Will’s View

Having been a university student (well, in name at least) for the last 5 years, I have been in my fair share of lectures. Now admittedly most of these have been engineering/science/maths based, but they are all I know. All these hours of sitting in lecture theatres have (ostensibly) taught me many things, but one thing in particular has been reinforced throughout my career as a student: It is nigh on impossible for anyone to get engineers to call out answers in class.

By way of example, I have a subject which has approximately 14 people in it. Of these around 7-9 turn up to lectures. Even in these relatively small classes, in which we all know each other, the lecturers struggle to have us contribute. Even relatively simple questions suddenly become rhetorical ones, and dead silence descends whenever class interaction is even hinted at.However, recently I was in a class called ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (sounds cool, I know) and the lecturer was talking about game-playing. He had asked several questions of the class, including suggestions for games that AI agents have trouble playing. As per usual, responses were sparse and muttered at best.

Then, whilst talking about chess, he asked the class what the score is for a bishop. At this point around half the class answered with ”Three”
(which apparently is correct). This answering was unfaltering and, to be frank, stunned me completely. I have never heard that much of a comprehensive rallying of correct answers in an engineering lecture, and I doubt I will again.

I’m not sure whether I should be impressed that my fellow classmates were all so well schooled in chess scoring, worried about my classmates’ social lives and whether they get out from in front of their computer screens from time to time, or worried for my own sake that I had to google the value of a bishop…

--> Having been a university student (well, in name at least) for the last 5 years, I have been in my fair share of lectures. Now admittedly most of these have been engineering/science/maths based, but they are all I know. All these hours of sitting in lecture theatres have (ostensibly) taught me many things, but one thing in particular has been reinforced throughout my career as a student: It is nigh on impossible for anyone to get engineers to call (More...)

It’s election time around campus at the moment. Yes, that’s right, the one time of year when you can’t walk more than 5 metres without being accosted by someone with a mind-numbly bright tee-shirt, and similarly interesting political spiels.

Like most people around campus, I aim to avoid these political candidates like the proverbial plague. For some reason I was born with very little patience for people with radical political ideals. I think it’s mainly to do with the irrational drivel they inevitably spout, especially around election time.

As I was enjoying a relaxing lunch on Monday, I spotted one of my friends coming toward me to say hi. Or at least that’s what I thought, and then I spied their luridly colourful tee-shirt. “Argh!” I thought, “A turncoat!”. But before this thought had run its course this friend was upon us.

And I must say, I was rather embarrassed. The people with whom I was lunching are a cheery bunch, and we rarely talk about politics. When we do it is with reservation and (well I’d like to think) a balanced perspective. As such I felt that it was rather at odds with our previous discussions to entertain this political sloganist. But then, on the other hand, this person was still a friend, and as such deserved a certain amount of respect, surely?

So I was in a predicament, tell them that I had voted already (a barefaced lie) and then tell them to move on - as I would to any other person pushing their political party - or sit and make polite conversation and pretend to be interested in their cause? Being the opinionated and loudmouthed person that I am, I took neither path and instead told my friend what I thought of politics, and how much the election mattered in the grand scheme of things. Not much.

I’m not sure I’ll be seeing that friend again any time soon

--> It’s election time around campus at the moment. Yes, that’s right, the one time of year when you can’t walk more than 5 metres without being accosted by someone with a mind-numbly bright tee-shirt, and similarly interesting political spiels. Like most people around campus, I aim to avoid these political candidates like the proverbial plague. For some reason I was born with very little patience for people with radical political ideals. I think it’s mainly to do with (More...)

Have you ever noticed that university lecturers have a universal ’style’? A style that transcends all normal definitions and trends, and has continued unfettered through the ages.Nominally this usually includes some mixture/arrangement of the following. (Note, this is mainly aimed at male academics. Being an engineering student I haven’t ever had a female lecturer…):

• A tweed jacket (possibly worn at the elbows, and maybe with leather patches, it depends on the length of time in academia).
• An open-necked shirt. This is usually in a plain colour such as blue, but if the lecturer is deliberately trying to be obtuse (or is going through a mid-life crisis) then obscene colours are open season.
• Recently pressed dress trousers. Again, usually in a plain colour.
• Recently shined brown loafers. This could be extended to brown dress shoes if the academic is feeling ‘racy’.

The reason I have gone to such an extent to generalise this inimitable style, is that I believe it may be changing.

I was in a lecture on Friday taken by what I call an ‘industry academic’ - someone who works in industry but has close links with academia - and his dress sense was closely aligned with the outline given above. However, when I went to a presentation by his company later on in the day, he was joined by several of his younger employees.

These employees were dressed in a more ‘modern’ smart casual, consisting of an open-necked shirt in a darker colour, jeans, and casual shoes.Looking around at this point I found that another, younger lecturer was at this presentation too, and he was dressed in this more modern style. So maybe this spells the end of the typical academic dress. Maybe when these older lecturers retire, their places will be taken over by sharper, more modern males.

I doubt it. Consider this: these lecturers who are now dressed so conservatively were most likely adolescents and young adults in the ’70s. This means it’s very likely they wore flowers in their long flowing hair, tee-shirts with peace signs on them, and flared jeans with bare feet. And look what happened to them.

--> Have you ever noticed that university lecturers have a universal 'style'? A style that transcends all normal definitions and trends, and has continued unfettered through the ages.Nominally this usually includes some mixture/arrangement of the following. (Note, this is mainly aimed at male academics. Being an engineering student I haven't ever had a female lecturer...): A tweed jacket (possibly worn at the elbows, and maybe with leather patches, it depends on the length of time in academia). An open-necked shirt. This is usually in a plain colour such as blue, but if the lecturer is deliberately trying to be obtuse (or is going through a mid-life crisis) then obscene colours are open season (More...)