Alanna Gillis, PhD

Jonathan I’m so sorry to hear that! I’ve had long covid for a few years now and definitely have memory loss from the worst months of it (two years ago). To me the worst part is the disorientation of never being sure if I am supposed to know something or someone.

So glad to hear it’s improving!

My students LOVED learning about the specific examples Jen found during class today about school choice. It was a nice concrete way to show how privatizing education results in financial mismanagement (charter schools) and ridiculous spending (ESAs). They were outraged at the audacity.

I’m teaching about vouchers and ESAs in my Soc of Ed class today and I’m totally going to share some of your terrible examples you’ve been finding!

Frantically finalizing my ASA submission today. It is absolutely not polished, has holes that need to be filled, but I’m so excited about how it’s coming together.

Here’s to hoping “Nonbinary/Trans on Greek Row: What is the Future of Gendered Boundaries in Greek Organizations?” finds its home 🤞

So true! I have another question that asks them to analyze current structures that impact racial inequality and the distinction between current and historical is definitely a social construct, haha

Nothing to make me feel old like 25% of my intro students choosing to write about the 2020 killing of George Floyd as their answer to this question: "Explain a HISTORICAL event or structure whose legacy contributes to present day racial inequality."

It’s important to realize that this only refers to rescinding the Dear Colleague letter. Many other anti DEI bans are in place at the national and state level.

But this shows why it is important to not comply as if it is inevitable. We must resist, organize, and support lawsuits.

Any sociologist have inside scoop about when the SSS preliminary schedule will be released? Don’t want to book travel until I know when some key to me things will be.

Knowledge is power. When the state acts to prevent its people from gaining knowledge, it is an act designed to keep them submissive and subordinate to maintain the current power structure.

Great article!

Fancy looking wood tables, two story wooden adornments and a large stain glass window with the university logo SLU

Red stone building with surrounding area covered in white snow

This semester my book proposal and sample chapter are a priority. Joined a small writing group with a few other women faculty, 3/4 of us working on our first books. Picked the fanciest space on campus to signal this is protected writing time and we can do it.

***Piloting New Component in This Course*** Part 3: Determining The Weights of Your Participation Grade There are 8 components of your participation assessment. Please decide what percentage you want each component to count toward your final participation grade. Each component must be a minimum of 5%, but otherwise the weighting is up to you. • Attendance/Tardiness: ___% • Preparation for Class: ___% • Participation in Small Group Discussions: ___% • Participation in Full Class Discussions: ___% • Appropriate Use of Technology: ___% • Participation in CBL Placement: ___% • Participation in Other Ways: ___% Your weights must add up to 100%.

A lot of people use my participation system, and the most ?'s I get are around determining the grade. I love tweaking things in my teaching to see if I can improve them. Grade will still be proposed by student but trying to create a more structured way for them to calculate it.

Screenshot of slide reading: Creating a DEI Seminar in an Anti-DEI Climate, Dr. Alanna Gillis, Assistant Professor of Sociology

My new DEI in Higher Education undergrad seminar was probably my favorite course I've ever taught. Thankful to work at an institution that allows me to do so and excited to share with colleagues about my experience with a short talk in January!

This feels like a real life version of The Farm (fiction book) except somehow even worse. Horrifying

Exactly! If there is any crisis about whether the right number of students are getting accommodations it is that there are many students who can’t get formally diagnosed to qualify, not too many who are faking it.

Colleges Don’t “Over-Accommodate” Disabilities (opinion) A certain genre of articles skeptical of higher ed’s disability accommodation process fuels attacks on civil rights.

Link to opinion article by Chris Parthemos and @svyantek.bsky.social
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

At my college, we've seen a significant rise in students with disabilities. Why? The number with learning and physical disabilities have stayed the same. What has changed is that students with mental health conditions are finally getting the accommodations they need too.

Screenshot of article reading "No, Colleges Do Not 'Over-Accommodate'". A certain genre of articles skeptical of higher ed's disability accommodation process fuels attacks on civil rights. Picture of blocks reading ADA next to books with a stethoscope.

Finally a disability in college article I can get behind! Accommodations are created because we structure our courses in ways that systematically deny students with certain disabilities equal access to an education. Accommodations (incompletely) try to make up that difference.

Taught about FAFSA and financial aid in soc of ed today. It appears the biggest takeaway was that they should get married to no longer be dependents and save $$$.

Not a learning objectives, but they’re not wrong. Some of the ??’s brought some needed levity to the subject.

Hehe thank you! I was shocked I could make than homemade gf pie look even remotely like my mental picture of it. But it was a very fun way to share my good news 🤩

Haha I now understand why people usually spell things on cakes not pies if they want to announce something to the world via dessert. I couldn’t figure out a way to make it obvious and just embraced the laugh as people tried to figure it out 😂

Thank you! (And I am very proud of my pie, as it was all handmade and gluten free with legible letters!)

Apple pie with word “tenured!” written out plus a university shield with the letters SLU

I’m thankful for many things this year, but I’m most thankful for news I got a week ago… I’m getting tenure!!!

Absolutely. When I am learning a new stitch or have to put a lot of thought into what comes next, sometimes I have to put it off for days or weeks to prevent PEM. I sometimes will have multiple crochet projects at a time, and I can choose the higher or lower energy project depending on my symptoms.

The Morning Coffee Cardigan - Evelyn And Peter Crochet The Morning Coffee Cardigan is a beginner friendly FREE crochet pattern by EvelynAndPeter! This pattern Includes sizes XS-5X.

I’m 3 years in to long covid-sorry to hear you’re 5. It isn’t much more complex than a blanket. The two differences I found: having to be precise so it fits you and having to construct it. The cardigan pattern I followed crochets the back panel, the two front panels, and then joins them together.

For others suffering long covid, dysautonomia, me/cfs, etc, I have found crochet to be an awesome addition to my life. Helps me engage in rest without messing up my sleep cycle. Especially patterns that are very repetitive like this one (all half double crochet stitches).

Selfie of woman wearing striped cardigan in front of a classroom whiteboard

Striped cardigan with hidden inside pocket

I taught myself crochet when I was on medical leave from long covid, mostly bed bound and wondering whether I would ever work again. About 18 months back to work and I’m wearing my first ever wearable crochet creation while teaching. So proud of my progress in lots of ways 🤩

My students came ready in Soc of Education today! Passionate and critical debates about my university’s initiatives to reduce party culture on campus, despite the 8:50 AM start time.

I love teaching Paying for the Party and pro tip: schedule this discussion around Halloween 👻

I allowed students to opt out of either or both classes if they didn’t feel they were in a place to attend. It was only because I’ve heard her be very critical of the system on numerous occasions that I trusted her to come in (unlike mine from grad school that just denied any inequality problems).

analyzing some overview information from the intro chapter and creating space to ask questions while just us. It’s an undergrad seminar of only 10 students who have been very critical yet supportive of each other all semester but sometimes asking ?’s I don’t know about our uni…