<div dir="ltr"><span style lang="EN-US">Canto
Quinto: <span> </span>Academic Corruption (English version)</span><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">fabio vicentini</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:fmvicent@gmail.com">fmvicent@gmail.com</a>></span><br>
Date: Sun, May 19, 2013 at 4:07 PM<br>Subject: The corruption series (5 bis)<br>To: Moshe Sniedovich <<a href="mailto:moshe@ms.unimelb.edu.au">moshe@ms.unimelb.edu.au</a>><br><div dir="ltr"><p><span style lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<p><span style lang="EN-US">---- <br></span></p><p><span style lang="EN-US">Buenos
Aires, November 20, 2012</span></p>
<p><span style lang="EN-US"> Dear
Moshe:</span></p>
<p><span style lang="EN-US">In
the banana republic if I tell a colleague that he is being forced to publish
bullshit he will dismiss me as a crank. However if I tell him the same thing in
the lingo of the American empire he will pay attention. <span></span>So I am sending this letter to you with copy
to the whole fucking school. </span><span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p><span style lang="EN-US">-------------------</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<p><span style lang="EN-US">Subject:
Academic Bullshitting</span></p>
<p><span style lang="EN-US"> I
am thoroughly convinced that my alma mater is in the hands of a mafia, a group
of individuals who hold the power of the college and use it for their own
benefit, brandishing the stick at those who do not submit to their whim.
Democracy is a parody, for they have perfected the scheme to win the elections.
They have been in power for the last 12 years or more. Every time there is an
election they produce a change which is no change. </span></p>
<p><span style lang="EN-US"> I
entered my alma mater in 1995. Having a practical background, I found the
academic policy not to my liking. They had driven the "publish or
perish" culture to mockery. Academics are rated by the number of papers,
the contents of which<span> </span>have no bearing.
As a consequence, the professor is forced to maximize the number of published
papers, and our school has become a <i>bullshit
production engine</i>. </span></p>
<p><span style lang="EN-US"> In
order to increase the output academics team together into "research"
groups. They work under the motto "one for all, and all for one". The
papers obtained in confederacy are divided and parceled out so that each paper
is coauthored by the members of the group.<span>
</span>They choose subjects suitable to make mileage out of it. The abstracts
of their papers look different, but they are mainly the same horse with
different colors. They send a paper to journal 1 and if it rejects it,
they send it to journal 2, if this one rejects the paper too, they send it to
journal 3, and so forth. Since 1,2,3,...<span> </span>is a denumerable set, some journal along the
line will accept it.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:blue" lang="EN-US"> A</span><span style lang="EN-US">s soon as I landed in
the academy, I was educated in the rules of the game. First, and most
important, you should write papers to peer-reviewed journals at the rate of two
per year as a minimum. In order to achieve that aim you are advised to 1) join
a prolific research group 2) choose a successful coauthor 3) choose a
papers-generating problem 4) exploit your thesis students 5) enlist in the
school mafia. </span><span style="color:blue" lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<p><span style lang="EN-US"> Having
worked as an OR practitioner for 30 years, I reacted against this show by
writing satiric articles. This was not welcomed,<span> </span>I was handled by a mafia task force which
gave me a thorough mobbing treatment. The dean claimed that I was suffering
from senile dementia. Finally, an academic scoundrel found a way to give me the
sack. All my efforts to find support from my colleagues were futile. I cried
for help but they acted as employees in an organisation keeping their
mouth shut as long as the get the end-of-the-month salary.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:blue" lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<p><span style lang="EN-US">Best
Wishes,<span> </span></span></p><span class=""><font color="#888888">
<p><span style lang="EN-US">Fabio
</span></p>
</font></span><p><span style> </span></p><p><span style>PS. Copia a la faculty de
FCEyN/UBA</span></p>
<p><span style="color:blue"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color:blue"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color:blue"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color:blue"> </span></p>
<p> </p>
</div>
</div><br></div>