This is the Middlesexian archive
May 27, 2006
'please don't do this sort of thing ever again'
You can hear the UCEA being told off and apologising for their dodgy reporting of the select committee meeting on the dispute at parliamentlive
You need to click ‘this week’ then ‘wednesday’ then ‘committees’ then ‘listen from start’.
Would be great to have students analyse it.
B-)
Posted by Billy at 1:21 PM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2006
select committee
Education Guardian - lecturers and employers called to select committee
Mmm, wonder where this is heading….
Among other things, I’m refereeing a journal article and working on a book proposal today, two things that would be struggling for my attention if I had my usual pile of marking to do. I’m trying to make as much use of this time as I can but I’m also hoping the dispute ends soon. I don’t want to be marking through the summer (or later).
There seems to be quite a bit of variation around the country just now. Some universities are getting very nasty - threatening to dock or even stop pay. I’ve also met some people whose departments aren’t going to be affected much. But it does look like most students will not be having their work marked at the moment. So far, I have three assessment boards at two institutions booked as provisional (only happening if the dispute is over in time) and some marking at one institution which will be going on as normal (the union’s position being that we should do any external work but not do anything internal).
In between the work, I nipped down to the bike shop to get lights for the kids’ bikes and enjoyed watching someone test-driving a brompton on Lamb’s Conduit Street (she seemed sceptical but was being persuaded by an enthusiastic pal - I resisted telling her about Erica’s broken arm sustained while pulling a glove on with her teeth while bromptoning). Lamb’s Conduit Street used to be famous for being the only street in London that’s one-way for cars and two-way for bikes (as well as for the water supply, of course). Picked up Apoa’s ‘what I need for food tech tomorrow’ text while I was there and was delighted to see that we already have everything she needs, including, somewhat unexpectedly, a pineapple.
B-)
Posted by Billy at 4:43 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2006
the suspense is over
mai’s blog - mai and mr. right
Well, she kept us in suspense for a while but I’m sure we were all guessing more or less the same thing. Looking forward to hearing more details…
B-)
Posted by Billy at 5:50 PM | Comments (1)
November 4, 2005
connection
The server is back and the emails we’ve missed from the past week are slowly coming through. The timelag is a bit weird. The library has just warned me that some books will become overdue if I don’t return them by yesterday and Jon Snow emailed to say that Downing Street says Blunkett won’t resign but that I shouldn’t faint if he does. On that topic, I have to say that I find it impressive that Blair and Blunkett can keep straight faces when they offer their comments on his resignation, and surprising that journalists let them finish their utterances without falling about laughing. Is there any other walk of life where you respond like this when you mess up?
Slightly relatedly… Despite being a bit of a gooner, I’m being tempted at the moment to look at Arsene Wenger’s latest comments in class. In the context of questions about Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, he said ‘When you give success to stupid people, it makes them more stupid sometimes and not more intelligent’. He is now angry that journalists suggested he implied Mourinho was stupid. Doing! (Picked this expression up from students yesterday, so not sure whether I’m using it properly, but it is a beautiful word).
Unrelatedly… Mai just dropped by with some delicious-looking sweet food which I’m going to try when I have a coffee with her later on. I feel a bit guilty as these are traditional things to eat for eid and I haven’t spent the last month fasting to prepare for them.
B-)
PS Just received another email from Jon Snow. The pressure is increasing on Blunkett, it seems. I’m betting he’ll resign before the end of the week…
Posted by Billy at 1:10 PM | Comments (0)
September 28, 2005
room bookings
Went to teach this morning and found another class in our room. After checking that it was indeed our room, we decided to allow the other class to use it this once seeing as they had a PowerPoint set up and a visiting speaker and stuff. After scrabbling around, the timetabling person managed to get permission for us to use the executive boardroom (provided we were ‘very quiet’). The students really enjoyed getting past the combination-locked door next to the Vice-Chancellor’s office and checking out the portraits of honorary graduands (including at least one graduate from our programme) on the way to the room. Quite odd, though, to have a seminar in the kind of room you expect to see high-powered executives making their presentations in and stuff.
B-)
Posted by Billy at 12:20 PM | Comments (0)
September 27, 2005
careless illustrators
Just enjoyed receiving this from a university staff email list:
Illustration have lost their skeleton! If you know where it is please phone me
B-)
Posted by Billy at 12:37 PM | Comments (0)
September 26, 2005
fighting back
Looks like we’re not happy that [name of rival university ommitted] is outdoing us on the confusion front. So far, everyone seems to be fairly good-humoured in the middle of it all, though. I’m off now to project the module outline which got lost somewhere between here and the print room.
B-)
Posted by Billy at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
fighting back
Looks like we’re not happy that [name of rival university ommitted] is outdoing us on the confusion front. So far, everyone seems to be fairly good-humoured in the middle of it all, though. I’m off now to project the module outline which got lost somewhere between here and the print room.
B-)
Posted by Billy at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
September 24, 2005
confusion
The start of the academic year is more chaotic than ever this year. It’s a bit like the Fall of Saigon except there are lots of modules at lots of times rather than one last helicopter. It could be worse, though. I apologised to one student for all the confusion and she raised her hand and said ‘It’s nothing compared to [name of rival university ommitted]!’
B-)
Posted by Billy at 12:51 PM | Comments (2)
confusion
The start of the academic year is more chaotic than ever this year. It’s a bit like the Fall of Saigon except there are lots of modules at lots of times rather than one last helicopter. It could be worse, though. I apologised to one student for all the confusion and she raised her hand and said ‘It’s nothing compared to [name of rival university ommitted]!’
B-)
Posted by Billy at 12:51 PM | Comments (2)
September 7, 2005
meeting of minds
EducationGuardian.co.uk | Higher | Meeting of minds
This is an article I read on the tube yesterday about making the student-supervisor relationship work. Naturally, I showed it to Mai
I think the main good thing about is that it encourages you to step back and think about how things are going rather than just going along with them, which I guess is something that applies to every aspect of life. It might even be one of the functions of a blog? (Although I agree with the expert on shoptalk yesterday who suggested that it’s often a kind of ‘personal PR’)
B-)
Posted by Billy at 1:12 PM | Comments (0)
July 8, 2005
graduation
I’m sitting in my office wearing a ‘suit’ (well, as close as I get) having spent the morning at our graduation ceremony. It’s always good to see students when they’ve got their degrees. Three students shared our ‘outstanding academic achievement’ award and they had all taken at least some modules with us, which was great. Even if there was a bit of confusion onstage about who had one, and Hanna’s prize-winning wasn’t even mentioned. As I type, I’m also listening to a really good compilation Hanna made for us (I’m on ‘Crap’ by the Tiger Lillies right now).
Came back on the tube and I can report that everything seems very normal. Everyone looks like they normally do. The only differences were one policeman (not sure if this was a one-off or one of many) and attendants at the rear door on the overground train (ditto). Apart from that, it seemed like any other day.
Hope it doesn’t seem wrong to notice linguistic things in this context, but I do find it interesting how we adopt each other’s phrases more quickly than usual when we have to make difficult public statements. ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with…’ is absolutely standard now. Yesterday ‘cowed’ became a word that everybody used (‘…we will not be cowed…’). Hope I don’t get many more chances to notice things like this.
(Listening to ‘Sesame Street’ by The Singers Unlimited now)
B-)
PS Sample lyric of ‘Crap’:
There’s CRAP! on CD
It’s got to be CRAP!
It’s an in- dus- try
This CRAP makes me angry
This CRAP makes me sad
This CRAP
This CRAP
This CRAP
Is so bad
(love the backing vocals too: ‘crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap…’
Sample lyric of ‘Sesame Street’ (even though you know them)
Sweeping the
Clouds away
On my way
To where the air is sweet
Can you tell me how to get
How to get to Sesame Street?
(love the bass on this one)
Posted by Billy at 3:57 PM | Comments (1)
April 19, 2005
London Language
London Language - Middlesex language blog
Well, we’ve just launched a blog for students of Communication and English Language at Middlesex. Marta has posted the first message - she’s looking for help with her nonverbal communication project.
B-)
Posted by Billy at 4:40 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2005
Mai, the UK and the art of being Relevant
Mai just set up a blog. One way in which it will be interesting, for the first few years, is as a record of what it’s like to come to London and do a PhD. Unless, of course, blogging takes over from researching ;-)
Posted by Billy at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)
February 1, 2005
initiative
Phone call at 2.20pm:
‘Hello, is that Billy?’‘Yes’
‘This is Anna. We’re sitting in class. You’re supposed to be teaching us just now?’
Yes, I’d got the time wrong and was sitting in my office discussing an MA application with another student. I’m impressed that the students had the initiative to chase me up. And I enjoyed the round of applause when I finally showed up.
B-)
Posted by Billy at 5:06 PM | Comments (0)
November 11, 2004
flow and contraflow
Came into work yesterday morning to find the burglar alarm flashing and beeping a warning. I investigated and found there was a river flowing through the bottom of the building which meant the power had to be turned off (which upset the burglar alarm)
You never want to be in a building full of academics who have been severed from their emails.
B-))
Posted by Billy at 4:16 PM | Comments (0)
November 9, 2004
happy feeling
Just pressed ‘send’ and so finished one of the many tasks that have been sitting on the desk for a while now making me feel guilty. I started the day by passing guilt on to somebody else and received a few gentle nudges from others during the day. If our guilt modules atrophied, I don’t think academia could continue to function.
B-)
Posted by Billy at 4:17 PM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2004
existence = resistance
Middlesex is a very groovy place just now, mainly because of the European Social Forum coming up this weekend.
We’ve got Zapatistas selling coffee and CDs at the union. Yesterday marquee tents and a ‘bender’ (a tent whose frame is made from large bent branches) were put up on the grass outside my office. And today there are impromptu seminars happening all over the campus. I ate my lunch next to ‘squatting history’. It’s as if the wave of student apathy and the corporatisation of academia had never happened. Makes me feel like I’m back on Woodcraft camp.
Together with the unusually lively students this year, it’s making me enjoy my return to academia rather a lot. Which makes me a rather irritating presence to the more typical (i.e. depressed) academics I keep smiling at.
B-}
Posted by Billy at 6:01 PM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2004
admissions
Induction week starts on Monday and teaching the following week. There are more people than usual trying to get in at the last minute. I’m not sure what it means, but there is definite evidence that the Guardian putting Middlesex in the top 20 in its recent league tables has had an effect. I’m looking forward to teaching some of them.
B-)
Posted by Billy at 3:39 PM | Comments (0)
September 16, 2004
admissions
Just had my first experience of using sms in dealing with a student applying to Middlesex.
B-)
Posted by Billy at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)
September 10, 2004
university admissions
This story says the government is about to shake up the admissions system for university. I don’t know what they’ll do but I do agree the current system could do with an overhaul.
Somebody asked me the other day who owns Middlesex University and I had to confess that I don’t know. I know what they’re called but I’ve no idea who or what they are. I’ve been feeling a bit Patrick McGoohan-like ever since.
B-}
Posted by Billy at 4:52 PM | Comments (0)
May 26, 2004
result!
The Guardian just published its latest league tables for universities. In the overall table, Middlesex leapt up to 19th place (70th last time) and is the highest placed of the ex-polys. In French, German and Spanish it’s top of the league! I don’t know exactly how they count it, but surely all league tables should be calculated this way ;-)
B-)
Posted by Billy at 9:03 AM | Comments (0)