news
campusreview.com.au
‘Immodest’ woman of letters
sets off initial reactions
Twitter campaign urges
female PhDs to say
it loud and proud.
A
doctor of history has
sparked the latest
academic Twitter spat.
Dr Fern Riddell, a research
associate at Royal Holloway,
University of London, recently
changed her Twitter name,
adding the ‘Dr’ honorific, with
the following explanation: “My
title is Dr Fern Riddell, not Ms or
Miss Riddell. I have it because I
am an expert, and my life and
career consist of being that
‘Politically incorrect’ party
leads to student censure
University suspends
students over photos
of racist costumes.
C
harles Sturt University
students have been
suspended over
racist photos posted to social
media, and have been told they
must complete a course on
Indigenous culture.
Students attending a
‘politically incorrect’ end-
of-year party dressed up as
Klu Klux Klan members, while
others donned Nazi outfits.
One student went to the
event in blackface.
expert in as many different ways
as possible. I worked hard to
earned my authority, and I will
not give it up to anyone.”
The expert in Victorian-
era sex, culture and suffrage
– who’s also a media
personality – added the hashtag
#ImmodestWomen with the
aim of urging other female PhD
holders to join her movement.
Indeed, many did. Naturally,
detractors followed. There were
the usual, biting responses,
like this one from molecular
life science student Robin van
Schendel: “Wow, can you
imagine being this arrogant?
You’re human and remain so.
You have no authority save for
what your profession allows
you to have. The minimum of
being a Dr is being an expert
in one subfield, the rest is
your choice. You’re not better
for being a Dr as you imply.”
Other Twitter users, such as
Jah Prole, simply disparaged the use of the prefix for men
or women: “My eye-rolling
reaction is the same as when
[British politician] Vince Cable
affects to style himself Dr. As it
was when I had an RE teacher
who called himself Dr.”
Colin Richards, a university
professor, retorted: “Why
should anyone (male or
female) need to add Dr to
their twitter handle/image?
We all know the answer.”
These online ‘gender wars’
may seem trivial, but many
would argue that they’re
grounded in harsh realities.
UTS researcher Deb
Verhoeven, for instance, has
found that research grants are
conferred in sexist ways.
And, given Twitter is the
most popular social media
platform for academics and
is indispensable for many,
whether a researcher is known
as a Dr, Mr or Ms might make a
difference. ■
The university action was
taken following an internal
investigation into the images,
which were taken during a
party at the Black Swan Hotel in
Wagga Wagga on 14 June.
CSU earlier announced that
it had identified all students
in both images posted online
and confirmed it was working
through an investigation in
line with its Student General
Misconduct Rule.
The misconduct penalties
handed to a number of
the students involved in
the incident ranged from
exclusion to suspension,
including a requirement to
complete the university’s
Indigenous Australian Cultures,
Histories and Contemporary
Realities subject, and to
engage with Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander and
Jewish communities.
Vice-chancellor Professor
Andrew Vann said he
had spoken with leaders from the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander and
Jewish communities
following the incident.
“These images resulted
in global outrage and
contact to the university
from individuals around the
globe,” Vann said. “On a local
level, it deeply offended
our Indigenous and Jewish
communities.
“Individuals, community
groups, fellow students and
those involved will all have
differing opinions on the
penalties. As a university, we
will not tolerate or condone
this behaviour. We will
however work with students
during their suspension to
further educate them on
the c ultural impact of their
actions,” he said.
Vann added that all students
involved had shown remorse
for their actions, and that they
had been offered ongoing
counselling and support. ■
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