#FollowTheMoney š§µ 41/n Ok so the reason for the long pause in this š§µ was being made rdundant in July, by my lovely (not) employer of 13 years, Goldsmiths University. You can read all about it in this long #AcademicVenting š§µ, tracing the whole sorry saga from first rumblings in Nov ā23 to the bitter end. But of course, #redundancy is all about money, and I think about money all the time now (I have to), so really should write it about it all here a bit
#AcademicVenting
#AcademicVenting #Redundancy š§µ
Interesting but scary - at this moment of wanting to branch out into the āmore-than-Academicā world , and in general - to read about large scale redundancies at Save the Children. The process, language, and comments from affected staff (āItās a shitshowā) are all too familiar.
A friend of mine was recently made redundant by Mind, the mental health charity. HE redundancies all part of a larger process. Which only makes it scarier.
#AcademicVenting š§µ#Redundancy But by yesterday afternoon I somehow turned a corner; I am beginning to work out strategies for being an environmental anthropologist in my own right, even without institutional backing. I may have a new book contract; a small consultancy for the RSPB; and some teaching for the wonderful New School of the Anthropocene. No huge earners but all really helping psychologically right now. Hereās to #RegenerativeAnthropology!
#ClimateDiary
#AcademicVenting š§µ#Redundancy then I spent this last week with two very different but equally misery-inducing aspects of extrication:
a) sorting out future of my PhD students (4 current, 2 that were due to start now) - many conflicting emotions, and itās all just so sad;
b) battling with the intersection of email, Outlook, Google, Teams, Adobe, Microsoft, etc. The horrors of this really showed how helplessly entangled we all are in all these platforms! (Not asking for tech advice).
#AcademicVenting š§µ#Redundancy Further twists and turns in the last couple of weeks: AFTER 62 of us accepted enhanced redundancy and 18 took fractional contracts (forced by deadlines), SMT and union struck a deal that the remaining 11 - the ones going for appeal - would be reinstated. Allowing both SMT and UCU to collude on a āno compulsory redundanciesā narrative; UCU widely celebrating this as a union victory. A bit galling.
After more back and forth (a great 0.5 was advertised for us 3 to compete for - same duties, half pay - but none of us applied) and more charming communications from our āTransformatipn Programme teamā (always anonymous!) I have now accepted āenhanced redundancyā. Onwards and upwards!
#AcademicVenting #Redundancy These days I really canāt find the words to recount whatās going on. Letās just say a lot of back and forth; chaos, incompetence and cruelty; never ending visionless mediocrity that destroys everything.
One thing to report: i have now had the privilege of an ACAS webinar. More competent than anything coming from SMT, but no faces, no in person questions, and a cheery āSee you next timeā screen at the end. Corporate dystopia, straight from #BlackMirror
#AcademicVenting #Redundancy Two weeks today and sadly not quite there yet with finding new ways forward - for one, there is just so much to do, get your head around, decisions to make around redundancy process itself. And this past week a physical reaction set in, just sheer exhaustion.
Also want to note once more: it really is unbelievable what is being done to myself and 96 brilliant colleagues. The āhowā aa much as the āwhatā. And to Goldsmiths. It is total vandalism, brutal, traumatic.
#AcademicVenting š§µ#Redundancy Itās now been a week - what a week, with two historic elections thrown in too!
A HUGE thank you for all the lovely, supportive messages. They have really helped me, hugely. Knowing that others have gone through this (what a total experience), and that there are other possibilities. Itās early days (and there is so much work in the reduncancy process itself), but as so many of youāve said: other doors may open.
Maybe i will keep this š§µto share this transition?
#AcademicVenting #GE2024 #GTTO.
I hate Goldsmiths management. Completely ruining the elections for me and my fellow 96 colleagues made redundant - all brilliant! The very best! - and everyone left behind. I mean, I am super unenthusiastic about Starmerās Labour but I AM hopeful that they will do something for Higher Education. But itās too late for us šš”šš”š
Well, here my whole #AcademicVenting š§µ on the collapse of UK HE: from this first comment in November to my own redundancy 3 days before #GE2024. #GTTO
Well this is it. i am being made redundant.
#AcademicVenting š§µ
For the (self-pitying) record: we will hear Monday or Tuesday who will be made redundant. āWeā being those of us still in scope; there has been a bewildering reduction of āin scopeā groups this past week, after everyone spent days and days on their IAFs (see above).
I am in scope; all reduncancies in my dep are at SL/Reader grade. 5 of us scored (out of ā90ā) and ranked. Top 2 stay, bottom 2 go, middle gets 0.5. It is psychologically torturous. We are friends! #HungerGames
#AcademicVenting Surreally, I am on my way to a big conference, Anthropology and Education. Doing a panel on regenerative anthropology. But the conference cost an obscene Ā£320, that I only secured at the last second - we donāt have a research budget anymore, but suddenly we did get one now (in June). Meanwhile of course also #redundancy looming. We so desperately need a new everything. #RegenerativeAnthropology, #RegenerativeAcademia, everything.
Iāve suddenly caught on to the tail end of a six month thread about the collapse of UK HE and itās a lot.
Sending solidarity to you @pvonhellermannn.
#AcademicVenting Well, we all submitted our "Individual Assessment Forms" last Wednesday. Now looks like ALL cuts in my department will be made at my level, Senior Lecturer; 3 out 5 of us are supposed to go.
It is absolutely INSANE how all this is unfolding; the kinds of people who are in charge of all this. We are supposed to hear on Friday who it will be.
#AcademicVenting Did this post separately but want to add to š§µ š
#polycrisis #ClimateDiary #AcademicVenting #SelfCare
2/2 Where I am at: you have to be open and really look in yourself, what works for you. Right now, self-care for me is in a place I would never have expected: standing outside Eastbourne station (with a small group of hard cores), holding a sign āStop Bombing Israelā. It really helps me right now, somehow (along with appreciating small good things etc).
āSelf-care in the age of collapseā
This piece, like many others by the very brilliant Jessica Wildfire before, captures so much of what I feel right now, battling in the place i happen to be caught in in the malstroem of the #polycrisis (Goldsmiths meltdown, together with everything else). Itās recognising, as JW says, that āthere are no good optionsā, but having to find strategies somehow. 1/2 #ClimateDiary #AcademicVenting
āMinisters left with unpalatable options of raising tuition fees, making grants or capping student numbers, says IFSā
š” Complete rubbish!! There ARE other options. How about a wealth tax to fund universities publicly, as they should be?
Donāt buy into this narrow vision of options available. The whole fee model is defunct and we should move away from it. #AcademicVenting
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