For those of us on the faculty, the concept of “furlough days” is as disconnected from reality as the concept of “sick days.”
Every month we have to fill out and submit a form that lists the specific hours on specific days that we took “sick leave.” The bureaucratic fiction behind this ritual is that faculty work 9-5 days and 40-hour weeks and that any day missed because of a cold is a day of productivity lost forever.
In our quest to further enhance the visibility of this site, we now have a Twitter and Facebook presence. If you are a Twitter or Facebook user, follow our status updates to get real-time notifications of new posts and other information. And if you are a Facebook user, you can become a fan (click on the button to the right of the name) to show your support.
Here is the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sifting-and-Winnowing/187340228469
Here is the Twitter page: http://twitter.com/SiftandWinnow
Please consider sharing the above links with your own Twitter and Facebook friends.
And happy Thanksgiving!
Based at least on the number of people who publicly referred to Sifting and Winnowing during the restructuring controversy over the past month-and-a-half, it seems clear that this site is taken seriously as a place to go for informed independent commentary on campus policy issues. We look forward to bringing in many new contributors and to covering a wider range of issues in coming weeks and months. As always, we welcome suggestions for both, and we encourage unsolicited contributions — see this page for details.
We have now added a new feature to this site, one that is intended to complement the main S&W page: an open community discussion forum for UW-Madison that allows anyone to post informally about almost anything without moderator involvement (except in clear cases of spamming or other abuse). From the main S&W home page, the link to the new forum is found under “Sifting and Winnowing Resources” in the sidebar on the right.
Late last night, I was thumbing through the stack of thesis and dissertation drafts that had been given to me by students in anticipation of a December graduation. I swore under my breath over the unpleasant task ahead — not the reading per se but rather the gratingly unaesthetic form in which I had to read these tomes. Each one represented approximately two journal papers worth of content inefficiently spread out over 120+ double-spaced, single-sided sheets of text and oversized figures. Some of these were not early drafts requiring extensive copy-editing; they were final drafts requiring only my approval and that of my fellow readers before being deposited with the Graduate School.
Just days ago, this forum reposted a message that had been circulated by the AAUP concerning loopholes in the legal protection of speech on campus due to a controversial Supreme Court ruling in 2006.
Today, in the article “Free speech constraints spark criticism, concern”, the Daily Cardinal has reported that Prof. Donald Downs (Political Science) is taking up that issue with our University Committee. That article, and the background information from the AAUP, is essential reading for anyone who might ever disagree with an administration decision.
This memo by Dean Gary Sandefur (Letters and Sciences) was copied to L&S faculty, staff, and graduate students. It is reproduced here for the convenience, and public comment, of S&W readers. – Eds.
The following broadcast message from Provost Paul M. DeLuca, Jr., was received on November 11, 2009 and is reposted here for the convenience of S&W readers (a similar or identical message also appears on the Provost’s own website). Public comments are strongly encouraged. – Eds.
November 11, 2009
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students:
As you know, we have been reaching out to get your views into the challenges that confront us as a research and learning community. A potential realignment of our research infrastructure has, not surprisingly, resonated in different ways with many of you. I write today to let you know that your comments and concerns will be important factors in any change that may be implemented. The strength of our university is derived primarily from the creativity and hard work of our faculty, staff and students. Without your efforts and inspiration, UW-Madison would not be the great university it is, and thus any substantive change to our research apparatus will occur only through the combined efforts of the campus community. (more…)
The following broadcast message was sent out by the American Association of University Professors to its membership on November 10, 2009. It is reprinted in its entirety here for the convenience of S&W readers. – Eds.
The right of faculty members at public colleges and universities to speak freely without fear of retribution is endangered as never before.
In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government can restrict the speech of public employees when they comment on issues related to their “official duties.” Although the decision specifically set aside academic speech, recognizing that additional constitutional interests were at stake, several lower courts have ruled recently that faculty members who speak out on matters affecting their institutions are not protected under the First Amendment. (more…)
Moments ago, the Faculty Senate voted on the Resolution from the Department of Sociology Regarding the Proposed Reorganization of the Graduate School. The vote was nearly unanimous — there was only a single opposing vote.