   Perhaps we can wait to see who refuses WC another job, and he can start a rant about that institution instead.  Or no, let's be more proactive, and start a new thread called "Fiork University -- have they no shame?"  I'll leave that up to the rest of you.

Why in the world are you talking about OP when you are answering to dellaroux and ignoring his relevant post that was all about topic at hand?

For someone who thinks this thread is epically derailed you are doing a great job of keeping it that way.

Did Windchimes get banned and come back under a different name? 

If he did, the Mods will catch on and ban this moniker, too. Then they will ban anything that comes from his IP.

[lenniel]

I wondered the same thing, though he should have picked something a little less obvious.  Since, again, the only interesting discussion here took place after he disappeared - thank you, dellaroux, very insightful - I suspect either his afterschool activities got in the way or it was increased medication time at the "home".

[t_folk]

This is a silly, silly thread ...

... 23

[dellaroux]

Thanks, dellaroux!  That's all incredibly interesting info -- I don't know why I didn't think to ask the question sooner.  Not that this will necessarily do anything to alter an epically derailed thread, but I guess I was thinking that if I actually worked at BU, I would find the persistence of this one pretty aggravating.   Perhaps we can wait to see who refuses WC another job, and he can start a rant about that institution instead.  Or no, let's be more proactive, and start a new thread called "Fiork University -- have they no shame?"  I'll leave that up to the rest of you.

Robert Brown...

Although things have changed somewhat, BU tends to try to imitate Harvard on the one hand (they hire a lot of folks that don't get tenure at HU, and have bright red gowns that are just a few shades away from what HU calls "crimson"...) and yet has the "wannabe" fears that keep it from supporting radically new ideas in graduate theses until they're too late to publish (long story there, but there are at least two documentable cases I know of) and can be even more conservative that any bona fide IV League school (including hiring policies--they are just more covert about them; no-one has made any Summers-like bloopers, for example. (For anyone who's forgotten, I refer to his pronouncements on female competency in the sciences: a very interesting take on this is at http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/sommers200503220754.asp)

And no, I haven't been denied a job at BU, either...

[mandywoetzel]

I am really fascinated by the reactions OP has been getting for posting the very interesting data (regardless of the data's credibility). Why are people here in the first place, if they are offended by the idea of discussing a dept with a poor record of hiring people of color?

Let us at least examine the situation, including the validity of the data provided, before attacking OP.

On a side note--I think similar numbers are found across the nation at various (supposedly) diverse academic institutions. The students may come from everywhere but the faculty mostly look/talk/live/believe/think similar ways...

[scheherazade]

Oh God help us all.

MW, everyone did discuss the validity of the data at the beginning.  There is no validity.

Die, thread, die!

[sciencephd]

Let us at least examine the situation, including the validity of the data provided, before attacking OP.

I can't believe that you actually read through the thread and came to this conclusion about attacking the OP.

I also can't believe this thread has been resurrected.