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How to have more fun with my female students?
It's a couple of years that I have moved to Europe and working here as a research group leader. In my home country in Latin America, we are much more relaxed in our interactions with each other and enjoy life to the fullest; that is, for example, flirting with female students and have fun is something common.
I have realized that people in Europe are much more strict and prude. How can I overcome this cultural difference and enjoy my time in Germany?

I removed a few comments and moved the others to chat. Please keep a civil tone in the discussion according to the Code of Conduct. Please read the post notice and this FAQ before posting another comment, and beware that we can only move comments to chat once.

Yes, you're right, there are different cultural norms at play here. Possibly right down to what is considered "flirting". Maybe I'm not the perfect person to answer this question, because I've only working in Germany briefly, but I want to jump in and answer it now, because I worry that it will get some quite aggressive reactions.
What is flirting?
For this question, it's really important to have a common understanding of what flirting is. In many parts of Europe, "flirting" is social iteration that indicates romantic and/or sexual interest in the person you are flirting with.
Now, it's infamously difficult to determine what is and isn't flirting. For example, I would say;

Smiling a lot, normal amount of eye-contact; not flirting
Smiling and more eye-contact than normal; maybe flirting
Asking a group of people "Would you all like to get coffee?"; not flirting
Asking one person "Would you like to get coffee?"; maybe flirting
Asking one person "Do you want to go salsa dancing with me?"; flirting
Saying "Nice nail polish"; not flirting
Saying "Nice legs"; flirting (and quite creepy, in most situations)

But I'm sure there will be people who would disagree with all those assessments. So it's fuzzy, there is a spectrum from "just friendly" to "very flirty" and it's likely location specific. I'm not trying to say that mine is the only correct labelling of these examples, just that we need to agree on one, in order to discuss this topic.
If you wouldn't interact that way with someone you aren't attracted to (for example, a straight man with another man), it's very likely flirting.
May I flirt with my students in Germany?
No, bad idea. Never do things that may "indicate romantic and/or sexual interest" with someone who is your junior, or with whom there is significant power imbalance. The principle here is that they may feel pressured to reciprocate your advances, or unable to set boundaries, for fear of retaliation.
One potential exception; if your junior flirts with you first, some would say it's acceptable to reciprocate. But only less than or equal to the amount they flirt. And, at the least hint of discomfort or disinterest, you need to stop. Other people would hold the line that flirting in either direction is bad behaviour.
You can still be friends
Just don't leave room for confusion in your actions.
Easiest way to clear up confusion is to suggest activities in groups. Invite all the students to coffee together. Ask everyone in the lab if they want to go for pizza. Organise a day-trip with everyone together. Day to day, it's normal to get lunch with a group of colleges, and chat over lunch.
If there is only you, and one other person in you're lab, find more people. Staff who do administrative work might be pleased to join you, or perhaps another lab/work group.
When the subject is strictly work, then one to one conversations and meetings are fine. If you want to be a little more cautious, you might consider leaving the door open when it's just you and one other person in a room.

Actually I'm not so certain that the OPs preferred actions wouldn't also be considered harassment or personal misconduct even in their own country. It sounds like clear coercion.

@Buffy while I suspect you're correct, I've never worked in Latin America, so I don't know what the written rules are, let alone how things go in practice. I think it's more productive to answer under the assumption that the OP knows more about academic culture Latin America than I do. Tbh, an answer from someone who had worked in Latin America, and somewhere in Europe would be way better.

@Buffy Also, at the time I answered, OP had not yet mentioned their authorship offer... Although I'd say that the authorship misconduct is less important than not flirting with students in general; sexual harassment is worse than academic misconduct.

Even if OP does not flirt with a particular student, that student might think flirting with OP (as a power figure) is the way to go. Perhaps because the student believes that flirting with power figures generally leads to other benefits; perhaps because the student observed (or even imagined) other students gain benefits from flirting with OP and wants those benefits too. This creates the same issues as if the OP had initiated the flirting, so “flirting in either direction is bad behaviour” seems to be the correct line here. Does anyone have a good argument to the contrary?

@BrianDrake Yes, it's possible that a junior flirting with their senior is looking for unearned credit, but it's also possible they are genuinely looking for a date. Given they are junior, this advance doesn't put their senior in quite such a sticky position. Maybe it's not a great idea, but people certainly do date people they work with, even across hierarchies. A PI and a PhD student might only be 5 years apart. I've seen that happen, and I cannot judge either of them too harshly for it.

@BrianDrake Of course, this particular OP likely doesn't have the social nuance to judge that situation correctly. They missed the mark in far more blatant ones. In the end, I wish OP had accepted the "get some help" answer, but I understand why they didn't. There is only so much advice a person will accept from an internet stranger.

@Clumsycat (1/2) Of course, OP can only accept answers that exist at the time (they can change their accepted answer later, but many OP’s, like this one, seem to disappear quickly), and might be more likely to accept answers that have high scores or otherwise look better. Hovering over the green tick should indicate when this answer was accepted, which I could compare with the times of other events.

(2/2) But in this case, hovering over the green tick says: “This answer has been accepted by Community on behalf of [generic username]. The original asker’s account is deactivated.” (without giving a time) I have no idea what that means, but I do know that this  answer is pinned to the top, despite not having the highest score (or even second highest score). What is going on?

@BrianDrake Originally it was accepted by OP, then OP deleted their account. Deleted accounts cannot cast votes, or accept answers.

@BrianDrake and both answers did exist at the time. People are more likely to accept answers that appear less accusatory. Indeed, they are better at accepting advice that doesn't cause them to lose face. It's really hard to tell someone they need to get professional help with their social interactions without embarrassing them. I'd try with a close friend maybe, but with a stranger, it's kind of impossible. My intent was to answer with as much of the truth as I thought I could get OP to listen to.

I agree with @BrianDrake, "flirting back" to a student who is or may be in future "under their power" (their subordinate, or someone whom OP may/is likely to have to examine) is plain inacceptable. It would accepting the student's flirtation would also be abuse of power, and run foul of anti-corruption rules like accepting gifts from a student.

I just want to correct your misconception here. Germans (and other Europeans) are not prude, stuck up or don't want to have fun. On the contrary. Most people here just don't perceive being on the receiving end of unwantend/inappropriate romantic or even sexual advances as "fun". They rather perceive that (rightfully so) as harrassment.

TL;DR: Get professional help.
Going by your description and comments (now moved to chat) on the issue, you likely have a serious issue with at least one of the following (or something related):

Judging how your communication is perceived.
Determining the personal boundaries of others.
Making appropriate decisions on interpersonal and ethical issues.
Controlling your impulses.

To give just one example, you described your own communication in a way that (going by your description) was sexual harassment and were not aware of this.
After many replies, you wrote that this was not intended seriously, but then neglecting this information would be a severe miscommunication on its own.
Furthermore, even jokingly saying something like this is a bad communication choice as it is not a matter to joke about and can have serious effects if the joke is not recognised as such.
Obviously, only a professional in direct conversation can judge whether the above applies and what exactly your issue is, so I will leave that to them. Cultural differences do not appear to be the root of this problem though they may exacerbate it.
Until you learn to overcome whatever the issue is with professional help, you need to keep your interactions with supervisees and co-workers on a purely professional level. Otherwise you risk to commit further errors of a similar nature, which may severely hurt others and further damage your career. Only after addressing these issues, you may be able to engage in non-professional and thus joyful interactions with colleagues again.
There are very likely professional services at your university that are bound by professional secrecy and can help you. Moreover, taking steps towards addressing these issues may count in your favour when the issues are investigated.

This answer could benefit from a summary of relevant comments by OP and an explanation (without relying on linked material not included in the answer) of why OP appears to have one of the issues on your list.

@BrianDrake: While I see your point to some extent, I need to balance it with not giving the impression of wanting to remote-diagnose the OP or trying to shame him. Also one of the points of the list is to emphasise that I do not know exactly what is going wrong here, but only that something is going wrong. The point of the answer is not to prove that the OP is suffering from one of these issues, neither to him nor anybody else. The point is to make the OP (and others in a similar situation) see that there is a problem on his side and he has to take steps to address it.

#metoo exists in Latin America as well, and it has shown that male superiors "flirting" with female subordinates is not welcome there either, regardless of whether it is more common. In other words, I think you're taking the wrong approach if you're trying to figure out how you can "import" part of your notion of "having fun" from one country to another.
The suggestion I would have for you is to be quite clear in separating work and personal life. Keep your work life strictly professional. If you wouldn't say something to a male subordinate, don't say it to a female subordinate. If you wouldn't comment on male subordinates' clothes/hair/beauty products/body shape, then don't do it with your female subordinates. If you wouldn't "flirt" with your male subordinates, don't do it with the female ones.
Actually, let me revise that last paragraph: If you wouldn't say something to your mother, don't say it to a subordinate. If you wouldn't comment on your auntie's clothes/hair/beauty products/body shape, then don't do it with your subordinates. If you wouldn't "flirt" with your uncle, don't do it with your subordinates.
It may be surprising that this kind of advice would be necessary anywhere, but it is certainly appropriate advice for Germany.

This answer mainly presents information from other answers in a different form.

people in Europe are much more strict …

Strict about what? You only mention one example that makes sense:

flirting with female students

Yes, Europe is more strict about this (and, according to Wolfgang Bangerth’s answer, there are calls for Latin America to by more strict about this too), because it is considered an abuse of power. You have power over the students, so when you interact with them in a certain way, they may feel compelled to join in.
This is already a problem. But, even worse, the students may feel compelled to hide the fact that they do not want to participate. This may lead you to think they are willing when they are not – an even bigger problem.
These are already serious problems, even if the interaction is not sexual. If it is sexual and the student is not willing to participate, then it is sexual harassment, which is even worse, and which Europe is also strict about. If it is sexual and it is not clear whether the student is willing to participate, it may be treated the same way.
The question seems to imply that Europe is strict about romantic or sexual behaviour generally, or simply opposed to people having fun; this is all false.

people in Europe are much more … prude.

They are not. They do not have a problem with romantic or sexual behaviour, as long as it is clear that all participants are willing.

How can I overcome this cultural difference and enjoy my time in Germany?

Having established that the premises are false, this question takes on a new meaning, and the answer is obvious: When there is a power imbalance, keep your interactions strictly personal; when there is not, have fun as you usually would. (Of course, in all cases, you should respect people’s personal boundaries.)

Harrassment laws and polcies are strict in Europe generally.
You may not consider what you describe as harrassment, but this would be the likely interpretation by both the student body and officialdom.
Even the appearance of misconduct can lead to serious problems, all the way up to criminal charges depending on the details.  Disciplinary problems are almost a certainty.

It's a couple of years that I have moved to Europe and working here as a research group leader. In my home country in Latin America, we are much more relaxed in our interactions with each other and enjoy life to the fullest; that is, for example, flirting with female students and have fun is something common.

This "flirting" is almost certainly against the rules of any educational institute in Europe.
If you want fun have it with people who are peers in work or any non-student outside of it.  It's that simple.
The students (and those who work under you) are seen as people you can influence using your position and it's considered an abuse of authority to engage with them in that way.  You open yourself up to accusations of favoritism, abuse of power, sexual misconduct.  You don't even have to engage in any physical contact to make yourself vulnerable to these accusations.

I have realized that people in Europe are much more strict and prude.

It's not prudishness, just an acknowledgement in law and policy that women (in particular) are very vulnerable to be influenced and misused by those with some sort of power over them or their careers.  Laws and policies now provide them with much needed protection and backup.

How can I overcome this cultural difference and enjoy my time in Germany?

Draw a line between those you have influence over (students) and peers.  Stay on the side of the line that has no students (or people who report to you).
It's that simple.
Frankly I would not hire someone who did not understand this idea and it's importance.  Such a person would be a liability in a modern working or teaching environment.  What you said made me think "lawsuit waiting to happen".

This is the only answer that directly addresses the question as posed, and I want to upvote it for that reason. But I find the start of the answer confusing. The OP would almost certainly agree that what they are doing is not harassment, and they deserve a clear explanation of why it is. The clear implication is that flirting with a subordinate = sexual harassment, but the answer does not spell this out; in fact, it does not use the term “sexual harassment” anywhere.


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Is it a red flag if a university explicitly disregards noting the work load in a lecturer contract?
Yesterday, I received a permanent lectureship offer from a UK university whose job description explicitly included two points:
1- The research workload and teaching workload are %80 and %20, respectively.
2- They assign a Ph.D. student to me for the first year of my affiliation (before I have even attracted money for my future research)
I had clearly discussed these points during the interview, and the chair of the committee verbally confirmed them. Today, I had a meeting with a HR member about the contract, but she said they will not bring these two points in their contract since their contracts are generic. She instead said the university may offer a letter in which these two is noted. I don't know what that letter could be, but I am clearly concerned that when I start, I would get bombarded by a lot of teaching if the first subject is not cemented in the contract. The second one may also be ignored by them in a similar vein.
Overall, it seems they openly disregard the coverage of the subjects of their job description. Is that common practice in UK and one may trust them not to violate those subjects in the future, or it is a red flag?

A point of clarification on phrasing - did they "offer a letter" noting these two points, or say they are/would be stated in the "offer letter" for the post? The "offer letter" is a formal part of the hiring process in most universities, setting out terms, salary etc. at a high level, and does have legal status - an accepted (unconditional) offer is binding on both parties, even without a more comprehensive contract being signed. So that would have relatively more weight than a generic letter. (Standard disclaimer: IANAL, but this is my understanding from both sides of hiring process in UK.)

@StephenMcMahon: They sent me an email whose title was "Conditional Offer" including some information such as Gross Salary, Contract Type, Pension, Holidays, Relocation Package, Location, Start Date, and Probationary Period (but not any other conditions or terms including the topics of the question). The rest were supposed to be discussed in today's meeting.

Is this a unionized job?  If so, they really cannot customize the contract.  Speak with the union.

@AnonymousPhysicist: I don't know whether lectureships in UK are unionized. But let's assume it is. Then, how can they (the union) make any enforcement in case the university will not steak to the terms of the job description that have not been reflected in the contract?

I think that "generic" here for teaching load means "standardized". At a research institution it might be one or two courses per term. The courses might be large or small, but for new faculty they probably want to be accommodating so as to let you get your feet wet. It probably varies by department, so HR can't really be definite. But an 80/20 load speaks to their priorities. The head of department can probably give you the scoop.

@Buffy: If the meaning of the "standardized" is not clearly documented in a contract somewhere, they can later rewrite that meaning in every occasion based on what they want. To my inexperienced eye, that "generic" may more look like "whatever we ask you to do regardless of what we have already claimed". But it may be a common happening in UK system. So, I am wondering how people deal with it.

To be honest, I don't see that happening at a respectable place. Exploitative relationships are a poor way to keep new hires. Why go through the process and then just burn people out? Ash the Head what you are likely to see in the first couple of years.

Read your contract.  2. Talk to your union.

I'd ask about admin duties as well - research teaching and admin are the three halves of my job ;o)  Note also you may not have contracted working hours, in which case the 80:20 split may not be all that meaningful.

For the record, all uk universities are "unionized", but this means something slightly different to in much of the US, and is most similar to "right to work" states - that is, you don't have to be a member of the union. Employer/union deals are enforced via the national collective pay bargaining agreement and local conditions collective bargaining agreements, breaches of which are legitimate grounds for industrial action (ie strikes).

This is completely standard in a UK setting. Everybody in the university with the same job title will have the same contract. Probably somewhere it will say "your complete terms and conditions of employment comprise this document and any offer letter you received".
An on-going 80:20 split is highly unusual. Teaching relief in the first few years is normal, but eventually most staff would expect to be 50:50. Unless this is a "research fellow" position. Thus, i would absolutely make sure you get this in writing. A letter "noting" it or whatever is fine, but make sure you get it, and remind people who try to give you teaching of its existence frequently. Ditto the offer of a PhD student, which is a fairly common form of start up support, but has been known to mysteriously disappear if economic times get tough.

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How to represent in a slide professionally an algorithm?
I am preparing a slide presentation and I have to present a simple algorithm. Which is the best scheme that can easily understood and at the same time well accepted in academia?

Is this algorithm something new? Something unexpected? Long or short implementation?

Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking.

This depends on the audience, of course. But a slide full of code is probably not the best solution. I'll assume you can use a few slides, not just a single one.
A high level description of the purpose of the code might come first. What problem is it trying to solve. What competing algorithms are known.
A high level pseudo-code presentation might be next. It probably needn't be executable pseudocode but Dijkstra's guarded command language is also possible (and executable).
Somewhere you will want to mention the efficiency of the code, perhaps compared to competing algorithms. This might possibly be in the first slide.
Don't make the presentation so long that questions aren't possible.
But, for most purposes it probably isn't necessary to present the full code, especially in a modern language that is known by, perhaps, only a subset of the audience. The details required by the language itself won't be especially helpful to understanding the algorithm.

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Automatically importing references into a reference manager
Do reference managers require that the user inputs the info for each PDF that they have and assign an ID to it, or is some (or all) of that process done automatically? I know I should've started using a reference manager long ago and hope that I don't have to go through all of the articles on my computer!

Do I understand correctly: you have a bunch of PDF files on your computer, and you want the citation info for all of those PDF files entered into a reference manager?

Yup, you got it! I don't have any experience with a reference manager, so I'm looking to see if I'll need to input all of that info myself, which would make it not so worth it, I don't think.

https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/15504/17254

Using a reference manager can save a lot of time and reduce errors - I highly recommend it. Yes, most reference managers will automatically extract the relevant information from a PDF, but it is always worth looking it over as it won't be correct 100% of the time.
For example, I am familiar with Mendeley, which is free to download and has desktop apps for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Mendeley will automatically populate fields such as title, author names, journal name, volume, page numbers, keywords, url, and DOI, directly from a PDF. These fields can be edited, removed, or added to as needed.
I think it is also worth mentioning that Mendeley has an extension for Google Chrome and Firefox browsers called Mendeley Web Importer, which allows the user to easily add full text PDFs with the associated metadata (and does not require a previously downloaded copy of the PDF stored on a computer). This feature has also saved me a lot of time.

Regarding Mendeley, I highly recommend manually verifying the automatically populated data. Sometimes, it will misread the DOI and load a completely different reference.

Most reference managers extract metadata from the PDF and match it with online sources. But you will have to double-check the information manually, and not every PDF file includes the relevant metadata (e.g. scanned copies don't).


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What is the exact rule for 12 months work permit find period after PhD study
Does anybody know about the exact rules that a PhD student have work find permit period after studies? I need to know exactly how long after studies could someone stay for finding job? Another important question is how long should someone stay for studies inside New Zealand for getting that permit? I mean if someone get his PhD online outside of New Zealand but in NZ university due to the corona, can he apply for this type of visa or he should stay for example one year inside NZ to get that permission?

If you are currently a student there, you might be able to get an answer locally from the university. Even if you are in an application process, the university is likely to know these things.

This question is extraordinarily specific to one country.  Furthermore, other sites in the stackexchange network deal with immigration and visa issues.

You could try Expatriates Stack Exchange, which deals with immigration and visa rules.

New Zealand government offices are remarkably helpful and responsive. Almost strangely so. It's lovely and unexpected if you're used to services in other countries. Just contact Immigration NZ directly and ask. Don't entrust your important immigration advice to random Internet people.


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I insulted a professor by using an anti-Semitic slur in a department seminar. How bad is this?
I am in a research group in a French university in physics (I am a 1st year PhD student) and in a seminar in my university I used a slur against an Israeli professor, Professor X.
I am from an Arab country which has conflicts with Israel. Professor X was trying to mock me or act over-smart, but in an innocent and non-malicious manner, and I must say I escalated the situation. After saying the slur, I left the room. As this seminar was in my university, a lot of professors of my department, including my advisor were present and a lot of professors from other institutes in France.
How bad will this incident affect my career? Is anti-Semitism tolerated in academia in the West?

Please, before commenting, think about the purposes of comments and check that yours fits one of them.  Before answering in a comment, read the answers and find whether they've already included your idea: upvote answers that you find helpful. If you still think your answer is unique and important, make it an answer where it belongs, rather than a comment.

(This is a comment about France, and not an answer to your question. I believe however that it can be useful to you to navigate the culture). We (French) are used to some mild verbal jousts, it is part of the culture. I personally do not like it but you must be aware that what you took for mocking or over-smart behaviour might have been that. Or not. But you need to keep in mind that the verbal exchanges in France are difficult to "feel" when you do not know the culture well, and may be perceived as aggressive. Again, I am not judging, just commenting on what you can witness.

That is very bad. Not because of how anti-Semitism is viewed in the west, or because this person is a professor, but because that is a disrespectful thing to say to anyone.
From the career side (which, I don't think is the most important aspect of this), this incident could very well be considered workplace harassment. @Leherenn comments that "This could legally be considered a racist slur in a public setting, which in France is an offense punishable by up to one year of imprisonment and up to a €45k fine." I am not a lawyer and am from the US, so I cannot advise about this aspect, but this is something you should be aware of. Additionally, even if you didn't use a slur, having an emotional outburst in public during a seminar is very inappropriate and will likely make other people question your professionalism. So there could be consequences. Having said that, if you apologize, reflect on what went wrong, and learn the lesson to not use words like this, hopefully you can move forward without permanent damage. But I would not worry about your career for now. You hurt someone, and your first step is to try to make things right.
I would immediately contact the professor and CC the department head and apologize. Be contrite but keep the email brief, something like

Dear Professor X,
I would like to sincerely apologize for my completely inappropriate outburst earlier. The discussion was heated and my emotions got the better of me, and I said a word that was very disrespectful to you and your community that I should not have said, and that I should never say. I will not let it happen again.
Sincerely,
QINDL

You should reflect, and (if you agree) write an apology in your own words. It will mean much more if it is sincerely written and comes from you.
It's better if you get ahead of it (meaning: it is better if you send an apology as soon as possible, before you are asked to send an apology). They may want to take some disciplinary action; be contrite and sincere, and be willing to take the steps they suggest to rectify the situation.

Additional thoughts
There have been a few comments about also apologizing to the seminar audience and the seminar organizer, so I wanted to add slightly more about this (edit: turned out to be more than "slightly"!)
I think there are several layers to this situation, that need to be unravelled.

The first layer is that you have hurt a specific person, and you should apologize to that person directly.

I actually hope that what happens here is that you have a one-on-one in person conversation where the two of you can process what happened together, and that you are able to repair your relationship. But, I think I would start by sending an email. Email gives the person a chance to think before responding, and can hopefully lead to an in-person meeting when they are ready.
We don't know much about the original incident that prompted you to respond, but I hope this also would be something you discuss one-on-one with the professor.
I suggested CC-ing the department chair here because this seems like it could be serious enough where you could face disciplinary action, and keeping the chair informed that you are taking steps to rectify the situation could be important later. It was also suggested in the comments to include the organizer of the seminar; that's a good idea too.

Additionally, I think it is appropriate to apologize the group. I feel that it's probably better to do this after you have apologized to the professor (others may disagree). But... this all should ideally be happening very rapidly so not too much time is passing between steps.

The main reasons for apologizing to the professor first are (a) the hurt to the professor is larger and more personal and should be dealt with separately, not as part of a group apology, (b) I think it's better to allow them the space to respond to you how they want first in private, because in a group setting they might feel pressure to act a certain way (c) (related to b but more selfish) you don't know how the professor will react, so it's better for you not to be surprised by their reaction to a public setting.
Part of the group apology should include a statement like "I have apologized in private to the professor" and perhaps "I am taking X concrete steps to atone for my error."
It's also a good idea to loop in the seminar organizer here. You don't want to catch them off guard by sending a surprise email to the seminar mailing list. They may also be willing to give you a few minutes to say something at the next seminar, if you would want to do that.

I suspect you will probably be asked to undergo some kind of cultural sensitivity and/or anger management training, and/or have some kind of disciplinary sanction. You should follow these steps and not try to fight them.
As has been discussed in other answers here, one of the major underlying issues is that you have violated a foundational value in academic culture. It is important to collaborate across cultural lines, because ultimately we value ideas and knowledge, and not tribal differences. In particular, being able to work with people who are not part of your "tribe" is crucial for academic success.
I also just want to make it crystal clear that I suggested a draft email as a starting off point, but it was not meant to be copied/pasted into an email. The apology needs to be sincere and come from you to be meaningful.
While bad, I don't think this is fundamentally a hopeless situation. If you are contrite and put in the work to make this right, I am hopeful you will be able to find redemption and move on from this.

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.

Good advice except that the letter should be less generic. Naturally Andrew cannot write a non-generic letter since he doesn't have the details, but, @QINDL, you should make it specific. Also, I would ask for the opportunity to apologize in person and perhaps in public.

Group apology is not needed. this is between him and the other person.

@JMERICKS OP insulted the professor in public, so, IMHO, a public apology is called for.

@SimonCrase I can't speak to this professor, but as a trans person, in general I'd prefer apologies for similar slurs be made in private. There can (and in this case probably should) be a public expression of regret, but doing the actual apology in public puts pressure on the victim that may be uncomfortable

@SimonCrase The slur was directed at one individual not at the group. The group was not insulted nor should they feel insulted on anyone's behalf so they are not owed anything.

@JMERICKS "The group was not insulted ..." I'm not as sure of that as you are, since I wasn't there. If Bob insults Alice and I am present, he is either making the assumption that I agree with the insult, or that my views don't matter. Either way I might be offended (unless I regard Bob as a pathetic loser whose views don't matter). If Bob later decides to apologize the Alice, she may wish me to have the apology witnessed by anyone who was present, to ensure that her reputation isn't damaged.

We can’t say how it will affect your career, but it does sound pretty bad, and not the sort of behavior that will be allowed to pass without any consequences in an academic workplace in France or another western country. One might hope that the consequences will not be ones that permanently harm your career.
As @Andrew said, you really need to apologize immediately. The severity of the consequences could greatly depend on whether you apologize, and whether your apology comes across as sincere rather than being mainly motivated by fear or defensiveness.
The thing to keep in mind is, it is almost impossible to fake a sincere apology (and I don’t feel it’s appropriate to try to coach you on how to phrase one, even assuming I had that ability), since coming up with the right words to undo some of the harm your words caused to other people requires a level of introspection and maturity that enables you to reflect on why you behaved the way you did, and understand at a deep level why that behavior was wrong. It is much more than a matter of just “I said X, and X is a word that is taboo to use.” You might want to ask yourself, how do you even know such a nasty word? Why did it occur to you in that moment? Were those really your own thoughts you were giving voice to, or some kind of dogma that you absorbed through your education or culture? And other questions.
Also, you should know that many Israeli academics, and Israeli citizens in general, have strong disagreements with some of the policies of their government. If you had kept the debate civil you might have potentially discovered that you and the Israeli professor agree on many things (both scientifically and politically). You might have also come to realize that not all your assumptions about Israel are as correct or obvious as you imagined. But by using a slur, you abolish from the start any chance for holding a rational discourse and promoting mutual understanding between cultures and nations that are in political conflict.
Good luck, I hope you learn from this experience and find a way forward.

+1 for the second last paragraph. I have been taught by Israeli academics who refuse to return to Israel because they do not support the Israeli gov. My best friend turned down an excellent postdoc offer in Israel because she felt she could not support recent developments in Palestine, even indirectly. Few people agree with their gov on all points, for many Israeli people the disagreement is rather significant.

Indeed, the use of anti-semetic slurs furthers the agenda of those that would like to claim that all criticism if Isreal is motivated by anti-semitism.

+1 Excellent answer! Especially for recognizing that racist or xenophobic thoughts can originate not from oneself only but also from upbringing in less-than-ideal conditions, and so one can acknowledge that and improve.

@Nuclear03020704 hmm, can racist and xenophobic thoughts originate in any other way? Is anyone ever born harboring racist thoughts? I doubt it.

@DanRomik it is human nature to be more trusting of people who are like you and more suspicious of people who are different. Studies have shown everyone is racist to some extent, even people who are very strongly against racism. No one is immune to unconscious bias. Obviously that's not the main issue here, but it's something to keep in mind if you want to treat everyone justly. (I'm NOT saying racism is okay, only that it's something we must actively overcome. and thinking you aren't at all racist may have the opposite effect of what you want.)

@Kat even assuming the premise (which many people would roll their eyes at) that we are all racists, are we all born racists? Is anyone born a racist? Like I said, I doubt it. (Also, I never said anyone is immune to unconscious bias so I don’t know what you’re trying to say with that part of your comment.)

@DanRomik I'm not sure it so unreasonable to assume that we are born racists/bigoted. The are reasonable evolutionary mechanisms, and tribalism exists in lots of animals too. Horses will often attack albinos if there are few in the heard. Dogs may show aggression to other breads but not their own. Maybe there is innate racism, maybe not, but for sure, lots of our "natural" instincts are not very nice. Fortunately, most people have well developed empathy, and can overcome instinctive behaviour.

@Clumsycat I only said that I doubt anyone is born racist, and stand by that statement. Other than that, I don’t have a particularly strongly held opinion on this issue.

Most of the other answers have focussed specifically on the anti-semitism. I want to highlight a wider point.
A key skill for an academic is to be able to handle criticism in a calm and professional manner. Even when the criticism is unwelcome, misguided, rudely-delivered or downright unfair: you need to be able to keep your cool, and respond appropriately. What you certainly cannot do is respond with an ad hominem attack.
If your immediate response to criticism is to attempt to undermine the criticiser by focussing on their personal characteristics - whether that's race, religion, nationality, sex, hair colour, or anything else - your temperament is poorly-suited to success in academia. Expressing specifically anti-semitic sentiments certainly compounds the issue - but the problem is wider than that. The people who witnessed your outburst will no doubt wonder if something similar will happen when you get an awkward question at a conference, or a difficult review on a paper. Unfortunately, but understandably, they are likely to be unwilling to risk having their name tarnished by association.
The manner in which you respond to a (perceived) attack is deep-rooted, and I suspect changing this is something where you would really benefit from professional help.

This! Peaceful, factual and considered discussions are the basis that academia is built upon, the OP just showed that he is lacking these skills and attitude. That's what really hampers the career and makes a catastrophic impression amongst other academics.

Agree with your answer up to the last sentence. Having racial prejudice is not a mental disorder requiring psychological professionals. It's something OP should work on/through, for certain, perhaps with help from others, but not a matter for "professionals".

@einpoklum In line with the general tenor of this answer, I was suggesting that specialist expertise might be beneficial in helping the OP learn to understand and manage their responses in conflict situations. I did not suggest that racial prejudice is a mental disorder.

Disorder may be too specific a word, but I agree with the strength of it. It says so much about OP that they chose to use a hateful slur. I know any polite, well-socialized person would never even think to turn to slurs in an academic disagreement. By their own admission OP escalated this situation. Who chooses to do this unless they have some serious self-reflection incoming?

@einpoklum many people who don’t have mental disorders could benefit a lot from seeing a therapist (aka getting “professional help”). avid did not say anything about mental disorders.

At that moment that you realized that you need to leave the seminar, I believe your instinct told you that it is very bad and it is going to affect you and your career.
The most important thing, which is pretty worrisome in my opinion, is your next question:

Is anti-semitism tolerated in academia in the West?

It seems even now you have doubt that if these kind of behaviors are OK or not, which tells me that still you are not aware of using prejudice to judge people is pretty harmful. In fact, the main point is that: just because someone holds nationality of a country, it doesn't mean that he/she approves all the actions taken by his/her country.
I repeat my point in my comment here: being anti-X (fill X with any ethnicity) is not OK anywhere on this planet. Just FYI, because some people throw anti-something rants in social media or somewhere else and in your eyes they could get away with it, it doesn't mean it's OK to repeat their action.

Yes, the same could be said about Russia. The Russian people and the Russian government are two very very different things.

OP not being sure about acceptance of anti-semitism in the west is a symptom : anti-semitism is quite simply the norm in many Arab countries. And, if OP is religious and regularly praying, describing the Jews as "those who have incurred Your wrath" 17 times a day doesn't help much in order to become more open-minded towards them.

@EricDuminil Well, that would shift the discussion towards investigating the morality in Islam from a perspective of a westerner, which is a gray area and it is not going to help OP. If OP is a religious person it might have an opposite effect. It is pretty difficult to convince someone rationally when someone believes in something. That belief could be anything. Even believing non-religious concepts is not going to end up in something good. Belief is the most dangerous thing to humanity...

@PeterMortensen unfortunately the mainstream western media are trying hard to sell the war as something based in the Russian culture permeated by Russian imperialism.

@EarlGrey Well, it's not that easy I think to put a clear cut between a government and its people. Of course, for more democratic government, the administration represents the majority of people's ideas, and totalitarian regimes usually represent a small fraction of people in that country, but for example it's not like men and women included in Russian government came from a different planet and Russian government's actions had nothing to do with Russian history, culture, technology, geopolitics, etc. It's like claiming Nazis were not from German people, which is obviously incorrect.

@MithridatestheGreat your comment is very rational. Should we always apply that, with the only exception of Israel and is treatment of the people that happend to be in their land, but not in their cultural group? Please think about that, using your words I could argue that it's like you claiming Israeli leadership is not from Jews people? although it is incorrect,  because Jews are not a monolith, it is more accurate than your statement: Hitler wasn't German, he came from Austria!

I live in Israel, am probably older than you are and maybe older than the professor.
We are used to those exchanges and conflicts, online and face to face.
From your description of the way the professor handled your comment, I think he is not angry with you. He probably knows that you are young, agitated and don't have a long time experience in those kinds of situations.
Approach the professor, apologize and add this incident to the list of things you have learned from.
Regarding your question about the possible harm to your career, probably not.

I'm so sorry that it's a familiar experience.

I wouldn't be so quick to claim you know the professor's position on this.

Also, the OP has said the verbal exchange occurred during a seminar, which can be assumed to have contained many other academics. and while what you say may be true, the OP cannot know how other participants in the seminar may view it (the exchange).

@HananCohen " From your description of the way the professor handled your comment." I don't know how the professor handled the incident because I was ashamed after saying it and I immediately left the room.

I had to downvote this answer. The OP commented to confirm that they didn't know how the professor acted to the incident, and indeed, there isn't any description of that in the question. And yet, your answer hinges on the assumption that the professor handled the incident in a certain way, perhaps the way that you'd reacted to it. Is it really valid to assume that? Are really all people from Israel as level-headed as you are?

So, an Israeli tries to offer advice online, in good faith and without judgment or hostility, to a citizen of an enemy state confessing to antisemitic behavior, and gets heavily downvoted and criticized. Is anyone else seeing something wrong with this picture? @Schmuddi

@DanRomik: I think the premise of the answer isn't a given ("the professor wasn't angry at you"), and I think the conclusion is wrong ("this will probably not harm your career"). If this had happened in my department, and if that had been my PhD student, chances are very high that this would severely reduce my support for them. I downvoted because I think the conclusion of this answer – although the position expressed here is laudable, and I should have mentioned that in my comment – is wrong. We can discuss in the chat if this downvote is justified or not.

@Schmuddi ok, but I think your framing of answers as being either "wrong" or right isn't the best way to think about it. This answer is helpful, in that it offers the perspective of a well-intentioned, well-informed Israeli who moreover has no obligation to try to help someone who has a self-professed animosity to Israel. It's fine to quibble about some of the answer's claims and to point out other perspectives that complement or even contradict it. But downvoting sends the wrong message IMO. (Despite disagreeing on this, as Voltaire said, I'll defend to the death your right to downvote.)

No downvote, but I broadly agree with @Schmuddi. Regardless of the way the academic who was targeted feels about this, the rest of the department is likely to have a strong reaction to it. Rightly so, even if the academic in question can rise above it, bigotry shouldn't be normalised. As much as everyone likes to hate on "cancel culture" some words cause harm and should have consequences.

@DanRomik I downvoted because I found the conclusion to be based on too many assumptions. Of course Hanan Cohen has first-hand experience and advice (sad enough), which is of high value. But OP is in France and in Western Europe anti-semitic insults are certainly something that CAN and probably WILL hurt your career a lot (regardless of how the Israeli professor sees it). Thus, I don't think that the conclusion of Hanan Cohen ("does likely not harm OP's career") is helpful in OP's particular setting.

Hanan, I believe you might be projecting how you would perceive this situation to how OP's Professor would. Not everyone is so lenient about this. In fact, I would say that it's not true that "we are used to those exchanges and conflicts". Some may be, others aren't.

@DanRomik: I think this answer is a useful comment on the situation, but Hanan should edit to fix the part where he suggests that this guess about the professor's reaction is based on something in the question, since the querent has clarified that they didn't observe the victim of the comment in any detail for any time after the event.  So this is pure guess, no actually supported by any evidence from the case at hand.  (It might still be correct, just please re-frame it as a guess, not a deduction.)

An Israeli friend on Twitter pointed to this question. I read it and thought I might have something useful to add and wrote it. I hope the OP (and maybe others) found my comment useful and if it's not useful, no big harm was done. Peace to you all.

@CGCampbell The query was certainly made in good faith. But if you think the opposite for any reason, I have deleted the comment. There is no reason I want to insult any jewish person here. I admit what I said to prof. is very very wrong( I realized it after reading some of the answers). But trust me I want to improve myself so that I never hurt any jewish or any other ethnic group verbally.

You should ask your supervisor for advice. S/he will be able to tell you what the consequence are likely to be. S/he will be able to tell you whether the person you insulted is likely to be open to a dialogue and whether the university has already started disciplinary action (depending on the rules that might include exclusion from the PhD programme, but it could also be a formal warning of some kind). Because the event was public, some of the attendees might expect some kind of disciplinary action for acts of hatred.

Besides the above advice which is really my answer, here are some random thoughts.
I think a lot will depend on how other people perceive you on a day to day basis. Have you had other outbursts? Are you on average fairly condescending towards other? Are you respectful to the opinions of other researchers? In simple terms, what type of human being are you. If there is doubt about whether you fit the implicit attitudes expected of people in the community, you should really try to learn from that feedback.
No career is ever done. It's sad and painful, but many people will not find anti-semiticism a problem. I think it is. The fact that you are now mostly worried about your career makes me wonder whether you understand that hatred of another people group based on religion or politics is unwarranted. What I find encouraging in your post is that you are very well aware of your behaviour, that could be a great starting point for reflection on your behaviour.
One factor that might help you in this case is the fact that many senior staff in France are aware of the fact that students from certain countries are exposed to a lot of hatred towards certain groups and that it needs a fair amount of introspection to unlearn some of these things.

Was Professor X visiting, i.e. giving a seminar? Or is he local, part of your own faculty? If the latter, make it clear to the dean or HoD that you wish to deliver your apology in person and humbly ask that they arrange this for you.
If the former, you still need to apologise. However, I have a bit more sympathy for your position (not your antisemitism) since academics can sometimes get a bit funny (provocative, belligerent) when they are visiting a different uni.

He was visiting.


text:
I was absent when midterms were returned weeks ago, but now need it to study for the final. Prof and TA can't help. What can I do?
I was absent when the midterms were handed back for a course and now the semester is almost over but I need the midterm to study for the exam (as neither a copy of the test nor the solutions are available on the course website). I emailed the professor but he asked me to check with the TA and the TA says they are not going to be on campus. The exam is in a week from now.
What options do I have? Would it be helpful to for example contact the department chair or someone in authority even though there may be no obligation to return the exam or send a scanned copy?

Is the exam in a university office? If so, a staff member could, with permission, deal with it. The professor could require the TA to take action also.

It is good to make your question explicit here. I added my best guess.

Usually the professors take it home but I am not sure and I can email them to ask if it is in a university office.

Did you ask for your own exam back, rather than just a copy of the exam? If you didn't explain the reason you wanted it, your professor may have assumed you needed your specific exam, which might not be something they can obtain.

I did not specify that. I would rather have my own exam but a copy of the exam or of the solutions would be helpful. But the exam was in person and they may object to sending a copy of it by email because it could be easily shared.

Does your class not meet again before the final?

@user389532 It would be better not to assume that they are not willing to give a digital version. If they did not want the test questions to be easily shared, they would not have allowed students to take the exams home; it takes mere minutes for any student to scan/take pictures of the exam and share it with others (this happens extremely frequently). On that point and assuming it is not violating any policy, you could also ask classmates to see if any of them would be willing to send you a digital copy of their exam. Some would not be willing to do so, but there would be some who would.

I would email the professor and CC the TA, say that you checked with the TA but unfortunately they won't be on campus, is there another solution? At that point, the professor will decide between different options, such as (a) finding someone else who can help, (b) asking the TA to go to campus, (c) telling you that you're out of luck. At least by having both of them on the same email, you put all the information and relevant people in one email thread, which increases the chance you will get a definitive response (even if it is not the one you want).
I wouldn't try to go "above" the professor. This is an administrative issue that the professor can handle. Trying to involve the department head is very unlikely to change the outcome, other than making your professor annoyed. (Unless there's some written department policy about you being entitled to get your midterm back before the final exam -- but even then, try to resolve it with the professor teaching the course first.)
Of course this doesn't help in this situation, but for next time you should be proactive about getting the exam back earlier if you were absent the day the exams were handed back in class.

You're cutting it fine for time (hence why it's important to be proactive), but an option (d) could be to get the TA to post it to you if they have it with them off-site

Involving the department head in a minor administrative problem (which was largely caused by you) does seem like a great way to burn through some goodwill ...

This is the way I'd recommend, as well. You could also offer to pick the exam up at the TA's residence, in a pinch. If your instructor and TA remain uncooperative, I'd suggest reaching out to your classmates to see if anyone would share their copy so you can study.

I was absent when the midterms were handed back for a course

This is not the fault of your instructor.

I need the midterm to study for the exam

You would like a copy of the midterm to study; you do not need it.

The exam is in a week from now

Presumably, you knew there would be a final exam when the course started, so this is not new information to you. Therefore the timing and the inability of your professor or TA to obtain your exam in that short time is not their fault.

Would it be helpful to for example contact the department chair or someone in authority even though there may be no obligation to return the exam or send a scanned copy?

No, I do not think that would be helpful, I think that would be incredibly rude. You are in a situation of your own making. You have a want, not a need, for access to your previous exam, which you are expressing far later than you should have if you thought this was necessary. There is a oft-repeated phrase that addresses this situation: "Poor planning on your part does not necessitate an emergency on mine."
I don't think your professor or TA are doing anything intentionally to prevent you from accessing the exam. It seems that the copy of your exam, likely the only copy, is simply not in a location that either of them can access before your final exam, which is not surprising given the compressed time frame until your final, and the long time elapsed since the midterm.
I think it would be reasonable to let your professor know that the TA was unable to access your exam in time to help you study, and to ask instead for a fresh copy of the midterm, and perhaps note that you'd appreciate an answer key, too, if available. I think it's fine to CC your TA, too. It's more likely one of them has an easily-accessible copy of a drafted exam than your specific copy. I would recommend an attitude of appreciation for whatever they are able to obtain for you, and appreciation for their efforts to try to help even if they are unable.

How do you know there has been a "long time" since the midterm was returned?

@AzorAhai-him- That's a good point, I don't know that for sure.

Seems a bit harsh. IMO the TA had a responsibility to make sure all were returned if any were. Perhaps the prof also.

Contacting the chair might not imply a complaint & so not rude, but rather a request to see if a staff member can solve the problem. The chair has the authority to "make it so".

@Bryan Krause I didn't say it's the fault of the instructor - I am not trying to assign blame but to know what can be done now. I had to self-isolate due to COVID symptoms and couldn't attend most in person classes.

@user389532 Understood; ordinarily, escalating a situation to a higher authority is done when you have a complaint to make. I disagree with Buffy that this is something done in the normal business of things, and I think even if you didn't intend it, it would be perceived as such.

Knowing that it's due to covid isolation, that's the sort of thing we need to work together to solve; covid isolation or rules may of course be why the TA isn't around.  IMO that common difficulty is what you should base your approach on

@Buffy What, they should send a lawyer to your door to force your exam into your hands and tell you that you've been served like in a movie? Or they should treat it like the nuclear football and carry it on their person at all times in case the OP calls for it? The OP had the opportunity to get their exam back before now. Given the relatively low consequences of this (OP will have to study out of the book?), this seems like a relatively mild lesson in being an adult.

@BryanKrause this is not an answer. It is simply you ranting about how it is his fault. Andrew did not ask you to tell him how he messed up. He asked how to get the midterm, so that he can study for the exam.

@JoshL1516 My answer is twofold, one "don't do" and one "do": 1) Don't escalate this as if it's your professor's fault, because without further information to the contrary I don't believe it is, and 2) Ask for an unmarked exam and/or key, because it's far more likely that such a document is easily accessible digitally. There is also a bit of implied advice 3) study for the exam without the midterm, as basing their study on the midterm is just a desire by the OP and may not even be the most effective way for them to study.

@user3067860 As I mentioned earlier I was unable to attend the classes and the midterm was handed back fairly recently. Also, there were no in person or virtual meetings with the TA (we could only get in touch with the TA by email) so there was only one opportunity to get the exam back, the day it was handed back.

@user389532 Those details are not mentioned in your question, and are still a bit vague ("fairly recently"?).

@user3867860 hits the nail on the head that this attitude from faculty and TAs toward students is meant - in a penalizing way - to "teach a lesson about being an adult". The irony is that if an adult missed an opportunity to obtain a document of importance and later requested it with a week to go, it would be unusual to be so uncooperative over the issue. This reads to me more like a TA being lazy than a student being irresponsible.

@psithurism It's not clear to me that anyone is being uncooperative at all: the professor directed the student to the person who has the exams (TA), the TA will not be at the location where the exam is located during the next week. Consider that the TA is probably also a student and may also have exams occurring at the same time. They could also be traveling on business, pleasure, or family emergency. Could they have done something differently to prevent this situation from occurring? Yes. Is complaining to the department chair going to get OP their exam back? No. Do they need the exam? No.

@BryanKrause I agree that this isn't a situation that will be resolved by going above the professor's head. Whether the student does or does not need the exam is for the student to determine, but I see no reason not to take them at their word that they do need it (perhaps time management demands efficiency or they don't understand where their gaps in comprehension lie). It isn't that I think the professor is being uncooperative, but that the notion of "this is your problem and you'll be lucky if I lower myself to help you", is an uncooperative attitude. As is the TA offering no solution.

@psithurism It's not punishment, it's just natural consequences. If you touch the hot stove you get burnt. If you leave something until the last minute then the person you need to do it might not be available at that time. Why is it somehow the TA's job to brainstorm ideas for fixing the OP's problem or be available on short notice? (Note that the OP doesn't need the midterm "within a week", the final is in a week. The OP needs the midterm in time to study for the final, so....) Does your bank or your doctor open on a day they didn't plan to because you need some document?

@user3067860 well, actually, both my bank and my doctor are available digitally any day of the week. Same for almost any service I pay for. TA-ing is a job, with a paycheck to match. In the real world where we adults live, sometimes work does require you to provide certain deliverables to your client and in this case the client is the student. Not to mention, the student was in Covid isolation. I guess we fundamentally disagree here, and it doesn't seem as if continued discussion is going to bring us to consensus.

@Buffy, no, it is spot-on! I always have a statement in my syllabus that a student is responsible for any missed meetings or materials. They have to learn to take responsibility for their learning.

@psithurism Yes, being a TA is a job with a paycheck.  When I was in graduate school, I was paid to work 20 hours ever week.  It was made very clear to me that I shouldn't work more than 20 hours per week.  Between instructional hours, office hours, grading, prep time, and meetings with faculty, my 20 hours often got eaten up pretty quickly.  I was not (generally speaking) required to meet with students beyond the time already allocated for them.

@XanderHenderson And that time may be allocated between multiple courses.

@BryanKrause Exactly.  I made my schedule available to my students at the beginning of the quarter. If they needed something from me, they could track me down during office hours (when I definitely could help them), or try to track me down before or after a class (when I may or may not have been able to help, as I might or might not have the papers they wanted in my possession).  Outside of those hours, students might be able to track me down, but they should have no expectation that I am available, that I have any obligation to help at that time, or that I have what the need in that moment.

Another option is to contact some of your classmates, preferably ones who know the material well and did well on the midterm, and ask if they would be willing to share their exam with you. That should be about as useful to you as having your own exam back.
Good luck!


text:
How can we persuade university in England to minimize the number of staff involved, for daughter's request to extend maximum study period?
My daughter needs to extend  maximum period of study, by reason of physical and mental MultiComorbidities. Her program manager emailed her the procedure like Nottingham University's.

Students do not submit extension requests themselves. The student shall submit their written request and all evidence to ALL these 3 staff members —  Director of Undergraduate or Postgraduate Studies (depending on the student's degree), Department Head, Deputy Head. Departments are NOT required to submit extension requests by students. If a Department decides to further the student's request, then the Department shall send the student's request internally to the university's Education Vice Chancellor, who shall be the final decision maker.

My daughter emailed the Education Vice Chancellor, who confirmed that daughter must commence the request with her department — not directly with the V.C.
We don't want 3 departmental staff members to know about her medical conditions, for 4 reasons.

Why the heck does this simple request need 3 departmental staff? Why not just 1? The best outcome is that we liaise merely with the V.C. The second best outcome is  merely 1 departmental staff and the V.C. — for a total of 2 university staff.

Whilst the procedure purports confidentiality, the reality is that people gossip. Law and reality differ. We cannot stop  staff members from breaching confidentiality information accidentally, behind our backs or closed doors. The fewer staff involved, the better for us.

Breach of confidence can be impossible and burdensome to prove. The university can argue — we have not sufficiently proved that their staff breached confidentiality. Perhaps I accidentally breached my own privacy, whilst chatting with friends who spread the information.

Disclosing medical conditions to a staff member MAY discourage that staff  from providing a reference. Obviously, instructors may not want to reference students who are out of the ordinary, and who has a chance of scoring poorly — whatever the reason, whether medical or not. Whilst discrimination is illegal, indirect discrimination is burdensome to prove. After all, instructors are NOT required to state reasons for refusing a reference. And IF they do state a reason, most instructors are clever enough not to inculpate themselves of discrimination. Rather than disclosing the real reason related to the student's medicine or disability, they can trump up anodyne reasons — e.g. they don't know the student well enough, or the student did not participate enough in class.

I fear that (based on my experience in the U.S.) it is not possible to avoid the possibility of corruption and/or inappropriate spread of information, despite laws and regulations against it. So it is futile to think of "absolute privacy". At the same time, most faculty and administration have a sense of honor, propriety, and ethics. A few do not, indeed. But/and in terms of "references", probably none of the roles you mention would be relevant for subsequent stuff anyway, so their awareness of your daughter's situation will be irrelevant.

@paulgarrett Thanks for understanding us. " probably none of the roles you mention would be relevant for subsequent stuff anyway" You are correct that the V.C. will probably not teach my daughter. But what if one of these 3 departmental staff teach my daughter in the future?

Since they have time-consuming administrative roles, the chances that they'd teach your daughter are greatly reduced. And, most faculty would "bend over backwards" to be fair and unbiased. I obviously cannot promise this in any particular situation, but, in general, I'd anticipate that students who have documented-and-not-publicized issues (especially if part of the story includes documentation of dealing with it and/or treating/moderating it), will not be treated prejudicially. But/and, yes, not only documenting the issue, but documenting the treatment of it... (rather than ignoring it...)

I would consider also that department chairs and vice-chairs are extremely busy. Even if they weren't legally required to protect this information, it's highly unlikely they would be inclined to gossip about a student (possible exception if they spend a lot of their time dealing with this student's antics, and this medical condition explains why the student acts as they do). In fact, if they don't know your daughter well, they will probably forget this information quickly. On the other hand, a big argument about this policy will likely involve more people and be more memorable.

Do you need to submit all conditions'proofs at the initial request? I don't have an answer for many points, but regarding point 4 please don't downplay humanity: I have seen good references given to people with serious conditions as well as to people with addicitons ... and those references were rightly given, although in a "(micro)market-oriented" world those people would be seen as a burden.
I am the first in criticizing the academia people, but as a student the academia is a much better place than as a workplace, I'd dare to say it is a good place, exactly because of its people.

The Director of Undergraduate Studies and Department Head both have a perfectly legitimate need to know what's going on with their students. (This of course does not mean that they need to be provided all the nitty gritty details of your daughter's medical history!) The Deputy Head then has a legitimate reason to have access to the same information as the Head. You seem to be angry about the number of people involved (3 in reality vs. 1 in your ideal imagined situation) without giving much thought to whether these people have a legitimate need to know relevant information about their students.

I just wanted to point out, complementary to @AdamPřenosil's comment (with which I agree), that there are good reasons for the pro-VC for education (or analogous role, depending on institution) NOT to directly handle requests such as the one described in your question. Namely, the sheer volume of such requests, and the need to deal with cases in programme-specific ways (e.g. the comorbidities might affect practical work, study sessions, group work, work placements, ... ). It is far more reasonable to delegate to departments rather than for the pro-VC to micromanage.

You seem to discard the idea that any potential referees already know that your daughter has health problems. If you know a student well enough to write a reference for them you often know when there is a problem even if you are never provided with any details.

If the policy is what you have quoted, then what you are asking for is for someone to grant you an exception. Realize at the outset that this puts you in a weak negotiating position.
Also, as your daughter is legally an adult, she should be the one handling this request. I mean this not as a critique of your parenting style, but as a matter of strategy: If the staff have to refuse your daughter's request "to her face" (rather than leaving you to break the bad news), they may be more likely to accommodate her.
I see a few moves available to you in this situation.
1. Just ask
You indicated that your daughter emailed the Education Vice Chancellor and was told that the policy admits no exceptions. You also mentioned that she is OK with one of the departmental staff knowing about it. I assume she knows who this person is, so start there: Have your daughter email them and see if they offer her an exemption. She could write,

Dear __,
I would like to request to extend my maximum period of study to tend to my personal health needs. How do I file this request?

Then if this departmental staff member reiterates the policy, she can respond,

My health issues are of a sensitive nature and I would prefer to minimize the number of departmental staff involved. Is it possible to route this request through your desk only?

She should avoid giving specifics about her health conditions unless absolutely necessary.
There is no guarantee that this will work, but you will not know unless you ask. In the (not unlikely) event that her request is denied, you are left with one of the following two options.
2. Comply with the policy
This is obviously not your ideal outcome, and your concerns about gossip and social stigma are not completely farfetched. However, as Paul Garrett commented, unless you have prior evidence that this departmental office is prone to gossiping about sensitive student information, you might consider giving them the benefit of the doubt:

Since they have time-consuming administrative roles, the chances that they'd teach your daughter are greatly reduced. And, most faculty would "bend over backwards" to be fair and unbiased. I obviously cannot promise this in any particular situation, but, in general, I'd anticipate that students who have documented-and-not-publicized issues (especially if part of the story includes documentation of dealing with it and/or treating/moderating it), will not be treated prejudicially. But/and, yes, not only documenting the issue, but documenting the treatment of it... (rather than ignoring it...)

If you would like some additional reassurance, your daughter could email the trusted administrator from option 1 and ask for more specifics about what measures they take to protect student confidentiality. But be polite and avoid sounding like you are accusing them of mishandling student information before the fact.
3. Seek legal counsel
For the majority of people, this is probably a prohibitively expensive move with little risk of success.
Nonetheless, if you and your daughter are of the deep conviction that this policy is unfair, and you can afford it, a lawyer (which I am not) may be able to show that this policy imposes an unfair burden on your daughter, or find past precedent for students in similar situations receiving an exemption.
(Note that "seek legal counsel" does not mean "sue the school" or "threaten to sue them." It means simply "consult with a legal professional about what to do next." A good lawyer would explore many options before filing a lawsuit.)

As an American, I use the term "lawyer" in a generic sense, but I seem to recall that in the UK, "lawyer," "barrister," and "attorney" have a more specific meaning. I would welcome an edit that uses the regionally appropriate terminology.

As a UK person, "lawyer" reads fine to me. Since you ask, though, the lawyer you approach for advice is a "solicitor". A "barrister" is a kind of lawyer who pleads cases in court. You do not normally approach a barrister directly, rather your solicitor retains and briefs one if/when needed. Solicitors can make some court appearances, but not all. "Attorney" is not a job title here (except in rare specific title such as the Attorney General), rather an attorney is anyone (lawyer or otherwise) who has standing to act on behalf of another. Usually ancountered in the phrase "power of attorney".

I would say, though, that in British English "seek legal counsel" feels very slightly off, since "counsel" is kind of formal. I think it usually refers either to your representative in a court case (which we're a long way away from here), or else to a lawyer retained by a company or a person with a lot of legal stuff going on, to represent them on an ongoing basis in their various doings. For what could easily just be a single conversation rather than a long retainer, personally I'd say "seek legal advice". If that advice is to retain counsel, then you'd seek counsel :-)

So, maybe technically any lawyer you pay to have so much as a single legal conversation is "your counsel", but even if so I think in everyday language that's not what people usually call it here. Hopefully "legal advice" is understood to mean, "the advice of a laywer acting in their professional capacity", as opposed to, "some bit of advice that some random person on the internet gave you that happens to concern the law in some way".

I am not sure that detailing medical conditions is needed. Potentially it is ok for the university to get a written statement from a doctor about her not being able to participate or execute other obligations as a student in the same intensity as planned or expected.
And BTW, i don't find your general attitude helpful for the whole matter. In personal experience Universities/Faculties/Professors are typically very understanding and helpful in making accommodations for students. I would think it would be better if you did not get involved personally in a communication with the university - that is not going to end well from that starting point of yours.

I am in the UK. I am a postgrad student, but I have experience teaching and seeing 'behind the scenes' of Uni organisation.
You have no idea how many hundreds of forms these three people will be seeing. Almost every student has one filled in at some time in their degree. The new UK student is a demanding consumer who expects all extenuating circumstances to be taken into account, and rightly so with the current cost of fees. But this means these staff members will be entirely used to reading extenuating circumstances on forms and pretty uninterested in remembering what is in the form!!
As a postgraduate student I had to fill in something I did not wish my supervisor to know about on a suspension form. The university policy for 'confidential circumstances' was to go in person and speak to the Faculty's Postgraduate Director. Read her University policies/ regulations and find what it says about how to deal with confidential reasons.


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What is the best way to approach professors in Europe about the possibility of an internship (as an unfunded, international student)?
I live in an Asian country and completed my master's in Math in June 2020. I want to do a PhD in Europe, but I have had some difficulties in finding a suitable position. I do not believe doing a PhD in my country is a good option due to racism and corruption and related issues.
I have been thinking of writing to professors in Europe whose interests align with mine to discuss the possibility of an internship. This would help me get my foot in the door, and hopefully strengthen my PhD application. However, I don't have funding.
My thought was to send an e-mail that explained my situation (including past hardships, issues in my country, etc.) and providing my CV and master's thesis.
Is this the best way to approach professors in Europe about the possibility of an internship? Is this likely to work out (assuming I am qualified, etc.)?

Related: https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/41687/what-is-behind-the-indian-undergrad-research-experience-spam

@Arno Can you please tell how exactly I use the information given in this question?

Questions here must be general enough that the answers could potentially be useful to people other than you. I have rewritten the above question to demonstrate how you can pose your question in a way that is acceptable here. Please try to write any future posts in a similarly general way -- in future, posts may simply be closed rather than edited.

@cag51 Thanks for the edit.

I expect that visa issues alone would already prevent doing an unpaid internship in Europe for you.

@Roland I will go only if the prof is giving me some remuneration.

The chance of a paid internship in academia is approximately zero.

@Roland, This does not match my experience. From what I can see in France, some wealthy institutions or groups having flexible grants (e.g., industry projects) can have money available, both for internships (in France these are cheap, e.g., 500 EUR/month and untaxed), and other pre-doctoral temporary positions like salaried internships or a temporary position as a research engineer. This is not the norm but it does exist, and I see people use it for shorter projects with prospective PhD candidates to try out how it goes before starting a PhD.

@a3nm Is there any other country in Europe where this is possible?

@a3nm If you answer this question, it will be really helpful for me.

Hi @Kalneol, I don't know the situation well enough to judge, and it depends on the field. Around me, the situation would be similar in Germany, maybe the Netherlands and Denmark, the UK, Switzerland... There isn't good generic advice here: you should look in the field and topics that you like (and if possible credible, i.e., have done some work on those topics / read papers and can show some effort), then find relevant authors in European countries, have a look at their work, and reach out. I think professors in fact don't get contacted very often by people who have done such due diligence.

Another idea: professors who are looking for students will often advertise positions or possible topics on their webpage. You can also find offers on some topic-specific mailing lists (e.g., in databases, on dbworld). Yet another idea: find online events that are free to attend (e.g., informal conferences/workshops, online talks) and try to talk to someone in online social rooms or similar.

As other answers have already pointed out: In general you don't. There is really very little formal room for such an appointment in the European system, and from the profs point of view, any resouces (money and/or time) would most likely be wasted on such an endeavour. Sorry that this is not the answer you were looking for, but this is the truth.
However, there are other options. And while I don't know the best options for math, I suspect that some amount of past experience can carry over. What you need to keep in mind is this: You are coming in with a level of competence equivalent to a Masters student (roughly). When I, and most others I think, take on Masters students, it is not because we expect a large amount of research output from them, but rather because it is a part of our teaching obligations. This means that you need another selling point, which in my case has been things like this:

Summer student programmes. I have mentored summer students from Google summer of code, and various more local summer student programmes. Here funding is provided by the programme, and any output is thus "bonus". Try to apply for some of those.

Find volounteer projects that you can work on, and thus get in contact with professional academics, and work with them. There are many math software packages around, that needs competent contributors with time on their hands. Find something that suits your interests.

Apply for those PhDs anyway. Any application you don't send, is a job you certainly will not get. Not only top students get into PhD programmes, especially if you are not extremely selective.

There is no good way to approach a professor in Europe about the possibility of such an internship because most professors in Europe do not spend their budget or don't have funding for these type of "positions". In most places in Europe, funding for research work is only available for PhD students and higher levels. If you are not yet qualified to start a PhD there are no funded positions, because on that level the norm is that students self-fund or get support from a national funding / stipend program. There are some research / teaching assistant type of jobs aiming at levels before PhD (undergraduate and master students), but to be eligible for these you typically need to be registered at the university as an undergraduate / master student already. "External" applicants cannot be considered for these.
Because in general there is no funding for these type of internships allocated by individual professors, the chance of success with this approach is extremely small; practically I would say it's zero.
A more realistic option I see in your case is to apply for a master study program or exchange program in Europe. If you have good academic qualifications it should not be too difficult to get admitted at a reasonably good university in Europe, and many have English language master programs which take a year or two. Of course you would need to self-fund, but study fees are mostly none to moderate, so you would mostly need to cover your living costs. For that you can then also take one of the student jobs I mentioned above, and a student visa should also allow you to take a side job with a limited number of hours which can offset some living cost.
Once you are in a European study program and you keep up a good academic performance there, chances to get a PhD student position will be much higher.

While there is no particular problem with asking for an internship position, you probably shouldn't use pity for your situation as a reason. Instead, focus on the positive, especially your qualifications, but including your desire to study in Europe. Even if people feel sorry for your position they still want qualified people.
I can't predict that you will be successful at this because funding is probably a limiting issue. If you have sufficient funds yourself, then an informal arrangement might be possible, allowing you to get some experience.
If you contact anyone blindly, make the initial mail very brief, without flooding the reader with information. Say what you want, indicate your experience, and say that you can provide additional information. I possible, end with a question that might induce some to respond.
But, if you can manage it, an introduction to someone elsewhere by one of your trusted professors is preferable to a blind email from yourself. If a professor asks for help for one of their good students it is harder to ignore the mail. And another person can say things about your situation that don't make it sound like pity.

Ya, I am also tensed about funding.

I have mentioned about my qualifications in detail in CV and SOP. The reason I mentioned here have been written very briefly in SOP. I don't have a funding myself.

I agree with this post and just to add to it, contacting people you haven't met previously can have a very low response rate and an even lower positive response rate, so you may need to email a lot of people (e.g., 30 from a kind of similar personal experience) in order to get a positive response.

Sadly academics receive many emails from students in similar positions to you. If you go this route (and I agree with previous comments that the response rate will be low since most will not have funding to support you), make sure to personalize your email and make sure it is appropriate for the academic you are emailling.
One particular problem with such emails is that they are often formulaic in nature and have shown very little effort on the writer's part to look into the work that is done within my group. For example, the email will lean on the student's work in the laboratory, whilst they send it to a theoretical group where such experience is less relevant. Alternatively, they will say they are highly passionate in some field e.g. "thermodynamics", but that field is incredible broad and could apply to 100 different groups. Together this tells the academic that the student is mass emailing and thus the level of interest and passion in their work is minimal. The motivation of the student is thus one about "getting out of their home country" as opposed to genuine interest in the work. An academic will likely always pick someone that is interested in the research than isn't.
A personal connection/recommendation from one of your professors would however be better received.

Also, often these emails implicitly expect the academic to do quite a bit of work. They have to (help) design a research project that fits into their other projects and they have to at least be involved with acquiring funding. The return of investment for this is very uncertain if you don't know the student at all.

To second @a3nm answer, in France if you are doing an internship longer than 2 months you will be paid. Depending on the partners, the duration of the internship, you can have more or less but in any case you will have a minimal salary. If you are at ease with French, you can read this article.
In my opinion, the best approach to do an internship (at least in France but most of other unis have a tab where they post internship/PhD offers) will be to go on the websites of the labs/institutes/unis and look for their opportunities. They usually post internship offers on them, you will have to check if you can apply and then just apply to the specific offers. There are other sites that gather internship or PhD offers such as ABG and most of the time PhD posted there are already funded.
I agree with all the other answers: emails targeting the specific offers, ask about the visas, recommendations, ...

In France, you will get ~500€/month (as a "compensation", not as a "salary"; you will be considered as a student). If you need a visa, you will have to demonstrate that you have more money in your bank account because otherwise they will consider it is not enough to live there and they won't give you the visa. Details: https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en_US/web/france-visas/student . I believe it might easier to enroll for Master program with the internship at the end of the study year.


text:
Write up on preparation for pursuing a PhD degree in your subject of interest
I am applying Ph.D. in Mathematics. In the form I found the question.

Please write about your preparation for pursuing a PhD degree in your subject of interest?

How should I write the answer? What should be the answer for this question?

If the form is a general one from the graduate school write about your background (preparation) in mathematics generally. If the form is from the math department then it needs to be more specific. If you want to study, say, algebraic geometry, then write about your courses, readings, research, etc. in that and related fields. Mention any publications, of course.
In other words, what have you done that prepares you to begin advanced study in your subject.
It might also be evaluated as a writing sample, I'd guess, so make it literate.


text:
Changing groups at second year of PhD
I am a second year PhD student in physics at a US university. I have been working with a group for one year. Recently, I have become more and more attracted by another subject. In particular, I have become more interested in investigating certain theoretical topics. The group I have been working with is concerned with a particular form of computer simulations. But, as I explained, I have become more and more interested in theory rather than this particular approach to numerical calculation.
I am wondering how to approach this situation? There are different groups at my university studying topics I am more interested in. How can I approach my supervisor and inform him that I am more interested in other topics?
Another issue is that my supervisor is a senior person, so I can only discuss physics with the post-docs in the group. I wonder if there are downsides of this.

Do the other groups of interest have openings? Don't burn any bridges until after you have crossed them...

Actually, the PI is the right person to talk to, not postdocs. The PI will have the broader view to assist you.

In my experience (in theoretical physics and mathematics) PhD supervisors are usually sympathetic towards students pursuing their own interests, even if those are different from the supervisor's. You are still very early in your PhD; it is in my opinion normal to discover that your interests lead you in a different direction than you originally thought -- so do not panic. This is normal and in my experience can often be resolved fairly painlessly.
The question is what you want to do about it:

Do you actually want to formally change supervisor? This requires careful consideration and some administrative effort. I do not know what the formal process is at your institution. Is there a graduate programme advisor that you could confidentially speak to about your options? They should be able to tell you how to identify a potential new supervisor as well.

Since you have already been admitted as a PhD student, it seems likely that a different supervisor at your university will be willing to supervise you instead. My advice would however be to not hide your intention to switch from your current supervisor (unless they have already proven themselves to be unsupportive and vindictive), and to have an honest discussion with them: If you are interested in switching supervisors, get your current supervisor on board. They can introduce or recommend you to to potential new supervisors!

There is also often the option of pursuing a different line of research without necessarily fully switching supervisors. (This could also be a first step, if you are not sure yet.)
This is definitely most easily accomplished by having an honest discussion with your current supervisor, who can offer advice on how to get into the new topic, including introducing you to potential collaborators or co-supervisors. They might even be able to help you set up a stay as a visiting student at a different institution, if that's something your interested in. Again, in my experience, many PhD supervisors are open to having such discussions and to allowing their students to pursue other areas of investigation.

In the end, whether the second approach is feasible depends on the goodwill of your advisor -- as well as on external constraints with regards to funding that they may well have -- and also on how closely related your chosen field of interest is to your current project.
I unofficially switched my PhD from theoretical physics (string theory) to pure mathematics (geometry) using the second approach. It worked out because my official supervisor was so kind as to introduce me to exactly the right people, and those people took an interest in advising and supervising me. For such a full subject change, it is probably usually better to entirely and officially change supervisor.