Greetings allies and members.
This issue of our newsletter includes a selection of the latest research, media and activities related to the issue of academic bullying and harassment. Our research and outreach continues to reveal the ways in which discrimination and bullying remain, as Jonathon Taylor notes, “hidden in plain sight” in academic institutions. Even as we know it is an issue, the abuse persists. We are reassured by the continuous rise in attention to these important issues and encourage the community to keep talking about it, keep writing about it and, importantly, to get your institutions to commit to transparent, safe and actionable policies and mechanisms for redressing academic bullying and discrimination.
As always, stay tuned for more information on our latest activities and thank you for your interest in and support for Academic Parity. A special thank you to those of you who have kindly sent relevant research and articles our way!
AAAS report: STEMM workforce barriers (AAAS, October 2024). The inaugural Multidisciplinary Working Group (MWG), convened by AAAS and composed of external experts, has released a set of recommendations for the scientific enterprise to advocate for system-level changes needed to achieve a more inclusive scientific ecosystem in which everyone can thrive. The group was convened to address why some individuals enter and thrive in the STEMM enterprise while others face barriers that dissuade them from considering a career in STEMM or keep them from advancing or leaving the area altogether.
Neglecting sex and gender in research is a public health risk (Nature Comment, May 2024). This piece, by Haupt et al reminds the scientific community that even as tremendous advances are being made in the clinical application of cutting-edge technologies, such as gene editing and artificial intelligence (AI), there is a remarkable lack of understanding about how many aspects of human health are affected by variables as seemingly basic as sex and gender.
Can academic bullying be stopped? (Science, September 2024). This sponsored feature by the APM presents several cases of academic bullying as well as solutions for solving the problem, most importantly by designing and implementing proactive policies.
Academic bullying is hidden in plain sight (Times Higher Education, August 2024). In this piece, Associate Professor Jonathon Taylor details the subtle dynamics of bullying in the academic workplace highlighting the centrality of erasure to the act of bullying noting that “bullying can conceal itself from the victim, as well as from the environment in which it operates”. Comparing the bullying of the playground to the bullying of the academic workplace, Taylor notes that the sophisticated command of language (“strategies, bureaucratic terrorism, linguistic traps, carefully laid”) is what makes university academics such “superlative bullies”. The article is based on extracts from Taylor’s 2024 book, A physical education: On bullying, discipline and other lessons.
How campus protests exposed the flaws in higher education diversity initiatives (Middle East Eye, September 2024). In this article, anthropologist Dr. Nancy A Khalil reflects upon what university reactions to pro-Palestinian protests on campus can teach us about the fragility, elusivity and self-contradiction at the core of DEI initiatives in higher education.
Role model: Dr. Ursula Keller (We Shape Tech Blog, September 2024). This interview firsthand experiences of the systemic disadvantages faced by women in academic leadership, her role with he ETH Women Professor’s Forum, how informal network continue to perpetuate male privilege and asserting that current program that address gender inequity focus too much on individual adaptation and not enough on addressing the structural issues that women face in science.
“I don’t want to cause trouble”: Acceptance of bullying in academia. (Research Hive Blog, September, 2024). This piece by PhD researcher Erin Pallot provides a comprehensive look at why and how bullying is tolerated in academic settings as well as what can be done about it.
Mental health awareness Mondays: The mental health effects of bullies in the scholarly publishing workplace (The Scholarly Kitchen Blog, October 2024). In this piece, Senior Director of Journal Operations for the American Heart Association, Jonathan Schultz examines bullying in the context of scholarly publishing where he asserts the diversity of work agreements can make it difficult to recognize bullying and nontraditional work schedules may lead to the abuse of editorial staff’s time. Shulz also notes the enduring gender imbalance wherein editors and editors-in-chief are overwhelmingly men and editorial assistants are overwhelmingly women.
Register here for the “Professional boundaries and sexual harassment in academic settings” webinar hosted by GenderSafe on Nov. 14, 2024 from 15:00-16:30 CET.
Register here for the “Addressing gender-based violence in academia using the 7P framework” webinar hosted by GenderSafe on Dec. 5 2024 from 11:45-16:45 CET.
We would like to draw attention to the “We are Shocked Initiative” and aligning petition addressing the need for accountability through reliable reporting, investigation and disciplinary action in order to combat sexual harassment, discrimination, mobbing and bullying at ETH Switzerland.
After a year of tolerating my PhD supervisor’s denigration and manipulation and my frustration with her lack of knowledge and ability to conduct research, I spoke with her about changing to a new supervisor. When I explained my reasons (ineffective communication, unclear and impossible expectations, her lack of confidence in me), she denied all of these claims and then added a list of new (and false) criticisms (e.g. about me not updating her on my research results, and not being able to present my work). It felt at times like she was transferring her own insecurities and shortcomings onto me. Instead of helping me in the process of changing supervisor, she made me do all the work and at the same time had contacted a university psychologist asking them to make an appointment with me to solve my “communication problem”. Seeing that the situation was getting worse, I proposed that we take advantage of the six-month compulsory internship at a company. I was already dealing with an illness that was now compounded by the psychological stress of working with my advisor and figured that doing the internship would be a way to break the toxic dynamics. She agreed to this proposal but then immediately reneged. I also learned at this time that she was directing other faculty members to convince me not to change supervisors. As the situation spiraled and I became more ill, I decided to give up on my PhD. The whole situation was handled so badly by all parties in the institution.
Until the next issue, wishing you well,
Dr. Alison E. Vogelaar
Newsletter Editor