Work in Progress: Changing Academic Culture
I find myself often thinking of the Make Love, Not Warcraft episode of South Park. Every time Stan, Cartman, Kyle and Kenny load into Azeroth to go questing, a way-higher-level dude shows up and kills them , even though they don’t agree to duel. They concoct an elaborate long-term strategy to avoid the guy by hiding in the forest, slaying boars, to gain levels in order to eventually be strong enough to defeat him. The exchange at the end is the most poignant to me. Stan: I can't believe it's all over. What do we do now? Cartman: What do you mean? Now we can finally play the game. Unlike a cartoon about a Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game , however, there isn’t just one person ruining the game. There is an entire academic culture organized around professional privilege and imbalances of power. And multiple harassers and assaulters are navigating these landscapes targeting vulnerable trainees . In the midst of whispers, outright disclosures, and even confirmatory