tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post5118096592944769319..comments2024-03-25T02:33:41.590-05:00Comments on FemaleScienceProfessor: Open Door PolicyFemale Science Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-46507064033339243042009-12-10T20:09:45.852-06:002009-12-10T20:09:45.852-06:00Administration and research higher degree student:...Administration and research higher degree student:<br /> Door open in any meeting with two people.<br /><br />Any meeting with confidentiality should be minuted. Any minuted meeting should have more than two people present.<br /><br />Why? Keeping the general safety culture up. "Seen to be done" aspect of professional conduct. Preventing inappropriate conversations regarding confidential matters.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-72983700913859245032009-12-01T16:06:13.522-06:002009-12-01T16:06:13.522-06:00Interesting question.
The question depends upon t...Interesting question.<br /><br />The question depends upon the situation. I have occasionally closed my door with male students, if I have to discuss something that I feel is sensitive to them. However, my office is set up so that the student is closer to the door than I am...thus they can leave if they want to or they can open the door. However, I don't want to close the door regularly. I'm not sure why...maybe it seems suspicious or maybe it encourages sharing of private thoughts. I just do whatever comes naturally to me. I hope it works.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-84346117652780113672009-12-01T01:28:34.584-06:002009-12-01T01:28:34.584-06:00I'm a student, and I tend to prefer the door p...I'm a student, and I tend to prefer the door pulled too during meetings, just so that my entire scientific plans and woes aren't broadcast to the entire lab. To be honest, this had never occured to me as an issue (I am female, for the record).<br /><br />The only time I would want to keep the door open would be if some other student had advised me that a certain advisor was a bit creepy, and that keeping the door open would be the best thing to do.<br /><br />My current PI (also female) tends to like the door closed as well, otherwise her room is pretty much part of the corridor and it can get quite noisy.Lab Rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07962574174521597312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-49423650073089280892009-11-30T16:29:58.094-06:002009-11-30T16:29:58.094-06:00Student reader here.
For a typical discussion, ...Student reader here. <br /><br />For a typical discussion, I don't care if the door is open or closed. However, if I'm discussing personal matters or recieving highly negative feedback, I prefer the door be closed. <br /><br />The gender of the professor doesn't matter, but the creepiness factor would matter alot (i.e. I would prefer an open door with a creepy prof).<br /><br />It would bother me if a prof had a different policy for female and male students.<br /><br />I've never noticed whether a professor has a policy about door position with respect to student visitors.<br /><br />In fact, I hadn't thought much about it except when I've closed the door for the reasons mentioned above.LadyScientisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04457288522620959741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-85740942506247301082009-11-29T06:45:22.800-06:002009-11-29T06:45:22.800-06:00My advisor tends to leave the door about 75% close...My advisor tends to leave the door about 75% closed at all times. This is fine, except for when you want to discuss something very private/sensitive because he never ever closes it and it opens onto a corridor where sound really carries and students from both his research group and others in the same field tend to wait around.<br /><br />Most of the time, I don't mind (if we're discussing research at a scheduled meeting), but if I've come to talk to him specially it's usually something I don't want entering lab gossip. (He's around the lab enough that you can catch him easily for asking simple questions you don't mind being overheard.)<br /><br />I understand why he leaves it open, but there are times (when we've been discussing health problems/ he's asked direct questions about bullying in the lab/ we're discussing career options) where I really would rather the conversation could not be overheard by other lab members.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-57336530112532300522009-11-28T03:49:16.956-06:002009-11-28T03:49:16.956-06:00I keep an open door policy - students sit between ...I keep an open door policy - students sit between me and the door. If the noise in the hall appears to be distracting them, I offer them the opportunity to close the door as much as they they see fit. Interestingly, over the years, the only person to consistently shut the door to my office is one of my junior colleagues. For whatever reason, my office was the one to which she came to vent her frustration with others in the department, especially when we had a chair (female) whose mentorship style clashed with the mentorship needs of my junior colleague.<br /><br />Years ago at an institution far, far away, I shared my huge office with a young male adjunct with whom I had become friends. (We are still best friends and now research colleagues decades later.) Unbeknownst to either of us at the time, the rumor around the department was that we were gay lovers. Ironically, I would never have offered to share my office with a young female adjunct, tongues would have wagged far too much. That's sad; who knows what professional relationships that prevented.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-58762693291720248582009-11-27T11:59:24.448-06:002009-11-27T11:59:24.448-06:00Door open when I am meeting with students, unless ...Door open when I am meeting with students, unless we are talking about a personal matter that I think the student would want to keep private. I especially like the door open when meeting with students from my classes as those conversations can sometimes take unexpected turns. I once had a (male) student start to get very angry because I had "given" him another D on his paper. After he left, my colleague next door came over to say that she had heard everything he was saying and was ready to interrupt if he had gotten more belligerent.Kittynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-74625594781609290272009-11-26T14:26:35.907-06:002009-11-26T14:26:35.907-06:00Door always open, mostly for my safety. I've ...Door always open, mostly for my safety. I've had some bully students tower over me. If a student closes the door, I ask them to reopen it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-74315442266472239102009-11-26T13:53:51.005-06:002009-11-26T13:53:51.005-06:00"I have never experienced (or even heard of) ...<i>"I have never experienced (or even heard of) a situation where a professor physically attacked a student."</i><br /><br />Nor have I, but I was a student at Stanford when a math professor there was murdered in his office by one of his advisees. It might have colored my views on keeping my door open a little.<br /><br />On the "official policy" front, ll I found in a quick search was<br />"Consider leaving the door open during office hours or meetings with students."<br />http://www2.ucsc.edu/title9-sh/prevention.htmKevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14528751349030084532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-40238912782613985702009-11-26T13:26:05.115-06:002009-11-26T13:26:05.115-06:00anon 3:13 said:
"Good point. Why not have an...anon 3:13 said:<br /><br />"Good point. Why not have an open door policy for both genders? In the first comment I wrote that I have an open door policy for women. For men, I don't have a policy. With a male student, I don't specifically close the door nor do I demand that it be kept open. The door stays in the position the student left it when coming in, unless there is too much noise in the hallway, or the student wants to discuss something sensitive and specifically asks to close the door."<br /><br />And that is why your policy is discriminatory! Males are allowed the opportunity to have private discussions with you with the doors closed, whereas females are not. Please change your policy so that either 1) ALL students males and females must have the door open at all times or 2) female students may also request to have the door closed if they wish to have a private discussion with you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-4266125325530067362009-11-26T10:15:06.753-06:002009-11-26T10:15:06.753-06:00I've never really considered if the professor ...I've never really considered if the professor keeps his/her door open during a meeting, although now that I think about it I suppose I'd prefer open door for talks about science of interest or problem sets, and closed door for academic advising. What really does affect me is whether or not a professor leaves their door open while just in the office. I read an open door as available and a closed door as unavailable/not there, so the professors who close their doors even when they're around and would like to talk to students confuse me.Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08847712032598240254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-40515756739238643842009-11-26T07:47:55.169-06:002009-11-26T07:47:55.169-06:00Do universities in the US actually have policies r...Do universities in the US actually have policies regarding doors? That's funny, in an "americans really are insane" kind of way.<br /><br />I'm a female PhD student. Normally I close the door myself if I have a scheduled meeting with someone, since it's hopeless to have an effective meeting when others are disturbing you, and I don't like to waste my time on ineffective meetings.<br /><br />I would take for granted that it is self explanatory to everyone that you do not enter a room alone with someone that you believe will physically attack you. If you have to meet with such a person at all, you make sure that there are witnesses present in the meeting room or have the meeting in a public place with lots of people present.<br /><br />I have never experienced (or even heard of) a situation where a professor physically attacked a student. I've met professors who are irritating, rude, bullying or just plain incompetent, but I have never experienced that leaving the door open makes any difference. Probably because someone that cares what others think of him/her will avoid behaving badly towards others to begin with.<br /><br />If you want to have clear documentation of what someone is saying to you (for whatever reason), the most efficient way is to use a small tape recorder instead of pen and paper for your notes during the meeting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-51963294153921837032009-11-25T15:13:53.891-06:002009-11-25T15:13:53.891-06:00@Hope
Good point. Why not have an open door polic...@Hope<br /><br />Good point. Why not have an open door policy for both genders? In the first comment I wrote that I have an open door policy for women. For men, I don't have a policy. With a male student, I don't specifically close the door nor do I demand that it be kept open. The door stays in the position the student left it when coming in, unless there is too much noise in the hallway, or the student wants to discuss something sensitive and specifically asks to close the door. <br /><br />Also, as a professor, I don't want to know much about the personal problems of students. I want to stick to my work. If a student wants to cry (the girls are honest enough to just cry while guys pretend they are "depressed") he/she should really seek out the student advisors and counsellors with new age fancy degrees the university has hired with so much ado. So one situation in which I keep the door WIDE open irrespective of gender is when I know that a student is feeling burdened by the course material and is getting emotional about the situation. An open door pre-empts any emotional talk.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-91489430187802780732009-11-25T13:04:17.144-06:002009-11-25T13:04:17.144-06:00I keep the door open regardless of gender unless I...I keep the door open regardless of gender unless I have something private to discuss with the student or faculty member. <br /><br />I sometimes have to close my door to block out the noise from open door meetings down the hall, but that's OK. <br /><br />As a female faculty member I feel safer if the door is open, but generally I am not concerned. If I were, I would have someone else at the meeting.MEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14859894739424620477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-20237211084300618922009-11-25T11:09:47.230-06:002009-11-25T11:09:47.230-06:00Wow. I'm so glad I've never thought about ...Wow. I'm so glad I've never thought about sexual harassment when meeting with opposite gender in closed offices. I consider myself extremely lucky.<br /><br />As an undergrad, I prefer open. There's probably nothing I would need to discuss with that professor that all the professors/TAs/office support in that hallway couldn't overhear. Not to mention, it's nice to feel like the professor will welcome you in if you have a question.<br /><br />In corp. america, closed door meetings are completely necessary with people in your chain of command. Normally cube dwellers have zero amount of privacy, so if I am discussing my title, my pay, my progress, my career progression, or even possibly new assignments I prefer to have the door closed. Usually the supervisor will say "Go ahead and close the door" when you walk in. That's how you know it's not just a project-related meeting. Otherwise open door is fine. I think the difference is an academia, if you are a student meeting with a professor you are generally not competing with any of the people in that hallway. Versus in corporate america, you're always competing with your coworkers. And information is power. And you definitely don't want them knowing something about you or your job that they don't have to. But otherwise for most project-related discussions, doors are kept open, unless it's multiple people and there's noise issues.<br /><br />I've honestly never even thought about being uncomfortable behind a closed door with any of my mostly male colleagues (or not uncomfortable due to gender reasons anyways). That never crossed my mind. Luck, I guess.FrauTechhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03466617977964303158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-59011455129859350642009-11-25T10:34:43.748-06:002009-11-25T10:34:43.748-06:00I'm a first-year grad student, so I both meet ...I'm a first-year grad student, so I both meet with professors and meet with my own students (I'm in a non-science field that's still very highly male-dominated). I keep my office door open during my office hours and closed the rest of the time, mostly (the TA officers are all along a very noisy corridor and mine happens to be right next to the kitchen/department hang-out, so it's very noisy). Luckily, sensitive matters are handled by the professor of the course. My advisor is male, and his officers are along a quiet corridor without much traffic. I've never gotten uncomfortable vibes off of him and he has a large office, so I usually leave the door open but if I had something more sensitive to discuss, I wouldn't be opposed to closing it. On the other hand, my department had a scandal last year involving a student and an older male professor who is now on leave (and who is now married to the student), and I occasionally see him around the department; he doesn't know who I am, but I know who he is, and I keep my distance. If I ever had to take a class with him and needed to meet him during office hours, you can bet I would make sure the door was open!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-80384943193414483822009-11-25T10:17:02.949-06:002009-11-25T10:17:02.949-06:00Come off it, Annon9:37. In your rant you forgot to...Come off it, Annon9:37. In your rant you forgot to address one question: Why not have an open door policy for both genders? Doesn’t this solve your problem? (You can be fair and keep your job safe, too.) If not, what *is* your problem?Hopenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-55235126327089228152009-11-25T08:47:44.569-06:002009-11-25T08:47:44.569-06:00@thoughtcounts 5:39 Z
This is a different anon fr...@thoughtcounts 5:39 Z<br /><br />This is a different anon from 9:37<br /><br />I agree in general with your point that you should probably have the same policy for all genders involved. After all who's to say everyone is heterosexual? I am also confused by 9:37's unbridled hostility...?<br /><br />But you posit two interpretations of the male prof having a "closed for women open for men" policy and I don't think either is correct. 1) is that the prof thinks he can't control himself, and 2) is that the male prof is giving special privilege of privacy to male students. 2) is I think a consequence, not a cause of this discriminatory policy. 1) seems really off base. The truly creepy aren't going to worry about what other people think - they'll close the doors and get away with what they can.<br /><br />I think you're missing the obvious 3) the prof thinks female students are more likely to perceive harrassment has occurred. The really crazy/vindictive ones might even make up a story about sexual harassment to avoid failing a course (yes there have been such students). If the door was ever closed for more than a minute or two, well, that's when it happened. That's what the TA for anon's course meant when she said "be careful around female students." A lot of male profs I know have been counseled to never have a couch in any office for the same reason.<br /><br />It still makes more sense to have an "open for all" policy. After all what's to keep a male student someday from doing the same? BUT I think that your two points were definitely straw men when you compare them to the last.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-82572095109249241872009-11-25T08:43:03.112-06:002009-11-25T08:43:03.112-06:00@thoughtscount Z
First, if you do not know alread...@thoughtscount Z<br /><br />First, if you do not know already that FSP does not like foreigners, I suggest you read some of her posts. <br /><br />Anyway, I am really surprised at the way you think. You are accusing me of losing control? The person was holding an official TA orientation session in PUBLIC and she told us in front of everyone that we should be careful because we are young and male. <br /><br />What if I were to tell a gathering of female students: You might find XXXX difficult because you are female. Would that count as discrimination in your book? Could <br />I justify such a statement by saying that most scientists ARE men...the way you pointed out that most sexual harassment has male perpetrators?<br /><br />And yes, if a professor were to treat Indian students differently from other students, it would bother me. When did I say that it is fair to treat female students differently? This is not about whether my ways are fair, this is about whether you can rationally BLAME me for it? If you were told that you would be under constant scrutiny because of your gender, would you not do your best to stay safe? Surely, you do know that sexual harassment situations are handled on a guilty till proven innocent bases?<br /><br />I don't WANT to treat female students differently. BUT I want my job to be secure a lot more. Is that so wrong?<br /><br />If a female student were to feel alienated because of this, she is a victim of feminist absolutism, not of my unfairness. Blame them, not me. <br /><br />Indians do not have a lynch mob operating in the administration, feminists do. If Indians acquire one, I would not mind if professors began to handle Indian students differently. More precisely, I would blame the Indian lynch mob, not the tiny professor who just wants to keep his job.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-37174557634495161882009-11-25T06:20:07.448-06:002009-11-25T06:20:07.448-06:00Very interesting topic! I almost always keep my d...Very interesting topic! I almost always keep my door open, as do other people on my hallway. It makes it easier for students and colleagues to drop in. I only close my door when I'm writing, on an important phone call, or having a meeting about confidential things. I hadn't thought of asking a student if it's okay before I close the door, but I'll start doing that. A couple of times I've had large male students try to intimidate me into changing their grades, and at those times I've been very grateful that my door was already open, and that my colleagues' doors were also open.amynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-75029098771126069422009-11-25T05:32:51.439-06:002009-11-25T05:32:51.439-06:00I'm pretty sure that it is University policy h...I'm pretty sure that it is University policy here in Australia that the door must be kept open when meeting with a single student of the opposite gender (regardless of who is which gender).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-83311347665141455212009-11-25T02:44:51.545-06:002009-11-25T02:44:51.545-06:00i am a female undergraduate
•you prefer that the ...i am a female undergraduate<br /><br />•you prefer that the office door be open or closed when meeting with a professor, = depends who it is. actually, sometimes i get happy when a prof. asks me to close the door because it means we will be talking about something meaningful and that he will become more personal and so we can have stronger ties. so, when a nice young professor asks me to close the door, i can't say i haven't smiled back.. though i don't want anything sexual, but to get inside his head a little bit.<br />•the gender of the professor matters in your preference re. the door, = no. <br />•you have a particular preference depending on other characteristics of the professor (e.g., you are fine with a closed door for visits to certain professor offices but want the door open for visits to others), = i actually feel uncomfortable with the door closed if the prof is a much older man. probably because i don't want to make a connection with them anyway. the opposite is true for young profs.<br />•it bothers you if a professor has a different policy for female vs. male students = no. doesn't matter to me.<br /><br />•you even notice and/or care whether a professor has a policy about door position with respect to student visitors = no.<br /><br />and no to the other last question. i would never ask to have the door open. that is rude and suggests something about the prof. if i don't feel comfortable in his office, then i would not go.<br /><br />can you also provide an analysis of these poll results???Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-13441265916934667942009-11-25T02:08:42.610-06:002009-11-25T02:08:42.610-06:00My door is always open when meeting with students....My door is always open when meeting with students. If it is a really personal discussion, I might ask them to close the door, but only if it is something sensitive like grades etc.<br /><br />However, when I talk with other faculty members, we often do close the door for privacy.<br /><br />I believe in having my door open as much as possible so that I am accessible to the students.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-63512756563551495272009-11-25T01:17:00.247-06:002009-11-25T01:17:00.247-06:00I close my door when I am taking a nap.I close my door when I am taking a nap.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-44563882714075375242009-11-25T00:12:04.469-06:002009-11-25T00:12:04.469-06:00I don't generally prefer one way or another (a...I don't generally prefer one way or another (as a student) when discussing questions of academic interest, unless I have an appointment and the professor is the type that tends to have numerous students descending upon his or her office at every opportunity.<br /><br />But in the event I had to discuss either sensitive personal information or grade-related matters of the sort that required an office visit rather than a quick e-mail or after-class comment, I might ask if I could close the door.<br /><br />I can't imagine any situation where I would ask for the door to stay open. If I had a professor who gave off a skeezy enough vibe that I felt I couldn't trust him/her alone with me in a professional setting, I wouldn't be able to trust him/her to provide competent instruction or evaluation either. I'd drop that class.quasarpulsehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08762550806982089851noreply@blogger.com