on the principal stresses of my life, and the things that distract me from them

[pellucid]

1. Grading is FINISHED!!!!!!!!! Well, not entirely, but the exam marking is finished, and that's the part that has been making my brains leak out my ears the past few days. Note to self: next time you think "oh, exams go quickly, even when they're essays," remember that THIS IS NOT TRUE when there are 120 of them. Next time, I will include multiple

Comments

[beanpot]

You'd think I'd have learned by now to NOT sit down with dinner and turn on Bones. But in a way, it's very good way to diet.

[pellucid]

It's definitely got a very high "ewwwww!!!! look away, look away!" factor. I have not yet tried watching while eating, but I think I shall endeavor to avoid that particular combo!

[gabolange]

Having thought about it, I actually think the wholesale abolition of tenure would be an excellent thing. It's more expensive to hire a tenured/long-term/well-established professor, but it's also more expensive to hire a senior/long-term/well-established businessperson in almost every field. The fact that they can be fired for lack of performance encourages people to continue to work hard--and it is their hard work and experience that makes them valuable (and thus worth the extra cash). A professor who continues to provide value to the university (whether that's teaching, or research, or knowledge base) should be paid more--but if there's a now-tenured professor who isn't doing those things, there's a certain sense to replacing them with people who doIf there are all sorts of people who would lose their jobs, doesn't that say something about their contribution

[pellucid]

Hmm. If all institutions of higher education were Research 1 institutions, I think I'd at least partially agree with you. A university with a strong commitment to research does, of course, have a vested interest in keeping quality senior scholars around. The problem, of course, is that so many institutions, especially in the US, are not research institutions, and I just can't see what motivation Eastern Mediocre State U or Middling Little Liberal Arts College would ever have to keep on senior faculty

[gabolange]

I don't have the time to answer this in full, but I will give it a quick shot.

The advantage of having senior faculty is that you get senior intellects; even in a lower-level academic environment like a public or private school, the older/more expensive/more experienced people provide value to both the other faculty and the students. Their knowledge base in teaching and in understanding the material, the culture, and the structures of the institution fundamentally keep the institution running; they pass on knowledge to new teachers, they pass on all the tacit and intangible information any institution needs to succeed. (This is true in non-academic environments as well

[pellucid]

The advantage of having senior faculty is that you get senior intellects; even in a lower-level academic environment like a public or private school, the older/more expensive/more experienced people provide value to both the other faculty and the students.

Oh, I completely agree with you. I just don't have a great deal of confidence that many college/university administrators would--at least not when push comes to shove and financial decisions have to be made.

As for the academic freedom thing, I think it actually is a significant issue, and more for institutions that are not religiously affiliated. Most religious institutions who want their faculty to adhere to particular religious standards have a contract that the faculty must sign at regular intervals; someone who breaks the contract is subject to being fired whether he or she is tenured or not. So tenure at a religious school is actually less firm than at a secular one (or one with religious affiliation but not the kind of religious environment that requires its faculty to

[amilyn]

I love Brennan SO MUCH!

And thank you for the link. I'm really interested in the college article.

[pellucid]

I loved her immediately, but I'm also falling pretty hard for Booth and Cam! They're so awesome!

I need to go icon-hunting. I haven't had any time for such things...

[amilyn]

I've got a few up here. I think everything I've done recently is listed here" but I'm pretty sure that they're all useable/shareable.

Feel free to pilfer.

[asta77]

I haven't kept track, but it seems as if the victims on Bones are equally divided between men and women or if it is more women than it isn't by a large percentage.

[pellucid]

I have only seen a very random selection of eps so far, so I don't pretend to make any sweeping statement. It's just something that struck me about the ones I had seen. I'm glad to hear that you don't think it's an overall pattern.

[pellucid]

Yes, I've been playing with it for running and cycling. I'm finding the latter slightly frustrating because the bike paths aren't on the maps, but I can guess well enough.

I have not happened to have eaten while watching Bones, but I think I may make it a rule...

[gabolange]

MapMyRide may be better for things like bike paths, but I don't know. Just saying, there's a cycling resource, too.

[pellucid]

It's not any better for bike paths, really, because it uses the same mapping software, but it does have the nifty feature of allowing me to look at all the rides nearby that other people have mapped. And this is very intriguing! I was not particularly intrigued by that part of the running one--there my interest was much more about how far these routes I am already running are--but new and interesting places I could go on my bike? Very cool! Thanks!