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've been featured in @insidehighered, the @chronicle, and the @nytimes... hey y'all what's good?

i want to talk a bit about strategy and then thank a bunch of people who may or may not know they'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're facing in higher ed

i didn't really expect the thread to take off the way it did, but i think attaching that powerpoint made it uniquely compelling. and it'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'm also, as a postdoc, in possession of an odd sort of power: i'm term-limited and heading into my last year, so i have less to fear in terms of pissing off my school. it's different than being protected by tenure, but it'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'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't been any retaliation. i don't know what my job prospects will look like this upcoming year, but who does? there's not really an academic job market atm anyway. i can't lose out on what doesn't exist.

finally, in terms of strategy, for every public thing i've done, there's been like 80 more things behind the scenes that i can't talk about. it'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'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!