No One Should Be Left Behind!
Hi Friends,
Your editor Maria Angel Ferrero, Ph.D., here.
A week has gone by and I feel overwhelmed with everything that is happening with Academia.
The current political, economic, social and sanitary situation is having enormous impact on education both in the U.S. and in the world.
We need to take action, we need to stand by the right of education for everyone. No one should be left behind. If we want a better world, we need better education.
Change is a constant revolution. We can’t stop here. We are not stopping here. It is time for every and each one of us to speak and take action. And hopefully, thanks to our perseverance and engagement, we will rebuild Academia and make it better for everyone.
I am sincerely grateful for all the writers who are joining the conversation and have shared with us their most personal stories, inviting us to lead the change and do better. Join the conversation here.
Here’s the best of The Faculty stories for you.
❤️ Editor’s Pick
I Won’t Risk My Life for the University — I Will for My Students by James Tierney
I will sit in my assigned classroom, wondering when the last time things were sanitized and how the airflow could possibly be good in this building built a generation before I was born. I will be alone with my thoughts, preparing the week’s online lesson while answering emails, attending zoom student hours, and, quite possibly, drinking a gin and tonic disguised as a seltzer water. Because, while there was no way I was risking getting COVID-19 for my university, you’d best be damn certain I would risk it for my students.
🤩 Trending Stories
Will banning international students make America Great Again? by Sayeed Ibrahim Ahmed
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announcement on Monday that international students with F-1 and M-1 visas “may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States” during the fall 2020 semester is utterly stupid. Under this policy, if their school decides to go completely online, international students will be forced to either leave or transfer to a different institution. Even if their school has hybrid options, students may be forced into impossible and unnecessary decisions.
A Post-Pandemic Look Into Higher Education by Maria Angel Ferrero, Ph.D.
The opinions on how the post-pandemic world will look like are diverse. But the only thing that seems to be a consensual opinion is that education as we know it has to change. But how will it change? That is the answer no one seems to want to answer.
Colleges Must Not Compel People to Teach In Person During this Pandemic by Daniel Star
Teachers are the life blood of our colleges. College leaders are ordering them into the trenches for fear of short-term tuition losses, deciding who will remain on the life boat and who will get tossed overboard. If colleges continue down this path, then like the well-meaning but misguided mayor of Amity Island in the film Jaws, they will have blood on their hands.
We are two ethics professors at Boston University. Our petition has so far garnered over 1,400 signatures from BU teachers, students, and supporters. — Russell Powell and Daniel Star
Unmasking Racism by Chris Seeger
If America’s public schools continue to teach their state’s standardized history curriculum, then we must rename the courses. US History will be rebranded as White American Mythology. Civics will now be taught as Democracy in Theory. As America continues to reckon with its history of racism, our schools cannot continue to support the codified erasure of White people’s role as the architects and enforcers of white supremacy.
A Geologist Torn: Fieldwork Was Transformative for Me, but Is It for Everyone? by Jess Kapp
There is no doubt that traditionally, geology has been inextricably linked with the importance of field investigations. For many of us who chose this area of study, the idea of getting out into the field and clamoring around on the rocks was a big part of the attraction. And why not? Read those words of Sir Archibald Geikie again — they are pure poetry, evoking the sensation of feeling free, out in the fresh air, among beautiful scenery and free from everyday worries. Who wouldn’t want that in their job description?
🐣 Latest Stories
My mother’s nursing home is smarter than your university by Diane Klein
The International Student Ban Is Cruel, Stupid & Racist by Matt Fotis
Teacher Success Requires Teacher Prep Rooted in Classically Liberal Education by Patrick Riccards
Is there a Relationship between Odors and Disease? by Fadoua Soussi
The Afghanistan Papers: Lies, Deception, and Failures by Tarik Ata
From the high-stakes to speaking for individuals silenced on our campuses by Christina Ragain, Ph.D.
In Defense of Anthropology by Sarah Grech
3 Things I had Learned in B School by Kriti
Why “All American Boys” Should Be Read by Every Student by Diammyra Cruz
The World’s First International Remote University by Didah
Lights, Camera, Zoom! by Sayeed Ibrahim Ahmed
Professors Should Be Able to Share Their Expertise Without Risking Professional Progress by Kristen Sadler
Confessions of a struggling academic by Sayeed Ibrahim Ahmed
🎉Milestones to Celebrate
One week has passed, and it’s time we celebrate achievements!
These are small wins that make us proud:
726 followers are now reading and engaging with our stories.
520 000 are the number of minutes our readers have spent in our stories.
245 000 are the number of views our stories have reached.
5 465 new readers visit our publication each day, on average.
150 are the number of followers on our Twitter account.
We believe this is just the start. The start of a great community of academics with amazing stories to tell and actively working to disrupt education. Thanks for reading us and for being part of this story. Let’s continue growing together.
Keep safe,
Your Editor, Maria Angel Ferrero, Ph.D.
