Myth: academics make bank flying around giving talks.

Reality: prestigious university invites me out. I fly across the country and speak free. I front the cost and submit for reimbursement. First they lose the paperwork. Then they reject it because of a digital signatures. Now, six months later, they reject it again, because the receipt does not show the last four digits of my credit card so they don’t know if I actually bought the ticket.

They heard me talk. How did they think I got there?

@ct_bergstrom
Time for academics to start insisting on remote talks: for climate, for the time and fatigue of traveling, for time fighting the paperwork, for covid exposure.