no new news

well, it has been quiet around here lately. Since the last time one of my mobs wanted to have a "friendly" conversation with me, in which s/he tried to fix me up, i.e. tell me not to cross his/her path (as if I am the one who is ever interested in other people's business). But I guess, when others' plots and regular business involves your actions (i.e. manipulation), minding your own business can very well be against their wish, and thus considered crossing their path... So, since that last conversation, not much has happened. And I wonder (i.e. worry) if really nothing is happening, or couldn't yet another scheme be running in the background, because the bully will not simply give up messing with me. No that could not be; I cannot see that. This is another characteristic (or downside) of being bullied; you are always nervous and anxious, that some one will any time soon do something to you, that you will soon see what they had been doing and feel stupid and be caught off-guard. It does make you feel like trying to control everything. You just cannot get over with the idea that you have no control over others' behavior.

pimp with no identity

This is inspired by a post on another blog about workplace politics referring to a person who just imitates anything and everything. It reminded me of my so-called colleague, whom I will refer to as the pimp. He has no researcher identity (has not a real research stream either). So, he will follow my footsteps, imitate my research, let his advisees imitate my research. In fact, in the last couple of years, everything that he did was such a copy of mine that I started thinking he must have not a mind, capacity to think on his own. Which makes me think that.... before he knew me, he must have been appropriating others' work.
Why would you want to be a professor if you had no idea what you were going to study, so much so that anything someone studies is interesting to you? Have you no decency, or selective interest?

plagiarism --mishandling others' work in progress

I have read my professional association’s code of ethics. There is one line prohibiting appropriation of others’ work from a position of authority. I think ethics is straightforward, but some will use covers to be unethical and others may not reflect on their behavior to the extent that they realize it is unethical. Yet others –as, I have witnessed– may observe from their role models unethical behavior and adopt it. I thought I would elaborate on that line about ethical use of others’ work.
1. If you get access to someone’s work in progress due to your role or position of authority, do not use the work beyond the purpose for which you were given access to the work. This means: you cannot circulate the work, discuss it with others, copy or paraphrase components into your work, or develop your current or future projects (or those of your advisees) building on insights you gained from that work. If you are influenced by someone’s work, and would like to integrate some insight into your own work, ask the person for permission to cite his/her work and give proper and fair (not tangent or in-passing) credit. Yes, conference papers, working papers, and personal communication can be cited—see your professional association’s publication manual for citation format. If the owner of the work does not give you permission to cite his/her work, do not integrate its components into yours. Examples of your roles and kind of work you might encounter that is covered:
- Advisor: advisee’s thesis, dissertation, course papers, other papers (even if they are completed and documented elsewhere—the person is probably trying to publish it in a real journal)
- Reviewer: paper submitted to a conference or journal for review
- Faculty/search committee: work samples submitted to search committee by a job candidate, or oral presentation given by a job candidate at interview (do not ask for the candidate’s slides before/after the presentation! You should make up your mind about the candidate’s quality of work during his/her presentation.)
- Faculty colleague/mentor/tenure committee/curriculum committee etc: papers in progress, syllabi in development or completed, narrative of research stream,
2. Never ask anyone to share with you (even verbally) any of his/her work that you do not need to fulfill your responsibility. Of course never force or manipulate (i.e. bully) someone to do so.
3. Never assume someone’s work or information (e.g. vita) is not private or confidential.

Obviously, this is work-in-progress, which I am trying to spell out. If we were at a faculty meeting, many a deadwood professor would insist that we exclude this or that statement because it limits their ability to appropriately evaluate/help/support junior faculty. However, I know that readers of this site will more likely in earnest help develop this statement, so that who knows perhaps one day, this will be circulated as (at least) informal rules of conduct in a department. Unlike other work-in-progress, please cite and distribute this freely.

Anti-bullying policies?? where??

Some say there are anti-bullying policies in colleges and universities, but add that these are not helping in solving actual problems. My very famous university does not have one. It has a nice counseling service... but that does not take care of the hostile work environment that certainly reduces my productivity.
I have read every document that is remotely related to workplace harassment and/or hostility at my institution. There was nothing-absolutely nothing-to include harassment by a so-called colleague's abusing another professionally. Like they suggested, I discussed the issue with some senior friends and later with my department chair. They all believed me and had sympathy. However, they also sounded like this is routine and normal stuff at universities, and implied I had better develop strategies to deal with them. No consequence to the bully...
I sometimes wish I were sexually harassed. I would know what to do. There are much better protections against that...

It does not exist around here...

Let me tell you up front: Ethics does not exist in academia. I have not seen it. I have not seen it among faculty, administrators, staff, or students. I met a senior colleague a couple days ago, and was assured that if you are, by any chance, a professional, ethical, and smart scholar, you will be punished for it-repeatedly.

So, welcome to my blog. Please use it to rant about unethical behavior you see around you in academia...

And why do I talk about this? Because I cannot stand it. For example, two of my so-called colleagues (a.k.a.) sharks consistently use my ideas to publish themselves or give to their doc students (in hopes to publish together later). Then, they bully me to tell them what I am currently working on. Pooooh, am I soooo stupid?