October 29, 2013

"Cleveland State Law Profs File Unfair Labor Practice Charge Alleging That 'Satanic' $666 Merit Pay Raise Was Retaliation for Union Activities."

"Faculty were placed in four merit raise bands — $5,000, $3,000, $666, and $0 — based on scholarship and scholarly influence (40%), teaching as measured by student evaluations (40%), and service (20%).... In a memo distributed to the central administration and copied to the entire faculty, one of the eight AAUP organizers alleges that:"
[The $666 figure] is a universally understood symbol of the Antichrist or Devil — one of our culture's most violent religious images. Implicitly, but unmistakably and obviously intentionally, [the Dean] used his powers to set faculty salaries as an occasion to brand his perceived opponents as the Antichrist.
What do you think of the $666 raise?
  
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32 comments:

Matt Sablan said...

They could just not accept the money if they feel insulted, or donate it to charity if it is auto-deposited.

Anonymous said...

I suspect that it was set at 2/3 of $1,000, but I'm not a n expert in Demonology

Matt Sablan said...

[Though, I don't see a pattern to 5,000, 3,000, 666, 0. I'd think 5, 3, 1, 0 would make sense, but, why 666? But, then again, there's another, more religious response available. Though, it isn't quite accurate [it would be if everyone got the same raise, no matter what.] But, it'd be cute if the school quoted: "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?"

Heartless Aztec said...

It would have been more clever to have given the raise as $25.8069 - the root of all evil.

damikesc said...

School was stupid to fail to notice the symbolism --- but this suit is incredibly stupid.

MadisonMan said...

I am convinced the lawyers would have found insult in any amount offered.

Mike said...

I agree with him that it's a deliberate insult. The pattern is too strange otherwise. And it is common for people to avoid the numbers 13 and 666 for just this reason. Having said that, I can't accept that even a DELIBERATE insult merits a lawsuit. Suck it up and move on with your life.

RecChief said...

so wait, are you telling me that college professors, at a secular school, believe in the Devil, and by extension, God?


THAT is news.

test said...

damikesc said...
School was stupid to fail to notice the symbolism


There exist people who upon noticing the symbolism would not immediately dismiss actual objections based on it as insane? Whoever signed on to this lawsuit should be fired for bringing discredit to the profession and institution.

rhhardin said...

666 means a nonexecutable file readable or writable by anybody.

What you want is mostly 644, the mark of the burgher.

Iconochasm said...

How about "Should have rounded up."

Iconochasm said...

How about "Should have rounded up."

PB said...

Nothing shows how the amounts were determined, but the $666 seems pretty odd.

Likely more objections would/should be raised on the evaluation criteria as being overly subjective. Combining subjective/qualitative assessments with objective/quantitative measures often leads to problems.

Mark said...

Boy, stupid is out in force in the world today.

SGT Ted said...

People with such allegedly fine educations sure whine and fight like hormonal 13 year old girls when push comes to shove.

What a bunch of pansies, all of them.

God, just do your jobs, be grateful you have one and QUIT WHINING! It makes you look like the immature ingrates that you actually are.

The Godfather said...

Before affirming my gut feeling that the $666 raise was a stupid idea, I'd like the administration to explain what was divided by what, and why, to get to $666.

But I do agree that the law suit is stupid, regardless of the rationale.

MadisonMan said...

666 means a nonexecutable file readable or writable by anybody.

I usually just 777 all files, even if they are text files.

William said...

All merit raises should be equal. That's the hallmark of a just society. There are people who deserve more and they should receive more in equal amounts as everyone else.

Mitch H. said...

I usually just 777 all files, even if they are text files.

Someone's going to Sysadmin Hell... Does the Linux Devil punish those that create security holes, or does he seed them throughout systems in order to test lusers at the behest of an omniscient distribution?

tim maguire said...

Since I can't imagine an objective reason to set the 3rd tier at $666, I have to assume it is symbolic. But why the 3rd tier?

What does a 4th tier person have to do to rate lower than the devil?

Boodang said...

Or they just divided a $4,000 bonus pool among 6 people...

Sam L. said...

What? These law profs are Christian?

ngtrains said...

What amazes me is that in the past 10 polls, I've always gotten the 'correct' answer - same as the majority.

(I went to Madison for graduate school - I wonder if that means anything? - strange sense of humor?)

ted

damikesc said...

There exist people who upon noticing the symbolism would not immediately dismiss actual objections based on it as insane? Whoever signed on to this lawsuit should be fired for bringing discredit to the profession and institution.

What you cut out also said that the suit was incredibly stupid. Let's not criticize something that was said in the sentence you cut.

Sorun said...

It was supposed to round up to $667, but someone goofed and rounded down instead.

RecChief said...

how about making these "merit awards" a certificate suitable for framing and nothing else? There fixed the little problem. They surely wouldn't mind the money going back into the school's general fund, right?

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Academic politics is so nasty because the stakes are so low.

Kirk Parker said...

Re rounding up--License plate frame I once saw: "667 - Neighbor of the Beast"

test said...

damikesc said...
Let's not criticize something that was said in the sentence you cut.


Criticizing the suit does not negate your claim the institution should have changed the amount so as not to give offense.

It's not appropriate to coddle or tolerate such ridiculous oversensitivity. It sets a standard which cannot be met, distracts from the institution's function, and empowers those looking to be offended. It should be made clear to everyone such sensitivities will not be treated respectfully so those subject to them can return to the bubbles they came from.

David said...

Sounds like the perfect solution would be to rescind the raise.

damikesc said...

Criticizing the suit does not negate your claim the institution should have changed the amount so as not to give offense.

Not noticing something that isn't exactly unknown information is, by any rational defintion, stupid. It'd be like giving an observant Jewish employee a birthday party with plenty of bacon served.

A lawsuit would be measures more stupid, but to not notice that what is being proposed is awfully stupid is hard to ignore.

It's not appropriate to coddle or tolerate such ridiculous oversensitivity. It sets a standard which cannot be met, distracts from the institution's function, and empowers those looking to be offended. It should be made clear to everyone such sensitivities will not be treated respectfully so those subject to them can return to the bubbles they came from.

I am curious as to when this was done.

It just seems ironic that the only group who isn't supposed to take offense are Christians.

Scott said...

I have a couple of toll-free numbers for my "Scott Buys Houses" bandit signs. One is (866)666-9888. I love that number! Call me if you want to sell your house to me. :)