Survey by American Association of Professors shows nearly quarter of respondents are switching due to states’s politics

Many professors in the US south, particularly in Florida, South Carolina and Texas, are considering leaving their state because of the impact the political climate is having on education, according to a new survey by the American Association of Professors.

The survey received responses from approximately 4,000 faculty members across the south and included other states, such as Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky, in its findings. About 25% of the professors in Texas who responded said they have applied for teaching roles in other states in the last two years, with another 25% saying they intend to start a search.

Last year, salary was the top reason as to why educators across the south were seeking employment elsewhere. In this year’s findings, however, “broad political climate” was the top motivator.

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    Good.

    They can go to blue states and make them better. Red states can suffer and become more desperate until they put pressure on their fascist leader to wage war against blue states and then we can crush them like we did the Confederacy. Except this time we need to execute all their leaders.

    • SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      5 days ago

      Unfortunately that’s not how that’s going to work out and we all know it.

      It’s just gonna amplify the stress and hate and ignorance in those areas and cause more problems in the long run even for the liberal states.

      • thatradomguy@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        Unfortunately that’s not how that’s going to work out and we all know it.

        Well not with that attitude! C’mon! Viva la revolution!

    • thatradomguy@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      This is realistically the only way society/civilization will move forward. The whole democratic way of doing things until now is what has led to all of this in the first place. The US puts their fOuNdInG fAtHeRs and constitution to a pedestal as if they’re some holy text when it’s those very things that have allowed cheeto turd to run free fascist. Believing in the constitution and democracy as some holy grail that will bring everlasting peace is naive when the very population that literally stands against peace has been allowed to survive amongst us for this long. History will repeat itself time and time again just as it is now because people don’t want to come to terms with the fact that we WONT get along. They cling to their romanticized fantasy of people being just for the greater good. Nobody wants war, nobody wants to fight. I get that. Sitting around and allowing ourselves to be disorganized, living in fear will let them take us out. Can’t change my mind. Sorry.

  • bear@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    5 days ago

    That’s a horrible headline. “One in four professors are leaving” is way different than what the survey showed, which is “one in four that responded to the survey are considering leaving”.

    • Stovetop@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Some of the other details they bring up are relevant, though. 25% of Texas professors actively applying for positions in other states, with a further 25% stating they plan to do so soon, is still very significant.

      The thing about a brain drain is that it is a cascading effect, too. No one wants to be the last person left on a sinking ship. When some leave, more will want to follow.

    • ubergeek@lemmy.today
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      5 days ago

      A professor looking for a role outside their current uni is essentially, leaving already.

      They’ve already decided to forgo tenure track, and start over, which is really the biggest hurdles.

      Its only a matter of time before a uni reaches out to them, and it usually takes about a year.

  • MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    And why wouldn’t they want to leave shithole states?

    Why stay where wilful ignorance is not only encouraged, but enforced by law?

  • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    It’s really unfortunate because the type who would leave are needed now more than ever. The south will be even more of a cesspool of hate and ignorance when they’re gone. Not that I blame them, I left the south myself long ago because I didn’t feel like I related to the average person at all

    • sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz
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      5 days ago

      As nice of a sentiment as this is, I’m already seeing colleagues that have dedicated their entire academic and public sector careers to Canadian institutions get passed over for promotions and jobs because there are other Canadians fleeing the states with prestigious names in their resume like Yale, Harvard etc. These people haven’t worked/experienced a day in Canada since they were 18 years old, but are now expected to be leaders in big Canadian institutions. Some are already floundering, tbh.

      Not saying new blood isn’t good, but the Americanization of our institutions is already getting somewhat bad. You can see why many of my colleagues wouldn’t be happy about that.

    • HBK@anarchist.nexus
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      5 days ago

      As a Tennesseean, IDK if Texans/Floridians are ready for the culture shock that is a Canadian winter.

      • Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca
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        4 days ago

        Eh, it’s a big country. Mild winters on the west coast. Snow bound hellscapes in the middle. Wind-chill and fog on the east coast.

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    It’s almost like a whole lot of idiots voted for Taco, knowing he’d do all the really ridiculous and harmful things all throughout our country, and trying to disrupt every single institution and every single norm, but thinking, “yeah, but I need tax cuts”, or gawd forbid they vote Democratic for whatever identity reasons.

    I’m sure many of his voters thought that everything would still somehow continue as normal, even as Taco and his thugs target POC and LGBTQ and try to punish his enemies and ultimately, over half of the country. I’m sure some of these same people are going to act like they are the victims if they are the least bit negatively affected by normal Americans leaving red areas or leaving the country as a response to Orange Jesus idiocy.

  • DarkAri@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    5 days ago

    This is going to be a mass exodus not seen since Jim crow. I expect millions of people will flee to blue states in the coming decade. Probably my highest priority ATM outside of giving my kids a good upbringing. Also the death of federalism is going to be interesting, probably mostly bad.

    • Soggy@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      It would be better if they fled to red counties in purple states, cheaper too.

    • Pandasdontfly@slrpnk.net
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      5 days ago

      I’m assuming exodus to blue states more division ala West coast health alliance, hyper gerrymandering wars and many more things that will less to a break up or even war… Although I sure hope not

      • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        I don’t want war, but I’m crossing my fingers for the break up. This is an abusive relationship and there are no benefits to continuing it. Time to let them suffer and die in their own ignorance.

    • KneeTitts@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      stick it out until the midterms

      So dictators do allow elections, but just like russia they are sham elections. So dont expect too much from the midterms.

      • Basic Glitch@sh.itjust.works
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        5 days ago

        Well I guess it depends on what kind of wacky changes are made to voting laws beforehand.

        One of the things that stuck out most to me from Alexi Navalny’s memoir was when he said people in Russia learned to show up in big numbers on voting days expressing very public support for a candidate, bc it makes it harder to convincingly steal an election.

    • azimir@lemmy.ml
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      5 days ago

      Too late. We’re already off to Germany. Not necessarily the best move, but it’s at least free for a while.

      • bss03@infosec.pub
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        5 days ago

        Could you clarify how that applies here?

        I’m aware that you shouldn’t continue an action/behavior that will be bad for you, just because you already spent resources (the “sunk cost”) on it. But, I’m not sure exactly how that applies here. At least I believe the request to “stick it out until the midterms” comes from a belief that voting in the midterms will bring a benefit to the individual and the collective.

        • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          These guys should not have to sacrifice their careers and their mental health for these sinking states and help “save” the state when even the Democratic leadership abandons these states and with the current leadership that won’t GTFO, they’ll abandon them and the state if there’s even a whiff of it might be hard.

          If they get the opportunity to better themselves, they should take it and not pass it up for some redemption arc.

          My two cents of a person who abandoned a Red State life.

          • bss03@infosec.pub
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            5 days ago

            I still think you misused the “Sunken Cost Fallacy”.

            But, I agree that it’s not some sort of moral imperative to stay. That decision depends on so many factors, not the least of which is how much you actually believe the midterms will occur and have any positive impact.

          • Soggy@lemmy.world
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            5 days ago

            Somebody needs to fight for them, else it guarantees we’ll be fighting against them.