Professor's Email smackdown to course sampling grad student...

NYU Business School Professor Has Mastered The Art Of Email Flaming

And he does it with style...

I think his response is reasonable, especially considering the student in question is a grad student.

 

The professor is waaaay out of line and far more rude than the student was. That is not even appropriate for anonymous internet feuding. The student was not negligent and once he explained his reasoning he should have been admitted. In a lecture based class, I believe a student should only have to pass and only participate to the level required to do so, if they blow off their class it's their loss (or maybe not?). Nobody suffers if there is not group work. He should be able to make his own decisions.

Additionally I would quite like to sample my classes ahead of time. I think it was innovative. I applaud the student and suggest the professor get a job as a talk show host. He can succeed Ted Savage or some other radio ass or become today's next HL Mencken even. He does not have a job where this garbage is permissible. In another context it could be brilliant, this is not it. After all the school should be supporting the student's agenda. If the student feels this is the best way for him to get what he needs then more power to him assuming he can pass the tests and do the work. That's what it is there for.

I know TMW and I have different views on this kind of issue, but the email really seemed innocent and polite and I think that polite explanation excuses a great many perceived or even real wrongs.

 

I do understand the student's expectation of not wasting his time and money on courses that don't suit him. I do also, however, have 2 major objections to what he did.

1) He took a spot in three different classes with the expectation of dropping two. What if someone else wanted to take one the classes but couldn't due to them being filled? Such a student may have been stuck registering for another class, and not in a position to fill an empty seat once xxxx withdrew.

2) xxxx should not have questioned the professor's policy. I imagine that buisness isn't that much different than life in this respect: it doesn't matter whether you agree with your leaders, you are still under obligation to follow (unless there is some moral objection or injustice involved, which there is not in this case). I'm not condemning the student for arriving late, but he does need to learn his place and learn how to swerve around trees instead of trying to move them.

If the student was a more mature person, he would have simply apologized to the prof., learned his lesson and arrived 15 minutes early the next week.

BTW, I don't think what the professor said was THAT harsh, just very cleverly worded. It was a bit of a reality check that is massively tame compared to what a high school sports coach would say (and do) if you arrived to practice an hour late.

Back to the good stuff:
RA > NA > state approved > unaccredited

Now where's my beef jerky?

 

Not admitting someone who is that late is a perfectly reasonable policy. Moreover, the professor wasted too much time explaining the obvious to someone who probably can't comprehend it.

 

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Absolutely 100% am in the camp of the professor.

In a more "student-as-customer" focus campus (like my community college) this crap would never fly because we are all about customer focus, blah blah blah. Customer focus colleges have to bend over every day to take this kind of arrogant crap from students.

If the guy walked in an hour late and was asked to return the next day, he should have done so with the INTUITION that being an hour late can and will be offensive and disrespectful to the class and professor. Uh, Duh?

The PRESUMPTION that the student had by emailing the professor has me laughing my head off. Every class has one of "those" students, this is the annoying twerp that pulls good grades but is never called on the carpet.

THIS is what I love about industry people as professors VS academics as professors....industry people have a clue.

LOL Rock on professor!

 

I'm curious... Why do some schools push the student-as-a-customer focus? (I mean, besides the obvious of just really wanting to make money.) This never made sense to me, even at the Community College level. Now, I'm not saying that they shouldn't be customer service oriented, but why bend over backwards for mewling babies that throw a tantrum if they don't get their own way, especially when there are people out there that would kill for the chance to learn and experience schooling so that they can get ahead in their life? (Or at least attempt to do so. Obviously in the job market today and the diploma glut that's been talked about in so many of the threads on this forum create a steeper hill to climb.)

I dunno... Maybe I'm too strict in my views, but IMO the structure and rules are there for a reason. If one can't work within the 'system' (especially now that the 'system' is so broad, with not only B&M courses but DL, and blended courses,) it might behoove one to look elsewhere for something more suitable to their tastes. Let the people who want to do the work and learn and achieve do so. Those that don't? Well, they make their own bed, just don't whine when people who were willing to do the work get the prize.

Disclaimer -
I'm not advocating red-tape or anything of the like in the school system. I think there should be a lot less, to be honest, with the focus on high quality of learning instead of who can get ranked higher in popularity or who's sports team is doing better.
Nor am I advocating that the school system should be pretentious or elitist. I'm just saying that people, especially 'young adults' shouldn't be coddled and those who decide to embrace a sense of entitlement should be helped to understand in a quick, decisive way that the school (and the world) does not revolve around them.

 

I won't generalize all community colleges as "student-as-customer". I teach at a CC were we are "student focused" but coming late, especially 1 hour late, is not tolerated.
I do make minor allowance on the first day due to parking issues, but one hour, give me a break. I applaud this professor for his smack down. Also, this so called "MBA candidate" should know better. To me he sounds like an arrogant prick who got what is coming to him. This is a graduate student, so I expect better common sense from him.

All hail Smack down prof