Fed-up A&M Galveston professor fails entire class
If you haven't seen it yet, today's viral story is coming out of Galveston, of all places, where A&M Galveston professor Irwin Horowitz recently decided he was just plain through with a group of students he deemed to be behaviorally and academically deficient.
And boy, did he go off.
Horowitz made the decision to fail the entire class, then took it one step further by sending a whale of an email to each student explaining why they'd be enjoying an F this fine spring (trimmed just a bit for your convenience):
Now, at this point it's relevant to note that the university will see the class through to its conclusion and will not uphold the failing grades for those who academically pass the course. Which is probably a good thing, because it's hard to believe a house of horrors such as Horowitz described could exist in one classroom.
But for one man's last stand, it sure was an entertaining read.
And boy, did he go off.
Horowitz made the decision to fail the entire class, then took it one step further by sending a whale of an email to each student explaining why they'd be enjoying an F this fine spring (trimmed just a bit for your convenience):
"I have never in my capacity as an academic ever encountered a class as completely disgraceful and disrespectful as this," Horowitz wrote. "Not even close.
"Briefly, but not a complete set of examples, since teaching this course, I have seen cheating, been told by students to 'chill out,' 'get out of my space,' 'go back and teach,' refuse to leave the room after being told to do so following inappropriate conduct, called a 'f------ moron' several times by a student to my face, had gone through numerous student hearings, had to change exams because students were using the testing center to take photos of make-up exams and share with their friends, have had students subsequently cheat by signing in for another, students not showing up but claiming they did, listened to many hurtful and untrue rumors about myself, my wife and other colleagues in MARA, been caught between fights between students and student groups, felt the need to have police protection in our class and another following it, had grades given with the most careful of analysis first attempted to be rebuked to Dr. Mileski, and when turned down, to Dr. Louchouarn.
"Many of you were very proud to flash those new Aggie rings upon reaching the graduation stage. However, Texas A&M holds students to a very high Honor Code. It is the very backbone and represents the principles that bond Aggies for a lifetime and make your degree so special. Unfortunately, I have seen no such 'honor' in my class. Just the opposite. Backstabbing, game playing, cheating, lying, fighting. In my 20 years of teaching I have never seen nor taught a class with less honor than this. This class is an embarrassment in general, and fully out of line with the Honor Code purported by Texas A&M. ...
"None of you, in my opinion, given the behavior in this class deserve to pass, or graduate to become an 'Aggie' as you do not in any way embody the honor that the University holds graduates should have within their personal character. It is thus for these reasons why I am officially walking away from this course. I am frankly and completely disgusted. You all lack the honor and maturity to live up to the standards that Texas A&M holds, and the competence and/or desire to do the quality work necessary to pass the course just on a grade level. ...
"For the above reasons I will no longer be teaching the course, and all are being awarded a failing grade. ... It is beyond my imagination that any single one of you can look back at this class and take pride in your work – it’s all about the instrumentality of receiving your degree not the intrinsic meaning of it as a real measure of esteem and accomplishment; but to that end, I refuse to play a part. This is a complete disgrace to your school, the A&M Honor Code, those honorably holding A&M degrees, to your families who supported you, and ultimately to yourselves."
"Briefly, but not a complete set of examples, since teaching this course, I have seen cheating, been told by students to 'chill out,' 'get out of my space,' 'go back and teach,' refuse to leave the room after being told to do so following inappropriate conduct, called a 'f------ moron' several times by a student to my face, had gone through numerous student hearings, had to change exams because students were using the testing center to take photos of make-up exams and share with their friends, have had students subsequently cheat by signing in for another, students not showing up but claiming they did, listened to many hurtful and untrue rumors about myself, my wife and other colleagues in MARA, been caught between fights between students and student groups, felt the need to have police protection in our class and another following it, had grades given with the most careful of analysis first attempted to be rebuked to Dr. Mileski, and when turned down, to Dr. Louchouarn.
"Many of you were very proud to flash those new Aggie rings upon reaching the graduation stage. However, Texas A&M holds students to a very high Honor Code. It is the very backbone and represents the principles that bond Aggies for a lifetime and make your degree so special. Unfortunately, I have seen no such 'honor' in my class. Just the opposite. Backstabbing, game playing, cheating, lying, fighting. In my 20 years of teaching I have never seen nor taught a class with less honor than this. This class is an embarrassment in general, and fully out of line with the Honor Code purported by Texas A&M. ...
"None of you, in my opinion, given the behavior in this class deserve to pass, or graduate to become an 'Aggie' as you do not in any way embody the honor that the University holds graduates should have within their personal character. It is thus for these reasons why I am officially walking away from this course. I am frankly and completely disgusted. You all lack the honor and maturity to live up to the standards that Texas A&M holds, and the competence and/or desire to do the quality work necessary to pass the course just on a grade level. ...
"For the above reasons I will no longer be teaching the course, and all are being awarded a failing grade. ... It is beyond my imagination that any single one of you can look back at this class and take pride in your work – it’s all about the instrumentality of receiving your degree not the intrinsic meaning of it as a real measure of esteem and accomplishment; but to that end, I refuse to play a part. This is a complete disgrace to your school, the A&M Honor Code, those honorably holding A&M degrees, to your families who supported you, and ultimately to yourselves."
Now, at this point it's relevant to note that the university will see the class through to its conclusion and will not uphold the failing grades for those who academically pass the course. Which is probably a good thing, because it's hard to believe a house of horrors such as Horowitz described could exist in one classroom.
But for one man's last stand, it sure was an entertaining read.
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