November 2020
Letter from the Editor
By Michael Devetsikiotis, University of New Mexico
Dear ECEDHA family and friends,
We are heading towards the last part of this very memorable semester. As we are (sort of) settling in our new routines, there are still several points of friction as we see every day in the news.
First, our main constituents, namely our students, find themselves drawn in different directions: return to school but don’t socialize; go to classes but don’t linger in common areas; pay full tuition but receive mostly online instruction through Zoom; and so forth.
So, I am writing here in sympathy to our students, and mostly to draw our attention as ECE Chairs to some tensions with not-so-obvious answers: A perfect example is the debate about exams, real-time in person versus online, or take-home. Even in articles at liberal, learned venues like the New York Times, students are feared to be ready to cheat, copy and circumvent rules at the first opportunity.
However, the other side of the argument calls our attention to the students’ aversion to intrusive, privacy-violating proctoring software, which supposedly detects cheating behavior but does so at the expense of accessing cameras and operating system permissions on the students’ computers.
We shouldn’t lose much by giving trust and honor-pledging a chance. A more inclusive, trusting attitude instead of rigid policing could help with student buy-in and allow workable outcomes regarding exams, but also regarding socializing and other behaviors that are crucial during the pandemic.
And then, I wanted to mention our “soldiers” in this fight, our faculty whose dedication – including ourselves – we often take for granted. Faculty are expected to serve, take it all like grown-ups with no hesitations, fears or second thoughts. A glance in the news will tell you that there is tension under the surface, often aligned with political divisions: some schools shut down and make faculty teach from home regardless, and other schools are leaning on faculty (or even issue orders) to have them teach in person. Typically, little is said about faculty feelings, isolation, and personal concerns.
Overall, my point in these thoughts is not to rush to judgement and to avoid our typical resorting to “pure reason” and to correctness. And not assume the worst about people’s intentions but allow for the possibility of different viewpoints. At this time of division, we benefit from accepting cultural differences and personal attitudes in good faith. Similar to responsible socializing and to honoring one’s word in take-home exams, I believe we have to let go of absolute, principled adherence to disciplinarian rules and be ready to have more faith. In the stoic words of the Mandalorian: “This is the Way!”
In this vein we continue our effort to bring meaningful and impactful stories to the ECEDHA community. So, in this issue we bring pieces from faculty and students alike. To begin, we are hosting a piece by Manel Martinez-Ramon on unionizing faculty members at the University of New Mexico. We also have a student perspective piece from Katie Brinker, who is currently pursuing her PhD at Iowa State and serving as an IEEE-HKN student leader in the midst of COVID. Lastly, we highlight the ECE Next Program at the University of Texas at Austin, which was created to address issues aimed at recruiting and retaining women, Black, and Hispanic (WBH) students in ECE programs.
Have a great month and stay safe!
Michael Devetsikiotis
Professor and Chair, Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of New Mexico
Email: mdevets@unm.edu