I once was a big fan of the annual meetings of the American Philosophical Association. For years I would show up to every single one. Usually I would present a paper, occasionally I would just show up, linger, go to some talks, go to the smoker and have lunch or drinks with old friends. Probably I was one of few people who actually enjoyed APA meetings, even the Eastern. Don't get me wrong. I, too, had to go on the job market: First I needed a TT job, then I satisfied the obligatory "everyone goes on the job market when they are up for tenure" rule. Oh, and I left one out: I sort of went on the job market when I applied for my current job (but I applied for exactly one job on that occasion). Did I love the Eastern APA on those occasions? I know people are going to hate me for saying this. But I really didn't mind it too much. The first time around I was intrigued. The second time I already had a job, so not much hinged on the outcome.
I (secretly) still love most APA meetings (though I guess, now it's no longer a secret). But each Eastern APA I go to gets more and more unpleasant. I see sweat, tears, panic and anxiety everywhere. Yes, everywhere. I am certain that it's getting worse. I see candidates stand there in the corridors waiting for their interviews with glassy eyes, guys in nice jackets and ties, looking like they have a part in a 50s commercial, and the girls in suits or jackets and pants and the obligatory glasses their advisers tell them to wear, looking like the professors in Legally Blonde. Okay, we might all have looked like that when we went on the job market (at least since the job market got insanely bad). But now the candidates wear the desperation as an accessory as they slide through the corridors of the hotel or pose at the smoker or in the hotel bar.
The APA recently sent out a monkey survey asking us for our opinions about the Eastern APA. Should we move it to prevent people from having to choose between family and career? Should we stop interviewing candidates at the Eastern APA? How about having the APA within the first few weeks of January right before the semester starts?
I am a strong supporter of not conducting interviews at the Eastern APA. We don't need them anymore. With the invention of Skype, we don't need face-to-face interviews. No one acts real during those interviews anyway. These kinds of interviews make us forget who is the strongest candidate. We get too easily persuaded by the Glamour faces, the Sex and the City attitudes and the Seinfeld stand-up comedy acumen. Sure, we want cute, smiley and agreeable colleagues but not at any price, I hope.
One of the options of the APA survey--now a reality, according to the latest email I received--was to move the meeting to early January. That suggestion is completely insane, if you ask me. Sure, I don't want to miss out on an X-mas break now and then with my extended family (mostly for the sake of my daughter) and yes, the X-mas dates of the APA really do interfere with that. I can either skip the family traditions or pay a shed load of money traveling to the APA destination and back to my extended family to do New Year's with them. But January!?! You've got to be kidding me. When I actually do make a trip to see my extended family, who is currently very far away, I tend to return to St. Louis January 8, or so. That gives me just about a week before I have to start teaching again.
Do I want to go to an APA meeting during that week (when I am supposed to make new syllabi, prepare for teaching, welcome new grad students and meet with the other directors of graduate studies)? Not a chance. In my opinion, that is the worst possible time to have a conference. Worse than if you were to put it during the thanksgiving break (then again, why not do that? The Pacific meeting is already taking place during Easter break). But January!?! I mean, really? How about the fall semester? I usually give about 8 talks during the spring semester and 1 or 2 talks during the fall semester. I bet I am not unusual in this regard. Or if you have to exploit our breaks and our chance of getting any writing done, how about summer? Would that be so much worse than the X-mas break? I don't think so. Just don't move the APA to January. Even if people now think it might be refreshing for the Eastern APA to take place in early January, I am convinced that it ultimately will be the coup de grace to the Eastern APA.
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