For three hours a week, I work in the Careers Service. I provide feedback on CVs and application advise to students in one-to-one sessions. Fun. I'm telling you this because sometimes there isn't anyone booked in for a session and I'm left to browse the resources of the Careers Service....
Last time I did this I stumbled upon a book titled: How to get a PhD. WIN! I thought to myself. I'm being paid to find out how to get that Dr. before my very own Ainsworth! I then stumbled across the following chapter:
How to survive in a predominantly British, White, Male, Full-Time, Heterosexual, Academic Environment.
This sounds like something worth at least a scan through so I settled down in my student free moment to have a read ... really wish I hadn't. I photocopied one particular section because I was baffled by what I read...have a see what you think for yourselves:
"Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans-gender Students
Increasingly, gay and lesbian people wish to be frank with their friends and colleagues but this honesty opens up greater possibilities for discrimination. Gay or lesbian students who come out may find that their supervisors are nonplussed or antagonistic and this will complicate the relationship. Alternatively, if they remain silent but are subsequently outed they can become targets for harassment. They thus have a risky decision to make.
One way to avoid these problems is to ensure that you keep your emotional life and your professional life apart as far as possible, especially so far as members of academic staff are concerned. You might also try to discover some others in a similar situation for mutual support, and, if necessary, get together to influence your university to take these issues seriously. Don't forget that the student union is there to help all students and that includes you."
What the chuff were they thinking?????
So this book was first published in 1987 (and like any good academic I will provide the reference at the end of my rant!) but the edition that I was reading was a 2010 5th Edition....didn't anyone, anywhere along the publication line think that this was on the offensive side of things and in fact should be updated or, in fact, removed altogether? Seriously?!
I'll stop my little rant there, as my blood starts to boil.
Ciao for now :)
*horrific reference as promised: How to get a PhD: a handbook for students and their supervisors. Estelle Phillips & Derik Pugh, Open University Press
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