Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Appropriate behavior for university professors?

Martel · 03-01-2007, 07:02 PM

To further clarify a bit (I was on the way out the door for work when I posted earlier):

The night class ends at 8:30pm.

My cell phone is my Phone. I don't have any other phone, so it is always on in case of emergency.

Last night at class the appointment issue was settled with a simple sign-up sheet.

I didn't talk to him at 10pm because I was a) offended that he would call me for something not important enough to leave a message about and b) right in the middle of something I wasn't about to stop to talk to my professor. When I answered I was expecting to tell off some obnoxious marketer or political campaigner (had to do this a lot this past election) but instead I get "Hey there, Martel... How's it going?" to which I answered with a confused "um.. hi". He then said something to the effect of "You have the sound of someone who recognizes the voice he hears but can't quite place it! This is Steve *last name* from *college name*." (note that he normally goes by DOCTOR STEVEN J. *last name*, PH.D) At this point it became clear that he wasn't trying to call me to say "OH NO YOU'RE FAILING AND NEED TO DROP" or "would you please come teach the class for me tomorrow?", but was intending to have some sort of conversation. At the time, to me, this was about equivalent to him stopping by unannounced to hang out, or something.

Most of the professors I have had are very friendly and have extended invitations to the students to call them if they need or want to talk. In such cases I have not found it odd to also fill in my phone number on the student info sheet, but it is because I am assuming that the information will not be misused, just as the professor is assuming we will not misuse his or hers. To get random calls about something unimportant while I am at work and late at night is, in my opinion, a misuse of my personal info.

Combining this with his other general weirdness such as paranoia about people stealing his class notes and students committing plagiarism (we have to sign and initial and date the university honor code on every assignment... something that's not out of place at somewhere like Washington and Lee, but is VERY out of place at my small state school.), strict control over who is a class member (having to produce evidence of prerequisites, something the school computer does automatically, and refusing to allow ANY extra students whatsoever, which is very unusual at my school), smarmy in-class demeanor including smirking at wrong answers, and absolute insistence on using every last minute of a 2.5 hour class period (also unusual at my school), the guy is just pretty unpleasant. He is not like any of the professors I have had at my school, and I guess I was considering talking to the department head just because this guy is a first-time adjunct teaching this one class and I wonder if some feedback wouldn't be appreciated.

Also, having never had any other experiences like this in my six years of university, I was wondering if everyone else would find it as strange as I did.

03-01-2007, 07:02 PM	#34 (permalink)
Martel Insane Location: Sage's bed	To further clarify a bit (I was on the way out the door for work when I posted earlier): The night class ends at 8:30pm. My cell phone is my Phone. I don't have any other phone, so it is always on in case of emergency. Last night at class the appointment issue was settled with a simple sign-up sheet. I didn't talk to him at 10pm because I was a) offended that he would call me for something not important enough to leave a message about and b) right in the middle of something I wasn't about to stop to talk to my professor. When I answered I was expecting to tell off some obnoxious marketer or political campaigner (had to do this a lot this past election) but instead I get "Hey there, Martel... How's it going?" to which I answered with a confused "um.. hi". He then said something to the effect of "You have the sound of someone who recognizes the voice he hears but can't quite place it! This is Steve last name from college name." (note that he normally goes by DOCTOR STEVEN J. last name, PH.D) At this point it became clear that he wasn't trying to call me to say "OH NO YOU'RE FAILING AND NEED TO DROP" or "would you please come teach the class for me tomorrow?", but was intending to have some sort of conversation. At the time, to me, this was about equivalent to him stopping by unannounced to hang out, or something. Most of the professors I have had are very friendly and have extended invitations to the students to call them if they need or want to talk. In such cases I have not found it odd to also fill in my phone number on the student info sheet, but it is because I am assuming that the information will not be misused, just as the professor is assuming we will not misuse his or hers. To get random calls about something unimportant while I am at work and late at night is, in my opinion, a misuse of my personal info. Combining this with his other general weirdness such as paranoia about people stealing his class notes and students committing plagiarism (we have to sign and initial and date the university honor code on every assignment... something that's not out of place at somewhere like Washington and Lee, but is VERY out of place at my small state school.), strict control over who is a class member (having to produce evidence of prerequisites, something the school computer does automatically, and refusing to allow ANY extra students whatsoever, which is very unusual at my school), smarmy in-class demeanor including smirking at wrong answers, and absolute insistence on using every last minute of a 2.5 hour class period (also unusual at my school), the guy is just pretty unpleasant. He is not like any of the professors I have had at my school, and I guess I was considering talking to the department head just because this guy is a first-time adjunct teaching this one class and I wonder if some feedback wouldn't be appreciated. Also, having never had any other experiences like this in my six years of university, I was wondering if everyone else would find it as strange as I did. __________________ Anamnesis Last edited by Martel; 03-01-2007 at 07:08 PM..