Oh, just shut up and go to hell!!

How's that for civility?

Actually, civility was always less of an issue between faculty and administration than candor and honesty.  I think you guys north of the library were quick to find fault with each other (call them like you see them), whereas south of the library we were content to just piss on bushes and lay claim to territory.  The exception back in the old days was between John New and Philo Wilson, who nearly came to blows shortly after eye contact.

Not to end on sad note, but there is a sad note; Phi passed away last Tuesday at home in Orlean on the cape.  I ran the Earth Sciences Department for 16 years using his files and Moira's memory.  He was a touch act to follow.

Be well, you old fart
Jay 


-----Original Message-----
From: Teaching Breakfast List on behalf of Michael H. Siegel
Sent: Fri 5/1/2009 10:48 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: civility
 
I have been retired and away from the campus action long enough that I certainly cannot claim that I know what the "civility index" on campus is like now. During the time I was on campus I did see very rarely times when faculty were uncivil to other faculty: even a couple of actual fistfights. Happily, those were infrequent enough to be memorable. More frequent were lapses in respect among faculty and most frequently between faculty and administrators or faculty and students. I think that the Teaching Breakfast, the College Senate and most activities in most Departments have remained above that. It would be my hope that members of the campus community could express strong opinions, honestly and forcefully, but still show respect and patience for views with which they disagree. I think that they have done just that almost all the time.

Mike Siegel

 


________________________________

From: Teaching Breakfast List on behalf of Walter vom Saal
Sent: Fri 5/1/2009 8:57 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: civil discourse



Hi everyone -

 

I have been enjoying following this discussion on email.

 

Although it may be only indirectly related to much of the discussion, some of you may be interested in something I did some time ago related to student-student interaction.  Students were working in small groups in one of my classes and some of the groups were having internal problems.  I arranged a class discussion of "guidelines for group behavior" and the TA wrote up a set of guidelines based on that discussion.  In subsequent classes, when groups started working I required each group to look at and discuss those guidelines.  As a psychology class, it was particularly appropriate to focus on group process and ask the students to (a) discuss their ideal group process in advance, and (b) have the courage to raise the topic for discussion again if anyone in the group felt it needed to be discussed.  

 

The guidelines are at http://employees.oneonta.edu/vomsaaw/w/handouts_general/GroupWorkGuidelines.htm

They also can be found by searching in Google for "Walter vom Saal handouts."

 

Walter vom Saal