I agree. It is a structural issue. How can we structure the Virginia Tech community to give social opportunities to students who do not subscribe to American conventions of what is fun. Also, with parking it does create an environment where the football participators get priority over the entire campus and everyone else just has to make due.
Day: December 7, 2015
Comment on Hunger and homelessness in community college students by weining
Thanks for sharing the information. It struck me as well! This reminds me that the diversity of students on campus. Not all of students are coming from middle or upper class. And sometimes it may be difficult for students who struggle financially. Not only they were struggle with hunger, but their social life may be impacted. But do you know that VT has Campus kitchen right now? Campus kitchen serve food for students who struggle with hunger.
Comment on Can women have babies and do science too? by Rafic El-Helou
It is just sad that people still think like that in the 21st century. Thank you for sharing this with the class. I think the best way to approach this type of sexism is to call it out when you see it. I totally agree with you, her health and safety are noone business and her pregnancy is noone business as well.
Comment on What I Would Change in Higher Education by Kevin Doyle
I appreciate you post and share your stance that it is important that when making these types of large scale decisions that we remember how teaching can inform research and vice versa. I think you mention an important link when you bring up peer evaluations. I think this should be a mandatory part of the process for every university. The depth of information that it can provide is supremely beneficial to the process of developing a strong teaching practice.
Comment on Can women have babies and do science too? by miseducatedscholar
This is fascinating the way we construct arbitrary meaning around social characteristics such as gender. More importantly we treat people different based on these classifications. There should be more accommodations in academia, conference structures, travel structures, etc to support pregnant women. But, since we believe pregnant women should be stationary we don’t come up with innovations to make life more accessible for this part of the population.
Comment on What I Would Change in Higher Education by Cody K
I agree Jake. While these poor professors are questionably employed, for every one of them there is a professor/instructor at the other end of the spectrum. Something I keep in mind, though, is the diversity of the learning experience at the university level, and that just as much as these professors hurt some students, they teach others to independently learn; though this should be intentionally taught, not forced for lack of classroom substance.
In my experience, those that have been turn offs because they were too politically charged or just horribly incompetent to teach have had major impact on my life almost as much as the best of the best. The mediocres, though, I can’t remember….I’ll leave that right there!
Comment on Women on the Tenure-Track by tanyamh
What a great topic for your paper. I would love to read the whole thing sometime if you are up for sharing! Anyways – I wanted to pass along this blog post written by one of my lab team’s collaborators about what she says to women in academia who want to have children. http://hopejahrensurecanwrite.com/2013/12/10/five-things-i-say-to-career-women-who-tell-me-they-might-want-to-have-a-baby/
Comment on Facebook in your personal vs. professional life by Mohammad
This is really concerning to me. In GTA workshop we were asked to keep our personal and professional life separate. Many professors deny their students request to be friend on Facebook. They are afraid of exposing their private life to students. Likewise students do not like their teachers to know what they feel and how they spent their weekend. I personally believe social media is invading our privacy and has turned into a big issue.
Comment on Maybe You Just Aren’t ‘Punny’ Enough: Humor Can be a Pedagogical Tactic by rocketmansean
I know that humor tends to be a great unifying factor when it comes to relationships. Some of my favorite teachers, going all the way back to high school, were ones that could make jokes with us and lighten the mood a little. Maybe the next teaching workshop our professors should have to go to should be an improv one.
Comment on What I Would Change in Higher Education by rocketmansean
Imagine if we could make it so that part of the post doctoral process involved having to learn how to effectively teach, this way future professors could prove themselves a efficient teachers as well as researchers.