ALI Newsletter

  • Dear Faculty Relations: Several faculty members came to my office wringing their hands about the behavior of a colleague who frequently interrupts others, raises their voice, and bangs on the table during meetings. The faculty member is also known to be spiteful, having tanked a person鈥檚 tenure years ago; others are afraid to speak up. They aren鈥檛 alone, I鈥檝e witnessed this and have felt the same way, and I don鈥檛 want to deal with it. For our new faculty coming to their first meetings, this behavior feels particularly threatening and intimidating. I know this colleague well and understand the newish faculty fright, but I am used to it and would rather not engage. I checked the personnel files, and there are no notes that any supervisor has ever reported or dealt with this behavior before, even though it has gone on for a long time. I want to let it go. 鈥擴ncomfortable Chair
  • Dear Faculty Relations:聽What is the difference between the PRD versus the PRR? 鈥擫ost in the Alphabet Soup
  • Dear Faculty Relations:聽A faculty member reported a student in violation of the聽Honor Code聽and shared emails and a zoom recording as part of the supporting documents. I was dismayed to learn the TA screamed at the student and described the student as a sociopath to another colleague. Does the PRD apply to graduate students too? 鈥擳A Supervisor
  • Dear Faculty Relations: The same people bully and dominate our meetings. Everyone knows they are problematic, yet at meetings, everyone is silent. How do we speak up? 鈥擲ilent
  • Dear Faculty Relations: I was told that a faculty member acted unprofessionally. I鈥檓 the Supervising Administrator. I checked out the allegation and found it was true. What next? How do I sanction? 鈥擲anctioner
  • Dear Faculty Relations: Our department has a tenured full professor who doesn鈥檛 show up to meetings, which results in other faculty having to take up the slack. I don鈥檛 know what to do when this person doesn鈥檛 do their job. Can I hold them accountable? 鈥擜ccountable
  • Dear Faculty Relations: Dealing with faculty members who are not respectful or collegial, whether in meetings or over email, overwhelms me. I know it鈥檚 my job, but I鈥檓 not very good at handling confrontational interactions. How can I address this? 鈥擟onflict Avoidant
  • Dear Faculty Relations: What can I do about a faculty member who doesn鈥檛 respond to emails or submit required activity reports, like FRPA or DEPA? I email reminders; they say they鈥檒l get around to it but don鈥檛. Sometimes they also ignore my emails. I have more urgent matters to attend to, and besides I resent having to baby-sit adults, so I let it go. Should I? 鈥擣ed Up
  • Dear Faculty Relations: An untenured faculty member came to me with concerns that a senior faculty advisor bullies them. How do I resolve this? 鈥擲tuck in the Middle
  • Dear Faculty Relations: I received a report of a professor wearing only a face shield with no face mask and had his face shield lifted above his mouth during class. Also, he walked within three feet of several students while teaching. What can I do? 鈥擳oo Close for Comfort
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