Author | Lightnews

Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 14h

…yeah. Familiar. Poison pill thinking.

Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 14h

Such an ad/position could also be a sign that there is a serious problem in the department and thus it’s a bullet dodged.

I prefer a philosophy of hiring with as wide open a specialization as possible, though.

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 14h

Zag is a rebel; Mel is a soldier.

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 1d

Yep. And people outside of academia have even less clue.

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Reposted by Mike Duncan

Texas Conference of the AAUP @texasaaup.bsky.social · 1d

⭐️⭐️ New statement from the AAUP chapter at Texas State on professor Tom Alter’s case: “The laws of Texas have robbed our profession of its ‘primary responsibility’ over ‘faculty status.’ We ask the Board to step in where we have been forbidden to stand + make a finding in favor of Dr. Alter.”

Why the TSUS Board of Regents Must Find in Dr. Alter’s Favor

San Marcos, TX (Oct. 21, 2025) — The Board of Regents of the Texas State University System (TSUS) is hearing the appeal of Dr. Thomas Alter, a tenured Associate Professor of History at Texas …

aaup-txst.org

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Reposted by Mike Duncan

Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered.com · 1d

@uh.edu Cancels ‘Confronting Oppression & Injustice’ Course

The course’s axing is yet another example of curricular censorship at Texas public universities. https://bit.ly/4748W06

#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 1d

In case this wasn’t bad enough

Carrie @cooler-by-the-lake.bsky.social · 1d

It's being carted off to shore up his golf course (I shit you not)

Trump Uses White House Destruction as Chance to Improve a Golf Course

Why is dirt from Trump’s White House ballroom project going to a golf course?

newrepublic.com

Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 2d

It’s not the first time the White House has been destroyed, but it’s definitely the stupidest.

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 2d

My seven-year-old son handed me scrambled Rubik’s cube without explanation last night. I’d never solved one, and I sure couldn’t figure it on the spot. But I have Dad reputation to maintain. Studied methods, looked at the clock when I solved it. 1:30 am is a bedtime somewhere.

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 3d

Repairing old consoles is rewarding and not super difficult.

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 3d

I did this in my first-year composition courses this year. So far it’s worked great.

Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 3d

I don’t have my birth certificate in front of me. Who carries around such information?

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 3d

…and Vanderbilt punts on first down.

AAUP chapter @UT Austin @utaustinaaup.bsky.social · 3d

vanderbilthustler.com/2025/10/20/b...

Why are Vanderbilt and the University of Texas so out of step with their peer institutions? 🤔

BREAKING: Chancellor Daniel Diermeier fails to reject higher education compact, reaffirms Vanderbilt’s values and openness to discussion

Of the nine schools who were sent the compact, six explicitly declined to sign it. The University of Arizona submitted a separate statement of principles, and the University of Texas at Austin has not...

vanderbilthustler.com

Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 4d

The Independence Day aliens would have done it better and for free, but America First, y’all.

Anonymous @youranoncentral.bsky.social · 4d

Trump is destroying the White House. Another step in Trump’s attempt to demolish the United States.

Reposted by Mike Duncan

Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 5d

Oh wow

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 5d

The scholar of presidential rhetoric who chooses to analyze the AI poop shower video will employ Burke’s pentad. Talking about it directly would be like the professor in Community who attempts to conclusively answer Who’s the Boss.

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 6d

It occurs to me that the market for inflatable animal costumes must be extremely favorable for the foreseeable future.

Reposted by Mike Duncan

Your Internet Friend Tom Tomorrow @tomtomorrow.bsky.social · 6d

I do not suggest "drink when Mike Johnson pretends not to know something" as your drinking game, as you will likely not survive

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7d

Q: What's your message to the 170 US citizens who have been detained by ICE? About 20 of them are children

MIKE JOHNSON: I don't know what you're talking about with the children. I haven't seen that so I'm not going to comment on it.

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 7d

It’s not enough yet. Panama in ‘89 involved nearly 30k.

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 7d

Yep. “Americans” doesn’t mean to him those people.

Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 7d

I despise how IU immediately issued a statement saying it supports free speech. Obviously it does not.

Indiana University fires student newspaper adviser who refused to block news stories

Tension between Indiana University and its student newspaper flared this week with the elimination of the outlet’s print editions and the firing of a faculty adviser, who refused an order to keep news...

apnews.com

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 7d

No university that has received a extortion threat has any legal obligation to respond or obey any made-up deadline. I wonder if the remaining Us in red states may cool their heels rather than say no outright.

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Reposted by Mike Duncan

An Old Gremlin (she/her) @an-old-gremlin.bsky.social · 7d

THIS.

I kept telling colleagues that fat is protective and an important repository of resources.

The "lean" concept was lifted from the Toyota production system (see also kanban, kaizen, "just-in-time," etc). But orgs are not auto plants, and even Toyota has had to add in more fat over the years.

Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 7d

The centrist democratic position between 2006-2016ish was all “lean orgs!” And I kept saying, “oh yes sure make it easier for stable institutions to break.” We need to own how much our bleating about bureaucratic efficiencies created an easier-to-capture university.

Dan Seel @danseel.bsky.social · 7d

Everyone wants to streamline bureaucracy, but maybe we'd get better results by making it *harder* for university admins to chase fads. Imagine the money we'd save with a mandatory cooling-off period before launching a "Center for Blockchain Studies" or dumping millions into the latest edtech toy.

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Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 7d

There’s only a small chance of being murdered by a goose, but the chance is never zero.

Mike Duncan @theophrastean.bsky.social · 8d

Every time I see Johnson talk, I remember Bill Hicks’ bit about Jesse Helms. That boy ain’t right.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d

Mike Johnson: "Let me predict what Sen. Kelly is gonna say on the show. He's gonna give you a long, impassioned speech about healthcare and how the subsidies are so important to make sure people don't die and all of this. Let me tell you something. This is not a healthcare fight."