Anti Faculty Sentiment In Community

Date: May 14, 2004

Anti Faculty Sentiment In Community

Date: May 14, 2004

I have been a faculty member or graduate student at six different universities and have not seen this level of anti-faculty sentiment. Often the town/gown split centers on what are considered over-privileged students who misbehave in public. On the other hand, many of the ordinary people in Hattiesburg whose voices are not heard seem to be very sympathetic to the faculty right now.

In small college towns, being a faculty member is often quite prestigious. Here we may be dealing with Mississippi anti-intellectualism and the historical lack of a true aristocracy in south Mississippi (as compared to the Delta).

Fire Shelby · Status: Offline

quote:
Originally posted by: Flash Gordon
"Here we may be dealing with Mississippi anti-intellectualism and the historical lack of a true aristocracy in south Mississippi (as compared to the Delta)."

Exactly. It is nothing new. In my small hometown in south Mississippi, a man once told me, "Don't get too big for your britches just because you are getting an education." He then proceeded to lecture me on the virtues of Christianity as opposed to intellectual pursuit. I truly believe that some people in this part of the state see higher ed as a "worldly establishment" that is anti-religion. They have heard so much at church and from pseudopolitical pundits about "liberal professors" corrupting the minds of their children that they have bought into that myth, and they feel sadistic joy to see those damned liberals suffering.

I am not going to reveal my political ideology on this board, but if what I said above is not true, then tell me why professors like Bill Scarborough, Frank Glamser, and others have been labeled as "red diaper dopers" by those who don't really know them.

Shelby Thames is seen as some kind of conservative hero who has come to tear down the liberal establishment at USM.

The paradox, of course, (as board member Angeline has so aptly stated) is that it is Thames and Co. who are the true radicals in this whole mess--and I believe if John and Jane Q were truly informed of the manner in which the tax dollars of the working class were being turned into profits for the USM aristocracy, then they would be truly pi$$ed and would think differently.

At present, John and Jane are buying into the "liberal professor" myth and the "good ol' boy made it big" myth, which espouses that Shelby Thames, like so many innovators before him throughout American history, adhered to the protestant work ethic and worked his bum off, and made it big, and the faculty are just jealous that they aren't as smart and inventive as he is.

Both myths are just that--myths. Until the general public understands what is truly going on at USM, there will be no clamour for change. The "liberal professors" will continue to receive the punishment they so deserve, and Shelby will remain on the plastic throne that, "through hard work," he earned.

Date: May 14, 2004

i know of a small office in H'burg where the staff is pro-faculty (don't like bullies) but won't speak up because their boss is a big SFT buddy. I suspect they're not the only ones in such a situation.

And really, this is not an issue that John and Jane feel strongly enough to write to the paper. There is a lot more conversation in extra-academic circles than you may realize, But if John or Jane writes a letter, it's more likely to be about K-12 funding than about our situation.

Fire Shelby · Status: Offline

quote:
Originally posted by: LVN
"i know of a small office in H'burg where the staff is pro-faculty (don't like bullies) but won't speak up because their boss is a big SFT buddy. I suspect they're not the only ones in such a situation. And really, this is not an issue that John and Jane feel strongly enough to write to the paper. There is a lot more conversation in extra-academic circles than you may realize, But if John or Jane writes a letter, it's more likely to be about K-12 funding than about our situation."

Oh, as a parent of a public school student, I can tell you that public school funding is the other issue about which I am greatly concerned. It's a travesty...one of many legislative problems we have seen this year.

Date: May 14, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Cossack
"Previous to SFT becoming the President, I was unaware of the anti faculty sentiment that has become apparent in Hattiesburg and South Mississippi. I am curious, do they have these feelings for faculty at all institutions including the ones they attended?.

"

I have worked at 5 different schools and have never seen this kind of reaction. I was not at all aware of it until the past two months. Until then, I always felt that Hattiesburg was an extremely friendly town. It is very upsetting.

Date: May 14, 2004

Please don't judge people in our Southern (and southern) community so quickly, based on the letters of a few Thames suppporters.

As a local, and as a professor, I can attest that many in the community lump all of us professors in the "different" category. Many of them really don't know anyone with more than a bachelor's degree, and most of those with Bachelor's were the first or second person in the whole family who went to college. Add to this the Southern tendency to be suspicious of "different" people. It is also a very old Southern thing to not like certain groups of people different from ourselves. ...liberals, politicians, whites, blacks, yankees, etc.

But, on a one to one meeting with Southerners, we tend to be respectful and many, many do admire what professors do. They are delighted to find that we are not all that different from themselves.

So, every civil contact we have in our own communities helps build those relationships. I make it a point to strike up conversations with people different than myself, and let them know I am a professor at USM. I have had the opportunity to have some great conversations with people about my work, and answer questions about my school.

They don't always understand us, but they are always grateful we are here to teach their children, and line up to shake our hand at graduation ceremonies and thank us profusely for what we have done for their children.

Southerners continue to send their children to us and trust us with their education. That should speak volumes to us all.

Thanks for listening

Date: May 14, 2004

The anti-intellectual sentiment of the Hattiesburg community reflects the problems with the state at large. Since integration in the 1960s (and certainly before), those in power --sherrifs, deputies, judges, mayors--have been suspicious of education because they know it's empowering (for blacks and whites both).

The saddest thing about this entire USM ordeal to me is that it shows that nothing has changed in that state. Education simply isn't valued. I am a native Mississippian, and as much as I love the state I hate it for its arrogance and ignorance.

Date: May 15, 2004

First off, let me say that I think these sort of sentiments were being expressed with more frequency AND vituperation last spring--I had to stop reading the paper, because I couldn't take any more "overprivileged faculty whiners" talk. (Sometimes I want simply to point out, on the matter of overprivilege, what it feels like to take home LESS money now than we took home five years ago . . . argh.) I think SFT and Friends have done a real service to us in this regard. Many of those who thought we were out of turn, out of place, and uppity last spring recognize, now, the egregiousness of what is happening here. Even those who think that USM should run like a business and that faculty are simply a labor force recognize that this isn't good business practice.

But let me also say that I think we haven't done a particularly good job of helping the larger community understand what it is we do, particularly if we're in the humanities. Even my own family (I'm a native Minnesotan) has had a hard time making sense of it--the teaching they get; the service they get; the scholarship is something they still (after watching me work for over a decade) are trying to grasp. We need to get the message out there about the value of our work in all its facets. Some of the folks won't get it, because they don't want to--and those we need to just not worry about. One thing: if you are a faculty member and you wear your buttons around town, and people ask you what you do at USM, find a way--pithy--to tell them. We as a department have talked some about other endeavors--humanities lectures, public library appearances, etc.--but of course, we're so busy doing what we do that we don't have time to explain to people what we do. That's the rub--this becomes yet another of our responsibilities.

In any event: I think people ARE responsive by and large, when given a chance. And I also think that more people DO support the faculty than we know, as LVN pointed out.

EW

Date: May 15, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Ellen Weinauer
"One thing: if you are a faculty member and you wear your buttons around town, and people ask you what you do at USM, find a way--pithy--to tell them. We as a department have talked some about other endeavors--humanities lectures, public library appearances, etc.--but of course, we're so busy doing what we do that we don't have time to explain to people what we do. That's the rub--this becomes yet another of our responsibilities. "

I'm a Unitarian Universalist, and we call this our "elevator speech." In other words, if someone asks you "what church do you go to?" in an elevator, you have about 30 seconds (at best) to explain to them what UU is (since most people in the south have no idea). I think an "elevator speech" would be appropriate for faculty members to develop...a 20-30 second spiel on what it is that you do.

I don't want to side-track this thread into a religious discussion, but I just brought that up as an example, and a way to think about how to communicate quickly and precisely.

Date: May 15, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: truth4usm/AH
"
I don't want to side-track this thread into a religious discussion, but I just brought that up as an example, and a way to think about how to communicate quickly and precisely."

An interesting example of the power of quick explanations & of the prudence of rehearsing them!

Steering the cat herd shy of an outright "holy" war, I'll point out that the best college & university recruiters have their "elevator speeches," as do the top 12-steppers at A.A.

Date: May 15, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Invictus
" An interesting example of the power of quick explanations & of the prudence of rehearsing them! Steering the cat herd shy of an outright "holy" war, I'll point out that the best college & university recruiters have their "elevator speeches," as do the top 12-steppers at A.A."

I like it -- it is a good idea. Think I'll work on mine.

One thing when I was at SUNY (where we had a union) - we were lucky that the union put some of our money to work on advertising and PSA's and creating events to help show the public what faculty members do and how they are involved in their communities. In other words to lay a kind of foundation for the public to have a good reason to support faculty (or at least to be skeptical of anti-faculty points of view) especially when contract negotiation time came around. It is amazing how the governer could talk about how wonderful the professors are for three years and then in the final half of the third year start to grouse about "job protection" and "overtenured" universities. I have to add that I never heard anything in New York to equal the viciousness of some of the stuff I have heard heard -- even from our own admin.

It was hard to listen to Shelby tell the parents last night that we are a "world class faculty" (really come on!) and that "if you want to be the best you have to be taught by the best," while remembering other remarks and actions that contradict that. Our lives would be so much easier if the Mader so called USM PR office actually would speak up on behgalf of faculty when these letters come out.

But of course we know exactly why it doesn't.

Ciao all!

Date: May 15, 2004

Could someone list possibily five (seems like a good number) talking points that everyone who supports shared governance and a broader vision of USM beyond a regional technical school use when writing letters, answering opponents(run like a business concept), being interviewed, "in an elevator", at the grocery store, or in any venue where community members are present. They should be pithy and revealing. Help!

Date: May 15, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: cockeyedoptimist
"Could someone list possibily five (seems like a good number) talking points that everyone who supports shared governance and a broader vision of USM beyond a regional technical school use when writing letters, answering opponents(run like a business concept), being interviewed, "in an elevator", at the grocery store, or in any venue where community members are present. They should be pithy and revealing. Help! "

One thing I try to do in an elevator talk is to point out that most professors work 60-80 hours per week, or the equivalent of 1-1/2 to 2 fulltime jobs.

Food for thought: Last fall I voluntarily taught an 8-week mini-course in our Sunday School. In the initial meeting, I mentioned that I was a professor at Southern and told them what that meant, including my heavy responsibilities in research. Then I added--as an afterthought--that research didn't mean looking up a few encyclopedia articles but rather writing entire books. The universal gasp drew me up short. Apparently they had thought that all we did was look up encyclopedia articles. This same group was not unintelligent; according to my survery, most of them read some kind of books or magazines for 1-2 hours per day. One thing to include in the elevator speech is "professors are expected to make independent contributions to knowledge," though the phrase needs to be a bit more monosyllabic

Date: May 15, 2004

Talking points=1.The facuty is the "blood" of a university because (point 1,2,3,...);therefore,2.The administration is going nowhere and can do nothing without faculty support, and 3. Whether Thames is right or wrong is moot-if he doesn't get faculty support he flatlines. If one accepts this reasoning, the onus is on the administration to gain support or be removed. Of course-we know this-but how to put in simple, pithy terms?

Date: May 15, 2004

Might I suggest a letter to the editor regarding responisbilities of teaching and the process of gaining tenure? I tried to explain it to my parents at the beginning of the G?S dabacle and didn't get very far (not having yet reached the point where tenure is anywhere on my horizon!) I think one of the biggest misconceptions from people in the community is that tenure is a "blank check" for employment. I know, everyone's tired, but it might go a long way to help the faculty's image. Remind them that not only do you teach at USM, but most of you are dedicated members of churches, civic organizations, even coach soccer. The community of my beloved Hattiesburg is basically ignorant of what goes on in the classrooms of Hardy High.

Date: May 15, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: cindy
"Might I suggest a letter to the editor regarding responisbilities of teaching and the process of gaining tenure? I tried to explain it to my parents at the beginning of the G?S dabacle and didn't get very far (not having yet reached the point where tenure is anywhere on my horizon!) I think one of the biggest misconceptions from people in the community is that tenure is a "blank check" for employment. I know, everyone's tired, but it might go a long way to help the faculty's image. Remind them that not only do you teach at USM, but most of you are dedicated members of churches, civic organizations, even coach soccer. The community of my beloved Hattiesburg is basically ignorant of what goes on in the classrooms of Hardy High."

Cindy mentions here something that has always confused me. I'm ignorant of what goes on in a hospital and in an operating room. So I don't comment or have an opinion as to the best way for doctors to do their jobs.

But people who have no idea what professors do seem to be very anxious to expresses their uninformed opinions, even in the press for the whole world to read. Why is this?
Is that what drives the K-12 education system also? If so, no wonder we never progress.

Date: May 15, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Otherside
" Cindy mentions here something that has always confused me. I'm ignorant of what goes on in a hospital and in an operating room. So I don't comment or have an opinion as to the best way for doctors to do their jobs. But people who have no idea what professors do seem to be very anxious to expresses their uninformed opinions, even in the press for the whole world to read. Why is this? Is that what drives the K-12 education system also? If so, no wonder we never progress."

Professors have as much training as doctors, and work as hard. I suppose the difference in income and prestige can be traced to explicitly planned doctor shortage via US medical school admissions. I can't recall now when the "birth control" went into effect, but it pays out well in a supply and demand market. Doctors arguably have something physical to show for their labors, no pun intended.

In addition, people tend to panic when they're sick, but they don't seem to mind when they're ignorant.

Date: May 15, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Jameela
""

Thanks Jameela. Maybe by the end of high school, and 12 years of education, people are so used to teachers that they fail to realize the difference between a "teacher" and a "university professor". They see them all as "teachers" or "instructors". Many go to community colleges and there only contact with a university professor will be in the final 2 years of college.

Just my guess.

Date: May 16, 2004

I was glad to see three, count 'em, three hard-hitting editorials in this morning's Sun Herald http://www.sunherald.com/mld/thesunherald/news/editorial/letters/8678269.htm.

Kudos to Adam Sencenbaugh, Jonathan Barron, and Amy Young. But H. G. Williamson in Poplarville still voices an issue that must be addressed.

Besides Williamson's odd claim in the first paragraph that neither Glamser nor Stringer must be important because s/he's never personally heard of them in the regular media, s/he says in the second paragraph,

"I think that any fair-minded person would say that had Dr. Thames come on board and accepted the status quo, making no changes and expecting nothing from the profs except teaching a couple of courses each semester, then nothing would have happened and USM would have continued to muddle along as before. I am sure some were uneasy when Dr. Thames was named president because they know from his own work ethic that he would never be content with business as usual but would expect everyone to produce."

Yes, argh! We still haven't convinced Bubba Q. Public that we actually do work far beyond the few hours that he imagines. I wrote letters to all the papers recently--also posted somewhere on FS--as to how hard we do work, and at what. I sent a shorter version out to, I believe, the HA. I've not heard a word back. I really do think this is an important issue we need further to publicize.

I'm now on my way out of town for the summer so am consumed with packing today and may have more difficulty getting on line after tomorrow. Could someone please write a hard-hitting letter titled something like "Professors work harder than most people realize"? I'll be around today--if anyone wants permission to adopt one of my letters, please let me know at Jameela.Lares@usm.edu.

Thanks!

Date: May 16, 2004

Concerning John Q. Public-is the BIG issue that profs. are slackers?-- or is it really who controls the ship?-like Shelby is the captain and the good crew should follow orders. The letter in the HA today about the responsibilities and role of a faculty is perfect-how to get this across to the public is the question --succintly and strongly and consistently--this addresses the "run like a business"- the "mutiny", the "self-serving" and most other points made by the other side.l

Date: May 16, 2004

Jameela makes a great point and I like the accessible title she's offered. It would be GREAT if a faculty member from somewhere other than CoAL would write one of these (including, of course, reference to all the sorts of research/scholarship that happens by all sorts of faculty members in all sorts of disciplines). We need to get some voices from other parts of the university out there. Those of us in Gary's and Frank's home departments may well be considered "biased" in ways that don't sit well with John Q.

Anyone up for the task?