Taxing taxes

I usually wait until pretty late (um...say, the 13th of April) to do my taxes. I do N.A.'s taxes as well, and I would rather do them at the same time than do mine first and have to answer similar questions two months later.

When people find out that I haven't sent in my taxes yet, (and they always do-- what is up with that? Weird competition?) they express shock. I suppose this could be because I'm fairly organized in other aspects of my life (read: super anal), so the contrast is surprising.

But still.


Is it really that big of a deal to wait until April 15th to file?

Visiting Vixens

Last year, as many of you know, I was a visiting ass. at a small college. Now I'm well into my first year on the tenure track at a similar small college. I know that this year has been much, much easier as a direct result as my year as a V. ass. (Although it still sucks. Boy, does it suck.) While I wouldn't recommend a visiting position for someone who wants to go the R1 route, it could be a really good fit for someone wanting to go the small undergraduate college path.

Being a visiting prof (see * below) has all the advantages of being on the tenure track without most of the crap.

Crap that comes with the tenure track that you avoid as a Visiting Vixen:

- Committees. It is very rare to be assigned to a committee as a visitor. Do I really need to elaborate?

- Advisees. Yes, we all love advising students on how to find a path other than pre-med (insert eye roll here). They are also a huge time suck. It is very, very rare for Visiting Vixens to be given formal advisees.

- Faculty meetings! While some schools might think it's a good idea to attend, the presence of Visiting Ass.es is not usually required. Again, I don't think I need to explain why not having to attend faculty meetings is AWE-SOME.

- Research pressure! Research is rarely an expectation for a visiting prof. I got very little done beyond thinking and sketching out of a few research plans. If you want to go to a top tier small liberal arts college, you are going to want to get significant research done while a visitor. If you are aiming a little lower, and research done as a VV will be viewed as a bonus.

-Teaching pressure! A Visiting Ass. is just that. Visiting. Unless your position somehow can convert into a tenure-track situation, your teaching evaluations will never really be used for anything. I'm not saying that you should go in there and completely suck. BUT. Since you aren't going to be evaluated on what your students write, it can really give you freedom in the classroom. Try something new without worrying about what will show up on your teaching evaluations.



Again, if you want to have graduate students and do NIH R01-worthy research, visiting positions aren't for you. Do a post-doc. with someone awesome and get lots of publications. If you are wrapping up your PhD and want to work with undergraduates at a mid tier PUI, a Visiting Ass. position can be a great fit. If you are like me, having a year to work on your teaching and really sort out your research goals will greatly benefit you once the tenure clock starts.



*IF you have supportive, enjoyable colleagues who are willing to give you mentoring. And understand that you will be on the job market, like, the SECOND that you arrive at your temporary home. And will hopefully be traveling for interviews during November, December, January, and maybe even October and February, too.

semester of suck

What the saying? March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb?


If only that was true in academia.

Yes, health care is important...

...but as I watch the House debate (and the lady in the awful green suit text the whole time), my most pressing question is the following:

could I get a gavel for my classroom?

spring freakin' forward

Hatesssssssss it.



Spring semester is bad enough as it is. Now I have to give up an hour of sleep?

D/F/W rates

At PermaU there is quite a bit of pressure in regards to D/F/withdrawal rates. In my department, the DFW rate is about 30% (so 30% of a class gets a D, F, or withdraws by the end of the term). When a class doesn't meet this number, eyebrows are raised. Is the professor too easy? It couldn't possibly be that the class was just better than average, right?

I maintain my standards from semester to semester. I do not believe in curving. The first exam average was an 80% (B-). The latest exam had an average of a 75% (C). These are, in my opinion, fairly high. Despite this, my DFW rate right now is right at 25%. With still another half of the semester to go, this percentage will likely go up. So this semester, I would guess I am on track for a 35-40% DFW rate.

My department maintains that the national DFW rate is between 50 and 60%. I find this insanely high, but it is likely that I am just out of touch. Could it be that the DFW rate really is that high in the sciences? Do you feel pressure to keep a certain average in your classes?

Googling candidates

The hiring process is not fun on either side. On hiring committees, opinions often clash. Feelings get hurt when there is talk of degree superiority. Gloom descends on the department when offers are turned down.

We all know the long list of forbidden interview topics. You don't want to gain information that might lead to discrimination.

But what about google?


Is it kosher to google a candidate to check the CV? What about if you stumble on their blog? Or a twitter feed?

If you look them up on Facebook and see that their profile picture is from their wedding, is it now common knowledge that they are married?


In this age of too much information, where is the line in the hiring process?