Beware Northwestern University

[NotWesternUniversity]

Northwestern Chemistry is hosting recruiting events shortly and I think it is imperative that prospective students are aware of issues within the department before they decide where they will attend. During recruiting events, students are typically under a lot of pressure from their advisors to recruit students. Some faculty even threaten to prevent their current students from graduating if they do not recruit enough new students. This means that students will generally only provide the positive aspects of their group or PI, or outright lie. This year especially Northwestern Chemistry has limited graduate student interactions with prospective students (kept many students from participating) to the point that they don’t have enough volunteers to keep the process moving smoothly. The following is a list of issues that I have heard in the Northwestern Chemistry community.

 

Northwestern does not provide additional stipend to those with outside funding like NSF fellowship. Competing universities provide this additional funding. In addition, despite making substantial gains to the endowment, the stipend has not increased to match inflation. In a recent meeting with the department, the department Chair asked if anyone had questions then ignored students who clearly raised their hands and did not take any questions at all. The general disrespect for the time, happiness, safety, and dignity of the graduate students is clear both from the departmental level and from the professors. 

 

Professors frequently lie to prospective students about their funding situation. During recruiting events, professors often tell students that they will be funded as a research assistant if they were to join their labs. After joining, students will be forced to teach every quarter. In addition, multiple students were forced out of the program recently because their professor didn’t try to reapply for the grant they were working on. 

 

Some professors lie about expected graduation times or expectations. There are numerous faculty that have been known to keep students for about or greater than 7 years. Sometimes this can be viewed on their respective website, however some professors have not updated their website in several years. There are numerous examples of students having their PI sign agreements regarding graduation requirements due to the constant shifting of goal posts and unenforceable verbal agreements.

 

Policies involving bullying, sexual harassment, racism, sexism, retaliation or civility are not enforced on faculty. This has resulted in numerous lawsuits against Northwestern University. Northwestern’s response to these issues has been to deny, downplay, and dismiss.

 

During a visit weekend in 2018, an intoxicated faculty member began to inappropriately touch prospective female students in front of a large number of witnesses. Despite numerous complaints to the chemistry department chair, no investigation was conducted, and their only action was removing alcohol from visit weekend events. Practically no students have joined this professor's lab as a result of this behavior. Prior to this incident, there were numerous allegations that this faculty member groped students at his house parties, Northwestern responded by banning him from hosting parties at his residence. 

 

Faculty members frequently retaliate by kicking out students when they raise complaints or engage in protected activities. A student in one particular lab complained about lab safety to ORS and OSHA. When investigated, it was found that the lab had numerous mercury spills which were so severe Northwestern hired a third party to clean it. Shock-sensitive explosive crystalline peroxides were simply pushed to the back of fume hoods that are frequently in use. Our waste management contractors picked up the bottles wearing full kevlar suits. Immediately following this, the professor in charge of the lab removed a student who he believed made the complaint.

 

Northwestern has recently had numerous severe laboratory safety incidents, such as, a fire that left a student in a burn ward for a month (https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2020/09/07/northwestern-grad-student-injured-in-fire-brought-on-by-lab-accident/). A few years ago, a janitor was severely injured handling glass waste containers, prompting the Chemistry department to opt for open 5 gallon buckets instead of closed cardboard glass waste containers, for glass waste disposal, increasing the risk of students lacerating themselves on the waste containers

 

There are two types of professors at Northwestern, those that yell, scream and gaslight, and those that do not care or do anything. Some professors frequently yell at students in their offices, it’s not uncommon to see distressed students coming out of meeting rooms or professor’s offices. Some faculty are unable to retain students, there are examples of professors with under 5 lab members due to their conduct. 

 

 

[jtn_11]

On 3/15/2022 at 9:15 PM, NotWesternUniversity said:

Northwestern Chemistry is hosting recruiting events shortly and I think it is imperative that prospective students are aware of issues within the department before they decide where they will attend. During recruiting events, students are typically under a lot of pressure from their advisors to recruit students. Some faculty even threaten to prevent their current students from graduating if they do not recruit enough new students. This means that students will generally only provide the positive aspects of their group or PI, or outright lie. This year especially Northwestern Chemistry has limited graduate student interactions with prospective students (kept many students from participating) to the point that they don’t have enough volunteers to keep the process moving smoothly. The following is a list of issues that I have heard in the Northwestern Chemistry community.

 

Northwestern does not provide additional stipend to those with outside funding like NSF fellowship. Competing universities provide this additional funding. In addition, despite making substantial gains to the endowment, the stipend has not increased to match inflation. In a recent meeting with the department, the department Chair asked if anyone had questions then ignored students who clearly raised their hands and did not take any questions at all. The general disrespect for the time, happiness, safety, and dignity of the graduate students is clear both from the departmental level and from the professors. 

 

Professors frequently lie to prospective students about their funding situation. During recruiting events, professors often tell students that they will be funded as a research assistant if they were to join their labs. After joining, students will be forced to teach every quarter. In addition, multiple students were forced out of the program recently because their professor didn’t try to reapply for the grant they were working on. 

 

Some professors lie about expected graduation times or expectations. There are numerous faculty that have been known to keep students for about or greater than 7 years. Sometimes this can be viewed on their respective website, however some professors have not updated their website in several years. There are numerous examples of students having their PI sign agreements regarding graduation requirements due to the constant shifting of goal posts and unenforceable verbal agreements.

 

Policies involving bullying, sexual harassment, racism, sexism, retaliation or civility are not enforced on faculty. This has resulted in numerous lawsuits against Northwestern University. Northwestern’s response to these issues has been to deny, downplay, and dismiss.

 

During a visit weekend in 2018, an intoxicated faculty member began to inappropriately touch prospective female students in front of a large number of witnesses. Despite numerous complaints to the chemistry department chair, no investigation was conducted, and their only action was removing alcohol from visit weekend events. Practically no students have joined this professor's lab as a result of this behavior. Prior to this incident, there were numerous allegations that this faculty member groped students at his house parties, Northwestern responded by banning him from hosting parties at his residence. 

 

Faculty members frequently retaliate by kicking out students when they raise complaints or engage in protected activities. A student in one particular lab complained about lab safety to ORS and OSHA. When investigated, it was found that the lab had numerous mercury spills which were so severe Northwestern hired a third party to clean it. Shock-sensitive explosive crystalline peroxides were simply pushed to the back of fume hoods that are frequently in use. Our waste management contractors picked up the bottles wearing full kevlar suits. Immediately following this, the professor in charge of the lab removed a student who he believed made the complaint.

 

Northwestern has recently had numerous severe laboratory safety incidents, such as, a fire that left a student in a burn ward for a month (https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2020/09/07/northwestern-grad-student-injured-in-fire-brought-on-by-lab-accident/). A few years ago, a janitor was severely injured handling glass waste containers, prompting the Chemistry department to opt for open 5 gallon buckets instead of closed cardboard glass waste containers, for glass waste disposal, increasing the risk of students lacerating themselves on the waste containers

 

There are two types of professors at Northwestern, those that yell, scream and gaslight, and those that do not care or do anything. Some professors frequently yell at students in their offices, it’s not uncommon to see distressed students coming out of meeting rooms or professor’s offices. Some faculty are unable to retain students, there are examples of professors with under 5 lab members due to their conduct. 

 

 

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