I fully appreciate the comments of Robert Vilain and Nils Langer (and, of course,
the spirit in which they were sent...!).
At present it seems to me the problem is that the standard reply and its variant
texts so far received make no serious attempt to address the intellectual
concerns which have been raised and in particular the wider threat to the
integrity of the German degree at Bristol and hence to student numbers, and the
international reputation of the University.
Presumably legal advice is available over the matter of procedures? And has the
Chair of Governors of the University been approached?
David Wells
---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2010 00:37:21 -0000
>From: Robert Vilain <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Bristol
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>I should have sent the mail that Nils sent a few hours ago. I'm not in the
>business of defending the management that has imposed a cut on our
>Department within such a short time of my arrival, but if the volume of
>correspondence copied to me is anything to go by, it will have been
>physically impossible to reply to everyone by now. I have had enough trouble
>sending even the most meagre of individual acknowledgements to colleagues
>kind enough to write on our behalf whilst at the same time trying to keep up
>with teaching, preparation and the day-to-day business of helping a
>Department to run (what about research? Ha! Not likely).
>
>I don't know whether the Dean will reply to everyone, or when he will do so
>if that's what he intends. And I'm sure his replies will fail to satisfy us.
>I don't know whether he is prioritizing male correspondents, consciously or
>subconsciously. But I think it's probably too soon to say one way or the
>other.
>
>Again, I'm exceptionally grateful to all of you who have written on behalf
>of Anne and the Department, and I apologize if I haven't yet thanked
>everyone individually. I shall be away for all of next week with only
>limited access to email, so the backlog will grow. But I will most certainly
>be in touch with my Department and the University and continuing the efforts
>to get this decision reconsidered and reversed.
>
>Robert
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: JISCmail German Studies List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
>Behalf Of Nils Langer
>Sent: 04 November 2010 21:53
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Bristol
>
>Dear colleagues,
>
>it is not my job to defend my senior and my views on the whole matter
>obviously concur with what everybody else has said on this list but the
>recent comments on the lack of immediate response worry me a little as
>they might be considered 'cheap shots'. I understand that a great many
>letters of protest have come from a great many numbers of sources and it's
>only be a week. There are lots of things which keep people busy and I
>don't think it's helpful for anyone to be all upset of not getting a
>personal reply within a week. I know for certain that the Dean has replied
>to many people, including many of our students and I also know that
>there`s plenty of other stuff going on at Bristle. [personally I get
>infuriated when temping agencies send me reminders to provide references
>for my students 48hrs after then contacted me].
>I know this is a little petty but I prefer this list to be used for new
>information.
>
>nils
>
>(had a long day travelling, maybe it's that...)
>
>--
>Dr Nils Langer
>Reader in German Linguistics
>University of Bristol
>
>currently
>c/o Beyersdorf
>Wikingturm 24/9
>D-24837 Schleswig
>
>or
>School of Modern Languages
>21 Woodland Road
>University of Bristol
>Bristol, BS8 1TE
>UK
>+44 117 92 89841
>
>www.bris.ac.uk/hison
>www.fgls.ac.uk
>www.theonion.com
>
>?die Oberdeutschen haben in den allermeisten Fällen eine so gezierte und
>weniger reine Redeweise angenommen, daß man glauben könnte, da sprächen
>nicht mehr die Nachkommen jener tapferen Germanen von einst, sondern eher
>zarte Mädchen.? (Bernhard Raupach, 1704)
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