Thread by @DrPetra

Observations on academia as we move into another term impacted by the pandemic
- everyone is exhausted, lots are fearful about the coming months
- unis are still not attending to student/staff need
- wellbeing isn't understood in terms of work/teaching practices
#AcademicTwitter

- accommodations students and staff are entitled to have still not been met
- the impact of Long Covid is barely recognised
- staff and student concerns about Covid-19 safety are being ignored
- many conflicting messages re: health and safety
#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter

- because of the legacy of bad academic practices prior to the pandemic and poor management from unis since, trust is very low
- therefore where support is offered students/staff are wary
- where excellent support is available people are too tired to take it
#AcademicTwitter

- minoritised staff have continued to bear the burden of reporting ongoing problems
- funding bodies have made some gestures about wanting to change inequalities but have failed to make any meaningful changes
- huge disparities between unis globally on good care
#AcademicTwitter

- discourses on academic problems skewed to a vague concept of 'mental health'
- safety continues to be ignored
- lots of research of variable standard on #AcademicMentalHealth and the pandemic
- research/practice ignores historical legacy of safety/rights work
#AcademicTwitter

- discussions on wellbeing in academia dominated by US/UK STEM (who have very different needs and privileges to scholars in other fields/countries)
- ongoing pandemic = reduced compassion
- 'wellbeing fixes' = additional activities, not whole-campus approaches
#AcademicTwitter

- for some the pandemic has benefitted careers, some of these people are in senior uni/funding body roles. Skews what help is considered necessary
- a minority of folk view social media as opportunity to gain fame, rise of anon accounts on horrible academic life
#AcademicTwitter

- many #MentalHealth and/or safety problems in unis are caused or worsened simply because basic research skills aren't adequately taught and supervisors are neither trained nor supported
- we never addressed bullying/harassment so it's worsened in the pandemic
#AcademicTwitter

- unis that were not up to speed on online learning before the pandemic have continued to lag during
- the opportunities, benefits, pedagogies and accessibility of online learning still haven't been fully explored (in spite of pandemic giving a good reason to)
#AcademicTwitter

- jumping between on and offline and different modes of research and teaching delivery is hugely stressful and has neither been recognised nor supported
- shifting much online research to 'a survey' has been damaging to many aspects of research
#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter

- opportunities to broaden scope of methods used, understand ethical practices, and transform teaching research methods (particularly for undergrad dissertations) haven't been taken - but should have
- nobody has time/energy/goodwill to implement better things
#AcademicTwitter

- there is a lot of poor practice offered to unis (and taken up by management) in the form of coaching, training etc - too much input that's not fit for purpose
- students and staff are rightly skeptical of any wellbeing initiatives offered, but have little input
#AcademicTwitter

- where research is happening on/in academia it tends to be a 'how are you feeling?' survey of (usually medical) students
- we lack long term data on how the pandemic is affecting us, in spite of it being overwhelmingly everywhere. Nobody has energy to collect
#AcademicTwitter

- unis and funders continue to act as if it's 'business as usual' when it hasn't been that for two years (or longer if you count past uni problems, which you should)
- poor management practices and lack of mentoring are a significant feature of the past two years
#AcademicTwitter

- addressing #AcademicMentalHealth,workload, #burnout,grief,stress,safety,inclusion and accessibility remain ignored or depoliticised
- you can have a wellbeing webinar but (many) coaches, unis and funders won't acknowledge why unreasonable workloads make you ill
#AcademicTwitter

- there is a place for sharing resources and helplines but if that's the sum total of activity it is not enough
- many offering #PastoralCare or tasked to provide emotional support are overworked, untrained and frequently face a backlash (they're easy targets)
#AcademicTwitter

- holding funders, employers and politicians accountable for the mess academia is in is a difficult, unpopular, career-harming and exhausting job. Who wants that when they're trying to live through a pandemic? Unis rely on exhausted silences and compromised staff
#AcademicTwitter

- in spite of claims to the contrary, there's been no real recognition or meaningful support to those working in academia who aren't in full time lecturing roles
- the ambiguity of #PGR status and poor treatment of #PGRs has been hugely damaging
#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter

- in spite of Athena Swan and similar initiatives globally the impact on parents/carers, single staff/students, precarious/part time students/staff, self-funders, placement students, International students and all minoritised folk has been significant and avoided
#AcademicTwitter

- in spite of all the problems above there have been amazing acts of kindness, generosity, inclusive practice and connection. Usually done by individuals or small departments. These lessons have rarely been learned from, but should be
#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter

- the lack of clarity around accommodation, masks, vaccination, ventilation etc has caused much damage
- unis have not responded to the threat of the far right during (and before) the pandemic, particularly towards minoritised students/staff
#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter

- despite claims that #AcademicMentalHealth is a priority most unis have failed to even acknowledge, let alone provide support for those experiencing grief, trauma and loss
- poverty and housing insecurity have worsened during the pandemic for many staff/students
#AcademicTwitter

- many students and staff don't necessarily want support but do need a place to vent. We need more spaces for this (social media is one, but tends to make people more anxious, which is a negative issue particularly for students)
#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter

- where specific help is needed it's often not available. Or is available but isn't inclusive/accessible.
- a lot of the problems in the pandemic university are complex and costly to fix. But not all. Resistance to addressing even the simplest things is telling
#AcademicTwitter

- having monitored, called out, called in, attempted to fix and otherwise created endless resources on this topic for the past two years and before it is frustrating that dialogues on this are so stilted and often competitive or reproduce toxic academic practices
#AcademicTwitter

I'm sure you have your own observations so feel free to tag them. It would help us to keep records of what we know so we can't be persuaded they are not happening.
#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter

Remember in all this that much #MentalHealth advice is skewed towards individualised, Westernised, productivity/efficiency models.
This isn't the only way to support yourself and others you care about.
Unis that claim to care about #AcademicMentalHealth must now prove it.

Remember too that trauma, stress and exhaustion can affect your
- patience
- concentration
- empathy
and cause/worsen mental and physical health problems
But ignoring symptoms is never a good idea. #AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter

Also if you're stressed, burnout, experiencing harassment or abuse, living/working in prejudiced environments, or otherwise exploited it is difficult to allow yourself to experience joy, have hope or accept help. This can isolate you further. Unis rely on this to keep you quiet.

- there has been a lot of talk about 'active bystanders' during the pandemic but little meaningful change. If you're in a position to assist, make 2022 the year you act up
- your uni should also be working to make environments safer, challenge those that pay lip service to this

- questioning what we know of wellbeing advice is important. Rejecting everything offered (to you or others) can be a sign of trauma/burnout and is increasingly common
- just because something didn't work for you doesn't mean you should deny others access unless it will harm them

- I've been researching/campaigning on this for decades prior to Covid-19 and consistently for the past two years as well as providing #PastoralCare in person through the pandemic
- I'm so tired of saying the same things and it barely making an impact
- No idea how to fix that