How should the professor respond, if the TA brings this issue to their attention? Should they privately take the offender aside and tell him not to call TAs by degrading names? Should they make an announcement to the entire class, not naming names but reminding all students that their exchanges with TAs should be mannerly? What should be the punishment for repeat offenders?
Alluded to on the Olympics thread, Shaun White had settled a harassment suit. He was really disgusting.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2018/02/13/shaun-white-gold-medal-sexual-harassment-allegations/335956002/
Doesn’t fit into NBC’s rainbows and unicorns image of all that is good about American Olympic athletes, so they don’t talk about it. Who knew NBC would cover up abhorrent behavior?
Frankly, if the comments in our local newspaper are any indication many Americans are disgusted that it would even come up again since she was with the band for 7 years apparently and her original lawsuit was for less than $10,000 for breach of contract over some back pay and then later amended her lawsuit for significantly more money to apparently add intimation over the request to cut her hair and a bunch of smutty sounding texts and videos. I applaud NBC for originally not doing anything and then apologizing for having to bring it up. Let those two and the courts work it out, but keep it out of the news…cause it’s not “news”.
He shouldn’t be held up as a role model and lionized as a sports hero.
Her suit was back when women were not being taken seriously. If it costs him some endorsements now, I am good with that.
Late to this, but that’s about when I start calling the offender “sweetie”, “honey”, “little man” and the like, repeatedly.
Not a professional response but nonetheless one I have successfully and very satisfyingly used in my social interactions.
I’m also the one who punches the groper on the subway, though.
In this case, maybe “lunkhead” instead of “sweetie”
^ when you use terms of endearment you can plead ignorance if challenged. “Oh, weren’t we using sweetheart?”
Yeah. I think the TA calling names would get the TA in trouble.
Maybe. But less likely if the deal is explicit - I’ll stop calling you lunkhead when you stop calling me sweetheart. Calling him sweetie might be giving him what he wants.
It depends on the individuals involved.
Like I said, not the response I’d necessarily choose in a professional situation. Someone has to be the adult and it’s clearly not the lunkhead. But if “sweetheart” is a term being used, I say both parties can use it. With the proper tone of voice and all >:)
And what the heck is wrong with just looking someone in the eye who calls you “hun” or “sweatheart” and say “I prefer not to be called hun or sweetheart.” End of discussion - guys use these terms as well as women. I’ve encountered it often. Usually I just blow it off unless it’s someone I will have an existing relationship either through day to day activities or work. Then I make myself known. You don’t really need a disertation to figure this one out. IF the prof uses that alot, it might be hard to break an old habit, but if it gets pointed out maybe it will help him stop and remember enough times that the habit will be broken. I would never, ever call someone a lunkhead just because they use terms of endearment…that would make me as bad and as PC ignorant (because really that is what it all is - calling someone sweetheart is not exactly an insult). as the one who used the terms of endearment.
@momofthreeboys that’s what she did!! What should she do after being repeatedly called that AFTER asking not to be?
That’s what we’re discussing here. So, not end of discussion at all.
It depends on context. In a business setting, after stating clearly that I prefer to be called Shirley, not Sweetheart, I might use “babycakes” or something similarly inappropriate if the jerk kept calling me “Sweetheart” in meetings. Just to point out to him and all that that kind of endearment does not belong in the office.
As a graduate TA for a physics class during office hours, if a guy kept calling me Sweetheart after having been told not to, I might assume he is trying to let me know he doesn’t respect a woman in physics, and is trying to make me feel insecure. Which is why I would call him Lunkhead, until we could agree to go back to Shirley and Todd.
Again, it depends on the individuals and the context, but I don’t think a TA has to put up with put downs.
I’m not sure why he would have asked her for assistance in the first place, if he came in with a mindset that she knew nothing about the subject and could be of no help. I’m leaning towards the not-uncommon combination of ego and frustration exhibited by physics students of a certain…type.
Because she is the TA, and if he wants help she’s it, like it or not. In his case, not.
But if he wants to torque off the person in charge of grading his future assignments, who am I to stop him?
I would probably let it go. So many more important battles to fight. She just needs to be careful she doesn’t retaliate…she needs to take the high road.
Meh, it’s a help center - likely he could return when there was someone else staffing the desk. If he thought she knew nothing, there would be zero point in bothering to ask. In point of fact, he went and asked the TA running the lab section.
She told me today she talked to her prof, who is going to talk to the dept head. He was acting pretty irrational, and she was afraid of him by the end of the conversation. She wanted something on the record at least in case something else happens. This time there were other students there, but it might not always be the case.
She couldn’t ding his grade, he is not actually in her section. Although that is probably a good thing.
Oh… and he had to talk to the lab TA - it was an assignment for the lab he was trying to figure out.
Smart move on your daughter’s part.