Comment on VT Football Team by Corey Miles

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.

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 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 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.