I'm a Tenured College Professor. I'm Quitting. Here's Why.
by Jessica Wildfire
"Most of my professor friends can't support themselves. That includes the fancy tenured professors, even at nice schools. They have sugar mamas & sugar daddies. They're married to lawyers and bankers, or IT managers. If they're like me, they've got a secret side hustle.
Here's an irony:
My university forces everyone to disclose outside income. So if you have a second job or a side hustle, you're technically supposed to report it. You're supposed to ask them for permission. They can say no.
3/ snip "It's popular for universities to hire consultants to solve their problems. But the consultants can't solve their problems. The consultants can't tell them why they keep losing #students. The consultants can only give them the answers they want: Build another Starbucks, and so on...
It's collapsing because nobody really cares about it. As a tenured professor, I'm not supposed to say that.
It's true.
Nobody really wants to admit they don't care about education. Some people get angry when you point out this simple fact. Everyone wants to talk about how much they care about education. They want to watch movies about great teachers. They want to complain about the bad ones.
Some of you are aware of the ongoing TA #strike at #McGill, and it pains me to see the administration is succeeding in actively dividing undergraduates, graduate #students, and #professors alike, by pushing all three to the absolute mental limit. We - and by that I mean all three above - must NOT let the administration tear the social fabric in our #university to put money before people. When the #union says "united we bargain, divided we beg," it means not just them, but everyone. 1/
The #university has demanded the #faculty to #scab - that is, to perform tasks usually delegated to the TAs, such as grading - despite being in a jurisdiction that explicitly prohibits scabbing. This puts every #professor between a rock and a hard place: by scabbing, they break the law and betray the #students; by not scabbing, they lose their job (most are not unionized here, and although it is wrongful dismissal, one simply cannot afford the lawsuit) and also betray the students. 2/
Amazing opportunity for students (& other young people) here - Everything Electric LONDON tickets are FREE for under-25s:
"Young adults (16-25) will get free admission to the show. Tickets can only be bought at the show when proof of age is provided."
If you know young people who are interested in working in or studying a clean future for energy and transport, this is for them. Please do pass the word on!
“Cops raided Berkeley's occupation for South African divestment in April 1985, arresting 156. #Students reoccupied and declared a strike. 10,000 joined. Occupations started again in the fall. The camp was raided and rebuilt again until they won. This isn't over. It's barely begun.” #police
Canada's international student spike was blamed on private colleges. Here's what really happened | CBC News
“what has been framed as a nationwide explosion in international student numbers — prompting Ottawa to impose an immediate two-year cap — is disproportionately linked to a handful of schools, the vast bulk of them public institutions, predominantly in Ontario.” #Education#Students#Colleges#Universities#Canada
The Canadian Govt. has decided to limit the number of foreign #students visas on the grunds that an accelerated influx of international students has contributed to the #inflation in rents as part of the country's (own) #housingcrisis.
Its always someone else isn;'t, not the landlords forcing up rents....
Today, in honor of Black History Month, we remember the Orangeburg Massacre, which occurred on February 8, 1968 in South Carolina, when highway patrolmen opened fire on black student protesters from South Carolina State, who were trying to integrate a bowling alley. They killed 3 African American students and wounded 33. They were the first student demonstrators killed by the police in the 1960s.
New research/polling from The Sutton Trust outlines the impact of the cost of living crisis on students & their experience of university.
Around two-thirds of students have needed to take on part-time work while studying, with an impact on their studies including missed classes as well as missed assignment deadlines.
While more evident for students from the most deprived areas, many rich(er) students also need to work to survive university.
John Oliver is brilliant. He exposes how ridiculous the NYC mayor and NYPD are. Their "evidence" of how dangerous Columbia student protestors is a joke. It's sad that tax dollars are spent on people like them. #students#protest#columbia https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLXN3H2j/
Cool local school project: Charlotte Elementary School in Charlotte Maine wants to hear from you. They are trying to get postcards from all states and 20 countries. If you can spare a few minutes and a dollar & send them a card that would be cool.
Mail it to:
Students,
Charlotte ElementarySchool
1006 Ayers Junction Road
Charlotte Maine USA 04666.
Thank you (English), Merci (French), Nkomu ngofu (Tsonga of South Africa). Please send them a postcard with a few sentences about your home state or country.
Saw this pitch by Jayna in the Calais Advertiser. What fun!
Successive Govts have forced #universities into a 'business model' that includes a fair chunk of high paying non-UK/non-EU #students to balance the books.
But, the #Tories shredding of the UK's global reputation & the problems universities have (to some extent) bought upon themselves (via toxic management), have presented a problem: what to do when the cash-carrying foreign students stay away.
York (as prev. posted) are lowering entry requirements to shore up numbers - they won't be the last!
Continuing their hypocrisy on (hatred of) #highereducation, after forcing #universities to rely increasingly on fees from #international#students, in their wish to show they are doing something about rising 'legal' #migration, the #Tories are reviewing (with the intent of tightening) the conditions on student #visas.
Higher education is one of the few remaining areas where the UK remains a world leader, so of course you'd want to damage that if you were a wrecker, James (so-called) Cleverly!
NYT chonicles violence against peaceful student protesters at UCLA. Violent counter-protest mob attacked the students, as UCLA security personnel and police officers looked on.#students#protest#gaza
After #police arrested these encamped #students this morning thousands of other students at the University of #Minnesota gathered to join the protest in their absence. The arrested students have been released. The encampment continues tonight, and a Jewish rabbi is leading a Passover Seder at the encampment. #FreePalestine#protest
“BROWN STUDENTS HAVE BEGUN A #GAZA SOLIDARITY ENCAMPMENT. Join the movement spreading across college campuses calling for university divestment from the #genocide in Gaza. All eyes on #Palestine. 🇵🇸