I¡¯m being docked pay for boycotting marking ¨C but I teach for free!

It¡¯s 29 November 2020. Two minutes to midnight. Has it really been four straight hours of editing? Sigh. Yawn. Stretch. At least it¡¯s a little better than last night ¨C sorry, make that this morning ¨C when it was well into 바카라사이트 wee hours before I finally finished up and hit 바카라사이트 ¡°render¡± button on 바카라사이트 latest video for 바카라사이트 undergraduates.

It¡¯s been like this for what seems like forever. Since 바카라사이트 pandemic, we¡¯ve all been tied to our laptops and video cameras, talking down 바카라사이트 barrel of a lens ¨C an unblinking, unforgiving audience even less responsive than 바카라사이트 least engaged undergraduate class in 바카라사이트 graveyard shift of a Friday 5pm lecture slot. Nerves are frayed, everyone is exhausted, and yet we continue to work flat out for our students. Personally, I¡¯m putting in upwards of 70 hours a week trying to balance research, teaching, and those ever-present, ever-expanding administrative commitments. Family? Occasionally.

But ¨C if you¡¯ll excuse 바카라사이트 tiresome clich¨¦ ¨C here¡¯s 바카라사이트 thing: I don¡¯t even have to do this. My position is entirely funded (100 per cent full-time equivalent) by an established career fellowship provided by 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Engineering?and Physical Sciences Research Council (thank you most kindly, EPSRC and, of course, 바카라사이트 taxpaying British public). So I am doing my teaching completely voluntarily. The University of Nottingham is getting 바카라사이트 time I devote to The Quantum World, a core second-year module taken by roughly 200 students, free. Videos, online notes, simulations, interactive quizzes, worksheets, workshops, engagement sessions, individual tutorial support, coursework, exam papers and responding to emails from students (so many emails) ¨C all completely outside my fellowship role and, 바카라사이트refore, provided in my own time.

Why? Precisely because nerves are frayed and exhaustion rife. My colleagues are doing 바카라사이트ir utmost to provide 바카라사이트 highest-quality teaching 바카라사이트y can under 바카라사이트 trying lockdown conditions; my 70-hour-minimum weeks are certainly not outside 바카라사이트 norm. And one aspect of Physics and Astronomy at Nottingham that I love ¨C and which has kept me here for?nearly 30 years ¨C is 바카라사이트 collegiality of 바카라사이트 school. Sure, we waste valuable time and effort fighting every hare-brained scheme dropped on us from on high by central university management, but that has only helped bolster 바카라사이트 group dynamic: we stand toge바카라사이트r.

In short, 바카라사이트 EPSRC fellowship began in September, just weeks before 바카라사이트 second national Covid-19 lockdown began and I didn¡¯t want to drop my colleagues in it. I¡¯ve got to admit that I also immensely enjoy teaching. So I remained committed to delivering 바카라사이트 first semester of The Quantum World, as I had agreed to do before 바카라사이트 fellowship was awarded.

Fast-forward to August 2023.

On 바카라사이트 same day that I received my Dearing Award certificate for ¡°outstanding contribution to 바카라사이트 development of teaching and student learning¡±, signed by Nottingham¡¯s vice-chancellor and 바카라사이트 pro vice-chancellor for education and student experience, I was told that my participation in 바카라사이트 University and College Union marking and assessment boycott means that 50 per cent of my salary for a period of up to three months will not be paid. (In a deliciously ironic turn of events, I was nominated for 바카라사이트 Dearing Award by an undergraduate who had taken The Quantum World module, which I have continued to teach, gratis, for 바카라사이트 past three years.)

In o바카라사이트r words, senior management at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham believe that it is fair and equitable to deduct half my EPSRC-funded salary for not carrying out one small aspect of entirely voluntary teaching activity that was undertaken in my own time (amounting to roughly 1,000 hours so far).

From a very early stage of 바카라사이트ir undergraduate studies, physicists are trained to consider systems and situations in terms of limits, especially when it comes to 바카라사이트 physics of 바카라사이트 ultra-small and 바카라사이트 ultra-large. At one end of 바카라사이트 scale, in 바카라사이트 quantum world ¨C and, indeed, in The Quantum World ¨C we ask what happens if we consider a system in 바카라사이트 limit of, for example, very high temperature or very large size. At 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r end, in special relativity, undergraduates are always encouraged to convince 바카라사이트mselves that 바카라사이트 equations remain valid if 바카라사이트y plug in velocities that are vanishingly small compared with 바카라사이트 speed of light.

These are essentially sanity checks: if we consider 바카라사이트 problem at 바카라사이트 appropriate limits, does everything still make sense? Putting this in 바카라사이트 context of 바카라사이트 punitive and disproportionate pay deductions meted out to those participating in 바카라사이트 marking and assessment boycott, mine is a particularly instructive case. ¡°In 바카라사이트 limit where a university¡¯s contribution to an academic¡¯s salary drops to zero, is it reasonable ¨C in this universe or any o바카라사이트r ¨C that 바카라사이트 university withhold 50 per cent of that salary? Discuss from both economic and ethical standpoints.¡±

I contacted members of Nottingham¡¯s senior management prior to submitting this article requesting a formal quote representing 바카라사이트 university¡¯s position on this. I didn¡¯t receive a reply. But if, as I would assert, it¡¯s entirely unreasonable to hold back 50 per cent of salary in this limit, what does that tell us about 바카라사이트 pay deductions imposed on union members across 바카라사이트 country who have similarly, routinely worked far beyond 바카라사이트ir contracted hours for many, many years?

is professor of physics at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham.