September 27, 2018
We discussed some good news: we have a small discretionary account now. I suggested students think about how they want to prioritize spending 1000K for this year. We agreed the “teaching lunches” will get $450. Students can think about how to spend the remaining $550. Maybe a social event to get to know post-docs? If SAC gives me a budget, I can (hopefully) get it pre-approved by Doreen, and you’ll have money for some events.
Also: we have the Faculty Allies grant again! This can be used by any student to invite a seminar speaker who will help us diversify the seminars. You have funds to invite collaborators! For details, ask Karen Smith or Robert Walker.
In other good news, we have an informal arrangement with the CSE department that will increase the number of students teaching EECS courses, and improve the process by which they get assigned. This is a good opportunity to broaden your computing skill and teaching experience. It will especially benefit students in the sixth year, because you can apply and sign get these jobs a few months before the term. This could be a good opportunity in the summer, too. Please talk to Karen Smith and/or Anna Gilbert if you are interested.
A request for help: I hope to make an extensive website with advice and resources. I have a “stub” (made for me by LSA) but I need help learning Word Press and especially making **content**. I would like to have many forums where students and faculty can give advice. I created a document called Best Practices: Computing which will eventually become a page with tabs on the website. Please help me share it so we can get lots of good advice in there. And please help me learn how to edit it into my website: I have been trying all week with no success!
The problem of finding a thesis advisor was discussed. Anecdotal evidence suggests this is particularly hard for students from smaller colleges. Some objections to the “finding your advisor” worksheet idea (developed after the SAC meeting last May) were raised: it feels too “blaming” to some students. It is not clear what the solution is.
I do recognize how stressful the process of finding an advising is for many students. A good thing about our program is that it is designed for students to start from the beginning and find success, and students really do all the time. But it may not feel that way if students are looking around and feeling “behind.” The program is designed to give students into the third year to find an advisor if needed—after all, if you come in with less background it is natural that the process will take longer. But of course it is a huge problem if this is causing a lot of distress.
Moving forward with this problem, I/we need to focus on the things I/we *can* fix. My concrete idea at the moment, since the worksheet idea seems to be temporarily shelved, is to try to make a “Best Practices” document about this, which will include professor and student advice to other students. I will try to get faculty to describe “what they are looking for in a student” as well. It may be hard to get many useful responses so ***please*** take the time to contribute when I do it!
I totally agree that long-term institutional change is needed: this takes a lot of time/work and discussion about possible solutions. [A fight I will prioritize is ensuring sixth year funding so students who need more time to get going won’t have to worry about that.] Things you can do to help: every time you are surveyed, be sure to mention these things you want changed (for the most part, the Rackham surveys say math students are generally happier than elsewhere on campus). This is ammunition for those faculty who want to modernize our program. Ask your friends at comparable math departments how it is done better there…maybe there are some ideas that would transfer here. Keep talking and generating ideas!
Some students suggested that they would like some sort of formal research project (someone said “busy work”) to do with an assigned professor early in their time at UM. I guess the suggestion was for after passing QRs? I am worried about the pressure of doing this simultaneously with first time teaching and alpha courses. I am open to discussing whatever specific proposal or ideas you have. It is easier (and much faster) to enact informal solutions than trying to formally change the rules of our program, though.
I would love to be able to pay students for summer research (or other work). I have discussed this with our chair, and Doreen, but this seems to be impossible. The good news is that students are getting summer funding–it’s guaranteed in fact for three years. What I’m hearing is some students would prefer to be more accountable for it—some specific assigned job might be more useful than just “free money” to study whatever you want in the summer. I agree, but at the moment, I do not see how to institutionally enact this change. I asked the department if students could “apply” for it by writing a brief (1-2 page) proposal, which of course would force you to talk to a faculty member and also have a specific plan. If you are also asking for this, it might help me get it through. It was just shot down pretty brutally by the executive committee–some professors think this will be too stressful for students (among many other objections to the idea). Still, I have not given up completely. Your input is a valuable tool for me to try to make changes.
There are different fellowships and grants available around campus (Rackham, CRLT, DEI, Sweetland Writing Institute etc): read your emails, click around websites, and if/when you see some grants you are motivated to apply for, I am happy help you apply (even help you find an appropriate the faculty member if they are for faculty) to help you see your ideas come to fruition.
