privatization of higher ed

The California Faculty Association Winter 2006/07 magazine has a an article (p. 19) on the dangers of the privatization of higher education. The values of education (especially publicly-funded education) are not the values of the marketplace. In this view, the students are not first and foremost consumers, as in the corporate view. Some services--such as health care and education--are not best left to the marketplace.

When students are seen as consumers, then they are just full pockets waiting to be emptied. The New York Attorney General has launched an investigation into student loans and found that "educational" institutions are colluding with student loan companies to defraud (I don't think that's too harsh a word) the students. I'm certainly not anti-capitalism and I'm not even entirely opposed to certain business-like changes made in higher education (such as regular student feedback and improved student services), but its heart should be enabling intellectual development, not making money on the backs of those it is supposed to serve.

applying for jobs

I am in the middle of reading my students' submissions for a resume/cover letter assignment. My expectation is for them to put the best face on whatever experience they have. Of course that relates to confidence, and sometimes their confidence is not enough to make a good case. As luck (or synchronicity) would have it, reddit today has a link to an outstanding example of doing the best with one's background: Former marijuana smuggler seeks legitimate employment. Now that's a great resume.

I'm literally ecstatic

I am glad to see that someone else is getting tired of the misuse of literally. Sally Brownlow gives some examples of the misuse of literally to mean metaphorically (i.e., the word's complete opposite, trope-wise) in her column "It's hard to express irony with tongue literally in cheek". In Fall 2005, I mentioned this phenomenon in a journal entry for a class on teaching developmental reading and writing:

[I]n Limerick's ad hominem attack against academic writing, she contributes to the ongoing abuse of literally: “This [going to graduate school] gives you, quite literally, your footing.” Well actually it gives you, quite metaphorically, your footing. I wonder if in 50 years literally will have taken on the meaning of metaphorically, since that is how it is constantly used.

As someone with some background in linguistics, I know that words change their meaning over time, but I definitely agree with the Heckler that the meaning of literally is precious enough to deserve conservation.

February blog check-in

My business writing students had to make three posts to their blog in February. I did some browsing during the month, but today I went through everyone's blogs to see if they did the assignments so I could enter their points into the gradebook. I didn't really know what to expect since this is the first time I have used blogs for a class.

What I found, I have to say, really thrilled me. Almost everyone did 3 posts, and almost all of them fulfilled the assignment (related to business or the writer's studies, long enough to be meaningful). The posts show a wide variety of topics and responses to issues, and in general they appear to have some real thought behind them. I couldn't have expected a better result.

Following are some notable posts I came across.
Ana R.
Chester C.
Clayton M.
Randy W.
Ronny L.
Sung C.L.
Varun C.
Yi J.

I'm looking forward to seeing what people come up with for March!

resumes

The blog "Rands in Repose" had a really good post about what hiring managers look for when reading a resume. The upshot is that you have spent hours tinkering with your resume and have only 30 seconds to make a favorable impression--that is, an impression that will get you a phone screen. This particular person is in high-tech, but most of what he says applies across industries.

After describing his process of reading resumes, he gives some suggestions. Some interesting points he makes:

• He will look to see if you have a blog or other public web presence.
• When describing skills and experience, give meaningful and believable descriptions.
• It is a good idea to include seemingly irrelevant experience. If you don't have directly related experience, at least show that you have held jobs before. Seeing that someone worked through school makes a favorable impression.

I recommend that my 100WB students read this article; it's a glimpse into the mind of your audience. In this case, the audience has the power to give you something you want--or not--so it is very important to know what they are thinking.

strike vote

The Mercury News today reports that the California Faculty Union has scheduled a strike vote for mid-March. I'm a little surprised they have already scheduled the vote since fact-finding is not yet finished. The article mentions that this could be an historic strike, the largest strike of educators in US history. If so, it's a part of history I am very sorry to be a part of.

I'm beginning to better understand the difference between the CFA's position and the administration's position. The administration is saying that it is offering a 24% pay raise, while the CFA says it is in reality only 14%. The administration's numbers include merit pay increases (which not everyone would receive), funding for raises that were promised but not given over the last 4 years, and imaginary money that the State is not giving. If it really were a 24% increase, the union and all faculty members would support accepting the contract.

CSU/Faculty bargaining

This morning, KQED broadcast a forum discussing the state of the CSU/faculty bargaining. [audio archive]