Articles from:October 2017

  • Further reflections on reporting inappropriate behaviour.

    Tuesday, October 31, 2017 | By

    There has been a lot of discussion about the importance of calling out inappropriate behaviour recently. This is in the wake of reports of sexual harassment and abuse from powerful men taking advantage of their positions. I posted before about Feminist Philosophers’ entry that extends this discussion to the academic milieu. I want to push this here.
    In universities, there are very different kinds of protections enjoyed by individuals and many intricate power relations. While unionized and tenured faculty members enjoy the most protection, many employed or studying at Brock may have very little protection. A person experiencing harassment and/or bullying, of a sexual nature or not, may feel completely disempowered to report the behaviour for fear of retaliation. One may be afraid to lose one’s position or to be further harassed, perhaps in more subtle ways. It is a real and understandable fear, especially if the employer is not particularly well known for its efficiency at dealing with such complaints or lacks strong policies. What is the situation here at Brock? Do we feel that we can safely report and that complaints will be dealt with respectfully, swiftly, and fairly? Do we feel protected by existing policies for reporting inappropriate behaviour? I invite you to share with me by email without naming specifics so that we can get some insight into the situation here.

    Categories: Blog

  • “Everyone f**ing knew!”

    Monday, October 30, 2017 | By

    In this entry, Feminist Philosopher reflects on a recent blog post by a Hollywood screen writer on the Weinstein affair and how people act shocked when they actually knew what was going on. Feminist Philosopher looks at philosophy departments and circles and questions how we react to inappropriate behaviour. These kind of situations are in every milieu, as evidenced by denunciations in the music industry and in the publishing industry (recently in Quebec). They certainly exist in academia and in every field. Universities, however, have very peculiar ways to deal with denunciations and the author calls for a review of that. See the post here.

    Feminist Philosophers is a great blog that tackles all kinds of topics. I invite you to browse their topics.

    Categories: Blog

  • The “two-body problem”

    Friday, October 27, 2017 | By

    Back in 2010 I published a column on spousal hiring and how it is an equity issue. Years later, I still agree with myself (imagine that!) and think that universities still have a long way to go to address what has been called the “two-body problem.” It is not unusual for a job candidate to be in a relationship with another academic. What do universities do to be welcoming and pro-active in ensuring that both the candidate and their spouse get a job matching their competences? Still very little it seems. In fact, according to a study conducted by Lauren A. Rivera, there is still much bias against candidates with spouses, and especially against women candidates who have an academic spouse. The study shows that hiring committees are still biased against women candidates who are perceived as imposing a “two-body problem.” Would it not be a gain for everyone though if, instead of perceiving this as a problem, we thought of it as a gain? It can be a gain for the institution, ensuring the retention of the job candidate and adding their spouse, as much as it can be a gain for the whole community in cases where the job candidate’s spouse is not an academic but the institution ensures they find a meaningful job in the community. This is definitely a set of questions to think about.

    Categories: Blog

  • on #MeToo

    Friday, October 27, 2017 | By

    It has been a tough couple of weeks for survivors of rape and other victims of sexual violence and abuse of all kinds. The #MeToo hashtag has allowed many to come forward with their own experience of abuse. Many others have chosen, for very legitimate and personal reasons, not to come forward with their own experiences. Those are troubled times and what we have been learning — or rather have seen confirmed — is that almost every woman has had to deal with such experiences.

    Is there a responsibility for women holding positions of power and authority to come out as victims if they had to deal with any kind of sexual abuse? That is an interesting question and certainly not an easy one to answer. Vianne Timmons, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Regina took that step here.

    Categories: Blog

  • Meeting of the Steering Committee – Nov 3

    Thursday, October 26, 2017 | By

    Your steering committee will be meeting Friday, November 3, at lunch time, to discuss next steps and potential speakers and round-tables. Be in touch if you would like us to discuss something in particular.

    Categories: News

  • Child care for Student-Parents

    Thursday, October 26, 2017 | By

    As the trend of women surpassing men in numbers of students enrolled in higher education programs, there is a rising need to provide high quality child care to student-parents. This link provides tools and a discussion. Child care is rather limited at Brock. There should be more discussions about how to make it available to our student body.

    Categories: Blog

  • Of Queen Bees, Mentors, and Mentees

    Sunday, October 22, 2017 | By

    Here is an interesting article on how to avoid the queen bee phenomenon which also offers good tips on the mentor-mentee relationship.

    Categories: Blog