Friday, January 14, 2022

Professor gone wild

“I’m a fucking tenured professor!” Inside Higher Ed reports on a seventy-four-year-old history professor’s first-week video for his students. The performance/protest about teaching in a pandemic is at YouTube.

If I were still teaching, I would share the guy’s exasperation. But I would never speak to my students as he does.

And speaking of exasperation: my former employer “encouraged” and “expected” students to test for COVID-19 when returning to campus this January. In contrast, the state’s R-1 school required a booster shot and on-campus test and is now distributing free N95 masks to students.

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January 20: The professor, who was suspended, is threatening to sue his school if he’s not reinstated.

comments: 4

Anonymous said...

Having taught in a law school, I, too, would share his frustration but not the method of delivering the message.

The Boston Globe today sent out an alert: "Students across the Boston Public Schools system walked out of class at 10:30 a.m. Friday in an effort to urge officials to provide remote learning options and stronger COVID-19 safety measures."

I say, good for them. Do students need to be the ones demanding more protection not just the faculty?

Perhaps the CA case that was reported on yesterday should be a warning shot to universities: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-business-fears-never-ending-liability-take-home-covid-19-lawsuits-2022-01-12/

Here in KS, some schools shut today due to the amount of teachers AND subs that were out. School systems are warning parents that they may be shut. And why aren't parents complaining about this?

Kirsten

Michael Leddy said...

Students walked out in New York City too.

I know that districts and individual schools in Illinois have shut down. And I’ve heard reports that some kids in classes keep their masks down while teachers choose to ignore it. It’s just bonkers.

That first link: I’ll never think of See’s in the same way. Anyone bringing a lawsuit would have a tough time establishing the source of transmission, don’t you think? But many companies/schools would have a strong incentive to settle, perhaps without admitting culpability, no?

Anonymous said...

Just found the opinion in the case: https://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/mainCaseScreen.cfm?dist=2&doc_id=2348691&doc_no=B312241&request_token=NiIwLSEmTkw3W0BNSCFNWE1IUFg6USxXIiI%2BTz5TICAgCg%3D%3D

Click on PDF.

Kirsten

Michael Leddy said...

Thanks, Kirsten. I’m going to set aside time to read it.