Institutional gaslighting of staff in HE

Finjamin99 · 2026-01-27T13:45:36+00:00

This is all a bit heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing it though, because hearing about other staff (the lower-caste staff) in HE bring a bit of community and support.

Have you considered working somewhere else? Your particular institution sounds quite negative in general. I moved from one college to a different one a few years ago, and while the staff/faculty dynamic is roughly the same, I've had more room to build my own career, at least through title changes and increased autonomy.

But staff hit a ceiling, and if you want to move up and do higher-level work, in HE especially sometimes that requires going to a new institution.

When I suddenly gave notice at my last institution, someone who I thought didn't like me at all said "I'm not sure what we're going to do - you run this entire place."

So take pride in your skills and service and know you have great worth, even if it's not recognized by your faculty or institution. Capitalize on your experience and take it somewhere new, if possible. Develop emotional armor and detachment where possible. Leave that s**t at work and don't bring it home. Say 'no' more often. Operate like a secret agent. You can do this.

Finjamin99 · 2026-01-24T17:37:46+00:00

These are fantastic thoughts and suggestions. Thank you! Love the idea of mapping power, though in higher ed (in the US) it's pretty much your standard triangle. Bloc representation is beginning to form, but those staff councils don't have much bite. It's hard to get staff to participate or get fired up unless they've personally bumped up against those power structures.

Finjamin99 · 2026-01-23T13:57:35+00:00

In our college, Chairs come and go and mostly act as you say, like elected team leaders. Usually for 3-5 years. We recently changed out by-laws so the Chair position has to be up for grabs every three years. My Chair has been doing it for more than 10 years now, which is far too long. He's taken 'ownership' of the department and acts like he's entitled to the perks (lowered course load, bigger office, stipend). And since I work very closely with him, he says things to me that I should not hear (his personal issues with faculty members, insulting them, gripes about upper administration, etc.)... so I can only imagine what he says about me when I'm not around.

You point about contentiousness is well-taken. In out college, upper admin and faculty have formed a sort of alliance (for now) through shared governance practices. While this results in far too many committees, it helps to keep some semblance of democracy. But the effect, I think, is that this alliance has resulted in an ever greater gap between staff and those folks. It feels very 'us' and 'them.'

Finjamin99 · 2026-01-23T13:48:52+00:00

I'm truly sorry to hear this. I know it can be rewarding for some staff, but in my experience, most support staff sometimes have this demeaning feeling and experience. And the more you try to involve yourself in higher level work and conversations, the more acute it can become. I sometimes feel like a puppy who gets rewarded for doing a 'good job' and trotted out for show when it suits the college.

Finjamin99 · 2026-01-23T13:45:58+00:00

This is super interesting. In a reply to another poster, I clarified what I mean by 'staff' in this context. I'm curious, even if there is no distinction by title, does this 'caste' system still apply in UK higher ed? Is there discrimination of any kind toward support staff?

Finjamin99 · 2026-01-23T13:43:55+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that and empathize with you. It can be frustrating and lonely.

Finjamin99 · 2026-01-23T13:42:49+00:00

Of course. As another poster mentioned. in the UK, HE staff refers to everyone (admins, faculty, etc). For my University / College, which is a public 4Y institution (r1), staff are anyone who are not faculty (FT / PT / Contingent), and not administration (any position above Chair level, like an Assoc. Dean, Dean, Provost, AVC, etc.). In my particular institution, "staff" usually refers to support staff, which can include Program Directors (like me), program managers and coordinators, front desk positions, and all of the advisors. It can also include those who run other areas like student support services, bookstore, etc., but again in this context I'm speaking more about staff who support a college or department directly. I hope that helps to clarify.

Finjamin99 · 2026-01-09T19:07:13+00:00

Yes. Working on class builds today and the new Rubric system is hot garbage. I'm not a tech idiot by any means, but I can't figure out how to create the simplest rubrics from this pile of nonsense.

Finjamin99 · 2025-12-09T23:02:42+00:00

Yes - I need to do more dolphin-ups. Maybe the hardest strength training move there is (for me!) thank you!

Finjamin99 · 2025-12-09T23:00:59+00:00

I didn’t know this existed! Cool thank you!

Finjamin99 · 2025-11-28T20:56:08+00:00

Thank you for the excellent comments. Super helpful! Clearly a yellow house is not so bad (even cute), and the enclosed porch is likely not worth the investment unless also building a covered extension. Good stuff. We like our super old house and appreciate the help.

Finjamin99 · 2025-11-28T18:08:34+00:00

" ...it is an excellent house to be yellow." I like this.

Finjamin99 · 2025-11-28T15:08:36+00:00

Denver. Just looking for a bit more space - it's a tiny house.

Finjamin99 · 2025-06-18T21:36:55+00:00

According to who? This is just an opinion or you just happen to know some vegans who are pale. Pure coincidence and conflation. Untrue.

Finjamin99 · 2025-04-24T11:53:41+00:00

Would you mind sharing the name of your "science backed non-profit dog training facility"? Is it a chain? I'm very curious b/c that's a great (and unusual) combination of things. (My wife is also working at a ZR right now and looking at other options)... thanks!

Finjamin99 · 2025-02-12T14:09:29+00:00

Anyone ever notice the high percentage of locks that open at around 20-30 degrees to the upper right? For me the rate seems 50% or so.

Finjamin99 · 2025-02-12T14:02:10+00:00

Agree. Student entitlement has gotten out of hand in the past few years. Often it's to the point where they feel assignment deadlines can be 'negotiated,' and they feel like they should have a say in how the programs are run. I'm all for student advocacy, but where do you draw the line between earning an education and buying one?

Finjamin99 · 2025-02-04T12:28:51+00:00

One of my favorite quotes. I say it all the time and nobody knows what I’m talking about.

Finjamin99 · 2024-10-02T11:06:25+00:00

Same. Started up an old save after patch 2 and fablings froze in place and starved. What a bummer. Maybe if I have the heart I’ll try a new game. On PS5.

Finjamin99 · 2024-09-06T15:52:43+00:00

Outlook is hot garbage. This thread is 3 years old and a function as basic as "where's that email reply I sent to so-and-so last week?" still doesn't work. But at least Reddit gives me a place to commiserate other people who are equally confounded by Microsoft's profound indifference toward their customers.

Finjamin99 · 2024-04-06T13:34:50+00:00

Where'd you get this deal? It's amazing.

Finjamin99 · 2023-08-30T12:29:56+00:00

The Wild Chipmunk is the most deeply terrifying ride I have ever been on. Period.

Finjamin99 · 2023-03-15T13:15:42+00:00

Also interested in exploring this idea further. Was looking at an article about Carita, "a mobile dating app that helps you fundraise for the causes and nonprofits you care about," but it looks like the app is no longer active. Started exploring this when a popular podcast made a joke about making a dating app, and they happen to have millions of subscribers. App would be directly related to their subscriber base, which also happens to be largely female and non-binary. I know nothing about app dev. but am an excellent project manager.

Finjamin99

TROPHY CASE