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Original poster

Academics Chat Thread

999 replies

LRDtheFeministDragon · 02/09/2017 22:32

I believe the old Chat thread has fallen off the front page of this section, and I thought it might be time to reinstate it. I know it's only sporadically useful, but sometimes it's nice, right?

I am a lowly postdoctoral English Lit type. Finished my PhD in 2014, teaching associate for a couple of years, and now part-time while DD is a baby. I'm currently working frantically to get my book manuscript to the publisher by my deadline (October), and also trying to regain enthusiasm for the job market.

Who else is lurking around here?

OP posts:
murmuration · 04/09/2018 15:48

Oh, LaDaronne, that sucks.

worstofbothworlds · 06/09/2018 17:53

Either their internal admin is a pile of crap, or someone dithered for months about accepting it and then did accept (seems unlikely they'd let them hang on for so long though).

Today I'm discovering that my colleagues are all really over-cautious and TBF inward-looking (plus, they expect that the real world works on glacial academic time). We've done the preliminary steps on something that has a really tight deadline. We're being encouraged to submit because basically there is nobody else suitable. There won't be another chance - it's not a rolling/repeated deadline (and the only reason we haven't done more is because my colleagues keep dragging their feet).

They won't submit unless it's perfect (which means that either there will be no suitable submissions or something really unsuitable will be accepted).
I'm not quite sure if they are just being perfectionist, if they don't believe me/the body in question that this is the only chance ever, or if they genuinely think that our well-though-out (but somewhat under-ripe) bid is worse than the alternative (which is something that isn't suitable for the job in question, but exists).
I know jolly well that in other academic fields people put in for money without verification and publications up the wazoo all the time - they have a good idea and talk to someone about it at a meeting and that someone says "we have some money to roll this out nationwide" and everyone goes for it.
Maybe I'll go and work for a money-grabbing company that doesn't care about research instead? Because that's who's going to get this bid!

In slightly better news I started re-analysing data for an R&R and gave up and asked for an extension to my deadline and got it - and I have a clear week next week - so I feel more relaxed about that. And I got all my UG project students' proposals read and returned (OK there were only 3).

LaDaronne · 06/09/2018 20:47

I've asked my departmental mole (niece of a very old friend who's doing her PhD there) for the inside gossip, so I should find out what happened one way or the other eventually.

ghislaine · 07/09/2018 13:28

Hi all

I have a rather delicate situation I need some advice on. I have research centre at my institution. It's a paper centre really, no offices, no staff, and we are funded from the department's general budget - very common in my discipline. The centre was my idea and I got it approved by the then head of school following endorsement at a staff meeting.

The mistake I made was to ask a colleague from a previous university (she's still there) to come on board as Co-director (for various reasons). There have been all sorts of issues with her which have recently come to a head and now my new head of school wants her out. A letter is coming her way. I've tried to warn her - she has no idea. She doesn't do subtlety.

The tricky thing for me is that her involvement, while it has its good sides, has been difficult for me and I've been trying to rein her in for a couple of years for now to no effect so I don't actually want to argue with my HoS for her retention. My HoS is happy to deal with the fallout. Should I keep schtum? Should I discuss this with her?

TheWizardofWas · 07/09/2018 13:33

trying to imagine what someone would do to make them persona non grata! Is it ideological or a performance issue? I don't really see the problem. Your HoS will deal with fall out. You can just say shucks never mind to co-director, unless you think it an unfair move.. what else could you do?

TheWizardofWas · 07/09/2018 13:34

worth having a proper discussion with HoS about it though, if this has not already happened - to make sure all is fair and square and you have no bad conscience about it and it is not a case of you being unfairly usurped.

ghislaine · 07/09/2018 14:09

It's performance - she has caused lots of stress to our admin staff (eg one was sent home in tears recently) by making demands they can't meet and not respecting our policies. Plus she sees my dept as an endless pot of money that she can use to fund events - I cannot get it through to her that our funds are limited...

I definitely plan to go with the shucks approach. The slightly squirmy thing for me is that the HoS has told me to write the exit letter which she'll just sign.... I'm just wondering if there's any legal comeback? The centre's not a legal entity as such and she's not an employee of my institution but I'm a bit nervous about whether she'll challenge it. She has a very thick skin.

purplepandas · 08/09/2018 09:28

That sounds really difficult gislaine. The letter should be written by HoD. Can you push back on that? I really think it is unfair to ask you to sign even if HoD signs.

I agree re shucks approach. Sounds like your colleague would not listen anyway.

purplepandas · 08/09/2018 09:31

Just popping back in. Finishing up diss marking as v busy summer supervising students. Now trying to think again semester one teaching. In denial and totally dreading it. Oct is a v difficult month for me personally so a double sense of dread.

CleverKnot · 08/09/2018 09:37

ghislaine, I would keep quiet. This person brought their woes on self.
I don't understand legal come back worry. Was there a contract signed?

LaDaronne · 13/09/2018 08:45

So it turns out the first candidate turned the job down and they're now actively looking for someone else, so I really didn't make the grade. I am bummed out.

impostersyndrome · 16/09/2018 14:01

How disappointing LaDaronne. Would it help to think of this as not fitting what they're looking for, rather than "not making the grade"? Can you get any feedback?

If it's not too late, I'd certainly ask for travel expenses. We regularly pay our interviewees' expenses.

LaDaronne · 16/09/2018 17:42

yes they've paid travel expenses. TBH it's probably for the best, I didn't get a massively good vibe from the department, but ironically given my usually cast-iron self-belief it's given me a big dose of impostor syndrome. Meh, I expect I'll get over it soon enough.

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 17/09/2018 14:50

Is it possible to re-apply?

At my previous place, a job (a professorship, no less!) was advertised. Various people interviewed, and they offered it to someone who dicked around for months then rejected it. They didn't simply offer it to the next-best person, though, they opened the job ad again. One of the same candidates applied again, and the second time round she got it.

I don't know why it happened that way, or whether there was some rule or consensus about needing to re-advertise if a certain amount of time has passed. But it's worth checking!

OP posts:
LaDaronne · 17/09/2018 18:15

I've been mulling it. This is for a professorship BTW. I don't know if reapplying would be the done thing, I'd have to sound them out informally. It's really knocked me for six though, not sure I could take the humiliation of them saying "no don't bother applying again".

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 17/09/2018 18:29

I can understand that! I have tremendous respect for the woman I know who did apply twice (and, in fact, she was the second choice the second time around too). But it would be rough, I can see. And maybe not worth it if you were underwhelmed by them!

OP posts:
LaDaronne · 20/09/2018 16:58

I'm going to a conference in mid-October and have asked the organisers if I can possibly change slot because of a timetable clash. They've said possibly but it's a shame because they've put me in a themed panel. The theme is "papers on two women philosophers who have nothing in common other than being women". I'm a bit Hmm at the theme - AIBU?

Orchiddingme · 20/09/2018 17:41

Just go in the theme/slot that suits you. Their theme is a bit suspect anyway.

purplepandas · 20/09/2018 20:21

I agree, that's a crap theme. Not impressed at all!

NeverEverAnythingEver · 23/09/2018 07:31

I would object to that theme. Angry

Kewqueue · 18/10/2018 11:24

Hello eveyone. Today I am at a conference and am feeling completely overwhelmed by imposter syndrome- and am not even presenting! I have already asked one keynote speaker a completely daft question due to nerves and am completely failing to network or even start a basic friendly conversation. I got up at 5am to get here and now just feeling like crawling off to a dark cupboard for a nap....

ghislaine · 31/10/2018 14:11

Thought I'd give you all an update on my delicate situation. My HoS told me to deliver the coup de grace, which I did. It didn't go down well - ex-colleague was very angry but it's been radio silence from her for a few weeks now. I've since found out via the grapevine that her VC has now written to my VC demanding an explanation!

murmuration · 05/11/2018 14:51

Wow, ghislaine! Although it seems you already gave her the explanation. Has anything come down on you there, or would it stop at the HoS? Sounds like an unpleasant situation.

kew, eep, sorry missed your post weeks ago! Hope the rest of the conference went well.

I'm back from a series of things, and absolutely, completely, exhausted. I'm finding that my level of 'caring' diminishes when I'm tired. Right now I could care less about a whole bunch of things I was really keen on, and even at the meetings I was at, did a bunch of setting up for. But now I'm back and I just can't get excited about stuff. There are emails I should send, and proposals I should write, and all sorts of things... and I can't get up the enthusiasm. So instead I'm procrastinating by working on lectures. Which I suppose isn't really procrastination as I'm almost down to the wire on those anyway, but even stuff like I was told that I wasn't going to have any PhD students to help out at workshop I'm running on Friday and I usually have some help, and I was even in a room with a bunch of PhD students today and I didn't even ask if anyone wanted to help - I'm just like, aw, I'll give it a go on my own and hope it doesn't fall apart, as I couldn't pull up the energy to say anything extra.

How is everyone else's autumn going?

sushisuperstar · 07/11/2018 00:10

@murmuration I am counting the days down till Xmas. Done in.

NeverEverAnythingEver · 07/11/2018 08:47

I haven't got teaching this term, so I'm doing research and revising lecture notes. :) But there is a lot of spoony-fuckery, to use a proper MN expression, going on in the university that is very stressful and upsetting. :(