Crowdfunding: Trial by Error [David Tuller] Reporting on ME, CFS, ME/CFS, "medically unexplained symptoms," and related stuff, Spring 2021

Just donated, big fan of your work. Can I ask a really basic / potentially silly question -- why does this work require crowdfunding? UC Berkeley is happy to support this project, but can't do so financially?

 

Not a silly question! I see you're from SF. Basically, the UC system is always strapped for funds and the legislature is always cutting back. Many more academics employed in the system, including at Berkeley's School of Public Health, are supported by grants and big gifts--"soft" funding--than are on "hard" funding--essentially, from the state and UC's own cash. Tenured and tenure-track faculty don't need to bring in money to cover their salaries. Other academics do. Most bring in big gifts and grants. I'm the only one that I know who does it through crowdfunding, because there are no big gifts or grants to cover what I'm doing.

So yes--I have support from my department and my faculty colleagues, so that's critical. I could not have done this if I had come to Berkeley with a proposal to create a position based on crowdfunding. I've had a position at Berkeley for a dozen years. It just became unfunded when grant money ended. So all I really did was switch the source of my funding--from bigger annual gifts to crowdfunding. I started this project on my own, and it was unrelated to my Berkeley work. When funding for my previous work ran out, I began the crowdfunding based on my dean's suggestion--he knew about my "Trial By Error" side project--as a way to maintain my position.

Now I just have different responsibilities than I did before. This project is my only responsibility--before I was teaching, advising students, etc, which I miss a lot. But Berkeley across the board has cut back on teaching by non-tenured faculty wherever possible as a cost-saving measure. I was lucky I had another project going on already that I could turn into my official university work, since I'd only been able to spend time on the project in the first place because I had an academic position that allowed me enough free time to pursue it.

 

$9,302, which is 15% of total

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/25504

 

Done

 

Up to 20% of the total now!
https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/25504

 

Ha, no prospect. I mean, I'm 64. I'm at the age they probably want to start nudging you out if you do have tenure to create room for younger people. I miss teaching but I have no interest teaching by zoom anyway, so I haven't missed anything the last year.

 

23% raised, $13,884 of $60,000

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/25504

 

Via e-mail:

Trial by Error Fall 2020 Project Update: UPDATE: Trial By Error Crowdfunding April 2021

Hi, everyone--So far, Berkeley's April crowdfunding campaign to support Trial By Error is just shy of 30% of the goal, with more than 230 donations.

The funds will cover my academic position at the Center for Global Public Health from July through December of this year.

--- [End of quote] ---


@dave30th , not sure how understandable the wording of my question posted here was, and anyway, it maybe just is too complicated to do, but:

It would be great if the text on the crowdfunding site could include the links to the (recent) articles and papers mentioned.

Thanks for your work -- and looking forward to:

 

Yes agreed. For a moment I thought someone had made a massive donation, which if someone did not realise, they could mistakenly think there is no need to donate further as the target has already been hit.

 

The template isn't great. For example, it doesn't allow me to take all previous donors and send a current update. The update headline is always for the past crowdfunder. And so on. Maybe I should add newer links to the actual appeal itself. Good idea.

 

Done.

 

i always get reminders and other emails from berkley which i do not mind considering some very interesting work that goes on there . so i was an early donator this time around . grateful for the work that you do .

 

Some people really get bugged by this. I wish they didn't send the e-mails after the crowdfunding period.

 

Done. I will keep doing so whilst I can, too
I am so grateful to David Tuller for his long time, awesome and intelligent effort in getting all this rubbish from the BPS crowd out there and challenged. Many thanks DT.

 

$23,797, which is 39% of total

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/25504

 

$29,520, which is 49% of total

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/25504

 

Done.
Much appreciation @David Tuller

 

Done, yes really appreciate all your work!