Academic Freedom, Harassment and GC academics - ask me any questions

No questions but would like to thank you and Dr Stock. It is due to her kindness to a friend of mine some time ago who can't access facilities (at Bristol University as they have all been made mixed sex) that helped me pluck up the courage to contact my MP, who is one of the few to speak up for Dr S this week.

Like in many unis, the situation at Bristol Uni hasn't improved, and many female students are too scared to say anything to challenge in tutorials or about Uni policies. Everyone can all see the abuse you get. Good luck for tomorrow...

Very happy to see you here Jo.
As an OU and Goldsmiths alumna, it has been very disheartening to see how captured both these institutions are.
I did consider applying for jobs at Goldsmiths but just couldn't face the possible lip service that would have to be done.
Looking forward to what you have in store for us tomorrow!

and sorry all - just ranting at the air now :) Not at anyone in particular :)

and the SWERF thing FFS - when did it become ok to say sex is work? Who started that? It really really depresses me.

@YetAnotherSpartacus - yes, totally. I see that too.

For me, one of the huge responsibilities of our generation is to create an environment within which these students can give reign to critical thinking.

Currently, as you say, we have not given them the tools, as a society. We have not supported their education properly. Neither have we given them the space and freedom and support to argue against the zeitgeist. Or to deal with the internet - but I guess, we don't know how really. It is the issue of our age perhaps!

I think we have a responsibility as a society to do that.

I am not blaming academics either. I say this, as someone who does not work in academia, so easy for me to say. But I do think, as parents, sending kids to university, we need to demand more of the insitutions to support freedom of viewpoint and expression - somehow! I hope we can turn this tide, huge and ferocious, and yes exhausting, as it is!

Thanks, Joody :)

I just want to say that I don't actually blame the students for this. They have been brought up in an individualistic and neoliberal society where their only real knowledge of education is something that is instrumental and commodified and they have been carefully crafted as consumers in a hyper-capitalist world where everything has a price and is branded; including education. Social media is a terrifying cesspit where they are inculcated into group-think and where they learn to fear being different at least in meaningful and tangible ways that go beyond 'style'. They have been told that they can be anything they want and, importantly, many have really, really not been taught to be resilient - and we offer few opportunities for real resilience - places where they can really feel safe and secure to explore themselves and their worlds. Often they are spurred on by anxious parents who want the best for them but confuse this with paying for an education because they think (and know - this is not a fantasy) that for many young people this is the only way to future financial security (but many don't make this even with good degrees). I'd hate to be growing up in this world.

Not that this precludes agency and some do 'get it', but they are often equally as scared (and with good reason) to put their heads above the parapet. Sometimes, though, you can see real critical thinking (not just rantings about social justice, transphobia, whorephobia and SWERFS) in their writing and I guess, where I can see that my teaching has turned a light bulb on, that is somewhat validating - but it also feels like a big responsibility in some ways.

Hello, @ProfJoPhoenix! Thank you for joining MN. I have no questions right now but am following the chat and am interested in what you have to say.

I should also say that I support you.

All power to you Jo! Looking forward to the big reveal

Thank you for being brave from this academic and (as of this week) former UCU member. Looking forward to tomorrow, but also somewhat nervous about it.

We have been waiting for a media breakthrough for a long time. Do you think the Nolan Podcast and publication of David Thompson's article on capture of BBC and Ofcom is this tipping point, in enabling more public debate? We are starting to see slightly more discussion from our public broadcaster, but the background of prior capture exposed by Nolan needs to be brought to more prominence in my opinion.

Why does this relate to academia? Because the cultural context in which we all sit is playing into the below brilliantly phrased by a PP:

Teaching has been reduced to a customer service where the paying recipients of this service often don't want to be challenged, have very fragile egos, often don't have the capacity to get the high marks they expect and who often blame their lecturers when they don't do as well as they think they should.

Hi jo, welcome and thankyou

I work in the biomedical sphere, but in an organisation that is partially captured, so speaking up is v tricky.

Are you getting much support from your biomedical colleagues? What can we do to bring them more into the sphere?

Just registering my interest in this and place marking. Thank you for posting, I will keep my eyes peeled and will be back.

I hope the letter signed by 2000+ people has given KS some feeling of being supported.

Just as men want to validated by women I think some academics feel the need to be validated (and "liked") by their students

I don't give a fuck whether they 'like' me or not as long as I am not bullied in my evaluations.

Yes, there is a warm fuzziness getting emails saying 'you were the best teacher ever' or similar and it's always uplifting when a student connects with my teaching and the ideas I am asking them to consider, but very few of us are in it for the fan clubs and no more than any other person-centered occupation.

Have a look at some of the university threads posted on MN. The parents and students are very aware that university is about a young person's opportunity to have experiences, have fun and earn a degree that will make them money. It's all about what the university can offer.

Teaching has been reduced to a customer service where the paying recipients of this service often don't want to be challenged, have very fragile egos, often don't have the capacity to get the high marks they expect and who often blame their lecturers when they don't do as well as they think they should.

Honestly - it really is about avoiding being hated more than wanting to be validated. I do think though that this is why so many of my colleagues who are battle-weary women for whom life has thrown violence, abuse and hardship turn into bots when it comes to appeasing the slavering masses. We need work as much as anyone else. I guess this could be framed as 'validation' but it is more about survival.

So happy to see this thread. I contacted the VC at my uni about the deafening silence from academics following the threats against Kathleen Stock. He wrote back saying he has received many, many emails from staff horrified by what is going on but too scared to publicly defend Kathleen. I've started coming out of the shadows and in my dept there is a mix of, what I can only describe as gender zealots, and everyone else. Trouble is, everyone else is silent so the ideologues are emboldened. I used to think their fanaticism came from a place of genuine care for trans people but I really don't think so now. It's cynical jumping on the bandwagon to bolster their visibility and profile and they get to bully people for free. It has made me want to leave tbh but I am loathe to let them win.

Hello Jo,
Academic here and very grateful to you and others such as Kathleen. It’s important that you know how many of us here support you and are hugely appreciative of your work.
Eyes peeled 👀

I'd be interested in your thoughts on what this is really about beyond trans issues - what's going on with authoritarianism in universities generally?

How can academics join the OUGCRN please?

Hi Jo, another one here to say thank you and wish you well.

I am a graduate of Sussex Uni and well remember the periodic protests over the years, on one thing or another. I’ve been thinking a lot this week about the employment prospects of people who think there are more than 2 sexes, who make their point with threats or believe that undefinable infinite identities deserve protection over facts and material reality, and I fear either that these students won’t get jobs, or will make their colleagues’ work lives uncomfortable.

I don’t have a question as such, but it can be a tricky change to move from student life into work and if people cannot disagree civilly or expect special treatment at work, or express extremist views, they are going to struggle. This facet to the issue is likely low on the list of priorities, but I hope the careers departments are thinking about it.

Thank you so much for posting. It’s been a hugely frustrating week for many reasons and I must admit I was losing the will to live after reading about the Cambridge SU women’s officer’s ‘terf spotting’ guide this morning and just wondering desperately when this Emperor’s new shit show will actually end.

I wanted to ask about students who are GC - are they okay? Can they speak up? Are they scared to? Is anyone looking after them? I hate to think about them feeling stressed/frightened/pressured.

Another long time lurker sending support and solidarity.

Hello Jo

I am another would like to show some support and respect and let you how inspiring your actions are, just reading through this thread I feel a real sense of strength and solidarity, what you are doing is important to many,many people.

Hello Jo and welcome. I'm looking forward to your FiLiA talk.
And you have my full support, as does Kathleen Stock. I resigned from UCU some time ago, glad I did. And glad I'm now retired and out of it all

Welcome Prof Jo,
Please stay and let us know what you are going through, this forum can make you laugh and cry with the fierce facts and amazing detective work of members.
I wonder whether you have begun to notice any trends in more critical thinking and open debate amongst students, now that the topic is actually being reported in newspapers and in the news? I feel like a year and half ago even, I'd go ages without noticing a related mainstream article, tv report or podcast and now there are multiple every day..!

@kalidasa is 100% right.

I often find colleagues using terms like "right wing" and "Tory" as terms of abuse and have started challenging that.

@ProfJoPhoenix I want to ask how you think we can best support our students to develop beyond this toxic #nodebate culture. I work in a humanities area and find quite a few of my students are quietly GC when gently challenged.

But I also see the monoculture being given lip service to (bad things are terfs, Brexit, Tories and good things are Labour, BeKind and safe spaces). I want to support my students to think beyond these lazy generalisations.

For one thing, it's bad EDI - in that it doesn't improve life for disadvantaged groups, including, I would suggest, young trans people.