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Author Topic: Frustrated with my faculty colleagues  (Read 3814 times)
baphd1996
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« on: October 20, 2009, 11:40:29 AM »

There have been many posts describing what frustrates us about our students.  It's good to vent.  I just got out of a faculty meeting where many faculty in the back kept holding little side conversations with each other creating a constant annoying buzz that prevented me from hearing the speaker.  Furthermore they would interrupt the speaker to ask questions about something he would talk about if they would have waited.  Cell phones were on, computers were on, faculty that were bored loudly left.  I was embarrassed.  How can we hold students to standards of professionalism that we don't follow ourselves?
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larryc
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« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2009, 01:01:45 PM »

No it is not "good to vent." Rather it is bad to whine. Bad for you, bad for everyone else. "Venting" = whining = bad.
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svenc
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« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2009, 01:16:46 PM »

I think the "Too embarrassed to tell you" thread is the in place for this sort of venting, and the format keeps it a bit more light-hearted:

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,51089.0.html

No it is not "good to vent." Rather it is bad to whine. Bad for you, bad for everyone else. "Venting" = whining = bad.

Ah feh.  I'm all for venting on the forum if it keeps people from doing it elsewhere in real life.  Besides, venting here often gets responses that put things into perspective for the venter.
« Last Edit: October 20, 2009, 01:18:46 PM by svenc » Logged

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mystictechgal
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« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2009, 01:18:54 PM »

I think the "Too embarrassed to tell you" thread is the in place for this sort of venting, and the format keeps it a bit more light-hearted:

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,51089.0.html

No it is not "good to vent." Rather it is bad to whine. Bad for you, bad for everyone else. "Venting" = whining = bad.

Ah feh.  I'm all for venting on the forum if it keeps people from doing it elsewhere in real life.

What's wrong with the Venting thread?  http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,39154.19335.html
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svenc
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« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2009, 01:22:22 PM »

What's wrong with the Venting thread?  http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,39154.19335.html

Nothing, it's a perfectly functional thread.  The "too embarrassed to tell you thread" is just a bit more specific to the OP's complaint (things you don't want to say to your colleagues' faces).
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dellaroux
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« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2009, 01:22:52 PM »

There have been many posts describing what frustrates us about our students.  It's good to vent.  I just got out of a faculty meeting where many faculty in the back kept holding little side conversations with each other creating a constant annoying buzz that prevented me from hearing the speaker.  Furthermore they would interrupt the speaker to ask questions about something he would talk about if they would have waited.  Cell phones were on, computers were on, faculty that were bored loudly left.  I was embarrassed.  How can we hold students to standards of professionalism that we don't follow ourselves?

That's a good question. Especially when one hears about faculty who have clearly plotted to get ahead by being unkind or downright dishonest in "beating out" other faculty for positions or preferences that might not have been deserved.

One might wish for more mature behavior, but then you'd have to be talking about adults, and these folks sound more like overgrown children...or frozen-into-faculty-mold snowflakes...

Sorry, that kind of a meeting can be really upsetting.  
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jwormold
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« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2009, 01:59:12 PM »

I think the "Too embarrassed to tell you" thread is the in place for this sort of venting, and the format keeps it a bit more light-hearted:

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,51089.0.html


Somehow I totally missed this thread.  Svenc: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I have not laughed this hard in a while (yeah, I don't get out much anymore).  Luckily, I'm not in the office right now.
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chicklet
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« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2009, 03:41:06 PM »

I think all faculty meetings should be conducted with everyone standing. No coffee, no pastry, no comfort at all. Just get done with the business at hand and STFU.
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mended_drum
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« Reply #8 on: October 20, 2009, 05:58:14 PM »

I think all faculty meetings should be conducted with everyone standing. No coffee, no pastry, no comfort at all. Just get done with the business at hand and STFU.

Pastries?  There are places where faculty meetings come with pastries?  I'm off to the whining thread...
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mad_doctor
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« Reply #9 on: October 20, 2009, 08:38:16 PM »

I think all faculty meetings should be conducted with everyone standing. No coffee, no pastry, no comfort at all. Just get done with the business at hand and STFU.

Pastries?  There are places where faculty meetings come with pastries?  I'm off to the whining thread...

A few schools ago, the faculty used to meet at the pub across the street for department/ college meetings a few times a year.  Never did it with administrators present, though - this was strictly a faculty affair.  I can imagine what might happen when you put a bunch of tipsy, uninhibited faculty in the same room with a contentious admin.
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jackofallchem
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« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2009, 10:54:05 AM »

Some time ago, a friend of mine was a visiting assistant professor at a small private college.  There were no classes on Friday afternoons because they had an mandatory faculty meeting.  It lasted all afternoon because faculty were allowed to talk about whatever they wanted to talk about for however long they wanted to talk about it.  Drinks were served.  Strong drinks were served.   
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