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[venerable_bede]

Also, I challenge you to spell and construct sentences in Arabic, Hebrew, or Latin.  Good luck.

OK. I'll take a run at the Latin.

Lucius puellam amat.

Gladiator ex harena ambulavit.

Catullus magnus poeta est.

De profundis clamo ad te, Decane. Ubi merces mea est?

[dogvomit]

Also, I challenge you to spell and construct sentences in Arabic, Hebrew, or Latin.  Good luck.

OK. I'll take a run at the Latin.

Lucius puellam amat.

Gladiator ex harena ambulavit.

Catullus magnus poeta est.

De profundis clamo ad te, Decane. Ubi merces mea est?

Are you sure about that, or did you just plug things into Google translator?
:)

[infopri]

When I was a grad student, a professor at my university's satellite campus  (where I adjuncted on and off teaching surveys) died unexpectedly in the middle of the semester, leaving a fairly specialized course in my full of students.  My adviser, in what was probably a mix of wanting to help colleagues at the satellite and not wanting to get volunteered for it himself, called them and offered me up as the replacement as part of my GTA duties.  It was kind of creepy, but the class had to go on with somebody who knew enough to make sense of the syllabus and supervise the research projects the students already had in train.  I probably wouldn't have had the nerve to call over there myself, but my adviser jumped in.  I got a hell of a recommendation letter out of handling it graciously and solving the problem for several groups of administrative people.

But that's just it, marlborough.  You helped the school out because you were asked to do so; you didn't call and suggest they give you the dead guy's job.

I did the same thing, a few years ago.  One of our tenured faculty was suddenly, completely, and permanently incapacitated several weeks before the end of the semester.  As his wife and I were talking the next day, she expressed great concern over what would happen to his class and his students; she was planning to talk to the associate dean later that day about that very issue.  I told her that I'd be willing to fill in, if anyone wanted me to.  (I was unemployed at the time, but I'd taught the same class, using many of the same materials and techniques.)  She passed the word on, and I got a call later that day or the next day from the associate dean, asking whether I'd take the class.  Of course, I did. 

About a month later, I got a generous paycheck that I didn't expect.  The associate dean and I hadn't discussed compensation at all, and frankly I didn't expect any.  I filled in simply as a favor to the faculty member and to the school; I would have done it for free.  But in gratitude, I got not only the (relatively) hefty paycheck, but also continuing work in future semesters.

I suspect, however, that if I'd called the associate dean directly and asked for the professor's job, my name would now be mud at that school.  And, by the way, they never did replace him.

[prytania3]

Actually I think I replaced a deceased person--sort of. She had just retired but then got hit by a bus?

Maybe I dreamt that--but I think it's true.

[infopri]

Actually I think I replaced a deceased person--sort of. She had just retired but then got hit by a bus?

I did replace a deceased person in a TT job, years ago--but, again, I didn't call up and offer myself.  The year after he died, the department ran a search, I applied, and I got the job.  I also inherited all his class files, as his wife didn't want them and no one ever bothered to clean out his office (which became mine).

[prytania3]

Actually I think I replaced a deceased person--sort of. She had just retired but then got hit by a bus?

I did replace a deceased person in a TT job, years ago--but, again, I didn't call up and offer myself.  The year after he died, the department ran a search, I applied, and I got the job.  I also inherited all his class files, as his wife didn't want them and no one ever bothered to clean out his office (which became mine).

Well, they were running a search at my job, anyway, because the person had just retired, but I think she was traveling that summer in California and got hit by a bus.

[venerable_bede]

Also, I challenge you to spell and construct sentences in Arabic, Hebrew, or Latin.  Good luck.

OK. I'll take a run at the Latin.

Lucius puellam amat.

Gladiator ex harena ambulavit.

Catullus magnus poeta est.

De profundis clamo ad te, Decane. Ubi merces mea est?

Are you sure about that, or did you just plug things into Google translator?
:)

Good lord, there is an English-->Latin option in Google Translate, and, unsurprisingly, it stinks.

It renders "The gladiator walked out of the arena" as "Gladiator ambulaverunt ex arena," which has a single/plural problem. It renders "Catullus is a great poet" simply as "Catullus poeta est," which omits the adjective. It renders "Lucius loves the girl" as "L. amat puella," which is an error anyone with 2 weeks of Latin 101 wouldn't make, though I do like that it renders 'Lucius' as 'L.'

Surprisingly, it does best with the last one. It actually gives, for "Out of the depths I cry to you" "De profundis clamo ad te" though it has trouble with the last word. If you include the comma and capital D, it just gives 'Dean.' Without the comma and capital, it gives "decanum," thereby screwing up the vocative. I suspect the Latin generator has been seeded with the entire Vulgate, hence it doing pretty well with a biblical phrase.

End hijack.

[mdwlark]

Interestingly, on this particular thread the snarky comments and the sincere, helpful comments are mostly saying the same thing--just different ways of saying "OMG NO!"  There is very little disagreement.  Where is the bad advice?

Are all the lawn chairs taken?  Usually I just bring the pizza, but it looks like we need more beer.
 

[fedscholar]

Interestingly, on this particular thread the snarky comments and the sincere, helpful comments are mostly saying the same thing--just different ways of saying "OMG NO!"  There is very little disagreement.  Where is the bad advice?

Are all the lawn chairs taken?  Usually I just bring the pizza, but it looks like we need more beer.
 

Great summary, especially the last. The foracle, despite its imperfections, has indeed spoken. And thankfully the fridge is stocked.

[histchick]

All of my coworkers advise doctoral students not to use these forums because of the preponderance of misinformation that can confuse and misdirect a new mind.

Wow - and here I thought that doctoral students SHOULD read several different opinions/sources and think for themselves rather than blindly listening to their advisors.  I must have been trained by a truly unique group of people!

[tee_bee]

How did I miss this thread earlier? We start with a crass question and follow that with a nutty "you're awl attaking me" chaser! This is great stuff.

Dogvomit, if you're still out there, here's some unsolicited advice. Strike up a friendship with your friendly neighborhood dictionary.

I see the ice in the cooler has all melted, but is the beer still cold?

OP: Sounds like you're skating close to the "Sophomore dies in kiln explosion" gambit, pace Animal House. Didn't turn out well there, either.

[merinoblue]

How did I miss this thread earlier? We start with a crass question and follow that with a nutty "you're awl attaking me" chaser! This is great stuff.

Dogvomit, if you're still out there, here's some unsolicited advice. Strike up a friendship with your friendly neighborhood dictionary.

I see the ice in the cooler has all melted, but is the beer still cold?

OP: Sounds like you're skating close to the "Sophomore dies in kiln explosion" gambit, pace Animal House. Didn't turn out well there, either.

Oh, all right...Tee_Bee, here's more ice for the cooler. And while you're waiting for the beer to chill, here's some fresh Cosmos.

Histchick, I suspect the problem is that DV has never encountered the Higher Education Porpoise, and is swimming in a school of his/her own.