junebug
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« on: February 23, 2010, 04:43:57 PM » |
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Do people behave badly at your department meetings? If so, what form does the behavior take? Have you come upon a solution?
My department's meetings are very poorly attended, mostly because they are so unpleasant. A small but vocal group of faculty ridicule those with differing opinions, sighing loudly, rolling their eyes and often interrupting with derisive comments which they shout out. They are very senior faculty, and they intimidate many junior faculty from speaking at all for fear of humiliation.
Is this your experience as well?
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kedves
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« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2010, 05:15:31 PM » |
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You probably will get more replies if you ask the moderators to move this thread to Tenure Track or Mid-Career, whichever is more appropriate. This forum is for teaching issues.
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kshenko
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« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2010, 05:23:04 PM » |
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In our Dept., faculty meetings are for do-nothing deadwood faculty members to brag about how gifted their kids are and how they are doing important work.
It is fascinating how they can be so positive about their (non)careers, because they can go on and on and on about their "research," when all they have published in their lives are trade books and workbooks from vanity publishers. Of course, no matter how hard everyone rolls his/her eyes, these deadwoods just don't get the message that nobody cares about their gifted sons...
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john_proctor
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« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2010, 05:34:55 PM » |
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90% of the time, we just chat in the lounge/reading room over coffee ("so, I was thinkin', one of us should probably offer a section of 145 this Fall." "Yup. Any suggestions?" "Guess I'll take it unless someone else wants it." "Done baby. Hey, did anyone else see the short-track speed skating last night?").
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"Look upon me! I'll show you the 'life of the mind.'"
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neutralname
A person without qualities, except for being a
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 5,598
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« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2010, 05:38:34 PM » |
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My department's business is all done by email these days.
Now, faculty meetings--they can be fun. When I attend, I find myself muttering under my breath increasingly loudly until I can be heard by others, and then it's time for me to leave.
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"My loathings are simple: stupidity, oppression, crime, cruelty, soft music." Vladimir Nabokov
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geheimrat
Junior member
Posts: 76
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« Reply #5 on: February 23, 2010, 05:53:46 PM » |
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The behavior at our department meetings isn't as bad as you are describing at yours, but much worse than I would have expected before I started. I can't believe how often there are side conversations, people answering their cell phones and leaving, or just working on something else and not paying attention. The behavior at our meetings (department and college wide) is much worse than the behavior of students in my classroom. Do people behave badly at your department meetings? If so, what form does the behavior take? Have you come upon a solution?
My department's meetings are very poorly attended, mostly because they are so unpleasant. A small but vocal group of faculty ridicule those with differing opinions, sighing loudly, rolling their eyes and often interrupting with derisive comments which they shout out. They are very senior faculty, and they intimidate many junior faculty from speaking at all for fear of humiliation.
Is this your experience as well?
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prytania3
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« Reply #6 on: February 23, 2010, 06:09:05 PM » |
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In our Dept., faculty meetings are for do-nothing deadwood faculty members to brag about how gifted their kids are and how they are doing important work.
It is fascinating how they can be so positive about their (non)careers, because they can go on and on and on about their "research," when all they have published in their lives are trade books and workbooks from vanity publishers. Of course, no matter how hard everyone rolls his/her eyes, these deadwoods just don't get the message that nobody cares about their gifted sons...
Wow. Do I detect bigotry? We know how you feel about seniors. How do you feel about blacks and Latinos? |
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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anakin
Most snarkily lightsabered
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 6,478
Goes to 11
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« Reply #7 on: February 23, 2010, 06:36:50 PM » |
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In our Dept., faculty meetings are for do-nothing deadwood faculty members to brag about how gifted their kids are and how they are doing important work.
It is fascinating how they can be so positive about their (non)careers, because they can go on and on and on about their "research," when all they have published in their lives are trade books and workbooks from vanity publishers. Of course, no matter how hard everyone rolls his/her eyes, these deadwoods just don't get the message that nobody cares about their gifted sons...
Wow. Do I detect bigotry? We know how you feel about seniors. How do you feel about blacks and Latinos? Is this all we can do any more on a thread - make incendiary provocations? No discussion, not even thirteen pages of slow escalation - we just go from trading anecdotes to firebombing Dresden now. Really? I've re-read kshenko's post several times. Where is s/he disparaging seniors? How on earth is exasperation with self-important people even remotely in the same playing field as bigotry? |
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Dr. Anakin sits high and mightily in her office while she condemns students to lives of misery and drudgery, washing out their husbands' underwear in filthy water. In addition, she is a horrible teacher. She welcomes you to Introduction to Biology!
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asymptotic
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« Reply #8 on: February 23, 2010, 07:37:31 PM » |
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In my College, senior faculty have berated several colleagues until they have cried. Others have left these meetings in anger. Seriously.
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fishbrains
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« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2010, 07:53:31 PM » |
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I may have to go hug everyone in my department tomorrow. We don't have these problems.
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"My face is going green behind the mask . . ." ~ Peter Shaffer's Equus
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sugaree
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« Reply #10 on: February 23, 2010, 07:58:39 PM » |
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We have cookies and coffee at ours - bribes, no doubt, as the meetings are deadly boring.
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where's the bourbon?
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kedves
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« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2010, 08:05:20 PM » |
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Ours are calm, informative, friendly, and because of our chair--a prince among men--they always end on time. I work in a lovely department. I found it hard to believe that they weren't all faking at first.
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kshenko
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« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2010, 08:29:13 PM » |
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In our Dept., faculty meetings are for do-nothing deadwood faculty members to brag about how gifted their kids are and how they are doing important work.
It is fascinating how they can be so positive about their (non)careers, because they can go on and on and on about their "research," when all they have published in their lives are trade books and workbooks from vanity publishers. Of course, no matter how hard everyone rolls his/her eyes, these deadwoods just don't get the message that nobody cares about their gifted sons...
Wow. Do I detect bigotry? We know how you feel about seniors. How do you feel about blacks and Latinos? Wait, did I say anything about age? The people I described above include people in their 30s. |
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prytania3
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« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2010, 08:46:04 PM » |
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In our Dept., faculty meetings are for do-nothing deadwood faculty members to brag about how gifted their kids are and how they are doing important work.
It is fascinating how they can be so positive about their (non)careers, because they can go on and on and on about their "research," when all they have published in their lives are trade books and workbooks from vanity publishers. Of course, no matter how hard everyone rolls his/her eyes, these deadwoods just don't get the message that nobody cares about their gifted sons...
Wow. Do I detect bigotry? We know how you feel about seniors. How do you feel about blacks and Latinos? Wait, did I say anything about age? The people I described above include people in their 30s. Deadwood is never used to refer to the brilliant junior faculty, now is it? |
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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junebug
Junior member
Posts: 84
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« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2010, 08:58:28 PM » |
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In my College, senior faculty have berated several colleagues until they have cried. Others have left these meetings in anger. Seriously.
Sounds like mine. What's UP with that? |
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