In a college, crazy stuff always happens in April. It's only the 16th. More crazy stuff just happened. Do I have 2 more weeks of crazy?
Another faculty meltdown. This time several faculty from another department (natural science) were up in arms about one of our math teachers. I have never had to deal with this kind of situation before. Complaints from students, from administration, from student's parents, even from other faculty within the department, but never from other departments. The science majors do need to take a significant amount of math, so they certainly have a right to voice any concerns they have about math courses and/or teaching. They talked to me and the dean about their upsets, and the dean and I foolishly thought that if they could have a nice sit-down chat all together with the math teacher in question, all the little differences could be worked out. Not so. The dean and I obviously watch too many Disney movies.
It just so happens that our department secretary works for our department in the morning and the natural science department in the afternoon, so I had a spy. The above mentioned meeting took place in the natural science offices in the afternoon. The secretary told me this morning that during that meeting she could hear the shouting through the closed door of the conference room.
The math teacher talked to me afterwords and seemed to be irritated with the science faculty, but gave no hint about what came a week later. He sent a 3 page single spaced letter to the school president (bypassing me, the dean, and the provost). At the end of the letter, he tendered his resignation, effective at the end of the current semester. All 3 of us (me, dean, and provost) tried to talk him out of it. Nope.
So, now, I must do a faculty search with little chance of success. Few people want to move to this remote and cold state. Besides, it's really too late in the school year. But, I must try.
As soon as I start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, someone brings me more tunnel.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
People - go figure
There is a faculty member in my department who was denied tenure last year, so this is his last year. I'll call him Dr. X. His reaction to this has been, in my view, spiteful and childish. He has refused to come to any faculty meetings, at any level. He has refused to post his office hours by his door, as the University requires, though hopefully he has told his classes. He has not been seen in the hallways by his office except in very rare occasions, and his office door is never open. The dean says that unless we get student complaints, just let him stew in his own juices.
A week before spring break, one of our students came to me and told me there had been a death in the family, and that he needed to be out the entire week. He asked me to pass the word to two CS faculty members, one of which was Dr. X. I sent an email to both faculty members to this effect. This particular student is an international student, and he has a nickname that everyone (or so I thought) knew him by, so that's the name I used in the email.
After spring break, the student came to me and told me that Dr. X was angry with him because he had not notified him that he would be missing class. I assured the student that I had indeed sent an email to Dr. X., but perhaps he didn't get it. Not knowing if his email was trustworthy, I printed off a copy of the email I has sent him previously and added a handwritten note, and slipped it under his door. I thought the note was polite, even friendly, simply asking him to not blame the student for lack of notification. This was done on or about March 20.
Then, 2 days ago, I get a scathing email from Dr. X, angry about either the email or the note or both - still not sure what his real complaint was about, except I was just a horrible person or something. One of the reason that I was horrible was that I referred to the student by his nickname, and I should have used his real name, and included the class he was enrolled in. I replied, apologizing (for what, I don't know) and told him it was not my intent to be rude or disrespectful, and restated what I had tried to get across in the first place. Then, he emails back saying that he considered that we were friends, and that I should feel free to call him with any student concerns. Evidently phone calls are OK but emails and handwritten notes are not.
Friends?? Are you nuts? After all that? No way, Jose. Call you? Not a chance in hell, unless the dean orders me to or there is some other disaster.
Anyway, I am now wondering - has Dr. X even been in his office since March 20? If I call him, what are the chances of getting him in his office?
Our secretary, one of the few people Dr. X will talk to these days, told me that the last time he had talked to her he said he had not found a new job. Maybe he has been blaming me for giving him a bad reference; however not a single soul has asked me for one. Maybe this has put him in an extra bad mood. I have little sympathy for him, given that he is older than I am and could easily retire, and especially because his family is from the oil rich Arab world and seems to have significant money. And there is no excuse for acting like a turd, in any case.
So, there is another reason to count the days until the end of the school year!
A week before spring break, one of our students came to me and told me there had been a death in the family, and that he needed to be out the entire week. He asked me to pass the word to two CS faculty members, one of which was Dr. X. I sent an email to both faculty members to this effect. This particular student is an international student, and he has a nickname that everyone (or so I thought) knew him by, so that's the name I used in the email.
After spring break, the student came to me and told me that Dr. X was angry with him because he had not notified him that he would be missing class. I assured the student that I had indeed sent an email to Dr. X., but perhaps he didn't get it. Not knowing if his email was trustworthy, I printed off a copy of the email I has sent him previously and added a handwritten note, and slipped it under his door. I thought the note was polite, even friendly, simply asking him to not blame the student for lack of notification. This was done on or about March 20.
Then, 2 days ago, I get a scathing email from Dr. X, angry about either the email or the note or both - still not sure what his real complaint was about, except I was just a horrible person or something. One of the reason that I was horrible was that I referred to the student by his nickname, and I should have used his real name, and included the class he was enrolled in. I replied, apologizing (for what, I don't know) and told him it was not my intent to be rude or disrespectful, and restated what I had tried to get across in the first place. Then, he emails back saying that he considered that we were friends, and that I should feel free to call him with any student concerns. Evidently phone calls are OK but emails and handwritten notes are not.
Friends?? Are you nuts? After all that? No way, Jose. Call you? Not a chance in hell, unless the dean orders me to or there is some other disaster.
Anyway, I am now wondering - has Dr. X even been in his office since March 20? If I call him, what are the chances of getting him in his office?
Our secretary, one of the few people Dr. X will talk to these days, told me that the last time he had talked to her he said he had not found a new job. Maybe he has been blaming me for giving him a bad reference; however not a single soul has asked me for one. Maybe this has put him in an extra bad mood. I have little sympathy for him, given that he is older than I am and could easily retire, and especially because his family is from the oil rich Arab world and seems to have significant money. And there is no excuse for acting like a turd, in any case.
So, there is another reason to count the days until the end of the school year!
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