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Sleepwalker
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 454
Location: Reading the screen
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 Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 2:57 pm Post subject: |
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| This thread is becoming very confusing - half of the posters don't seem to have read and/or understood what previous posters have said. |
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isabel
Joined: 07 Mar 2003
Posts: 510
Location: God's green earth
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Sleepwalker wrote: |
| This thread is becoming very confusing - half of the posters don't seem to have read and/or understood what previous posters have said. |
Beast's last response was quite confusing. Maybe it is just too late in the weekend for coherence. |
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happyroofus
Joined: 08 Oct 2010
Posts: 80
Location: Middle East
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Turbster wrote: |
Tit for tat can go on forever, so, for now just a few more observations.
To Happyroofus,
Okay, so you are not happy! Have you discussed the situation positively with your supervisors, or will you persist in posting emotive, and factually incorrect information on this website? Be positive, and while it is positive to promote discussion and resolution, it is equally negative to foment unrest and disharmony. It seems you Are passionate, however passion, without reason, is wasted.
The faculty, given time, will make their own decisions about the impact of change, and their place within that changing scenario. Some will go, because they don't like it, many will stay because they do!
My understanding is that the three level supervisors were offered positions based on their management, teaching, and Quality Assurance experiences. My experience is that they far exceed your description.
I believe the coordinators have driven the implementation of the new schedules due to their concerns over a number of aspects involving the initial schedules.
The Foundation Institute of The University of Nizwa is indeed a new entity, which was created by the Board of Management of Unizwa during September 2010. The Board of the Foundation Institute held it's inaugural meeting late that month.
Finally. Nobody HAS to be at Unizwa. Personally, I would prefer to work with people who WANT to be here.
To Duffy,
Interesting comments about the old 'sick day' scam. Is it fraud? Maybe some individuals are feeling the pinch of the rumoured 200-300Rials less they get as a consequence of the 'rip-off' being leaked. Anywhere else in the world you could be liable to criminal charges, dismissal, or face reimbursement. Now that wouldn't be fair.........or right.........would it!
Thankfully, I was never involved.............so I don't have to worry, or lose sleep, over it! |
Dear Turbster,
In response to your first paragraph the answer is yes I did (consult with my immediate co-ordinators, Assistant Director and Director), but to no end. Unrest and disharmony were already well under way prior to my "warning". That was why a high number of teachers resigned in the last 6 months.. It was a good place to work, but not any longer.
In addition, I never once referenced any of the new co-ordinators in my original or subsequent posts. Everything that I have written has been very much directed at the single source of the present problems at UoN, namely the Director. The co-ordinators are simply doing the best they can in such a bad situation. I've no problem with any of them and never had.
Furthermore, there is absolutely nothing that I have written here that is factually incorrect. Everything I've written here can be backed up by others who have worked at UoN over the last few year, as well as with documents, letters and emails that I have in my possession.
Things have changed, yes. Do I agree with the changes: some I do, others I don't. However, do I agree with the whimsical fling of a non-renewal letter at a colleague for no reason by an in-coming Director who has no sensitivity to the lives who are being affected ? No, I most certainly do not. And for anyone with a family, this is something to be very very aware of.. |
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Beast
Joined: 13 Nov 2005
Posts: 120
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 5:08 pm Post subject: Which part |
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Isabel,
Which pard did you not understand and I will simplify it for you? |
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isabel
Joined: 07 Mar 2003
Posts: 510
Location: God's green earth
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 1:14 am Post subject: Re: Which part |
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| Beast wrote: |
Isabel,
Which pard did you not understand and I will simplify it for you? |
There are several posters with varying opinions and perspectives about the problems at U Nizwa, but your whole last post refers to "you". Which you are you addressing? I don't see everyone calling for mass sackings, or any at all for that matter.
Some of the more general confusion stems from the fact that some of the posters are now or have been at U Nizwa and are trying to be circumspect about their comments. No one is going to name names or offer up specific situations.
It seems that the situation is this: Accreditation is necessary, so the procedures and documentation required for that need to be put into place. This has caused demands on the teachers for accountability that was previously not required. New management has arrived in the past year or so and are tasked with making these changes. Some of the old and new management (the director, for one) have been, at best, inept in dealing with the problems that have resulted. The people who arrived as management this fall have not been in place long enough to judge.
Certain cliques (the faculty at U N have been accurately described as "clique-ish to the extreme) have resented the attempts at change and have dug in their heels in resistance. This has resulted in all sorts of hell breaking loose at meetings. It also resulted in new people and some very good long timers being treated quite shabbily. The management was ill prepared and largely unable to deal with this abuse and chaos. For lack of management at the very top, the previous assistant director fronted the assaults (some marginally physical) for most of the last year.
Bad behavior on the part of some faculty was allowed to go on for lack of "procedures" to deal with it. Absenteeism, tardiness, lack of office hour coverage, even drunkeness during class hours (in one notable case, at 8 AM in a classroom) and drunken brawls at public places in Nizwa went unchallenged largely. As they were unchallenged, there was also no documentation or record of warnings to go to when non-renewal time rolled around.
Beast- you ask if anyone had civil conversations, professional or not, with the instructors they were offended by- well, in some cases this was not possible because some of the old guard would not even acknowledge the presence of new faculty except with a dismissive sneer.
It is now an absolute mess, and I do feel for everyone involved. With all of the new people and changes and all of the charged emotions from last year and even the year before, trying to make the necessary positive changes is a monumental challenge. The best people could do is try to exercise patience and find one or two people in the new team (new in the last couple of years) to work with.
Peace |
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happyroofus
Joined: 08 Oct 2010
Posts: 80
Location: Middle East
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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"Some of the old and new management (the director, for one) have been, at best, inept in dealing with the problems that have resulted. The people who arrived as management this fall have not been in place long enough to judge."
Isabel - You just described the current situation, perfectly.
(Though I didn't know about the 8am drunk-in-class - really ? Sheesh.) |
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Turbster
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 67
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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Well, it looks as if things can at least begin to settle down a bit now, and Roofus seems to be a bit more amenable in recent postings. I agree about the fighting, drunkeness etc, totally unacceptable!
We all tend to see the worst when we are stressed, as we have been over the last couple of weeks, but now it seems as if we can just get on and teach our students. I can appreciate some of the points made by Roofus and Isabel, but some things are inescapable.
The first is that we all have to work within the new management structure, which I don't think they are going to change again simply because some teachers are upset, and in reality, the FI is here to stay. The accreditation issues that have driven the changes will also not go away, so we will all need to suck it up, and prepare for quality issues to be addressed. It's like a freight train, 'its a'comin.'
When I look around me here, I see good teachers  good people  and others  who could be the former and are certainly not being the latter and when its all boiled down, bitching  only ever leads to divorce  not marriage  Please, good teacher that are not being good people  try being both for just one day at a time  You might like it 
So a few more deep breaths, count to ten, whatever it takes to get through the stressfull times, and we'll be fine. This is a good place, a good job, and warts and all, very much better than others I have had. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 4:24 pm Post subject: Re: Which part |
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| isabel wrote: |
| Absenteeism, tardiness, lack of office hour coverage, even drunkeness during class hours (in one notable case, at 8 AM in a classroom) and drunken brawls at public places in Nizwa went unchallenged largely. As they were unchallenged, there was also no documentation or record of warnings to go to when non-renewal time rolled around. |
Well, isabela, If I were the Director of Nizwa University, I will sack some of the instructors in the Language Center shown in the link below, especially the one with a ring in his left ear!!! 
http://www.unizwa.edu.om/profile_details.php?department=15
I hope the problem is not between native and non-native speakers!
Last edited by 007 on Sat Oct 23, 2010 5:54 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 4:27 pm Post subject: Re: Which part |
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Same as above!
Last edited by 007 on Sat Oct 23, 2010 5:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Sleepwalker
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 454
Location: Reading the screen
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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Just looked up the link - Mr Nawaf is a 'Libor'. This is apparently the interest rate that banks charge each other for loans.
There are others whose job title appears to be 'Staff'.
How big is the university? The staff list is huge. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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isabel
Joined: 07 Mar 2003
Posts: 510
Location: God's green earth
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| Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 1:10 am Post subject: |
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That looks like a gnarly lot. Looks like mug shots.
I hope they fired the photographer. |
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Never Ceased To Be Amazed
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 3500
Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...
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| Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 1:40 am Post subject: |
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I'm glad that I wasn't the only one to think "Motley Crew"... 'Bout as grim of the one published from King Saud Uni a few years ago...
NCTBA |
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isabel
Joined: 07 Mar 2003
Posts: 510
Location: God's green earth
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| Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2010 9:49 am Post subject: |
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I have never heard anyone else say they had a problem with pay at U. Nizwa. It doesn't seem to be a a problem there. I don't ever remember hearing anyone in Oman complain about wages or separation monies.
U. Nizwa is going through growing pains and a rough time. Give the new people a chance and the problems time to clear out. |
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happyroofus
Joined: 08 Oct 2010
Posts: 80
Location: Middle East
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| Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 5:50 pm Post subject: It's gone even further downhill.. |
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Bump!
I started this a few months back..and surprise surprise, it's actually got worse at UoN.
Most people are just hanging on for the Summer; even some of the recent entries are already looking.
Advice: don't bother applying at least until the present bungling Director leaves.
(HCT/AS pay better these days)
HR |
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