ArchPundit

Gilbert Jimenez

State university employees began the training in September. According to the state ethics Web site, it should have taken them “no more than one hour” to read the materials. There is no warning that employees must spend a minimum amount of time on it.

Those who finished too fast received letters from the state and the university.

“Contrary to instructions, you appear to have failed to carefully read and review the subject matter contained in the program’s introduction and three lessons,” according to the state’s letter to Zeman.

The letter also instructs employees to sign a statement acknowledging that future failure to complete the training “on a timely basis” will result in disciplinary action “up to including termination.”

Zeman, president of SIU’s Faculty Association, said he is refusing to sign the letter and encouraging other faculty members not to sign. The faculty union has filed a grievance against the university.

“Imagine what would happen to me if I failed a student because he was too quickly doing an exam. I would probably be fired,” said SIU math professor Walter Wallis, who also has to redo the ethics training after completing it in about seven minutes. “The whole thing is kind of absurd. Most of us did what is essentially the same thing, with the same training, a year earlier. Are we supposed to have forgotten it all?”

Jimenez, however, said that this year’s training included updated lessons pertinent to an election year, including a warning that employees only could engage in political activity during half of their one-hour lunch break. The other half is state-paid time when they are prohibited from doing political work.

“The reality is that somebody who works an 8-hour day all year long works 2,080 hours a year,” Jimenez said. “It does not seem unreasonable to expect state employees to take 30 minutes out of their busy work year to complete the ethics training.”

I know several professors at SIU. None of them work 2,080 hours a year. They work many more if they are still trying to get tenure and even after that most do as well.

Trying to argue with people who deal with curriculum for a living that they did not spend enough time on a ‘test’ is one sign that you are a moron. A big one.

If someone can pass your test without taking the time you think they should, the problem isn’t the test taker, it’s the person giving the test. Tests can do many things, but in this case the relevant point of the test appears to be that state employees should be able to demonstrate an adequate understanding of state ethical guidelines. If passing the test does not do that adequately by itself, then why is the test given?

You, Mr. Jimenez are wasting the valuable time of state employees and thus, the tax dollars of every citizen in Illinois. Congratulations.

Moron.