A Random Pet Peeve

...or why I occasionally want to slap university acquaintances.

It's a little thing, but I have recently noticed that several specific people I deal with, from time to time, have begun improperly using the title (hm -- I guess you'd call it a title...?) "PhD Candidate." It annoys me. For Realz.

Here's the thing --- to be a "PhD Candidate" means that you have completed your course work, passed your written exams, flown by your orals, and have been moved (happily) into the realm of "she who writes the dissertation." It's a lonely place to live, so trust me - the little recognitions really matter.

And I'm not pulling this general understanding out of thin air, really. My friend Rochelle agrees, and to top it all, she reminded me that I have proof.


Dear Ms. Souder,

Your departmental chairman has notified this office that you have successfully completed your doctoral qualifying examinations. Consequently, we are now able to certify your Admission to Candidacy for the Doctorate in Rhetoric as of September 8, 2006.

According to our records, you must complete your work for receipt of the degree by December 2014.

Congratulations upon this attainment, and best wishes to you for the successful completion of your research and dissertation.

Sincerely Yours,
Dean Greatness
Dean of the Graduate School


Proof, right? Now, let me be clear, I don't REALLY want to smack anyone --- but every time someone uses (misuses) "Ph.D. Candidate," I outwardly cringe, and then I die a little on the inside.

But, I exaggerate.

Mostly.

While I may be perfectly willing to accept that different universities have different requirements for "candidacy," this one does not. So, if you misuse this title, but you don't attend MY university, I'll cut you some slack. You have an excuse: YOU DON'T GO HERE.

But said acquaintance does. No excuse. Ignorance about the very program of which he is a part is simply unacceptable at this point. And every time you refer to yourself as a "candidate," it demeans all the work those of us who ARE Ph.D. Candidates have done.

But, since I am a Doctoral Candidate of Rhetoric, let's take a few moments and deconstruct said acquaintances' misuse of this particular phrase (I write "particular," because I have noted that these same people misuse other aspects of our academic life as well - ie: most of these colleagues allow students - unchecked - to refer to him/her/other as "Dr. Acquaintance" and all students call him/her/other "Professors." Grrrrrr).

I'll be informally analyzing this from a cultural perspective (one that is only loosely based in traditional rhetorical analysis -- but that finds it home more comfortably entrenched in the "Bitter and Sarcastic" School of 2007)

1. Dr. Acquaintances are usually OLDER (or much, much younger than our program's average age)

2. Dr. Acquaintances are often MALE (though this morning's mis-step was by a female colleague)

3. Dr. Acquaintances are ego-maniacs who like to remind the rest of us about their "real" life -- A LOT

4. Traditionally, candidates at this stage in our department have disappeared to the job search -- and so no one who actively USED the moniker "Ph.D. Candidate" was even around -- not sending out emails, printing business cards, etc...

5. Dr. Acquaintances like to think they are superior to the rest of us (likely because of self-esteem issues, I admit; but still --- annoying), so I imagine that Dr. Acquaintances say to themselves, "Hey! 'SO and SO' are both 'Doctoral Candidates,' so I must be too!" (JEEZ.)

Viola! Ultimately superior Dr. Acquaintances are now responsible for spreading incorrect information on a subject about which they have not really given any serious thought.

I know -- it's a stupid thing that annoys me. It ain't the war in Iraq, but It's my life, and for better or worse, it's the sort of non sequitur, in any given day, that makes me crazy.

Whew. I feel better now, dear WWW. Thanks...

DONNA