Matt Dowell

Teacher of college writing. WPA. disc golfer. bass fisherman. T1D. disabled academic. I tweet about ableism and academic neoliberalism bc I am fun at parties.

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

I was naive to think the sign did not need to be tapped as loudly and as often, but here we are:

Requiring approved accommodations is basically saying you think disabled people should have to jump through BS flaming hoops for just the *chance* of having an equitable experience.

[Jeff Melnick @melnickjeffrey1]

As the parent of a student suspended under Columbia’s “Palestine Exception to Free Speech” I’ll just say: uh huh.

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

People are getting played on the “AI is going to cure everything” angle bc the ableist dream of living forever is a strong desire.

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

@snackowska Yes. It’s a ton of work.

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

In my field, grad students are the instructor of record. They teach the class. There is no “assisting.” They may even design the class. It’s a very real job—and fairly scary when first starting

And every university loves the economics of this model.

[Nicole Lee Schroeder, PhD @Nicole_Lee_Sch]

Academics claiming TAing is not work tells me you were a terrible TA. Its not possible to do in "a few hrs/week"

I wasnt even in charge of developing my own courses but still had to:
1. Attend 2.5 hrs of lecture/week
2. Hold 3 hrs of recitation/week
3. Hold 2 office hrs/week

[inefficient rhubarb snackowski @snackowska]

@dowellml the first time i taught my own course it took up literally all my time outside of the hours i spent on my RA-ship and another course i was co-instructing. i didn't even have time to look at my dissertation. or sleep

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

@bdjansenphd Get back ye to the basement!

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

I support all labor strikes, full stop.

Hell, the insulin factory workers could strike and stop the making of insulin, if that’s how insulin gets made, and I’d be like, “Respect.”

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

The absolute best part of academic Twitter is when an academic has a truly terrible “pro boss” take and on checking their bio you learn their research is in “wellness” or an equivalent dumpster fire.

The world spins on.

[Nicole Lee Schroeder, PhD @Nicole_Lee_Sch]

Faculty out here complaining they get paid to advise students. Meanwhile I am advising for tons of students, many of whom are not mine, bc no one supports disabled students anywhere. I am out here helping other ppls' advisees do research in DS, get published, and graduate. 1/2

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

I like some of you, but if we are ranking the worst academics, historians have to be up there.

(Just out here throwing gernades from an English dept, lol.)

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

Yes, paying for insulin was a bad financial choice, you know?

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

@LoriCarriere As a tenured faculty member who only teaches FYC by choice, I can confirm that tenured literature faculty control the work assignments.

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

If there were not grad students, English faculty would be teaching *a lot more* first-year composition—or, more likely, running like hell to the Provost’s office to get the degree requirement removed from the course!

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

@NonwayneWayne I hear ya.

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

DM’d to me by my partner. We regularly talk about the lack of methodology in the contemporary academy.

Anyone who is like this in academia is my people. Not being liked is good.

[Pan @pangrey123]

I bring a sort of “why do we do it this way” vibe to the work place that most ppl don’t like

[Pan @pangrey123]

I bring a sort of “why do we do it this way” vibe to the work place that most ppl don’t like

[Ben Gross @bengrossbg]

re: grad student unions

Everyone, everywhere, has a fundamental right to assemble and organize. The idea that grad students and researchers don’t because they like their job is nothing more than a violation of the fundamental principles of democratic action in free societies

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

Having grown up in a family where conflict resolution was never, ever a thing, including across both extended families, I understand why academia was attractive to me. I regret that attraction. But also understand how I got here.

[Simone Minnie @simone_minnie]

Today, her J1-visa was refused because of where she is from…
Our project is now completely stalled and the pipeline we were building to help Drs treat patients with cancer won’t be validated anytime soon. 2/2

[Jeff Melnick @melnickjeffrey1]

All solidarity with the workers at Harvard, just trying to get a living wage.

[Matt Dowell @dowellml]

@d_n_keane I taught 5 total preps in all of grad school. Lots of 101 and 102. Business Writing. One section of topics in writing. One special topics in literature (not sure who thought that was a good idea).