Via Twitter (and one of the co-investigators), a survey about mental health for graduate students and postdocs:
Dear Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows:
All Master's and PhD students and postdoctoral fellows from all disciplines are invited to participate in a research study that aims to measure the prevalence of anxiety, depression, stress, and burnout in the graduate student and postdoctoral fellow population. Through this study, you will be asked to confidentially respond to a series of questions via an online study questionnaire. Although you may not get immediate personal benefit from taking part in this research study, your responses may help improve the level of understanding of these issues in this population and thus help establish the need for developing programs and resources to address these measured issues. All participants will be entered into a drawing for the chance to win one of several prizes including an iPad, Kindle, or a gift card ranging in value from $25-$100.Interested? The survey is here.
Of course, you have a choice about whether or not to complete the questionnaire. If you do participate, you are free to skip any questions or discontinue at any time. If you desire, you may receive the results of this study when it is completed.
I looked over the survey to see how they would assure that only grad students/postdocs filled it out. Discovered that there's nowhere to put your e-mail at all. That's fine for the anonymity, but it pretty much guarantees that whatever gift card they're offering is BS, unless they're tracking your IP address (even more disconcerting).
ReplyDeleteOnce you hit Submit on the survey you're taken to a page where you can submit your name & email address for the prize draw. I just took the survey.
DeleteWhich... is the usual way these things work.
DeleteWhy pretend to care about something (mental health of graduate students and postdocs) they have no intention to fix? The tendency to express fake concern and appear to be busy with creating fake solutions is one of the most repulsive part of academia.
ReplyDeleteNothing happens in academia unless there is money, or the potential for money behind it. My guess: its preliminary studies for some kind of grant application, or some regulation that needs to be fulfilled because the school was threatened by some govt agency.
DeleteI couldn't have said it better myself! Once in a while there's a high-profile incident like Jason Altom that leads to temporary displays of concern, but nothing ever really changes.
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ReplyDeleteIt's supposed to be there. Look it up.
DeleteThank you for shaming me. -1 to me.
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