EDIT:

Wow! I did not expect this level of response. A small detail that forgot to mention: during the meeting, everyone was referring to each other by their first names. Other people also referred to her by her first name. Now I don’t know if she talked to those people individually after – She really just B lined straight to me after the meeting. And of course, I refer to her by the name that she requests but for me, I felt a little grappled into a lesser position because I don’t have the same academic qualifications as she does. Despite my degree being terminal in my field. Despite my accomplishments in my field which tends to be lesser understood by other fields.

Particularly given how this committee we are meant to discuss and debate curriculum, I feel like now my voice – my credentials – are going to be diminished because I have to refer to this person as doctor. So there is a flex of hierarchy and power in the room because I have to refer to her as doctor, which implies a more robust understanding than me. If there is any discussion or difference of opinion I am speaking from a place as a student would be, denoting her academic credentials as opposed to mine. in a way, I’d become a student around her as opposed to a colleague. And that’s my issue.

But I would refer to her as whatever she wants because at the end of day, I have bigger fish to fry.

Hey -

So I need to know if I am the drama or if what just happened is actually an issue. I am a recent TT hire at a fairly large university. This is my first full teaching position after some years of industry work and adjunct teaching.

I teach in the fine arts and hold an MFA, which is a terminal degree for my field. I have kept fairly busy in my department throughout the year, participating in some new faculty meet-and-greets and the like. I mention this because I haven't had too much interaction with other, younger faculty (I am in my earlyish 30s).

I was put on a curriculum committee; we debate and approve new courses and the like. I am one of two people in the arts (the other is a music professor with a DMA).

We had our first "premeeting" after the spring semester. We all, regardless of what three letters come after our surname, refer to each other by our first names. One other new faculty member a bit older than me in the sciences pulled me aside after, and she asked me to refer to her as Dr.______. I thought it was a joke and, in my awkwardness, responded that I would like to be referred to as Mr. ______ .

She did not find it funny, as she was 100% serious. She complained, and I had a meeting with the committee chair, which was just one long sigh. They said I needed to figure out how to get along with the other members, or it would be a long next year.

Is this normal? Did I start a war with the chemistry department? I am a bit nervous about talking to my department about it if I make an academic faux pas.