A reader from Twitter writes: I just moved to one of these states. At the time I made my job decision (last year) abortion was legal and there was not a republican super-majority in the state legislature. Now I am 13 weeks pregnant and abortion becomes illegal in a month. I am scared for what this means for my health and safety during this pregnancy. I hear all the stories about women forced to become septic before hospitals will treat an unviable or terminal pregnancy and it really scares me.
It does occupy a lot of my thoughts and energy, to the point where I have discussed with my husband going out of state the month before my due date so I don't deliver here (OB recently couldn't answer whether they would be able to save my life if something went wrong during childbirth if it meant endangering the baby). We took a risk and now we're paying for it and really I would not have moved here had I known. I can find a new job but my current child can't find a new mother.
I would also add that fearing for my family's safety makes it so much more likely that I will leave the state (and academia) pre-tenure. My entire family made this move to be our final home and we had been very happy with our decision but if things don't change I can't raise my children here.
Another thoughtful article. A major SFF conference I attend has chosen hybridity—in-person and virtual. I really think all conferences should go that way. As someone who grew up in a red state and returned to it, I think it’s important that not everyone can be a nomad. Some of us need to stay rooted. For me, it’s important to be respectful of that—to try to understand there are complex reasons why some choose to stay.
I agree, hybrid conferences help solve some of the problems with travel (and are better for the climate, too!). They do provide a different experience for those able to attend versus those that attend remotely; you can network so much better in person. But that's not a reason not to do them, just something conference organizers have to think about.
“Taken to an extreme, it could mean creating a two-tiered educational system, where faculty with the means, privilege, and/or professional reputations move to blue states, while those without must stay.” Isn’t this already true? There are other forms of privilege to consider. Folks teaching at smaller institutions are required to be generalists, which diminishes mobility. It’s very different to teach at Grinnell College (you’ll still have options) than at the less selective private colleges in Iowa.
I agree about the quality prediction. Maybe this will create even more winners and losers among departments? Some programs will be able to win grants or fundraise independently in the absence of state funding. Other programs will not. But, as you suggest, there's not much anyone can do from within academe to fight against the power of the state legislature, especially not when it's combined with the sway that institutional leaders have.
I'm presently watching "Lucky Hank." It's presumably set in Pennsylvania, a state that is safely purple (for now). But the power dynamics are germane to what you're describing.
A reader from Twitter writes: I just moved to one of these states. At the time I made my job decision (last year) abortion was legal and there was not a republican super-majority in the state legislature. Now I am 13 weeks pregnant and abortion becomes illegal in a month. I am scared for what this means for my health and safety during this pregnancy. I hear all the stories about women forced to become septic before hospitals will treat an unviable or terminal pregnancy and it really scares me.
It does occupy a lot of my thoughts and energy, to the point where I have discussed with my husband going out of state the month before my due date so I don't deliver here (OB recently couldn't answer whether they would be able to save my life if something went wrong during childbirth if it meant endangering the baby). We took a risk and now we're paying for it and really I would not have moved here had I known. I can find a new job but my current child can't find a new mother.
I would also add that fearing for my family's safety makes it so much more likely that I will leave the state (and academia) pre-tenure. My entire family made this move to be our final home and we had been very happy with our decision but if things don't change I can't raise my children here.
Another thoughtful article. A major SFF conference I attend has chosen hybridity—in-person and virtual. I really think all conferences should go that way. As someone who grew up in a red state and returned to it, I think it’s important that not everyone can be a nomad. Some of us need to stay rooted. For me, it’s important to be respectful of that—to try to understand there are complex reasons why some choose to stay.
I agree, hybrid conferences help solve some of the problems with travel (and are better for the climate, too!). They do provide a different experience for those able to attend versus those that attend remotely; you can network so much better in person. But that's not a reason not to do them, just something conference organizers have to think about.
“Taken to an extreme, it could mean creating a two-tiered educational system, where faculty with the means, privilege, and/or professional reputations move to blue states, while those without must stay.” Isn’t this already true? There are other forms of privilege to consider. Folks teaching at smaller institutions are required to be generalists, which diminishes mobility. It’s very different to teach at Grinnell College (you’ll still have options) than at the less selective private colleges in Iowa.
Maybe—I think we are on the way to a red/blue division in academic quality but I wouldn’t say we are there yet.
I hear you about the difference depending on the size and reputation of one’s current institution, though.
I agree about the quality prediction. Maybe this will create even more winners and losers among departments? Some programs will be able to win grants or fundraise independently in the absence of state funding. Other programs will not. But, as you suggest, there's not much anyone can do from within academe to fight against the power of the state legislature, especially not when it's combined with the sway that institutional leaders have.
I'm presently watching "Lucky Hank." It's presumably set in Pennsylvania, a state that is safely purple (for now). But the power dynamics are germane to what you're describing.