MORE DRIVEL FROM AN "EXPERT"

[Armando Ramos]

Gollum gets caught stalking and he says he's just performing "public service."  His employer didn't believe him, why should anyone else?

Here is the university's position on Gollum's hobby:

Ms. Kaler says the university does not view Mr. Gollin's research into diploma mills as meeting the institution's public-service requirement since the work is not related to physics, his area of expertise. "He has a lot to offer the community and the world outside of his discipline," she says. "But for the university support he receives, it's for his work in his discipline."

http://chronicle.com/free/2003/10/2003101301t.htm

It's very clear that Kaler and the university think the alleged public service work must be in the faculty member's area of expertise.  

Wherever did they get such an idea???  

Well, here is what the official UIUC A Faculty Guide for Relating Public Service to the Promotion and Tenure Review Process says about it:

Public service typically entails the application of faculty members’ areas of expertise in addressing real-world problems, issues, or concerns.

...Not all activities engaged in by faculty members in settings external to the University are undertaken to help fulfill the university’s or unit’s public service mission. ...  For example, faculty members may serve as jurors, as youth leaders and coaches, or on the PTA. They do so, however, in their role as private citizens. Therefore, such service is sometimes referred to as private service. In contrast, public service activities fulfill the mission of the unit and institution and utilize faculty members’ academic or professional expertise.

...However, for the activity to be public service it must draw upon faculty members’ academic or professional expertise and contribute to the public good, while at the same time directly addressing or responding to real-world problems, issues, interests, or concerns.

That Kaler dame had it damn near verbatim  So just what is Gollum's area of expertise?  Doesn't he have lots of expertise in distance learning?  Hasn't he taken lots of distance courses as a student?  Doesn't he teach distance courses every semester?   Isn't he involved in the administration of distance learning at UIUC?  

Ummm, no.....  

Looks like he read Bear's book, found it more interesting than his boring life, then just up and decided he was an expert too.  He started telling people so, and naive people believed him.  That sounds an awful lot like those fake medical doctors he is always complaining about, the ones who just up and decide they can cure what ails you with some outlandish treatment.  

Maybe if he scratches his crotch on video long enough he can cure testicular cancer, but I kinda doubt it.