[saywhatmfa]

a high-ranking professor in Wichita State University's MFA has a history of drugging women's drinks.

The fuck??

[saywhatmfa]

A professor at Ohio University is known to be fucked up toward women

I’m not surprised and I’ve heard that many many times from several people. 

[saywhatmfa]

University of New Hampshire is struggling with funding, which may be because the state of NH doesn't put much $ into public ed. I was accepted but was put on a waitlist for a half-tuition scholarship; I was told that only 2nd year students can can get full funding right now. I declined the offer, but was told funding may be better next year.

[saywhatmfa]

Anybody deal with/hear about some sexual harassment at Portland State in the past few years?

Help a MFAer out. Does anyone know? Inbox me. 

[saywhatmfa]

UVA

Update: John Casey has been suspended from UVA pending investigation. There are now 5 title IX complaints.

[saywhatmfa]

"The University of Virginia is investigating two complaints that an English professor sexually harassed female students in the school’s creative writing program, according to a U-Va. document, with one recent graduate alleging that the award-winning writer inappropriately touched students on their shoulders, buttocks and lower backs and subjected them to unwanted and sometimes crude sexual comments. The professor, John Casey, author of the 1989 novel “Spartina,” is a longtime member of the faculty at the public university in Charlottesville."

[saywhatmfa]

LSU students, anyone else want to weigh in?

[saywhatmfa]

BRING. THEM. ALL. DOWN.

[saywhatmfa]

Charlottesville/UVA

Our hearts go out to the folks in Charlottesville who stood against hate, bigotry, and fascism. Our hearts go out to Heather Heyer and her family. Our hearts go out to students at UVA, especially new students, who are heading to classes soon and may be wondering what kind of town they now live in. Sending so much love.

[saywhatmfa]

All the tea, none of the names. It wouldn’t be fair to attack someone without letting them defend themselves so all names will be stripped. If you send me a message saying “Professor John Doe at Mars University is xenophobic,” it’ll be posted as “Professor _____ at Mars University is xenophobic.” Your name (should you include it) will also be stripped.

Not sure if there was supposed to be something else with this copy and paste but...yeah? If someone named names elsewhere (like in another Tumblr post or article) I can't strip that. Might have missed a couple too if they were general comments. I don't post the long-ass rants about specific people though. In general I try to ask myself, "is this something important a potential student should know?" [insert appeal to my humanity here]

[saywhatmfa]

Someone compiled all the POC faculty at different schools. The info is based on the program websites so it *might* be outdated, but people can send (and have been sending!) updates. Thank you to whoever put this together.

[saywhatmfa]

here is the Route Nine link about UMass: htt p://route9litmag. com/post/104412514724/ dear-u mass-mfa

[saywhatmfa]

Claire Zhuang’s Letter

“I’m asking the program to think about what they really mean when ‘diversity’ is used. To me, diversity has become a neoliberal concept and a handy concealer to excuse the lack of any real engagement with identity differences (Urciuoli 2009). It promotes tokenization at the expense of students with marginalized identities because it asks us to participate in a structure and environment that does not care about us. We are asked to participate because it makes the institution look good, while the institution continues to perpetuate systems of domination and erasure.” Everyone needs to read this.  http://www.ethosreview.org/intellectual-spaces/a-parting-letter-to-my-mfa-program/

[saywhatmfa]

I can absolutely corroborate that the UMass MFA faculty and culture are racist!! There's a lengthy firsthand account at the Route Nine Tumblr (I can't post links in questions) about classmates calling a student of color's narrator "aggressive" and other busted behavior on the part of students and faculty. and IMO, their program isn't supportive and at the same time isn't rigorous...

I haven’t seen anything on the Route Nine tumblr. To get around the links thing, just send it with a ton of spaces in between in a separate ask and I’ll verify it. 

[saywhatmfa]

idk if you're into this type of tea, but I've heard the Wyoming MFA is in serious financial trouble. They just cancelled a long-standing agreement with Joy Williams for her to work on thesis committees, and I have been told the status of funded MFA spots is tenuous at best. full disclosure: this is second-hand info (outside of the Joy Williams stuff, which is easily verified).

Ouch. And Trump is not going to make things better for anyone. 

[saywhatmfa]

Reminder

Since the 2017-2018 application season is gearing up and we have new folks coming through, I want to remind everyone that all of these posts are to be taken with a grain of salt. People’s experiences are just that; THEIR experiences. It’s possible you’ll have different ones at the same programs. But hopefully these posts give you something to think (AND ASK YOUR POTENTIAL PROGRAMS) about. 

[saywhatmfa]

Notre Dame MFA program has allowed men under Title IX violations to read for 2nd year in a row, without any consideration of women complainants.