Texas A&M Galveston Professor Hits ‘Breaking Point,’ Fails Entire Class

[nightflight]

A Texas A&M Galveston professor says he hit a “breaking point” as he failed an entire class of students in his management course that he said required “security guards” for him to feel safe teaching.
In a scathing email sent to students in his Strategic Management class, Texas A&M Galveston professor Irwin Horwitz called his class a disgrace to the school and said “it became apparent they couldn’t do some of the most simple and basic things they should have been able to do,” KPRC-TV reports. Horwitz said a semester of backstabbing, lying, cheating and disrespect has caused him to fail everyone in the class and that he will no longer be teaching the course.

Texas A&M Galveston Professor Hits ‘Breaking Point,’ Fails Entire Class « CBS Houston

 

[keith99]

The administration is not letting the grades stand.

Hopefully he will not be teaching any classes anywhere.

 

[DaisyDay]

Sounds like someone's having a nervous breakdown (do they still call it that?).

 

[brewmama]

Too bad the admin isn't letting the grades stand. It sounds like they deserved it, but as usual thuggish behavior wins out in this day and age.

 

[Supreme]

Poor guy. Gotta laugh at some of his students claiming they didn't see it coming. Er, maybe the fact that he had to have security guards gave the game away a bit?

 

[nightflight]

Here's the email documenting the behaviors that led to the Professor's actions.

What Students Allegedly Did in Class Had the Professor Deciding to Flunk Every Single One of Them. Read the Scorching Email He Sent Out Explaining Why. | TheBlaze.com

 

[SuperCloud]

Looks like the the demographics at the Galveston campus (a small campus of almost two and half thousand students--UW-Milwaukee campus has around 30,000 students, and Milwaukee Area Technical College has around 50,000 students as a community college) are that of a mostly white, male student body.

I'm going to make a guess the particular course in discussion was that of a predominately white, male class. If it's a tough course with lots of tough math problems, and most importantly a course within a state run university system, then odds are the black, male student count is very slight if at all present.

--
--

I appreciate all the professors, teachers, and TA's I've ever had (even the TA I never saw that gave me an F on a philosophy paper I was confident I was going to get at least a B in ). But there was one female professor at community college that was quite a character in the negative sense. She was sociology professor. Competent in her knowledge of sociology I must admit but boy could this woman get going on her pet issues. Preaching we must support abortion etc. Half the class period she would spend bragging about her academic and financial accomplishments. Her expensive new SUV and so forth.

I'm lucky I switched to a different class with a different instructor. I got an A in the class with the new instructor but would have gotten an F I'm certain with that other professor because she did not like me personally. I made the mistake of disagreeing with her on some points--one about US military people (whom she viewed as rather stupid). And I let her know I was military veteran.

So, there is probably two sides to this story with this professor and the class he is failing. He could be 100% right, 50% right, 20% right or possibly 0% right. I don't know.

At community college I was in algebra class in which the female professor required the every student in the class to work out one problem on the board every class. I dreaded each class as I'm slow and poor in math. With emphasis on slow (after taking IQ tests for several days at Marquette University, I later found out I'm below average in the speed at which my brain processes information, this would explain why even when I got A's on exams I was typically the last student of of the class room). And to make matters worse there were a couple young black guys in the back of the room that would always make noises and fun of me when I was struggling at the chalk board. So, it was a bit embarrassing and nerve wracking for me. And I can see how some (but by no means most) young college students can be a bit of pains and juvenile in a class room.

But at the university level I can't imagine the behavior reported in the article is wide spread. If the claims are true I would suspect these are rare occurrences. Except for the cheating part.

 

[ChristsSoldier115]

Um... cheating eh? that is a pretty big deal in college. His thin skin isn't as important as their total disregard to learning by cheating, IMHO.

 

[grasping the after wind]

At least his grading system is fair.

 

[brinny]

Texas A&M Galveston Professor Hits ‘Breaking Point,’ Fails Entire Class « CBS Houston

Kinda' gets me to wondering...who is paying for these student's education?

Thank you kindly.

 

[SuperCloud]

Here's the email documenting the behaviors that led to the Professor's actions.

What Students Allegedly Did in Class Had the Professor Deciding to Flunk Every Single One of Them. Read the Scorching Email He Sent Out Explaining Why. | TheBlaze.com

In that email it says he has had students cheat by signing in for others.

At UW-Milwaukee it is rather common place, especially large classes held in large lecture halls, that on night of exam students are required to show their student picture ID when handing in the exam to TA's.

Students must sit an empty seat spaced between another (hence, two or three lecture halls on exam night for one class is often used) and the TA's routinely walk up and down the whole exam period looking at students, watching for cheating.

But the Galveston campus of A&M has a rather small student population, so, I can give the professor and the Galveston campus system a pass on not being more pro-active in countering cheating on exams. Although, for a strategic management course, this lack of management, managing against cheating, rings humorously ironic to me.

 

[SuperCloud]

Um... cheating eh? that is a pretty big deal in college. His thin skin isn't as important as their total disregard to learning by cheating, IMHO.

Yes, it is a big deal in college. It can get you expelled if caught. But supposedly cheating is now widespread throughout American colleges and universities.

I've never cheated myself. I got the grade I deserved on exams be it an A or F.

I've never cheated or plagiarized on a college paper either. I had an Anatomy and Physiology professor that was absolutely militant, Nazi, against plagiarism. Yes, that includes ideas and not just copied words. And for him it also included the precise way to cite a source in your paper. Eh, I think he gave me my second F on a paper in college. Once again, I submitted the paper thinking I was going to get at least a B . Boy was I wrong. Imagine my shock.

I think I've only gotten two F's on college papers in my time in college. Most of them have been A's but some where B's or C's. But I've never complained about getting an F. I've been baffled when I've gotten them but that's it. I just assumed I failed to meet expectations or failed to adequately grasp the material.

I have politely questioned an answer on an exam I've had marked incorrect by a professor or TA.

 

[SuperCloud]

Kinda' gets me to wondering...who is paying for these student's education?

Thank you kindly.

If they are taking out a Federal or private loan then they are--with interest.

Or when you get approved for a mortgage loan do you conclude that your house or condo you are buying is "free" and paid for by all the people internationally putting their money in x, y, and z banks?

That's the benefit of a college education as opposed to reciting Republican Party propaganda, you acquire the thinking skills to figure out a monetary loan (or credit card) with an interest rate attached, is not "free money."

Thank you kindly.

 

[brinny]

Originally Posted by brinny View Post
Kinda' gets me to wondering...who is paying for these student's education?

Thank you kindly.

If they are taking out a Federal or private loan then they are--with interest.

Or when you get approved for a mortgage loan do you conclude that your house or condo you are buying is "free" and paid for by all the people internationally putting their money in x, y, and z banks?

That's the benefit of a college education as opposed to reciting Republican Party propaganda, you acquire the thinking skills to figure out a monetary loan (or credit card) with an interest rate attached, is not "free money."

Thank you kindly.

Interesting, thank you for your response. What i had in mind, however, is if any of the students' parents were paying for their education.

Thank you kindly.

 

[keith99]

Here's the email documenting the behaviors that led to the Professor's actions.

What Students Allegedly Did in Class Had the Professor Deciding to Flunk Every Single One of Them. Read the Scorching Email He Sent Out Explaining Why. | TheBlaze.com

That is a list of CLAIMS. There is nothing approaching documentation or for that matter even a claim specific enough that it can be refuted.

 

[cow451]

Noting, as NHE would say, that the professor had disagreements over some issues with higher ups in the academic ladder. If there were so many problems, there would be a greater amount of support from fellow faculty as they would be experiencing the same problems.

There seems to be a rush to see this prof as a total and complete victim. I've matriculated at a few colleges and married a college grad and have one kid in grad school. Of the six colleges we have had personal experience with (public and private, large and small) nothing close to this has happened. I rate this story as requiring a fair-sized grain of salt.

 

[keith99]

Here is an interesting tidbit. If true it says volumes about the professors (lack of) character.

Asked if the decision to fail every one of the 30-plus enrollees was fair to every student, Horwitz said that “a few” students had not engaged in misbehavior, and he said that those students were also the best academic performers. Horwitz said he offered to the university that he would continue to teach just those students, but was told that wasn’t possible, so he felt he had no choice but to fail everyone and leave the course.

Texas A&M Professor Fails His Entire Class Because They Were Mean To Him - Barstool Sports

 

[NightHawkeye]

Noting, as NHE would say, that the professor had disagreements over some issues with higher ups in the academic ladder. If there were so many problems, there would be a greater amount of support from fellow faculty as they would be experiencing the same problems.

Hi, Cow.

Do I owe you rent for the space I'm occupying in your mind?

There seems to be a rush to see this prof as a total and complete victim. I've matriculated at a few colleges and married a college grad and have one kid in grad school. Of the six colleges we have had personal experience with (public and private, large and small) nothing close to this has happened. I rate this story as requiring a fair-sized grain of salt.

As I read the story, I thought back to my own college days. The dean of the college took it upon himself where I went to school to ensure that every graduate met his personal standards as everyone had to pass his senior level materials course. Not all students thought this "fair" though and as I was graduating the student council brought a grievance about it before the university. Apparently, the dean couldn't completely dismiss the complaint ... but he was able to handle it in an effective manner which taught lessons to all involved. The student council officers who complained were in a single session of his course and on the last day of class he simply offered everyone in that section of his course a "C" if they chose not to take the final exam. Alternatively, if they took the final exam, then their grade would be the grade they earned on the final. To a person everyone took the "C". No one was willing to risk taking his final.

Fortunately for me, I was in the other section of his materials course. He was good to us ... and didn't present us with that choice.

Professors have a lot of power. It's actually part of their job to dispense justice. It sounds like the professor here went off the deep end though where punishment was out of proportion to whatever perceived crime had been committed.

 

[cow451]

Hi, Cow.

Do I owe you rent for the space I'm occupying in your mind?

I don't do mental Section 8.

Fortunately for me, I was in the other section of his materials course. He was good to us ... and didn't present us with that choice.

Professors have a lot of power. It's actually part of their job to dispense justice. It sounds like the professor here went off the deep end though where punishment was out of proportion to whatever perceived crime had been committed.

He is either sick, burned out or something.

 

[Vylo]

If they were cheating you report it to the college and they get expelled. Or at least that is how my college worked. There were insanely strict on plagiarism and cheating.