My name is Tiffany Martínez. As a McNair Fellow and student scholar, I’ve presented at national conferences in San Francisco, San Diego, and Miami. I have crafted a critical reflection piece that was published in a peer-reviewed journal managed by the Pell Institute for the Study of Higher Education and Council for Opportunity in Education. I have consistently juggled at least two jobs and maintained the status of a full-time student and Dean’s list recipient since my first year at Suffolk University. I have used this past summer to supervise a teen girls empower program and craft a thirty page intensive research project funded by the federal government. As a first generation college student, first generation U.S. citizen, and aspiring professor I have confronted a number of obstacles in order to earn every accomplishment and award I have accumulated. In the face of struggle, I have persevered and continuously produced content that is of high caliber.
I name these accomplishments because I understand the vitality of credentials in a society where people like me are not set up to succeed. My last name and appearance immediately instills a set of biases before I have the chance to open my mouth. These stereotypes and generalizations forced on marginalized communities are at times debilitating and painful. As a minority in my classrooms, I continuously hear my peers and professors use language that both covertly and overtly oppresses the communities I belong to. Therefore, I do not always feel safe when I attempt to advocate for my people in these spaces. In the journey to become a successful student, I swallow the “momentary” pain from these interactions and set my emotions aside so I can function productively as a student.
Today is different. At eight o’clock this morning, I felt both disrespected and invalidated. For years I have spent ample time dissecting the internalized racism that causes me to doubt myself, my abilities, and my aspirations. As a student in an institution extremely populated with high-income white counterparts, I have felt the bitter taste of not belonging. It took until I used my cloud of doubt and my sociological training to realize that my insecurities are rooted in the systems I navigate every day. I am just as capable if not more so than those around me and my accomplishments are earned.
This morning, my professor handed me back a paper (a literature review) in front of my entire class and exclaimed “this is not your language.” On the top of the page they wrote in blue ink: “Please go back and indicate where you cut and paste.” The period was included. They assumed that the work I turned in was not my own. My professor did not ask me if it was my language, instead they immediately blamed me in front of peers. On the second page the professor circled the word “hence” and wrote in between the typed lines “This is not your word.” The word “not” was underlined. Twice. My professor assumed someone like me would never use language like that. As I stood in the front of the class while a professor challenged my intelligence I could just imagine them reading my paper in their home thinking could someone like her write something like this?
In this interaction, my undergraduate career was both challenged and critiqued. It is worth repeating how my professor assumed I could not use the word “hence,” a simple transitory word that connected two relating statements. The professor assumed I could not produce quality research. The professor read a few pages that reflected my comprehension of complex sociological theories and terms and invalidated it all. Their blue pen was the catalyst that opened an ocean of self-doubt that I worked so hard to destroy. In front of my peers, I was criticized by a person who had the academic position I aimed to acquire. I am hurting because my professor assumed that the only way I could produce content as good as this was to “cut and paste.” I am hurting because for a brief moment I believed them.
Instead of working on my English paper that is due tomorrow, I felt it crucial to reflect on the pain that I am sick of swallowing. My work is a reflection of my growth in a society that sees me as the other. For too long I have others assume I am weak, unintelligent, and incapable of my own success. Another element of this invalidation is that as I sit here with teary eyes describing the distress I am too familiar with, the professor has probably forgotten all about it. My heartache can not be universally understood and until it is, I have to continue to fight. At this moment, there are students who will never understand the desolation that follows an underlined “not.” There are students who will be assumed capable without the need to list their credentials in the beginning of a reflective piece. How many degrees do I need for someone to believe I am an academic?
At this moment, I am in the process of advocating for myself to prove the merit of my content to people who will never understand what it is like to be someone like me. Some of you won’t understand how every word that I use to describe this moment was diligently selected in a way that would properly reflect my intellect. I understand that no matter how hard I try or how well I write, these biases will continue to exist around me. I understand that my need to fight against these social norms is necessary.
In reality, I am tired and I am exhausted. On one hand, this experience solidifies my desire to keep going and earn a PhD but on the other it is a confirmation of how I always knew others saw me. I am so emotional about this paper because in the phrase “this is not your word,” I look down at a blue inked reflection of how I see myself when I am most suspicious of my own success. The grade on my paper was not a letter, but two words: “needs work.” And it’s true. I am going to graduate in May and enter a grad program that will probably not have many people who look like me. The entire field of academia is broken and erases the narratives of people like me. We all have work to do to fix the lack of diversity and understanding among marginalized communities. We all have work to do.
Academia needs work.
TIFFANY MARTÍNEZ 
There is absolutely no excuse for treating any student that way, especially not based on their heritage. Hence, that professor is a jackass.
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Sorry to say but stuff like this happens all the time in my college. Its happened to me a few times as a white female, and I do believe that it has to do with the fact that I wear my hair in bright colors [reds, blues, purples] and have tattoos,piercings,ect. Discrimination like this is not always based on ethnicity.
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Speaking as a fellow human being, I say, “screw that guy.” Speaking as a fellow former McNair scholar, I say, you are already winning because you embraced an excellent opportunity. Speaking as an attorney, I suggest you do the following: 1. you did the right thing by documenting this incident, but social media outrage is not the proper forum. Write down exactly what happened especially the exact words spoken by the d-bag 2. Identify 2 or 3 classmates who were present and would be willing to sign an affidavit attesting to the details of the public shaming to which this d-bag subjected you (don’t need to get actual affidavits yet if at all). 3. Go to the head of the department and describe how the d-bag publicly accused you of plagiarizing without a shred of proof and that it damaged your reputation in front of your peers and that you have witnesses who can confirm. The racist motivation for his statements is implicit and although it’s the likely basis for what he said, it’s tough to prove, so don’t waste your time on a civil rights case. What you have is a slam dunk defamation case. Let the department head know how the d-bag exposed the school to a lawsuit that will make them famous for all the wrong reasons. If it appears that he’s not taking you seriously, let him know about the number of “shares” the story already received and about the thousands of outraged people who are begging to know the name of the d-bag and the school that employs him. Once he is through soiling himself, the department head will give the d-bag a dressing down after which you will receive an apology. That should be the end of it and may actually change the d-bag’s heart knowing that you had the option to–very publicly–destroy his career but chose not to. It may also teach him how reasonable and intelligent adults handle situations without publicly broadcasting them as he did. Kudos, by the way, for not identifying him in your post, but be careful with with viral nature of social media that can turn this into something beyond your control. If you file a formal lawsuit, you will probably win, but he, his family and his d-bag friends will hate you and everyone who shares your ethnicity forever. Hence, hiring an attorney may not be the way to go. Winning in court doesn’t always translate to winning in life. Good luck!
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And there should be two apologies: one to you directly in private an another to you in front of the whole class.
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If your #$*% professor is hinting that you copied and pasted, he should prove it…or apologize publicly after what he did. He should have praised you for the good use of the language instead, not question your work. I’m a US citizen from Latin American origin and even though I don’t live in the US, I use English every day and that’s the language of choice to communicate with our children, hoping that it helps both them and me expand our vocabulary (which we have achieved). I identify with your feelings.
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It takes courage to confront your self-doubts. You are courageous and a fighter. Keep fighting, keep creating!
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Insist on your innocence and keep fighting. You are strong and smart, and deserve to be judged on your work, not on your heritage. A professor should use software to find the source of any work he or she believes is plagiarized, or follow up on allegations from other students of cheating. This professor seems not to have had ANY evidence and should not have accused you. You have my support.
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I am an African-American student getting my MA in Sociology right now. I understand you on such an emotional level. Academia needs some serious work, and hopefully, students like us can change our discipline and academia for the better!
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Something similar happened to my while doing my master’s and doctorate degree. The paper in question was later published, and it was with great pride that I gave a re-print of my article to to the professor that gave me a very low grade for an excellent paper. Later, I decided to leave a PhD program when I was told by the chair of the department that I “do not read, write, nor think like a graduate student” (this was said to me after my funding was taken away because another white student needed it). The saddest part is that I know more people (minorities) that had the exact same experience in the same university. Same words and same outcomes. One of these other victims was actually a Fulbright recipient (Fulbright helped her get out of there and find a “safer” university). Similar to you, I have presented at national and international conferences, have publications (including a book chapter), a very high GPA from all the colleges I have attended, and a successful career. So yes, academia needs LOTS of work! As a minority (in my case “Hispanic”) you have to visit the universities and meet the people. You need to make sure that you are in a safe environment.
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Hey, that same thing happened to me when a section of a team report that I wrote was challenged. Only my English at a time (and probably still) was not nearly as good as yours. It was my first semester as an international student. I actually took it as a compliment – he thinks this is top notch, my original thoughts. I hear you though, it’s annoying.
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I really hope you have a minority students/students of color affairs office at your school, or that you feel comfortable bringing this to the department head or your advisor, because this is so unacceptable. Your professor absolutely should face consequences.
I’ve been on another side of this—your (hopefully) appalled classmates. After completing a presentation with two other students, neither of whom spoke English as a first language (although both spoke and wrote it quite well as a second), the professor approached me after class and told me that “I may have thought I was helping” but “we have to let people do their own work” and it “was wrong of me to do the entire assignment myself.”
I told the professor we’d split it exactly equally, and they had written the parts they’d presented, but I’m still not sure she believed me. But stories like this just make me even more motivated to finish my own PhD—we need more latinas in academia, right? So if this is something you also want to do, keep going. You already know one professor you’d be a hundred times better than.
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Hi, Tiffany! I am a first-gen Latina McNair alum and current PhD student. The self-doubt struggle is very real; I absolutely relate. I am so angry for you because I know how heartbreaking it must be to have your work called into question, especially over something like a transitional word. Reach out to professors you trust and challenge this professor. I know it’s a lot of time and emotional energy, but don’t back down. YOU ARE SUPPORTED. YOU ARE RIGHT. It is YOUR language, which you’ve mastered better than most of your monolingual peers. He must be called out on his racism. Sending you so much love and abrazos!
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Reblogged this on Cody's Ideations & Inspirations.
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Did you say “why exactly do you think I would not use the word hence? Because I’m a Latina?”
Or more illustratively, “why is it you do not believe I could use the word hence? Come now, I require your reply forthwith. Do not dawdle sir (or madam). Indubitably, this means you’re a closed minded bigot! I say good day!”
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Reblogged this on You're Certain About That – Writing Blog of Steven Erickson and commented:
I saw this piece and I had to share.
U.S. society (and I have to assume this is from a U.S. student and college based on the remarks and comments) cannot evolve forward until we remove these kinds of assumptions.
This professor is a symptom of the greater disease that is affecting future generations in more direct and horrid ways. We NEED to solve them. Urgently. Period.
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Hi Tiffany. My name is Christine and I am a white American. I want you to know ‘Hence’ IS your word. They are all your words. You do not have to validate anything. We (our ancestors) were all immigrants, spoke different languages, and looked differently at some time. You belong. You are intelligent. You are an American and you are what makes America great. Your instructor is bigoted idiot and should be ashamed of herself.
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Don’t give up! Report your professor and know that you earned your place in academia.
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You are not alone. This happens to all scholars of color and you know why it happened to you. I still have to drop my Stanford Graduate education on employers & orgs who question my work because it’s “too good” as if there can be such a thing. I hate that you were put in that position but keep inspiring.
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This breaks my heart for numerous reasons, the least of which is my personal experiences with “intellectual snobs” who assume, quite incorrectly, that my lack of degree means I cannot properly use or understand $ 5.00 words. Language belongs to us all, and to use “hence” as evidence of plagiarism is arbitrary and myopic. Continue to succeed for your benefit, and leave the doubters to wallow.
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I truly hope you reported the professor, not just because what he did to you was wrong (and it absolutely was on many levels), but because he will continue to do it to other students. Maybe think of it as helping them by “paying it forward.”
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Sending love and strength. I hope you feel supported in your struggle, because it is a shared one. That blue ink pales in the light of your ferocity. Your words are yours, all of them.
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Please do not let this idiot discourage you. You are obviously an eloquent, intelligent, well spoken and highly educated woman. Never let anyone make you feel less than. While many of your classmates, may not say anything they probably admire your accomplishments and thought he was a jerk.
I could NOT imagine ever saying something like to any of the students I’ve taught in the college classroom, but I have to say while I was in college I had a few professors who didn’t think I should be there (due to the major and their attitude regarding women in general). While I am NOT by training an educator, I am a compassionate, caring human being that believes EVERYONE has a right to succeed and everyone should work towards removing the obstacles. I am a white female and have never had “white privilege”. I have EARNED every thing I have ever accomplished as well. It was not given to me and many people have definitely stood in my way over the years (mostly male). I worked as a high level executive in a male dominated employer/industry and while I was as competent as any, since I was a female many of those men thought I was in a meeting to provide admin support and coffee. Really? is he left over from the 70’s/80’s? He’s probably one of the types that I dealt with early on that made me determined to move on to get my Master’s so I could hopefully one day manage people like him. I did rise to the top and had an opportunity to manage some of those people who tried to make me feel less than. I did take the high road and never took the opportunity to take advantage of MY position like they took advantage of theirs. I am hopeful there is a special place in Hell for some of those people but that’s not my decision.
Keep moving towards your goals and never let these people interfere with you being who you are meant to be. I am sure your parents are INCREDIBLY proud of you as I’m a parent and am proud of you. As a parent I’d want to be there to let this professor know just exactly who he is dealing with, but let’s not digress.
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I am a professor who grades essays and I am horrified but not — alas — surprised by your story. Thank you for sharing it, and yes, the whole system needs work to make academia a more welcoming place.
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Reblogged this on To Write With a Broken Pencil is Pointless and commented:
I have been on the what I guess you could say is the opposite of this. As a shy quiet white girl it was always assumed I was super smart. And assumed that I would automatically help everyone with their homework, papers and tests. It was painful enough being judged like that this – I don’t even want to imagine having all my hard work invalidated simply because of how I looked or what my last name was.
This professor – someone who is supposed to be lifting their student up in the name of education – is decided to judge and smash down a student for no reason other than preconceived notions about who they believe that student to be based solely on their last name and looks. It’s despicable and I wish I could say unbelievable.
I recognize the white privilege I experience on a a daily basis – and it makes me cry that much harder for those who experience the opposite. I wish this intelligent woman all the best and hope this experience doesn’t hold her back from striving to reach her goals and aspirations.
Go Tiffany! And this professor needs a brain check, a reality check and a loss in income!
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Academia is no different than the “real” world where in both the oppressed are competing from crumbs left by the oppressor. The salient different that academia has with the “real” world is that the master-disciple relationship is the key to advancing one’s career. Find someone that can mentor you and build you up.
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Hi, Tiffany; is there a student-teacher ethics liaison at the school? Is there an academic dean you would feel comfortable reaching out to? Do you have a teacher who could accompany you or any kind of student advocate? I would not want to encourage you to get into a huge battle with an institution but if you feel discriminated against and can provide evidence of that (which this blog seems to be compelling), you might be able to involve different levels of the school in investigating what has happened and also to ask for a new consideration of respect and equal treatment at that particular institution.
If you have a Title 9 advisor at the school, this might be a person to reach out to, also, because they are supposed to be working to provide and ensure equality for all students in the insitutional setting (it’s their job). Be aware, however, that putting yourself in any position in which you stand out can have unindended consequences, such as very long redirections and seemingly unproductive and sometimes emotionally-wearing meetings. However, if you feel you have something you care about deeply and want to make it known that you feel a violation has occurred, 1) you’re probably not the only student experiencing this and 2) the institution probably knows about that and also probably doesn’t want to get pinned for this type of student experience–it’s not easy to expose but they are probably already dealing with some other complaints and will therefore push back.
I would encourage you to reach out to as many people as you can within the institution but also caution you that this type of investigation/outreach can become isolating as you may find there are less people willing to stick their necks out in the face of a very instilled, institutionalized problem such as racial bias; but, if you are willing to put yourself into a long, difficult conversation with the school you might find some sort of progress can be made. It is also important to tread carefully. BEST LUCK!!!
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Thank you for telling your story. I made the mistake of reading some comments that were masterful examples of whitesplaining (and pedantry; your use of “hence” is fine, as you don’t need me to tell you). The comments, coming from self-described academics, reinforced your point and the tough road you are on. I wish you all the best, in confidence that none of this will get the best of you, and that your future students will get the best from you.
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I’m so sorry this happened to you. I feel your struggle so strongly as I have experienced these moments myself. Sending love & light.
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That’s really sad. As a professor I like to think that I’d never do anything like that to a student, but it happens, and often for the wrong reasons. But those reasons are often different than you might think, and you should talk to the professor individually before escalating the issue.
I say that as someone who has faced similar in your face criticism several times. I was accused of plagiarism once because my style was similar to another author (in a project in which we were supposed to emulate the style of a favorite author). I was accused of using sexist language once (one generic “he” in the middle in a sixty page graduate school paper). I did not, as a white male anglo-Saxon Protestant, have any out-group defenses to fall back on. All I could do was talk to the Professor and point out their error (there was no plagiarism) and unreasonableness. In the first case the professor pushed the issue to the next level. I prevailed when they couldn’t prove the plagiarism. In the second case I simply declined to allow the professor to evaluate again (the only other course I took from them was pass/fail).
My point here is that you know your capabilities and the opinion of a single professor really doesn’t matter. You are better off if you can convert their evaluation, but in any challenge you make less is more. If the professor reevaluates you may have a recommendation for life. If they get ego involved and decide to dig a hole for themselves, let them (the professor who escalated my supposed “plagiarism” took a major hit for doing so without evidence). Just keep it simple. Tell them English is your language, that they’ve accused you of plagiarism, and that you would like them to evaluate your paper again based on the presumption that you wrote the paper yourself using your own words. You don’t need to tell them your accomplishments (it’s probably better if you don’t). If they refuse to do so, take it to the chair. If they escalate, demand evidence and make it clear that their is nothing your can supply in response to their request because you did not “cut and paste “.
Finally, and in their (very weak) defense. Professors are supposed to challenge plagiarism (which is, sadly enough, on the rise). My professors didn’t have the electronic tools that make it easier to detect plagiarism today, and you may do well to search a few phrases from your paper (longer is better) to make sure you haven’t accidentally stumbled into some duplicate language (that has happened to some seriously well known scholars). I’ve caught students plagiarizing, but I made sure I had them dead to rights before making the accusation. It doesn’t sound like that happened here, so be careful.
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This is also really good advice! Take mine on the backburner and use this person’s advice first, to work within the system with the least damage to you, academically, as possible. Take my advice when you’re not in a power position with this person, any more! People are human, and that means we’re all pretty stupid when it comes to how we wield our power over others–you never know what you might get if you tap into that powderkeg.
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Hi Tiffany. I do not know you, but I read your blog post and I just want you to know that you have my support. As a graduate student of color, I have experienced very similar things. If there is anything that can be done (such as emailing the prof) or you just want to talk about your experience and what this could look like in graduate school, please do not hesitate to contact me. I know we don’t know each other, but as a fellow academic of color, I would just like for you to know there are people who understand and will support you in your journey.
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Hi Tiffany. I teach sociology and I would like to apologize on behalf of your professor, who violated you as a person and a student. I would never accuse a student of anything unless I had proof and that proof was printed out and attached to your paper And I would never do it publicly. I would also like to apologize on behalf of all the professors in these comments who are questioning your understanding of what happened. People are (very gently) asking for context – such as to have the full comments – which will allow them to see if their perceptions agree with yours. People are also saying, “I write comments on papers and I’m not sure that’s what the professor meant and I often have students plagiarize” and it’s to try and put your experience in a context that’s not yours. You get to say what happened to you and you are clearly a reliable witness. You don’t seem like someone who is crying wolf or seeing slights that aren’t there. To me, to not trust your experience, or to try and present the position of the other side, is to again invalidate what it means to feel and be marginalized. That’s not their intention, but that doesn’t matter. Sometimes not having bad intentions is not enough.
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Wow. Fuck this professor. Let me tell you, if this happened to me I would not be having any of it. I’d confront that professor right then and there and ask him to prove to the entire class that my work was plagiarism. I would ridicule his logic to no end and make it publicly known that his accusation is both unprofessional and discriminatory. I’d take it right to the executive chair and see to it that a proper punishment is in place. It’s 2016. You can’t do shit like this anymore. You can’t say that you don’t believe someone can be a skilled writer because your impression of them says otherwise. Who the fuck is he to look at someone like you and think “Yeah, there’s no way she’s this smart. I definitely know her too well to know she’s not this smart.” No one can truly know what someone is like. Least of all a professor, whose only job is to teach and evaluate. Not to judge based on personal profiling. Shame on him.
I want you to remember this asshole’s name. I want you to keep reminding yourself that he tried to interfere with your career, so that years from now when you’ve finally made it you can rub it in his face or mention him in your biography. Write a whole chapter about him and how much he affected you. If what he did had this much of an impact on you, then you should do the same to him.
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Tiffany, I’m very sorry you had to go through that. I went through something very similar a few years ago and even though I was able to come to a resolution, I still seethe over it to this day. This article brought up a lot of those old feelings which I chronicles here: http://serviceroad.blogspot.com/2014/03/reconnect-part-vi-getting-my-first-f.html?m=1
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Of course misspelling chronicled doesn’t help my case lol
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I’m a science fiction author (five books and innumerable short fiction in print) and an indie publisher (who was profitable in his second year). I have a bachelors in electrical engineering with a minor in psychology. I’ve published a great number of technical papers. I have a work history that includes white and blue collar work over a wide range of skills.
I am of two minds about this piece. First I agree that teachers (remember the old saw that those who can’t do — teach), professors and others have built in bias. This is not uncommon in all walks of life. Is it right? Probably not. Tiffany assumes it is about her race. It could be just as easily someone who detests science fiction, or who cannot understand the technical content of a paper and thus marks it down, OR even someone that just had a bad day while grading papers.
Can we ever have a system free of bias? No. Let’s be reasonable. And before someone flames me for being a racist, let me tell you that I’m not in any way racist. I am of so many different races that I’d bite my own tale if I claimed one is “lesser”. My only single bigotry is against people who are, for want of a better word, stupid. But be that as it may, people have prejudices. As an author I understand that and deal with it on a daily basis. I can’t tell you how many rejections I’ve received where the editor just didn’t like x (fill in what you care to for the unknown).
So is it right? No. Do we have to deal with it? Yes. We need to raise awareness (exceptional job of doing that Tiffany). We need to try to mitigate it as best we can. But we also need to remember that our worth is not what someone else says.
Second, I have a minor objection to the comment “There are students who will be assumed capable without the need to list their credentials in the beginning of a reflective piece.” While I said I am of multiple races (largest single portion is Native American) I am one of the whitest people you’ve ever met. Yet I STILL must list my accomplishments to get people to take notice. I do it on almost a daily basis. I don’t find this demeaning. I find it a necessary launching point so people do know what my credentials are and how to read what follows.
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Please go away. None of this was helpful. In fact, you further injured her and those of us who have had those same experiences. And no need to say “I am one of the whitest people you will ever meet”. We gathered that rather quickly, before the end of your third paragraph. Just leave. Like dont comment. We know what people like you think already. What she needs is support and validation. My dear, you are a star. You continue working and being a great scholar and developing academician. You are so right that academia needs work and you will soon be among us to do the work. You can be there to speak like to the young men and women of color who will come behind you and encounter professors like yours. They will need you there to lift them up and encourage them. Also, you are needed so you can continue to challenge the status quo. I am proud of you for writing this, though I hate that you had to write it. I know exactly what you speak of. I wont bother to revisit all my experiences as a Black woman in Academia. I am sure your imagination can come up with several relatively accurate stories. I wish i could say that by the time you are done with your doctorate these things will no longer be an issue, but as long as i have students of color coming to my office crying because their classmate said something racist in class discussion and their White professor did not thing to address it it is likely it will still be here when you get here. I want to encourage you. You are amazing and smart and I for one cant wait to read your work!!!
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Thomas R Gondolfi, an editor privately declining to publish your work is very different from being publicly accused of plagiarism.
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Go to the Dean, go to the department head, go to every human being possible and make the sonofabitch pay. Hell, get a lawyer – The law might have something to say about this. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
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Take my energy, take my spirit, take my gratitude for each and every word that you write. Know in every cell in your body that you electrify, you are electrified, you energize, you are energized. Be unstoppable. We ALL need you, whether we know it or not. Deep thanks for speaking up, deep gratitude for your spirit.
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I am a white female and had the same thing happen in grad cool from a white female professor. As she hhaded back a unit I wrote with lessons helping students deal with divorce she said clearly I had lifted it from somewhere else and wanted to know own where I got it. I was so taken aback because I had come up with it all on my own and would never have imagined turning in someone else work as my own. To be accused because ones work is just so offensive. I think I’m Academia people start to believe they are the most gifted person in the room. As a dual language teacher…..so sorry this happened to you!!! We will all keep fighting this together!!
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What an insult! I would like to think that would not happen in a Scottish university,we aren’t so hung up on “class” here.
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I say that academia needs *your* work! I hope that you keep going, and find supportive colleagues along the way who can see and help fight the entrenched, exclusionary bias represented in blatantly wrong comments such as those made by your professor.
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¡qué lata! ¡qué rabia! ¡qué pena! me acordé de cuando era teenager, escribía cuentos en un blog y poesías en el fotolog y la gente ponía cosas como “¿de dónde lo sacaste? no lo puedes haber escrito tú” asumiendo que era robado y pegado sin citar (igual que el profesor), al principio me sentía como halagado, pero el que no te crean fue finalmente una desmotivación… ojalá que no lo sea para ti y sigas trabajando por el respeto y la inclusión con la misma fuerza que has tenido hasta ahora o más.
Un abrazo desde Chile.
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Yo no uso Hence. Pero en adelante, cada vez que la use en mis escritos, estará tu historia detras. Thanks.
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Thank you for sharing your experience, Tiffany. I saw this article from a post that my former college professor shared. It got me thinking back to my college experiences.
I was a returning/older college student pursuing a BA in English when I encountered my first insulting critique of my work from one of my English professors. That same professor offered a suggestion at the end of my paper to change my major. I was crushed, ashamed and doubted my intelligence. I was taking many English courses at the time and thought I was doomed. One of the courses was English 101. Our first assignment was to write about the Venerable Bede and a section of his works in, ‘Ecclesiastical History of the English People.’ I did my best, handed in my paper, and waited for the worse. When the professor was about to hand us back our papers, he explained that most of us in the class did poorly, except for a couple of students. He said, he would like to read one of the students opening introduction. He explained why their introduction was correct and well written. I thought, “well at least he’s encouraging and not rude.” But all along I seeing in the back of my mind the comments I received on my other paper from my other professor. As the professor began reading, I suddenly sat up! He was reading MY paper. He gave me an “A” and then gave the rest of the class an opportunity to revise their papers and hand them in as their final paper. He encouraged people, offered his help and did not make the entire class feel stupid. He was a great teacher.
Moral of this long story, yes, egotistical and prejudiced professors are out there, however you need not let one individual’s negativity shape the individual you strive to be. You will do great things, Tiffany.
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Alas, I can still make errors. It is supposed to say, “I’m seeing…” not, “I seeing…” Hence, when one is humble; one can grow.
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The professor’s discussion of your paper’s evaluation is a violation of FERPA. The unfairness of the evaluation is another situation, but the FERPA violation is grounds for a successful lawsuit, thus grounds for the school to do an immediate dismissal.
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clarification: The professor’s discussion of your paper *in front of your classmates* violates FERPA. Those classmates are witnesses who can attest to the violation of your privacy. Please report to your school’s Dean of Students (the position title may vary) while the situation can be easily investigated and handled.
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And find a lawyer, you just got your grad school paid off. This is clearly a FERPA violation, and you did suffer demonstrable emotional distress.
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Tiffany, thanks for writing this. Bias in academia goes beyond race, as i’m sure you are keenly aware. I was discriminated against as an athlete in college solely based on looks and the clothes I would wear. On multiple occasions after the first day of class I would be approached by the professor (I went to a small school) suggesting that “there is a lot of reading and writing” and “are you sure you wouldn’t want to take an easier class” without getting to know my intellectual abilities. This was frustrating, yet motivating. Thanks again.
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On what grounds is this considered plagiarism? The word hence is a connecting word used in academic contexts, exactly as you described. Anyone has the right to use this word! Your professor 1. obviously does not know what plagiarism is. From my understanding, and as a grad student on linguistics, common words like hence can and should be used freely to express one’s thoughts. If an “original” word or phrase, not previously used in any other published work is coined created or invented by an individual writer, then the source of that word or phrase must be cited within the work of subsequent authors/writers/publishers/students who may be writing about that same topic. The word hence goes back to old English and has been used so frequently in writing that it cannot be a source of plagiarism, unless used together with other words or phrases – creating a syntactically unique symantic arrangement that is considered to be an individual’s original thought. Therefore/Hence/ As a result, your teacher should be fired. And, embarrassing ou in front of the class like that is the cherry on top of the crap cake that is just absolutely uncalled or. Please, please- for the sake of humanity, go talk to a counselor, a dean, speak to as many people as you can, at your university and elsewhere, if need be!
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Hi Tiffany. You are a talented and eloquent writer. Your Professor should be graded and criticized for the insane comment. “..its not your word”….???? No one owns words, and everyone can use them. Ad nauseam. In our modern era our undereducated populous is unaware correct speech, grammar or words. It is refreshing to know that there is a contingent of well versed people educating themselves in communication skills and basic rhetoric. In conclusion I will state the simple and obvious: Well done ! rhetoric |ˈredərik|
noun
the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.
• language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content: all we have from the opposition is empty rhetoric.
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Thank you for writing this, Tiffany! Your story is important to tell. It helps me understand white privilege even more — it makes what is invisible to many people more visible. Like, this is SUCH a clear example of the subtle ways people of color experience racism and prejudice. I’ve never had my words — sophisticated as they may seem questioned to such a degree: with a racist slant to them.
So much love and support to you! I’m glad in spite of this you have accomplished so much! And you will continue to, especially because it seems you won’t put up with bizarrely-racist-professor grading habits.
(Senior undergrad) Robby
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Horrifying. Wrong. I’m so sorry he did this to you.
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I’m not usually the type to make comments like this, however it is clear that the author made an effort to keep the professor’s gender neutral in this blog. I feel as though your assumption that the professor was male is a small (and relatively harmless) example of the “work” that needs to be done towards bias in and around academia.
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Hi. I am sharing your story, it definitely hit home. But I also wanted to post because I am a minority like you, and I just finished my Ph.D. Darker and grimmer days are coming, but you will make it. Never let your spirit be broken. Half of the struggle is personal! I hope that you are resolving this situation in a way that is most fair to you.
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