Academics Chat Thread Mark II

[SignsofSpring]

As the one who didn't look and then managed to close the last thread, I'm going to be the one to start this one! All thoughts, rants, ideas on being an academic especially in Covid-19 times are here...

There are lots of fellowship applications from younger researchers who can't get jobs otherwise, but there are also quite a lot of grant applications from permanent staff who have ducked out of their share of teaching/pastoral/admin and who are focussing on research while working from home. In some cases this is understandable because the grant applications were drafted while labs were restricted or shut down. In other cases it really feels like the authors are managing to expand the amount of time they spend on research.

also quite a lot of grant applications from permanent staff who have ducked out of their share of teaching/pastoral/admin and who are focussing on research while working from home

Well, you know, writing a research grant that helps keeps a department going in some way, or doing work on a research grant one has been awarded, isn't exactly "ducking out" !

If people dump their contracted teaching, pastoral and admin work onto others to give themselves a higher percentage of time to do research, then it is ducking out. We'd all like to spend more time on research (both actual research and writing funding applications), but if we all failed to do the required teaching and admin departments would collapse. It's not OK to concentrate on work that gives personal benefit and glory at the expense of dumping work unfairly on others.

(And BTW I have multiple research grants, so it's not that I am jealous of those with research funding.)

Hi, I'm jumping in to the discussion to ask - what can we do to level the playing field over the covid mess? I'm lucky with childcare (DH does > 50% and kids are pretty independent) so I've submitted 3 major grants in the last 8 months, but I know that for many people that is beyond impossible.

So how can I, as a prof in my dept and grant panel member and an editor of a journal, make sure I'm evaluating people fairly given their very different circumstances? Do we need an extra CV line to discount the covid-year? or something else?

May I put in a plea for thinking about non-permanent staff, @parietal?

I know it probably feels impossible, but since last March, it feels as we've been forgotten about. I'm furious because I've been pushed into teaching that should have been voluntary, and it's taken so much time out of my time-limited fellowship, but I'm supposed to be delighted for 'the CV experience' (my CV is overflowing with teaching). I've been given to understand that we non-permanent staff should recognise how hard it is for permanent staff who have families and caring responsibilities - as if we're all about 21 and fancy free. I'm 36, the main earner in my household, and have the same childcare issues as my permanent colleagues.

Sorry, that was a rant.

But if there's any way you can speak up for us, please do! Really basic things matter. My book came on in autumn 2020. My institution won't do a virtual book launch as I am too temporary; journal editors are telling me no one has time to do reviews, and conferences with book fairs aren't happening. I can do my best, but the reality is that visibility will be limited. Would you be able to do something about that sort of thing, as a journal editor?

And would you be able to speak up for those of us who've timed out of 'early career' posts? I feel so hopeless at the moment.

In my university we have seen that statements on Covid impacts can be misused. We have highly ambitious, high achieving male staff writing about how much time they lost due to homeschooling... when their wives work p/t and facilitate their careers. It's very hard to challenge this narrative.

Conversely pastoral care has fallen disproportionately onto "sympathetic" staff (often, but not always, female) but this never seems to get the credit it deserves even when described explicitly in statements about circumstances.

In my university we have seen that statements on Covid impacts can be misused. We have highly ambitious, high achieving male staff writing about how much time they lost due to homeschooling... when their wives work p/t and facilitate their careers. It's very hard to challenge this narrative.

Don't get me started on this. I know male academics whose partners are doing literally all the parenting, yet their (male academics) email signatures are all about how busy they are homeschooling and don't expect a quick reply (so the students contact other members of staff instead, some of whom actually have been homeschooling, but without the fanfare).

YY. There is a thread in a group I'm in on FB with two dads performance parenting about the fact they've both (gasp!) had to drop their children into school today and it's ruined their normal morning routine.

So pretty clear they weren't doing the fucking homeschooling before, isn't it?

It stuns me how totally un-self-aware some people are.

Just emitting a small virtual wail - I have overcommitted to funded projects for minority buyouts but cannot see how I can get them all done - 12.5% seems to mean 25% (unless I'm just very slow at how I work).

I know, rationally, how to handle this but am just having a little vent first

Oh dear @SarahAndQuack that’s miserable. Can you get the publisher to work a bit on getting copies out for review? If it’s in the social sciences or humanities then the LSE Review of Books might pick it up for review if the publisher can offer a copy. Possibly better for exposure than a launch.

As for the extra teaching, that’s really unfair. Do your fellowship sponsors have a policy on limiting what they can ask you to do?

You're very kind to reply, @impostersyndrome.

My publisher has a very limited budget too. It's tricky - I published with a firm that is solidly respectable in my field, but not prestigious. For me I think it was the right choice (the feedback and guidance was excellent and I really needed it, as I was in a slightly odd situation and didn't have the support most recent PhDs would). But it does clearly mean than the book loses out compared with presses like CUP or OUP.

I hadn't thought of LSE review but will ask my publisher about that. Thank you!

The teaching ... it's complicated. I'm not meant to teach during the fellowship and the exception would be if it were very relevant to my research or vital for my CV (it's neither). I doubt my fellowship sponsors would agree if asked (and formally, I should ask them). But I can't rock the boat, because covid means I couldn't sensible fulfill the residency requirement of my post. I was meant to be physically present at my university. When I started, a few months before covid, I had intended to stay with friends during the week, while I found a short-term rental. Then covid happened, and I had to abandon those plans.

Given that, and because I have a toddler at home, I am not nearby. It doesn't make a difference to virtual interactions, but if my line manager wanted to make a point, she could simply tell the granting body that I have not moved to be close to the university, and I would have to argue that the clause in my contract requiring me to do that isn't reasonable in a pandemic.

It's worrying me.

@SarahandQuack, I'm sorry for missing your message yesterday. I only jumped on to vent (I'm struggling).

Do you have a proof copy of your book as a single pdf that you could send to a list of trusted contacts and ask whether they would be interested in reviewing it for a journal? I find it easier to read a pdf rather than on Kindle/a hard copy. A good published review will mean more than a virtual online event.

You can also offer the talk you would have given at the event as a guest lecture to students - friends have done this.

Though I'm screaming for you about the 'developmental' teaching

I'm glad my comment was useful to you, @SarahAndQuack. As for the veiled threat about reporting you to your funding body, I'd hope that's not for real, but given how toxic some places can be, I can see how you want to play it safe. Having said that, you shouldn't feel the need to apologise for having to work remotely. Still, don't take on more than you can manage (n.b. if there's anyway of involving the students in your research, say through a dissertation project, that might be a way to make the most of your efforts.)

And yes, it may indeed be a cynical move to offer you teaching to 'improve' your CV, but you may as well make the most of it on your CV.

SarahandQuack, I am a book reviews editor for a journal and I often receive emails from authors asking me if I could arrange for a review of their book. I pretty much always say yes on condition that they suggest potential reviewers. The publishing house is immaterial.

Oh, that's hugely useful, @ghislane. I approached one editor when the book came out and got a very quick 'we absolutely do not do this, how dare you' kind of response, but I had been wondering if that was a bit unusual anyway.

@nonsanza - but wouldn't they be barred from reviewing if they know me well? I've not done a lot of book reviews but each time I did, I was asked if I knew the person as a friend. I can see that more senior people in my field obviously do review each other's books despite knowing each other well, but I'm a little concerned about it any my level?

@impostersyndrome, thanks. And YY, I'll absolutely use it on my CV, no reason not - it's just it's not quite the quid pro quo they seem to imagine.

Thanks everyone so much - I feel much more positive now! (And with actual thoughts about Doing Things, which always helps.)

Reviewing manuscripts is usually done anonymously, reviews of books are published with names and so it's common for people to be reviewed by well-known/similar subject authors. I would definitely find a couple of journals who have well established book review sections (some do, some don't) and suggest a couple of reviewers (you could even prep them).

I have reviewed manuscripts and books; I'm not totally unfamiliar, just a little nervous about it being perceived that I asked a friend to write a kind review. It's not the anonymity that's bothering me. I think from what you're all saying I'm worrying too much, though.

Argh! I just did something stupid. Wrote a proposal for a conference in the autumn. Made sure I put in all the key words from the call for papers, managed to knock out smoothly written 300 words which are nicely aligned with the themes in the CfP.

Thought I was done for the day.

Now I've just reread it and have realised that the call for papers I had open was actually a call for papers for a special journal issue, not for the conference. Conference and special issue are on similar themes, and my research can certainly be 'bent' to fit both... but I simply wrote my abstract with different key words in mind.

Never mind... worse things have happened and there is a good chance it will still be accepted :-)!

Tell me about the stupid things you have done in academia!

@sarahandquack it depends on the person and also the field (I've come across different perspectives on this), but I don't think there is an ethical issue with asking someone whose judgement you trust to review, or agree to review.

It might be useful to keep developing a set of relationships which are not close friends but useful for promotion application references, letters of support and so on.

Ha! My referees are all close friends. It's awful. I just have really nice colleagues.

And my diamond shoes pinch.

But yes, you're quite right, I could do with taking a more active approach to getting to know some more distant level contacts.

I wonder if this is a field-specific issue, because I work on a subject that's pretty personal/related to my private life, so it feels very natural that you end up with very blurred boundaries between professional and personal.

@dodi1978 - oh, that's frustrating! I can imagine doing that.

I've done so many stupid things, but I was remembering today (because my DP was doing job interviews) that after my first ever baby academic job interview, I ... turned my phone off and went shopping to cheer myself up, because I was so sure I hadn't got it and I was utterly unaware they would phone that day rather than email weeks later.

I had to ring the head of department back on his home phone at 9pm, after he left a very patient message on my answerphone. He commented very nicely that it was in fact usual to be answering your phone if you've just been for a job interview.

sarah - for the job I have now, I had come over from the states to interview. The interview was on a Thu. I took the opportunity to stay the weekend and be a tourist - not sure when I'd ever have a chance to be in the area again :) When I got into the office next Tue or so (as I slept off my jet lag), I was told that the University had called on Friday looking for me (as if I had just gone straight home!). Not understanding how quickly UK Universities did things, I casually called back and was startled to get a job offer. I was speechless and eventually said "thank you" before managing to mumble out something half-way sensible about negotiations.

At least you got the negotiation bit in!

It is such a weird practice if you don't know it. Mind you, US hiring practices sound like such an ordeal!

I looked up the OU humanities course I like the look of and it's £3000 and is the equivalent of half a first year undergrad. I think that's a bit ambitious with two DC and an academic job...