Biased teacher

<p>My suggestion was meant as a “he needs to come clean now and his fix own mess.” </p>

<p>I’m only familiar (and not personally! :o) with the single-sanction honor code and it’s my understanding that Tulane doesn’t have that standard, so maybe it would be better to address the issue rather than live under a cloud for the next 2 1/2 years that he plagiarized?</p>

<p>I’m still incredulous that this could happen. Maybe I’m just naive. Maybe I don’t think “Cs” are that big a deal and I’m surprised that a parent would intervene in such a manner.</p>

<p>I still remember the professor who graded me unfairly because we had vastly different political views. Lesson learned. The C on my transcript didn’t keep me from landing my dream job.</p>

<p>I have to disagree a bit with my friend onceburnt. I think missing the meetings is disgraceful on the part of the professor, but I cannot agree it shows bias. He may be very forgetful, disorganized, any number of things, but we cannot know. After he missed the second meeting he should have talked to the prof after class and said “I am really trying to do better, but how can I find out what you want from me? I need to go over these things in detail to see why I am not getting what you want.” Not an easy thing to do for some people with some professors, but probably what was needed. If he then got a rude, noncommittal, or otherwise insufficient response, going to the head of the department or Dean McLaren would have been appropriate. Easy to say, I know. It’s tough. But there is no other way to go, other than just accepting the C. Fortunately most profs do keep their office hours and appointments.</p>

<p>I think the political view difference was UVaHoo87’s story, not onceburnt’s story, FC. But there is probably a good story behind onceburnt’s sn!</p>

<p>This seems to be one of those situations that had no great option. Can your son simply take a W and get out of the class?? Is it too late?</p>

<p>Oh you are right. I conflated the two. Ooops. Still had time to edit it, lol.</p>

<p>Yes, it is too late to withdraw I think. If I am reading the Academic Calendar right, it was Oct. 25.</p>

<p>UVaHoo87 mentions “Single-santion” honor code. I do not know what that is. But I just did a quick check of Tulane’s web site and found this (clear) statement of their code. I paste it below, FYI:
“In all work submitted for academic credit, students are expected to represent themselves honestly. The presence of a student’s name on any work submitted in completion of an academic assignment is considered to be an assurance that the work and ideas are the result of the student’s own intellectual effort, stated in his or her own words, and produced independently, unless clear and explicit acknowledgment of the sources for the work and ideas is included (with the use of quotation marks when quoting someone else’s words). This principle applies to papers, tests,homework assignments, artistic productions, laboratory reports, computer programs, and other assignments.”</p>

<p>Single sanction refers to the consequences of an honor violation. At some schools, well, namely, my alma mater, if you violate the honor code, you get expelled if you are found guilty by a jury of your peers. I seem to recall a brief discussion during orientation about Tulane’s honor system, but it didn’t really go into detail, but I’m pretty sure there were various punitive actions that could be considered for each case. </p>

<p>I’m wondering whether it would be better for the kid to come clean and endure some type of academic probation rather than live with the fact that he turned in his sister’s paper?</p>

<p>I think I’d be worried that somehow it would come to light without him being proactive and then he’d really be in a s. sandwich.</p>

<p>Let’s just hope the students who sit on Tulane’s conduct board don’t go scouring through these posts on a witchhunt!..just kidding… MG if you’re still reading this banter back and forth - I was a comm major @ tulane and may be able to offer some insight. feel free to pm me. also, the normal department chair is out on maternity leave this semester, fyi.</p>