Dress in Academia

[kulata]

I just met with a scientist a few hours ago in one of the state universities in TX. He was wearing a soccer jersey and khaki shorts

 

[unbelragazzo]



Cheers,

Ac

Also every post MUST be signed with some variation of "Cheers" "Best" or "Regards".

Hind regards,
David

 

[dopey]



Since this is the academic thread, I think every post should first go to @Academic2, who will then randomly choose three thread participants, who will (with or without reading the post, it doesn't matter) then demand that changes from the original writer, who will then resubmit his revised post to @Academic2, continuing this process until 1) everyone is satisfied 2) the author is dead, or 3) the author decides to put his post in another thread.

I think this would go a long way to make sure that this thread is a safe space for everyone.

 

[Academic2]

I’ve grown to hate writing anonymous referee reports.

Like most academics I’m at pains to avoid writing anything in such a report which might identify me. I once wrote a report in Hiberno English—the variant of English spoken in Ireland (I’m not Irish, by the way)—both to disguise myself and to break the boredom. It was a bit fun.

I regret that I cannot remember what I was wearing when I wrote it.

Cheers,

Ac

 

[SeaJen]

Those in the humanities will write all their ideas in a monograph and submit it to SF Press in the time honored tradition of write once; read never.

 

[heldentenor]

Indeed Seajen. We need to keep printing such books to accelerate global deforestation and give climate scientists something to study. They also make nice insulation and paperweights. God, I'm self-loathing.

My most humbling academic moment to this point came when I gave a copy of my dissertation to my grandparents, whom I'd thanked for inspiring my research interests with early trips to historic sites. At my next visit, my grandmother told me that it "had a lot of information, but it was boring." Ultimate ego deflation, but I like to think it's served me well in a few contexts.

 

[WhereNext]

Since this is the academic thread, I think every post should first go to @Academic2 , who will then randomly choose three thread participants, who will (with or without reading the post, it doesn't matter) then demand that changes from the original writer, who will then resubmit his revised post to @Academic2 , continuing this process until 1) everyone is satisfied 2) the author is dead, or 3) the author decides to put his post in another thread.

You forgot "with the three random thread participants also demanding that they, or their close friends, be cited in the revised work, regardless of whether that work has anything to do with the original topic".

More thoughts on the thread later, but thanks to @Academic2 for setting this up.

 

[Academic2]

[...]
Beyond obvious stereotypes (elbow patches), are there certain garments/modes of dress that well-dressed academics wear more frequently than the well-dressed nonacademic population? [...]

And the question of where such stereotypes come from is interesting, as is the question of how much truth there is to them, if any. (I did have a jacket with elbow patches when in high school and perhaps early college, but not since then I think.)

Today a much greater percentage of the US population attends college than was the case before WW II, which has to have an effect on such stereotypes. (I’m pretty sure that holds true for the UK and Ireland, too.) Before then most people’s notions of college life, including dress, was based not on first-hand experience but on images in film and descriptions in fiction. I would guess that recent cinematic portrayals of college dress are closer to reality than older portrayals for that reason alone.

Cheers,

Ac

 

[Academic2]

I do think the thread should have a style sheet.

For that we’ll need a committee, of course.

Cheers,

Ac

 

[WhereNext]

Will service on the committee be reflected in my T & P appraisal?

As far as elbow patches: I keep joking with tailors that I really need to get something with elbow patches, probably on a tweed jacket, and we all have a knowing chuckle. But realistically, I've seen that very rarely in different universities, so I do wonder how that popular notion formed. If (and it's a big "if" in most universities I've worked in so far) someone is wearing a jacket, it's usually an orphaned suit jacket, probably black or pinstriped.

I will say that an interesting point is how geographical some of these issues are as well. I just moved to South Africa, and the difference in how the business school professors dress in Cape Town (more of a laid back vibe) and those in Johannesburg (very much the economic/business center of the country) is pretty dramatic. Mostly black suits with no tie in Jo'burg (which is not great, but clearly an attempt at relatively formal), whereas in Cape Town you'd usually only see a jacket if someone was speaking at a conference.

 

[Academic2]

[...]

I will say that an interesting point is how geographical some of these issues are as well. I just moved to South Africa, and the difference in how the business school professors dress in Cape Town (more of a laid back vibe) and those in Johannesburg (very much the economic/business center of the country) is pretty dramatic. Mostly black suits with no tie in Jo'burg (which is not great, but clearly an attempt at relatively formal), whereas in Cape Town you'd usually only see a jacket if someone was speaking at a conference.

Thanks. This is one of the things I'm hoping people will talk about. Are you comfortable saying anything about where you were before going to South Africa? (If not, I entirely understand.)

Cheers,

Ac

 

[WhereNext]

I've worked in a university in the southern United States (public, tier 3, in Education), one in Northern Ireland (research intensive, in Education), one in England (one of the biggies, in a range of disciplines), and now in South Africa (research intensive, in Business).

I think the folks in Northern Ireland were more consistently in jacket (and sometimes tie) than any other place I've worked, across the disciplines. So when I was in University-wide meetings, most of the men would have on at least a jacket with maybe 25% of them also wearing a tie. Very few suits, I would say, but more sportcoats. I have to say that NI is still quite conservative in many ways, so that kind of makes sense. The dress standards in Georgia, particularly in my department, were pretty low: shorts, sandals, chinos, jeans, sneakers/trainers, polo shirts. Now, I have no problem with any of those things (well, sandals I do: no one wants to see your gross feet at work) if you're just working in your office or meeting with students (I have been known to do very casual clothes if I'm just going to be typing away in my office), but I don't think it's appropriate to teach adults in shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt. It just doesn't seem professional to me; yes, I know that makes me sound like a grumpy old man, but I've thought that since I got in the higher education sphere at 29 (and when I started my career as a primary/elementary school teacher at 21).

 

[dopey]

...

 

[WhereNext]

I didn't have time to watch all 90 minutes, so all I got from the first 6 minutes of each was: different styles of dress, very different lecturing styles, both of them incredibly cringe inducing. From the first 6 minutes, I am very curious as to how this eventually descends into an insight into **** culture, though. Perhaps you could give us some spoilers on what minute of the presentations to jump to?

 

[FelixTheFinn]

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