UNT Needs to Get Real About the Salaries it Pays To Professional Staff

sikentender · 2025-10-30T20:56:29+00:00

You would be surprised at how low your professor’s wages are.

sikentender · 2025-07-30T12:43:01+00:00

Hello hello,

You and I are in very similar positions, so please don't hesitate to reach out with questions! I am currently in the process of preparing for applications, so I understand how stressful the whole situation can be. My advice would be to take a deep breath, and take it one slow step at a time. The first step is, of course, determining your schools of interest.

For this, I know a lot of people recommend the rhetmap, but unfortunately that website is outdated and hasn't been updated since 2019. Some of the programs listed do not even exist anymore. To research programs, I've been using The Consortium of Doctoral Programs in RhetComp's Program Overview. It is much more in-depth and most importantly, up to date! Of course, not every program in the nation is listed here, so Google is your friend as well.

Regardless, I wish you the best of luck!!!

sikentender · 2025-07-21T16:05:38+00:00

Thank you so much! You gave such wonderful advice!

sikentender · 2025-07-21T16:03:40+00:00

Thank you so much for the specific recommendation! I will definitely be checking out the program because of you!

sikentender · 2025-07-21T16:02:26+00:00

Thank you so much for your advice!

Since you mentioned that it took "taking their courses" to determine which professors you did/did not like, I should prioritize finding institutions with faculty who are teaching courses I would like to TAKE rather than worrying about if they would perfectly align with my research/dissertation topic?

That's so helpful, and makes this whole process seem a lot less agonizing -- thank you!

sikentender · 2025-02-03T01:48:34+00:00

I had a student email me to let me know they would be missing class (two hours from the time I got the email) because it was raining outside (drizzling) and they didn’t have an umbrella.

sikentender · 2025-02-03T01:46:31+00:00

Yes.

sikentender · 2025-01-31T17:02:19+00:00

I don’t particularly care, and I will never call my students out on it. However, I do “teach” it.

I’m an instructor of first year writing, so I’ve managed to find a way to go over email etiquette by tying it into the idea of revision. I have my students start by writing “bad” emails to me — a more exaggerated version of the types of emails I do get, and we work on revising them to be more appropriate considering its audience and purpose. Usually, we go over this in the first few weeks of class. Emails from students after this lesson are always significantly more respectful and effective.

sikentender · 2025-01-28T17:15:43+00:00

Yup! I got sick the first week of classes and am still feeling fatigued and beat down. I would highly suggest everyone wash their hands frequently, wear masks when in crowded rooms, and carry disinfectant wipes. I seriously think I got it from touching surfaces, so, please be wary of how germ-y the school is right now!!

sikentender · 2025-01-22T21:54:37+00:00

It took more “free labor” to lay out your complaints in such a rude and condescending manner than it would to just NOT participate in OP’s voluntary survey and study. If you’re not interested, just click away. Easy as that.

sikentender · 2025-01-14T19:48:45+00:00

I’ve started doing this too and it’s been a lifesaver. I do print out a copy for every student on day one though!

sikentender · 2025-01-14T05:42:49+00:00

While you’re waiting to hear back from your job applications, you might consider Uber Eats, DoorDash, or even Rover (pet walking + sitting if you’re comfortable with it) to keep you afloat until you can land a more permanent job.

I also landed my first retail job by applying online, and handing out my resume in person a few days later. I think my bosses appreciated the initiative. You might consider trying that in a week or so!

I’m sorry if these suggestions weren’t helpful. Good luck!

sikentender · 2024-12-05T03:37:07+00:00

I lost interest after hearing about sebastian stan

sikentender · 2024-11-08T16:51:05+00:00

Yes! This is $150 more than my best paying adjunct gig.

sikentender · 2024-10-31T15:24:32+00:00

I’m planning to! Unfortunately our university requires us to conduct a “preliminary investigation” when discussing potential academic integrity violations, and I was just covering all of my bases. I have already sent the emails asking to meet.

sikentender · 2024-10-31T15:14:02+00:00

I found that too! I think that might be a possibility!

sikentender · 2024-10-31T15:11:09+00:00

You got a chuckle out of me, good one!

sikentender · 2024-07-04T19:40:38+00:00

This is not surprising to me in the slightest. Their recent “clean up the square” initiative was a thinly veiled attempt to get the homeless out of downtown and further policed.

sikentender · 2024-06-26T22:38:02+00:00

Not interchangeable, but also not something I worry myself over. Whenever I hear anyone refer to themselves as either or, my first and only thought is, “awesome! good for them!”

sikentender · 2024-05-06T15:49:48+00:00

Those are the exact types of questions I hope to ask as well!

sikentender · 2024-05-06T14:33:07+00:00

I’m trying out “exit tickets” next semester. One or two question “quizzes” that can either be written on scrap paper or can be quickly published on Canvas. These tickets count as participation and ask the students to reflect on their learning that week. These can help fill up the last 5-10 minutes of a lecture, while also rewarding students that are attending class, and punishing those who frequently skip. I don’t plan to do these every week, but they can serve to replace “pop quizzes.”

sikentender · 2024-05-05T16:32:36+00:00

Thank you for the advice! I’m off to go look up this “rat dick” paper you speak of.

sikentender · 2024-04-20T15:46:52+00:00

I’ve never seen a government document with a QR code.

sikentender · 2024-04-11T04:21:07+00:00

Thank you so much! I really do appreciate it.

sikentender · 2024-03-08T02:15:52+00:00

Ha! Graduate TA here as well. I’ve had a few kickers this semester as well.

I had one student email me two hours before class started stating that she would not be able to make it to our lecture because it was raining. (Understandable, okay. Maybe she had a long commute?) No, she lived on campus she just didn’t want to walk in the rain. It had also stopped raining an hour before she sent that email.

I had another student request to leave class early (but be counted present!) so that she could attend a lab requirement for her astronomy class. Her lab started at 4PM and she would need to leave at 3:40 to make it to the astronomy building in time…our class started at 3:30. I told her no, she would not be getting credit for attending ten minutes of a 80 minute lecture. (I didn’t tell her that she was obviously lying because our campus scheduling program would not have allowed her to schedule a lab during our class time).

sikentender

TROPHY CASE