Be a whistleblower or not?

[Mouse_Maven]

@The Cocky Watchman

You need to take action at the heart of what is actually wrong here, in that the department’s champion has gone, and left a big vacuum behind that is currently been filled by someone who sounds like he has no interest in the welfare of the previous research groups, or even the department for that matter. Its ironic to me that you’re focussing all of your outrage on this Dr H character, when it sounds to me that its DH who should be getting a piece of your mind (Dr H is just your typical garden variety vulture, found in universities the world over, who moves in when a big research group leaves town).

Dr. H is based out of the building my department is in. I focus on him because I see and hear what he does. There are other people involved, the Medical School regents specifically, but I don’t have any contact with them. The Regents are the ones that decide to take back the funding they gave to the department when the DH was still around.

I don’t know any of the facts, so I should refrain from preaching what’s what, but DH has an obligation to the welfare of his researchers. He cannot just hit the road and forget about everybody. He would seem to be the obvious voice to represent your situation. THe bottom line, though, is that if a department is such a one-man band that the whole thing turns to ratshit once the circus leaves town, then there is nothing you can do. Either get involved in the new regime or hit the road yourself.

Why didn’t you move with DH, if you don’t mind me asking?

DH shirked his responsiblity. Its not unusual, it has happened here before. These “great minds” get a lot of help from their junior researchers and support staff, its sad to see these folks get the shaft when they move on. Not unusual in any field, academic or business. Still sad and frustrating.

As Flutterby said, DH was moving to northern Canada from Colorado. Much to his surprise, many of us decided not to join him. We have families here and many students moved once already to work with DH, moving again was not financially fesable for them. In my case, Mouse_Spouse makes more money than I do. As much as I enjoy my work, moving was not worth the loss in pay. (If we move anywhere, it will be to San Jose where Spouse’s work is based.)

I took Captain_C’s advise and asked the grad students, post-docs and junior researchers about how they’d feel if we told someone outside of the Med School about our situation. They did not like the idea. Their worry is that the U is like a dysfunctional family: they’ll make nice to the outside world and beat our ass once the attention has passed.

My boss has been out of the lab for months. Without a direction to work in, I have nothing to do. He’s still paying me, so I’ll burn up some vacation and sick time (saving some for maternity leave) until he decides what he’s going to do. I won’t be surprised if he annouces he’s quitting research to be a full-time clinician.

[Busy_Scissors]

Sorry to hear about the situation. The mobility of academics can really decimate research groups - Colorado to Northern Canada is quite a move. It sounds like you made the right decision taking a sounding from the researchers.

On the first day of my postdoc, the boss said - ‘Listen cocky, its great to meet you, but don’t rent anywhere in Philadelphia - I might be moving to Northwestern in Chicago’. It was no big deal for me - I had just arrived from the UK, but family guys in the group were tearing their hair out.

[Quartz]

Blow the whistle. Society works because sufficient people are willing to take a possible short-term hit for the long-term gain.

Besides which, you are shortly going to have a job vastly more important than any paid employment.

[Tuckerfan]

@Mouse_Maven

Is all academics this bad, or is this just this place?

Just there, AKAIK. I know folks who hold similar positions at umis here, and they don’t have any of the problems you’ve described.