NYU Professor Responds to a Douche Student's Email

[LA Guy]

This confirms something we knew already - MBAs - students and professors alike, are cunty.

 

[bigboy]

This is just marsupialed. As long as the student didn't cause a ruckus and entered quietly then by all means attend the class. If the prof loses concentration as soon as a door is swung open then you really have to question how he got to the position he's in.

But all of this is irrelevant, students pay tuition that eventually finds it's way to the profs, and profs need students in their class for them to have any real relevance.

 

[pseudonym]

Hey, guys, better listen to Galloway. Or he'll **** you up (kunk complex):

 

[MsMcGillicuddy]

Out of curiosity - anyone know if the student in question attended undergraduate classes overseas? I was surprised when I went to school in the UK and found that students were told to attend many different classes during the first week or two to see which ones they thought were a good fit for them and then solidify their schedule by the third week. That meant, at least in my experience, that there were students coming and going during some lectures during the first weeks of program if courses of interest conflicted. This spanned undergrad and grad courses and it was actively promoted by lecturers and heads of departments.

Granted I attended somewhat overcrowded schools with popular programs in the states, so just getting into a class was hard I wanted was difficult, and sampling classes wasn't ever really suggested that I can recall. Perhaps it is common elsewhere?

Basically, I think it's odd that the anonymous student felt the need to e-mail the professor. I also think that the professor could have conducted himself with a bit more decorum as well.

 

[dv3]

Originally Posted by hossoso

Called out for inability to interpret nuance online.

haha, no i got your "nuance"

 

[leftover_salmon]

The student's email was generally polite and was in no way deserving of such a condescending response from a professor. That sort of pettiness is really not appropriate behavior on Galloway's part.

Also, think about what this means going forward...this seriously compromises his ability as a professor. How can any student email Galloway with any legitimate concerns knowing that email may be leaked and end up all over the internet?

 

[DNW]

**** like this happens thousands of times across the academic universe on a daily basis. It surprises me how this became so popular that it found its way into SF.

In any case, it's a non-matter and will soon be forgotten.

Back to your daily scheduled programming.

 

[fredfred]

Originally Posted by leftover_salmon

The student's email was generally polite and was in no way deserving of such a condescending response from a professor. That sort of pettiness is really not appropriate behavior on Galloway's part.



Disagree. While the tone of the email was fine... the student:

1) Did disrupt the class (yes, the prof can handle it, but...)
2) Called out the prof, claiming the prof's "policy" was wrong.
3) Had the nerve/arrogance to think he, as a student, had enough importance that he should "inform" the professor about the professor's error

The whole thing is not a big deal, so maybe it is all petty. But I see the prof taking his time to try and help the student "get his s*** together". It was a silly, but honest email to the student, trying to help him. That is appropriate behaviour that actually goes beyond what he's asked to do.

But he'll get hassled for it...

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by bigboy

...But all of this is irrelevant, students pay tuition that eventually finds it's way to the profs, and profs need students in their class for them to have any real relevance...

Yes and no. Faculty make or break it based on research and publications. So, the students who give them real relevance are their graduate students. Really, for many, if not most, faculty, teaching is considered unpleasant duty. There are exceptions (and these tend to be the engaging professors.) There is an unofficial rule at Caltech that if you get a teaching award, that you will not get tenure.

I hate the "consumer" model of higher education. It simply doesn't work.

 

[dv3]

^I think the prof is an adjunct

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by LA Guy

I hate the "consumer" model of higher education. It simply doesn't work.

Originally Posted by LA Guy

This confirms something we knew already - MBAs - students and professors alike, are cunty.

I find that profs usually think this and students usually don't. Go figure.

When I was a ****, er, MBA student, for some reason one of my endless group assignments had to do with emailing a survey to some profs. Although no question directly dealt with this, one ****...er, MBA prof, commented at length concerning "students are not 'customers.'" Seems to strike a chord in faculty.

I'm torn. I can see pros and cons to both the consumer model and the paternal model.

 

[Teacher]

The professor sounds like an ass, pure and simple. And a long-winded one at that.

Originally Posted by LA Guy

Yes and no. Faculty make or break it based on research and publications. So, the students who give them real relevance are their graduate students. Really, for many, if not most, faculty, teaching is considered unpleasant duty. There are exceptions (and these tend to be the engaging professors.) There is an unofficial rule at Caltech that if you get a teaching award, that you will not get tenure.

I hate the "consumer" model of higher education. It simply doesn't work.

Exactly -- and sadly -- correct. Scholars such as Ken Bains et al have lamented for a very long time that teaching quality has never been taken as seriously as it should by enough university types. Besides, at most universities, it doesn't take many students for a class to "make."

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Teacher

Exactly -- and sadly -- correct. Scholars such as Ken Bains et al have lamented for a very long time that teaching quality has never been taken as seriously as it should by enough university types. Besides, at most universities, it doesn't take many students for a class to "make."

I've taken classes at everything from community college to a top five grad program. I have to say, some of the best actual teachers I found, were in community colleges. People with Ph.D's from good schools, obviously intelligent and engaged. Some of my crappiest profs were at my undergrad. Seems almost like good teaching happens at either end of a Bell curve with the dross in the middle, when it comes to instituational prestige.

 

[leftover_salmon]

Originally Posted by fredfred

Disagree. While the tone of the email was fine... the student:

1) Did disrupt the class (yes, the prof can handle it, but...)
2) Called out the prof, claiming the prof's "policy" was wrong.
3) Had the nerve/arrogance to think he, as a student, had enough importance that he should "inform" the professor about the professor's error

The whole thing is not a big deal, so maybe it is all petty. But I see the prof taking his time to try and help the student "get his s*** together". It was a silly, but honest email to the student, trying to help him. That is appropriate behaviour that actually goes beyond what he's asked to do.

But he'll get hassled for it...

I don't get it, really. He came late to a class. People come late -- really late -- to class all the time and I have yet to see a professor kick anyone out for it. And I doubt this is a 15-person seminar; it's probably some 50+ person lecture.

And his policy sucks, too. If a student wants to slip in quietly or leave quietly halfway through lecture, that's his problem if he wants to miss half the class. They're all adults; no need to treat students like grade schoolers.

 

[GQgeek]

Best comment:

I actually teach at the college level, so I am getting a kick out of these replies....oh, wait, wrong website. Damn.

Anyway, yes, there are standards and mores in all societal groups. And, yes, coming in late or leaving early (or otherwise causing a disruption or mini-distraction) is something I think we can all agree is kinda rude.

That said - it's the first day of class. By the very fluid nature of the first week of most university semesters I'm familiar with, it's simply not worth the effort to worry too much about it.

One thing about academia (and it's only a hobby for me, I'm not a professor or anything), it seems to have this strange substrata of people who may have gotten into it with the goal of educating, but have, somewhere along the line, become obsessed with being an educator. They're not the same thing.

So, lighten up, professor. It's not about you. It's about them. You're there to facilitate their learning. And if you knew anything about college students, you'd know that they learn in a lot of different ways and under a lot of different conditions that might not be optimal for YOU.

Let the **** go. It's the first week of class. If you're a prick, the hot ones won't give you access to their spring break photos from Cancun on Facebook. And, really, that's worth the hassle of kids coming in late.