https://chroniclevitae.com/news/1377-conference-challenges-for-people-with-psychiatric-disabilities

In her article, “Conference Challenges for People with Psychiatric Disabilities,”  Katie Rose Guest Pryal, a ChronicleVitae columnist and former clinical associate professor of law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, promotes “accessibility” accommodations at academic conferences.

Indeed, this article may not apply to many scholars; however, “neuro-divergent” tendencies can be a major hindrance to some while attending a conference, especially when presenting at one.

Certain neurologic conditions, such as autism or dyslexia, may be referred to as “neuro-divergent.” Yet, as Guest Pryal suggests, “neuro-divergent” may also be used to describe other psychiatric issues such as claustrophobia, agoraphobia, anxiety or panic disorder.

In her article, she calls for certain “accessibility measures” to be taken in order to ensure that people have a place to go when they need a break from the crowd while at a conference.

In the same manner that measures are taken to accommodate those with physical disabilities, she suggests that hallway seating, quiet rooms or even “quiet stairways” would provide neuro-divergent people a kind of sanctuary or place to get away from the crowd.

In addition, she mentions that these individuals may have to read their presentations not because they’re ill-prepared, but because they “have to.” In this way, reading a presentation paper is a kind of ‘security blanket’ and it helps them deal with this onerous pressure, making the conference “accessible” for them.

It’s true that everyone has some level of anxiety at some point or another, but some of us battle it constantly. Even small talk or hallway conversations at conferences can be tremendously difficult for people who are neuro-divergent.

Of course, going to a conference may be a daunting task, but we need to be aware of “accessibility accommodations” when we are organizing such an event. It’s quite probable that we will have several attendees who would very much appreciate a quiet space to just get away and catch their breath.

The human brain is quite complex and we’ll never fully understand why some are comfortable in a situation while others are not. The point remains that we have to accept the fact that we’re not all wired to behave or react the same way in any given scenario.

Having a peaceful place to which to retreat at a conference, even for a few minutes, could make an enormous difference in a certain scholar’s life. Let us not criticize him/her for reading too much from a paper, rather let us understand that he/she is doing what is necessary in order to deliver important research.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/12/14/some-tax-bill-provisions-opposed-higher-ed-dropped-conference-negotiations

As of today, December 14, it looks like the voices of graduate students around the country are being heard. According to the article, “Apparent Relief for Grad Students” by Andrew Kreighbaum, a contributor to Inside Higher Ed, the proposed repeal of “tax-exempt tuition waivers for graduate students” is apparently being withdrawn from the final version of the congressional bill.

Around the country, graduate students have been actively protesting the proposed bill, some of them even arrested. Perhaps, the decision to withdraw the proposal may be due to the nonsensical nature of the proposed legislation. After all, the money can’t even be considered income since the payment goes directly to the school without even passing through the students’ hands.

Most grad students generally receive a living stipend for which they do pay income tax. With these often less than sufficient “salaries,” it can be difficult to even find adequate housing since their income may not satisfy requirements set by leasing agencies.

Being on fellowship, I have been more fortunate than other grad students since I receive a higher annual stipend, yet were this bill to go through I would be stuck with an even higher tax burden than them. At the same time, I still feel guilty for earning more than many of my fellow colleagues.

On a positive note, the anxiety of this proposed tax reform bill did generate some good solidarity movements among grad students around the country and it also drummed up support from local and congressional lawmakers.

It is sad, however, that grad students were even called into question on this. Are these government officials who came up with this plan simply just trying to stick it to the better educated yet monetarily deprived population? It really hurts that the US could spend hundreds of billions of dollars on war machines or weapons of mass destruction, yet would even dare try to extract more money from a depleted community. What or who was really behind this and why?

In my opinion, we have a president now who, much like his constituents, has hidden capital in overseas accounts in order to diminish his very own tax burden at home, thus passing the onus onto other taxpayers, including grad students, who honestly declare what they earn.

I’m glad to know that some reasonable people are still part of the lawmaking process in this country and that they could recognize how ridiculous this whole proposal indeed was.

In any event, this is a real win for graduate students in every discipline since it would become impossible for most of us to even be able to attend school at this level without going into serious debt. This financial support and these tuition waivers are essential for those who will be trained to carry on the system of higher education for  future generations of students.

After all, where would any of these lawmakers be without the professors and teachers that helped educate them about the world? Then again…..

https://chroniclevitae.com/news/1900-the-stress-of-academic-publishing

Rejected again?! #*@&!!!!!!

“In 2013 a study of nearly 12,000 manuscripts submitted to peer-reviewed journals published by the American Psychological Association found that 76 percent were rejected, and at top journals, rejection rates soared over 90 percent.”

In this article, “The Stress of Academic Publishing,” Michael D. Dooley and Kate Sweeny, the former a fifth year graduate student in social and personality psychology the latter an associate professor of psychology at UC Riverside, bring to light a reality that keeps most scholars on edge and some on the brink of a meltdown. When you look at these kinds of numbers, it’s understandable.

Personality and psychology play a role in how well a scholar responds to rejection, but one can certainly be overly optimistic when new to the realm of academia. Rather than expecting acceptance of submissions for publication, the seasoned researcher is more pessimistic and actually expects rejection.

While I am relatively new to the game and still trying to adapt to the demands of a PhD student, I’m already a tad cynical about my chances of success in the realm of publications. I’ve done research for several professors who have successfully published using the bibliographies I had prepared for them, so does that mean I may have a shot at the big time?

Who really knows? It’s definitely a matter of pride to list publications on a CV, but I suppose it also matters which journals have published them. There is a hierarchy in all levels of academia, including journals and presses. As in the world of newspaper journalism, we tend to have higher levels of skepticism when we get news from questionable sources than from those, such as The New York Times, that have a long-standing history of credibility. However, even The New York Times has published many blunders and has regrettably had to retract articles. What matters then is the merit of the research itself.

Regardless of the journal, the group most eager to publish and oftentimes the most optimistic, as the article shows, is usually the population with the fewest publications on their CV: i.e. graduate students.

As graduate students, we’re always trying to distinguish ourselves from the rest of the cohort and it would seem that we’re either constantly being judged by our peers, or worse, comparing ourselves to our peers. Hence, the notion of ‘peer-reviewing’ keeps us all in check.

I know that I have a long road ahead and that there is much work to do, but the graduate school experience sometimes reminds me that there are still schoolyard bullies in the playground. Indeed, there is always some CV building bully that tries to be the strongest and let everyone know it.

Yes, academia is a competitive culture and I suppose if your heart isn’t in it, then it’s not for you. Some people will boast and rub their list of publications in your face, but even they too get rejected. I prefer to tell these blowhards, “Congratulations!” and move on with my work.

What we all need is to focus on our own research and do our best while being mindful critical readers and thinkers. Rejection may cause a lot of stress and anxiety, but it also motivates one to work harder and keep trying. Publishing will never be an easy feat, but learning how to accept rejection is as much a part of the determination to succeed as is getting that article or book published.