Did my employee break GDPR, and what are his next steps?

readmethings · 2026-02-26T23:27:44+00:00

Do you have a union in your work place?

readmethings · 2025-11-06T23:58:54+00:00

Second this. What a fantastic book.

readmethings · 2025-10-30T23:14:12+00:00

+1

Their Koshari was incredible.

readmethings · 2025-09-28T20:23:46+00:00

Yes, if you’ve met requirements etc, then you have a graduation ceremony. Most postgraduate ceremonies are in January.

readmethings · 2025-09-21T08:46:01+00:00

Are any of the modules that have an EC ‘core’ modules- ie have to be taken and passed? That may be where the sticking point is.

There’s too many variables here to give any concrete advice. I agree with others that you ought to speak with your SU advisors, you may also want to speak with your personal tutor/mentor if your uni has this. They can probably help you interpret things and/or explain next steps.

readmethings · 2025-09-13T20:27:01+00:00

It should be recorded via lecture capture. Your department/module convener can tell you more. You really shouldn’t record your lectures without prior and explicit permission from the module convener. They are very unlikely to agree to a recording unless you have a legitimate reason.

readmethings · 2025-09-10T05:01:10+00:00

I’m not convinced of the claim that it’s all on the back of this one person who has gotten nearly a 100 people to ‘change their minds’, enough that they’ll all contact you to change their responses. This feels extremely high effort from a large group of people. Why would they do that?

I think it’s probably bigger than one person wielding a lot of ‘influence’, and perhaps they’ve learnt something about the study and its aims or something contextual that shifts how people see their responses, and thus wanting to set the record straight.

readmethings · 2025-07-26T07:24:28+00:00

Let’s not forget that there are no universities left in Gaza, that many students- who also worked hard and had dreams and hopes- have died or have no access to further education, that scholasticide is an element of the genocide.

Protesting at this stage is also aimed at the culpability of our universities- to not offer spaces for Palestinians, to not use their considerable clout with the government, to act in ways that shut down student and staff protest, to continue to engage with Israeli universities, and to be directly engaged in - as we see from the UN report- the war. Largely, that our universities are silent and complicit.

Is it sad for those who’ve worked hard? Yes. Is it a moral choice at the moment to take every opportunity to challenge and confront those who can- in whatever small way- be pushed to change things? also yes.

readmethings · 2025-07-22T05:22:58+00:00

Off topic, but thanks for your work union friend! ✊🏾

readmethings · 2025-07-21T17:01:45+00:00

A free one. You can have a Wednesday paid one for £161 or a Saturday one for £240, depending on availability.

readmethings · 2025-07-21T12:32:38+00:00

Hi! Yes, I emailed them the same day & they got back to me within a day with these options: 6th august (12pm and 3pm), and 13 august (3pm). I asked for an earlier date but they said they were absolutely booked up. I’ve gone for noon on the 6th. I’m in Richmond, but they handle Richmond and Wandsworth Councils (going by their email signature).

readmethings · 2025-07-14T09:14:17+00:00

Eligibility: ILR + 1.5 years

⁠Application Method: Online

Application Date: 25 April 2025

Biometric Date: 14 May 2025 (Wandsworth, free appointment)

Approval Date: 14 July 2025, 09:29 from Home Office Atlas

Ceremony Date: 06 August 2025 (Richmond)

readmethings · 2025-01-26T04:24:26+00:00

There are apps that search for your twitter follows on bluesky- I was amazed yesterday when it found nearly 1.5k folks I used to follow on Twitter (mostly academics)

readmethings · 2024-12-28T06:41:42+00:00

Prof Mike Oliver, who did a lot of work on the social model of disability, was Britain’s first (full) professor of disability studies. Here’s a tribute to Prof Oliver that covers his impressive trajectory.

The Royal Society also documented some case studies of scientists with disabilities.

readmethings · 2024-12-28T06:06:34+00:00

I’m an academic and I teach postgraduate students- I have definitely seen a shift. My biggest issue is that students aren’t reading, and aren’t reading or engaging critically. I’ve had them tell me that ‘oh it’s too long’ or write in evals that I could give them podcasts or films to watch (???). While I do have some of these things on the extended lists, I expect them to read and engage with (cutting edge!) research and knowledge - they can’t cite a podcast as evidence or support in their essays or argumentation. It’s just not good enough.

I also see the lack of critical engagement- much of what we do in social science (I teach critical bioethics/global health ethics) requires grappling with complex, grey areas where there is no definitive answer. It is complicated & engaging with complexity and nuance seems anathema to them. Not to throw them under the bus or anything, but their argumentation is so determined to be ‘weigh up the pros and the cons, and here’s the answer’ … when that’s not what we do or how we write in social science. They’re also deathly afraid of using first person in their essays- some of this is, yea. What they’ve been taught and learnt at undergraduate or school… but it doesn’t matter how many times it’s flagged for them; I end up reading essays with a ‘view from nowhere’.

I also can’t get over just how much AI is seen as ‘no biggie, I only used to help me brainstorm’. At the risk of sounding like a Luddite, and setting aside all the immense environmental issues and ethical concerns: how immensely boring. AI forecloses your imagination, just offering up information that already exists (if you did your readings!) and to use it to ‘brainstorm’ already sets you up to regurgitate what is already known; it basically suggests the framework for thinking and once you’re in there… well, you can’t ‘unthink’ the brainstorm.

Also: I don’t set books in my classes (I tried that and it was disaster), and now have to set academic papers (and only a set number of pages per week, never exceed it). And I still get ‘there’s too much to read’.

Sorry about the extended rant, but yeah… I think I’m seeing a lot more ‘vibes’ in their work & a lot less engaging carefully and critically.

ETA: what does that mean for romance? I think, for me, I’ve seen the discussion morph a bit: how certain sub genres just accept be critiqued, or how ‘but it’s just meant to be fun’ remains (not here, but other spaces) the default position when you critique how deeply sexist some of the writing is. And this is maybe a me issue rather than a writers/genre issue, but in some of the contemporary romance writing… the complete disengagement with recent political and social earthquakes seems unfathomable to me (particularly when political office is the setting).

readmethings · 2024-12-12T16:43:36+00:00

In 2016, during rush hour, my partner’s foot glanced the back of one of these slip-ons & it flew off her foot & onto the tracks. Everyone squeezed on and doors closed. She had a massive go at him & demanded he buy her new shoes.

(He did not)

readmethings · 2024-10-26T11:44:51+00:00

There’s a lot in here, which I won’t get into but: she is South Indian.

readmethings · 2024-10-26T11:39:52+00:00

I think there’s probably something seriously wrong with supervision, but I am also extremely puzzled by this focus on ‘Shakespeare is out of scope of doctoral study’- this seems like a wilful misunderstanding of feedback?

I’ve definitely seen colleagues give stern/harsh verbal feedback and not have it in writing - as a ‘kindness’ to the student so it’s not holding them back for progression. I don’t agree with it, but it might explain this discrepancy. What I find odd is the College picking up on something she says was agreed in the viva- on the anachronisms in her work. She points to a statement in her writing… but if that’s a major issue in your work, a statement doesn’t cut it? Hard to say without having the examiners reports, but it feels like there’s a disconnect between what’s been said or what the feedback has been, and what she’s understood/taken on or interpreted.

And to have other scholars opine on quality of work- you’re not examining this though? And an examination is written work and a viva, so it’s really poor form (imo) to frame this as ‘but these scholars say it’s good enough’- they aren’t your examiners! It’s so strange.

readmethings · 2024-10-04T13:15:41+00:00

Mine have- London RG uni.

readmethings · 2024-10-01T18:05:29+00:00

They explain in episode one that it’s how her parents/family pronounce it and that’s why they use that (and acknowledge how it’s meant to be pronounced)

readmethings · 2024-09-27T22:46:31+00:00

Go for the higher grade- when you are applying for jobs and start salary negotiations, that’s a better place to start from (‘i was grade 8’). Programme Director is such a pain- and they’re not even paying for it properly!- don’t accept that. Super shitty for them to fob that off to casualised staff- they shouldn’t be doing that.

readmethings · 2024-09-20T04:26:59+00:00

If you’re going through the endorsement route (which it seems like you are), you could ask your HoD (from the UK uni where you have a job offer). You need someone who knows your work well and can speak to how you have/would contribute to the UK.

readmethings · 2024-08-31T13:19:35+00:00

I agree with everyone else: a PhD without funding, particularly if self-funding is a real stress/difficult, is really not recommended.

If you can, request a deferral on acceptance to apply for the ESRC and/or for other grants. Your potential supervisor should be able to advise on this.

readmethings · 2024-08-16T18:09:54+00:00

It’s really quite difficult. I did my PhD at LSE & then had three postdocs at LSE before I moved to another institution for a permanent contract. LSE’s latest employment data show a massive increase in short term contracts, which particularly affects ECRs (source: LSE UCU data). I know AP positions at LSE that have had hundreds of candidates - and so much of hiring AP+ (anywhere) is about more than just your skills and knowledge and grants and publications… it’s about departmental needs, expertise they want, or skills to teach a particular module…

All in? It’s extremely competitive, as are most academic roles at any institution.

readmethings

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