Read on Twitter
a week ago, i made a twitter thread. a few people criticized me for "airing my private grievances with my employer" and "tweeting instead of doing something." now that i& #39;ve been featured in @insidehighered, the @chronicle, and the @nytimes... hey y& #39;all 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👋🏼" title="Waving hand (mittelheller Hautton)" aria-label="Emoji: Waving hand (mittelheller Hautton)"> what& #39;s good?
i want to talk a bit about strategy and then thank a bunch of people who may or may not know they& #39;ve been quite helpful
first, strategy: i made my thread because i was pissed and scared, but also because i recognized that i was in possession of clear documentation that, when shared, could illuminate exactly the problems we& #39;re facing in higher ed
i didn& #39;t really expect the thread to take off the way it did, but i think attaching that powerpoint made it uniquely compelling. and it& #39;s important that i work at a public school: our work email is subject to FOIA/GA open records, so i had some coverage for posting it
i& #39;m also, as a postdoc, in possession of an odd sort of power: i& #39;m term-limited and heading into my last year, so i have less to fear in terms of pissing off my school. it& #39;s different than being protected by tenure, but it& #39;s still an important leverage point to recognize.
now, as soon as my thread started taking off, i had an influx of dms, both support from others and requests for interviews. especially important was hearing from @helmstreet, who generously offered advice from his own experience
i also have close friends who are my colleagues at tech, who i text pretty much every hour to talk through strategy, get support, make plans, and generally freak out. (they know who they are!) it& #39;s really, really important to have comrades who are also friends!
okay, on to interviews: i vetted reporters carefully before agreeing to speak to them. i planned in advance what to say and not say. i have a clear story to tell, and i provided lots of backup documentation (again, subject to FOIA anyway)
i also took a calculated risk in speaking publicly in the press. i am, in a lot of ways, now banking on HOW visible i am to protect me from backlash at my school.
for the record, so far there hasn& #39;t been any retaliation. i don& #39;t know what my job prospects will look like this upcoming year, but who does? there& #39;s not really an academic job market atm anyway. i can& #39;t lose out on what doesn& #39;t exist.
finally, in terms of strategy, for every public thing i& #39;ve done, there& #39;s been like 80 more things behind the scenes that i can& #39;t talk about. it& #39;s super important to both reach out to people and accept offers to collaborate or support others!
more thank yous: thanks to everyone who has reached out to me with support; it means the world.
i owe a huge debt of gratitude to the faculty i& #39;ve watched speak out over the years, especially the women of color who have demonstrated the ethics of being the "squeaky wheel"
i owe a huge debt of gratitude to the faculty i& #39;ve watched speak out over the years, especially the women of color who have demonstrated the ethics of being the "squeaky wheel"
i guess, in conclusion, you are more powerful than you probably think you are. please find a way to use it!
