Tenure is a ludicrous idea.
Tenure perpetuates the employment of bullies and drunks who are unwilling to teach. The foist all their work off on Grad Assistants.
No other career has everlasting employment, regardless of competency, and no other occupation has so many ineffectual workers as the colleges.
But what can we, the lowly students, do to stop the destruction of the American University System by tenured professors?
2007-01-09 05:01:09 · 8 answers · asked by J A 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
Outlive them is your only option.
2007-01-09 20:06:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Excellent question!
I don't know what to tell you. I work at a university, and the BS I see on a daily basis - from TENURED professors - is just insane. I've seen 5-year-olds behave more professionally! But who cares? Once they're tenured, they can pretty much do (or not do!) whatever the hell they please.
I find it distressing when students come talk to me about how their profs use the classroom to promote the prof's own political views...even in English classes, where it certainly does NOT belong. Pathetic.
Meredith, you are an elitist with your head in the clouds. Wake up to reality, sister!
2007-01-09 05:45:49 · answer #2 · answered by Jadis 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Don't attend a university. Yeah, I know; doesn't leave you many options, but money is what makes the world go round in the world of academia. You could attend a private college or trade school instead, or you could run for public office in your state and get the tenure rules for professors abolished. Other than that, I have no idea...
2007-01-09 05:06:56 · answer #3 · answered by sarge927 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Federal judges have a lifetime appointment as well.
Tenure necessarily the problem. You can have a brilliant professor, but they may not be exactly a great teacher (imparting all their knowledge). For a lot of schools, the research and prestige a professor produces is more important than their actual teaching skills.
It's a problem for schools. Get the best teachers, or get the most famous ones. Famous ones attract students and donations more easily. Also ups their prestige which does the same thing.
2007-01-09 05:18:40 · answer #4 · answered by Linkin 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Tenure does not always protect the jobs of the professors. It provides them with protection for being fired for no reason. A new professor is on a trial basis, regardless of their contract. They can be fired at any time for any reason. Once they have proven themselves they get tenure to protect them from being fired for nothing. Tenure and seniority also protect professors who have been at the institution the longest from being affected by cutbacks. When money is an issue they will go in order from least seniority to most. It is not a conspiracy, and there is still an expectation from them. As for grad assistants... they are being paid to do that work. It is part of their learning process, and the professors also spend a lot of time training and helping those grad assistants to make sure that the work gets done properly.
Next time you want to rant about something, make sure you know what you are talking about.
2007-01-09 05:12:46 · answer #5 · answered by Meridith 2 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Dude--Look at the way Meridith, above, talked to you. Nasty. She is obviously one of those tenured professors. She starts out with the insults right away. And she LIES.
Those Grad Students (like my brother) are hardly paid anything and most of them are paying tuition---higher than yours my friend.
I have been in college for almost 3 years and the professors do not even know my name and do not care about what I learn.
2007-01-09 05:32:53 · answer #6 · answered by Bud A 1 · 2⤊ 3⤋
arcticchick is right on---look how much time teachers have spent surfing yahoo answers defending tenure! It reeks.
2007-01-09 12:44:09 · answer #7 · answered by Emily A 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Petition Petition Petition. Make your opinion known!!
2007-01-09 05:09:27 · answer #8 · answered by Jfranc1 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋