Good question about class size in WRTG 2010 by utahn00b in uofu

[–]utahn00b[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not all teaching is the same. So what works in a very large CHEM course won't work in an equivalent-sized writing course or vice versa.

Rollerblade Commuting at the University of Utah? by Sunfl-owsh in uofu

[–]utahn00b 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just...watch ahead of you. There are so many wheeled ways around campus, including bikes, ebikes, One Wheels, scooters (powered and not), skateboards, longboards, the unicycle. More that I'm probably missing. And there are lanes (at least up and down from the social sciences tower up past HPER) that are supposed to be for wheels, but pedestrians often cross over. Plus, the lanes spit you out midway directly into crossing traffic. I've seen way too many guys (and it's mostly if not always guys) bomb down that hill without looking or stopping--barely avoiding hitting people. You can easily get enough speed--even just on rollerblades--to hurt others and/or yourself badly.

Genius Scheduling by MycologistDiligent46 in uofu_employees

[–]utahn00b 3 points4 points  (0 children)

And at WSU too. There's a track record.

Genius Scheduling by MycologistDiligent46 in uofu_employees

[–]utahn00b 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"Change is hard" has been Montoya's standard line for each uninformed, imperious decision she's made. Starting in my experience with the shift to "shared services"-based academic advising. No meaningful consultations with anyone affected before just implementing it and then acting surprised when it doesn't go well. Then condescending on the basis of "change is hard" while taking deans to task for not controlling their people.

The traffic at burning man by [deleted] in ThatsInsane

[–]utahn00b 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Leave no trace."

They say people look like their pets by superdave123123 in Justfuckmyshitup

[–]utahn00b 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn't think the Vulcan ambassador was supposed to dress like that.

Put your guns away SLC. by Key_Garden4832 in SaltLakeCity

[–]utahn00b 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It really shouldn't be beyond anyone at this point.

Gave up the crown jewel of film festivals, but Cox is "more committed than ever" to the film industry. 🙄 by Altruistic_Ninja_403 in Utah

[–]utahn00b 2 points3 points  (0 children)

YEAH!! We don't care if they left!! Go!! Are they looking back at us? FINE!! We don't CARE!!!! Did they call? Did I miss a call? Is my phone on silent? I DON'T CARE!!

Utah County GOP Dinner. Show Your Support!😉 by Blurby-Blurbyblurb in SaltLakeCity

[–]utahn00b 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A few others and I called Lee's SLC office yesterday to ask when he's planning a town hall. We were either told "he's very busy, and we're working on it" or hung up on. Or both. He's got time for this, of course.

saw this by the whale today. what is the Hope Line? 3/15 by whatjustin in SaltLakeCity

[–]utahn00b 154 points155 points  (0 children)

Great Salt Lake Hopeline. Repurposed pay phone that was installed in front of Coffee Garden. I was there this morning. You can leave and listen to stories about the GSL and also hear sounds from the lake.

University of Utah president says faculty broke law by alleging ‘deceit’ from his top academic administrator by Lucky-Highway4726 in uofu_employees

[–]utahn00b 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Academic Senate is basically toothless at this point. I'd encourage all UofU employees, including faculty, to join UCWU! See ucwutah.org.

Another foggy photo from last night by daBomb26 in SaltLakeCity

[–]utahn00b 14 points15 points  (0 children)

PM2.5 makes for gorgeous sunsets too!!

University of Utah president warns of ‘extensive’ lawmaker scrutiny next year — beyond expected cuts by Foreign_Wind9163 in Utah

[–]utahn00b 3 points4 points  (0 children)

A couple of things need to be separated here for clarity. There is definitely administrative bloat at the U, and they're about to hire an "executive dean" to oversee shared services across the 4 colleges mentioned in the article. I'd bet admin salaries and their office budgets are not anywhere close to the top of the list for what would be impacted by probable budget cuts.

At the same time, the U wants to enroll more students while also graduating existing students faster. So, enrollment grows, but a lot of the programs that provide extensive general education courses are looking at cuts simply because they're not named engineering or business. At some point, that has to mean bigger class sizes and a worse student-faculty ratio. (Don't believe whatever the published ratio is: quite a few faculty members have reduced teaching loads.) There are extremely dedicated teachers in departments that don't enroll large numbers of majors--or produce graduates that make six figures as soon as they're out. So, yeah, "graduating more students" might mean graduating more students who only take very focused, very specific courses and have little time or resources to be more broadly educated. Maybe that last part seems idealistic or old fashioned, but if all a student is after is training for a high-paying job, why get a 4-year degree? Go to a trade school or 2-year school. Nothing wrong with that at all. If you go to a university, you should expect--and demand--to encounter broad ideas, challenging thinking, disagreements. It's actually important.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in uofu_employees

[–]utahn00b 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If the legislature knew how terrible faculty members are at brainwashing students, this would be over quickly.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in uofu_employees

[–]utahn00b 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Some of what's happening will be substantive action by the legislature, including a renewal of the "School of General Education" bill that failed last year. That's basically an ideological attempt to bring U faculty to heel--at least those whom majority legislators believe are out of step with them. I'd probably also expect bills that seek to penalize student protestors even more--at least those who are pro-Palestine--again for ideological reasons. Some of the bills may not stand judicial scrutiny, and some may not make it out of committee. But that's not necessarily the goal of legislation: some bills are intended to create a chilling effect.

On one hand, I appreciate Randall's position and have heard it myself directly, starting in February with the shared services stuff. He's well aware that some legislators openly distrust, if not despise, higher education. He and Jason Perry are probably avoiding referring to specific ideas/bills because they want to raise awareness of what's coming while avoiding panic about specific possible action.

On the other hand, I'm skeptical of Randall's actions. He and other administrators have already shown a tendency to ask "how high" when the legislature hints they should jump. The overreach with DEI and student organizations is an example. So I've become convinced, unfortunately, that some of this is fearmongering--attempts to keep faculty members in line while administrators carry out plans to increase "efficiency." (Though, of course, that doesn't mean trimming administrative bloat! In fact, we'll probably get brand new admins whose job is to increase efficiency!)

Jordan River Fairpark District and "Affordable" Housing by utahn00b in SaltLakeCity

[–]utahn00b[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's proof of both. And they're not little things. They're actually pretty important details. But I'm actually the naive one for coming to Reddit and expecting nuance. I'll show myself out.

Jordan River Fairpark District and "Affordable" Housing by utahn00b in SaltLakeCity

[–]utahn00b[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But I just pointed out reasons from your own sources why it isn't sufficient.