This is horrible. It's also far from the first time I've heard of things like this happening.
My dad is a professor. I'm intimately familiar with the politics, backstabbing, and petty bickering that permeates academia. My dad survives by being positive, supportive, and staying out of the fray as much as possible.
I made a conscious choice to not enter academia. My degree is a B.A. in History; the only obvious career choice for that degree is to go through the hell that is history academia. I opted to fall back on my web development interests rather than use my degree or the network I'd built up.
Academia is abusive. The current state of things, as evidenced by the linked article and my own experiences, is holding back the real purpose of academia: a quest for knowledge.
I will reiterate: academia is abusive.
The problem is so systemic that I don't think there's any way to fix it. We need a new model, a new community.
My dad is a professor. I'm intimately familiar with the politics, backstabbing, and petty bickering that permeates academia. My dad survives by being positive, supportive, and staying out of the fray as much as possible.
I made a conscious choice to not enter academia. My degree is a B.A. in History; the only obvious career choice for that degree is to go through the hell that is history academia. I opted to fall back on my web development interests rather than use my degree or the network I'd built up.
Academia is abusive. The current state of things, as evidenced by the linked article and my own experiences, is holding back the real purpose of academia: a quest for knowledge.
I will reiterate: academia is abusive.
The problem is so systemic that I don't think there's any way to fix it. We need a new model, a new community.