Ripon College Days

Dear Auntie,

My girl friend is taking the same English course I had two years ago. The same prof is giving the same assignments. He is notorious for his prejudice against women, so we thought we would test it. I had my girlfriend hand in the same paper I had written two years ago and got an A- on it. She handed it in and got it back with a C+. What do you think of that?

Disgruntled Senior

I think you should check to see if the comments match.

Let's give him the benefit of the doubt. Briefly. Maybe he had a fabulous batch of papers this semester and yours just didn't compare this time around. Maybe the same result would have occurred if a guy had handed in your paper, do you have any guy friends who would volunteer to test your hypothesis? It's a sticky case, and you'll probably need more proof to accuse the professor of anything more than a judgment error.

You say he's "notorious" for prejudice against women, notorious among students? Faculty? Do you have more substantial proof than one paper and student grumblings? I'm not trying to put you on the defensive, but to help you gather your evidence for your formal complaint to the dean. (Yes, complaint. You'll be visiting him before the end of the week. Set up an appointment.)

It is sometimes the case that a professor's reputation precedes him and his students put more stock in his legend than his actual teaching style. Simply put, if wave after wave of students are warned that this particular professor is sexist, student attitudes in the classroom might reinforce that notion. This may not apply to this particular case, and my aim is not to absolve the professor where prejudice is concerned, but you need to make a strong case for the professor's history of misconduct, student testimony, sexist comments, something more concrete to corroborate your story. Prove to the dean that the skewed grade this paper is the norm rather than the exception.

Does he call on men more often than women? Does he often appoint male discussion leaders in class? Does he consistently assign lower grades to women for the same quality of work? Does he make sexist or even preferential comments in class? How does he treat department assistants and female colleagues? Again, your own complaint is enough to talk to the dean, but if you really want to make an impact on the professor's behavior, you need make a case for his history of prejudice in the classroom. If not, you might end up with a mandatory rewrite for your girlfriend, a forced apology over a "misunderstanding" from the professor and bad blood between the two for the remainder of the semester. It's going to be a rocky road for your girlfriend.

Hunt around for some witnesses and approach the dean with a united front. I would also suggest that your girlfriend write her own paper to turn in before you meet with the dean, he'll appreciate that you tested your theory, but I'm sure he'll still expect to see your girlfriend's own work representing her final grade. Of course, if the dean steps in, she may leave that class with a better grade than even her boyfriend could earn for her.

For next time:

Is it ethical...

To buy books at the bookstore, use them twice in class, and then return them when your online order comes in?

To restrict the kinds of campus groups can request student activity fee money? Is this true if the majority of the campus is opposed to the group's message?

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