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<\/a>Pandemic chic. I found a dress to match the gloves.<\/p><\/div>\n
The first instance that made me ask this question involves universities\u2019 decisions regarding telework, hybrid, in-person instruction for the spring (or even this last fall). Admin makes some proclamation, and it\u2019s not popular with a large number of faculty and so many professors, well, profess. I have heard via chats, and seen online in social media, so many instances\u2014not just in math departments\u2014where faculty say \u201cWe need to band together\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m going to quit if they make me [return to the classroom\/teach hybrid\/go online]!\u201d The University of Florida<\/a>, which has BOTH faculty and students protesting returning in-person in the spring, are being told \u201cNo\u201d by the state and by the Board of Trustees. And that\u2019s an instance of faculty working WITH students. UNC Chapel Hill<\/a> had an op-ed published in the local paper by a small group of faculty (small = around 50-75 professors on a campus that boasts around 4000 faculty members). But I honestly doubt anything will come of that.<\/p>\n Because let\u2019s be real: unless you are in a position to say \u201cI retire\u201d or “I take unpaid leave” you are highly UNLIKELY to go against your university\u2019s decision. Depending upon who you ask, we are at high risk to soon enter a recession or depression. Unless you were applying for jobs in September, and assuming there are even jobs to be had (#budgetcuts), you\u2019re basically saying goodbye to academia. While non-academia would pay more, if you\u2019re currently an academic the learning curve in marketing yourself, in forming a network and connections, in buying a new wardrobe and establishing a new routine\u2026it\u2019s a lot, even without a pandemic. And then many colleagues broadly defined have these things called families, often with dependents called \u201cchildren.\u201d When you leave a job through retirement or quitting or unpaid leaving, you lose your salary. You often lose your benefits too. If you don\u2019t have a second person in your household who could contribute to those fronts, leaving a job during a pandemic\/financial crisis losing both income and health insurance doesn\u2019t seem like the wisest life decision.<\/p>\n And admin knows this. Let\u2019s assume a group of faculty is capable of \u201cbanding together\u201d (it rarely happens even at the department level, but we\u2019ll suppose it\u2019s happened for argument’s sake). Admin will, and honestly should, call the faculty bluff. Why? Because there\u2019s a line out the door of younger, cheaper applicants willing, wanting, and waiting to replace these moaners and groaners. And that\u2019s assuming they won\u2019t take faculty leaving as a way to downsize and save more money down the road. Even pre-pandemic, I know that with one of my former jobs with my leaving the line was discontinued.<\/p>\n So suggestions I\u2019ve seen about faculty striking, or faculty teleworking regardless of university policy just make my eyes roll. Go ahead and strike. You know you don\u2019t get paid when you strike, right? Go ahead and don\u2019t teach hybrid\/in-person\/online like you\u2019re being told to. You know teleworking when your university hasn\u2019t approved it is basically grounds for dismissal?<\/p>\n If you start arguing about your special contribution to your department\/college, I\u2019m going to quote Queen Bey: don\u2019t you ever for a second get to thinking you\u2019re irreplaceable<\/a>. There are great teachers everywhere, if that\u2019s what you think you contribute; someone else could redesign a course, or coach a Putnam team, or whatever it is you do on that front. If you have grant money, it really doesn\u2019t matter how much: does it compare to the amount of money the students, alums, parents, state\/federal government, and endowment bring in? Doubtful. While I wasn\u2019t using it as a bargaining chip, I\u2019ve actually seen first-hand with former employers that they really do not care much or at all about the money you bring to their table.<\/p>\n The number of academics who actually have pull is unbelievably small. Chances are, you\u2019re not in that group. Chances are, a collection of faculty who individually aren\u2019t in that group also isn\u2019t equivalent to one in that group.<\/p>\n So, then\u2026if faculty don\u2019t really have power, who does? This shouldn\u2019t be a newsflash, but the answer is:<\/p>\n MONEY<\/b><\/p>\n Money has power. Many colleges, even those that were online exclusively in the fall, are saying in-person in the spring\u2026or at the very least, bring the students back to dorms. There\u2019s a very simple reason for that: money. Colleges that didn\u2019t have students in the dorms and using meal plans and shopping at the student union were hemorrhaging funds. And if prior to this many schools<\/a> were in financial trouble this certainly didn\u2019t help<\/a>. The average board and room (not tuition)<\/a> costs $\\$8000$ a year for community colleges, $\\$10,500$ at public colleges, and $\\$12,000$ at private colleges. Multiply that by even 1000 students and you\u2019re talking upwards of $\\$12$ MILLION\u2014and that\u2019s really low-balling at a lot of colleges because that only estimated 1000 living on campus. Does your grant give the college $\\$12$ million or more? Then add to this a fear\/reality of dropping enrollments, the volatility of the market causing losses in endowments, the lack of college sports and fans throwing money at the school, the at-wits’-end feeling of the general public that craves a return to “normalcy”, the fact that you leaving because you’re unhappy about your working conditions means either closing an expensive line or getting someone cheaper to take your place.<\/p>\n Go ahead and protest. Go ahead and strike. Go ahead and put admin in their place.<\/p>\n Dare ya.<\/p>\n My recommendations? Either keep your mouth shut and buy some PPE or learn to use the technology you have, because the complaining makes you look intolerable, or go where the money is<\/strong>. Forget about \u201cbanding together\u201d with other faculty or even with current students: get the president of the alumni association on your side. Get a trustee on your side. THEN tell admin what to do, where to go, and what you want.<\/strong><\/p>\n