In a recent attempt to diversify Meredith’s faculty, the College has announced its plan to reach out to upperclassmen in the hopes of filling some teaching positions for the Fall 2022 semester.
Most Meredith students are aware of the great number of students who graduate from Meredith and proceed to a position of employment with the College. Many students have seen an onyx on a professor’s hand or on the hand of an administrator. Even the President of the College and Vice President of College Programs are alums of Meredith College.
With this new campaign, the College hopes to bypass the graduation requirements for employment and get Meredith students into academia while they complete their course work.
Upperclassmen will not be eligible to teach classes outside of their major or minor or teach classes they have not taken. Students must have taken the class, received a grade above 90% and successfully completed all assignments.
These students will be considered official faculty and will receive a faculty email address and office and acquire the responsibilities of an adjunct faculty member. These responsibilities include lesson planning, assessments, grading, holding office hours and attending department meetings. However, due to their student status, student faculty members will be paid at student worker rates. Additionally, students will not receive graduation credit, as this is considered to be an employment opportunity.
One potential source of discourse is the blurring of student and faculty social roles. Jean Jackson, Vice President of College Programs and Class of 1975, commented, “Who thought that for the 2024 100th anniversary production of Alice in Wonderland students would have to decide whether to be in the cast or in the audience?”
Dr. Jackson also questioned, “Would they sign their own books and programs at the receptions? There is a lot to wonder about here in Wonderland.”
Current Meredith faculty are encouraged to reach out to rising juniors and seniors about classes that they are eligible to teach in the fall. Additionally, students are encouraged to suggest courses that they hope to teach and feel qualified for.
In regard to her plan for a faculty position, Meredith junior Aminah Jenkins stated, “My hope is to bring a host of learning experiences with colloquia courses titled Dystopian Economic Explanations from Zorro and…Nefarious Underdogs from Timeless Societies.”
The Herald also spoke with a graduate of the Class of 2021, Kate Tisdale, who added that she “really wished this change had occurred while [she] was still at Meredith.”
“Everyone would have loved my Planarians: Nature’s Flat, Little Friend course,” Tisdale lamented.
To apply for teaching positions for the Fall 2022 semester, upperclassmen must fill out an application and provide an official transcript. Transcripts can be requested and paid for through the National Student Clearinghouse. Students may not request a transcript directly from the registrar as this violates the integrity of the faculty application process.
All information in the above article is satirical, fabricated and part of a Meredith Herald April Fools’ Day prank. Please do not regard any text or quotation as fact.
By Elinor Shelp-Peck, Co-Editor in Chief