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 
Tiffany, I went through the same thing. Shamed or rather shammed in front of my sixth grade class by my teacher accusing me of plagiarism and gave me a failing grade on my research paper. 30 years later it still pisses me off. Can you imagine what that could have done to a kid, made me stronger — but it could’ve crushed someone else. I’m sorry you had to go through this in university where in some ways the stakes are higher. Please take this professor to the dean hence they’ll think twice before doing this foolishness again.
LikeLike
Your writing is excellent. It’s troubling that your professor doesn’t already know this. It’s also mind-boggling that a professor does not believe a student is capable of using formal transition words in academic papers, but some professors believe as much. I wasn’t accused of plagiarism – it’s outrageous that you were – but I (not a racial minority) once had to explain to a college professor that I was comfortable with academic writing. That was early on, not when I was ready to graduate.
I wish you the best!
LikeLike
*Fixing my own comment: It’s also mind-boggling that a professor believes a student is incapable of using formal transition words in academic papers, but some professors believe as much. 🙂
LikeLike
If you don’t think the professor was behaving any racist manner, watch this video.
LikeLike
*in a racist manner*
LikeLike
I understand institutionalized racism, but how can we know in this specific example that the professor did what he did because he is racist and not just a dumbass? Professor does some stupid shit to a non-minority: professor is a dumbass. Professor does some stupid shit to a minority: professor is a racist. Why do we assume that the professor is racist just because the author is a minority?
LikeLike
However the professor might feel about black/brown people is almost irrelevant. The point is that black/brown people are regularly seen as less than white people (the institutionalized racism you mentioned). As Mr. Bell points out in the video, it is very painful and demeaning when white people question a person of color’s experience with racism.
As a white guy myself, I have never been on the receiving end of racism in America. I am guessing that Ms. Martinez has been many, many times in her life. For me (or any other white person) to question her when she says it was racism is obtuse and disrespectful.
Even if the Prof is “just” a dumbass, their dumbass behavior is rooted in racism.
Does that answer your question?
LikeLike
I say you should share your professor’s name / affiliation / contact info. The internet would like to have a word with him.
Maybe a little mean to overload some old white guy with hatemail, but think of how many people he must have denigrated and diminished over the years. Bullies need to be called out, they don’t understand any other language.
For the record, I was using “hence” around 8th or 9th grade, if not sooner, and I’m not white! Shocker for your professor, I bet.
LikeLike
Reblogged.
White cis not-so-young male here. I have no memory of this, but my mother told me perhaps ten years ago that my third grade teacher once accused me of having parental help with an elephant I’d drawn, and that afterwards I lost interest in making art. (My sister, otoh, became a fine artist.) Mom didn’t say whether the accusation was made in front of the whole class or not. Still, teachers need to be aware of the damage they can do when making such accusations.
I can’t claim you were fortunate to have been on the receiving end of this. But you were fortunate that it happened when you were in a position to have done something about it. Good for you for doing so – you may be helping future students while taking care of yourself.
You don’t need my approval, but you have it.
LikeLike
Your story resonated with me strongly! As a kid I was labeled with learning disabilities though no one could determine which one since I failed some subjects but excelled at others. I loved reading and in 6th grade was excited about the book I chose for a book report so poured all my efforts into it. When I got it back, the teacher said that the language sounded to sophisticated and asked if I copied the book jacket. Obviously she hadn’t read the book jacket. It made me doubt my efforts though and as I compared my report to the book jacket, I wondered if it was even worth it to try for not only would my efforts go unnoticed but I’d be reprimanded for them. In 10th grade I was failing science. Then we started learning about rock formation and I found it fascinating. I got 💯 on the test. In front of the class, the teacher accused a few of us of cheating and looked right at me. Then she asked to see me after class. I never studied for any of her tests again since she believed me incapable of doing well. My point to all this is don’t let the teacher get you down. You’ve obviously wowed her with your genius but she has a misconception of who you are. So sad! Rather than change her beliefs about you, she has to make you wrong. Keep writing and doing what you’re doing and use it as a springboard to go as far as you could go. Sadly, the teacher diminishes her own potential as a teacher by not recognizing yours. ❤️
LikeLike
Hi Tiffany
I am a white mother of an Asian daughter brought up in Asia and she too had a similar situation.
Unfortunately, we felt we could not take it up the line because we felt the professor had all the power. We researched the university policy and felt it favored the professor. In addition the professor only a few weeks earlier had yelled at my dtr’s entire team for “not doing any work” based on input from 1 student. She didn’t ask for input from the team members she just took the 1 students word and yelled at the rest. My dtr stayed calm at the moment but later sent her copies of e-mails showing her work. The professor just got madder and we felt may have been why she later accused her of plagerism. Please try to give yourself credit for all you have accomplished and just know 1 person can not define you.
BTW I went to grad school and in 2006 had a problem with a professor and another friend had 1 as well in 2008. We are both white. Maybe it’s more the ego of these professors. I know you won’t let that happen when you are teaching.
LikeLike
The real question is were your parents illegal?
LikeLike
The real question is, are you a complete asshole?
(And that question was rhetorical.)
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Exit, Pursued by a Lark and commented:
Latina scholar gets called out for alleged plagiarism in front of class by prof. Totally unprofessional behavior (even if the charge were true) gets magnified by years of microaggression.
Not that she needs my approval – she doesn’t – but her writing ability is clear from her blog post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Un profesor de Puerto Rico que estudio en Boston nos dijo que su “roommate” americano dejaba la bombilla del cuarto prendida toda la noche y la puerta cerrada. El profesor le pregunto y le contesto que cultivava matas de marijuana. El profesor le comento al abogado y le dijo que se mudara inmediatamente, pues el era un Puertorrique~no en Boston. O sea que de enterarse la universidad o la policia no importaba lo que el dijera de no tener nada que ver, ya era considerado culpable por ser de Puerto Rico.
LikeLike
The professor who ridiculed you in front of the class like that aught to be a Hamed of themselves!
LikeLike
Ashamed***. Autocorrect fail.
LikeLike
Hey Tiffany – thank you for sharing your experience. I am also an aspiring professor, and a woman. You are 100% right that academia needs work. I am trying to work hard to make academia better. All of what you are saying makes so much sense and I hurt for you, that sounds horrible and was wrong. I hear you about the self doubt too – that is so real. such a real and painful reality. I will think of you when I need to muster strength to confront professors and departments and institutions – because we are not alone in this.
LikeLike
– “This is not your word”
– “That is not a falsifiable hypothesis”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great example of a moral injury…. thank for sharing.
LikeLike
Tiffany,
I totally can relate to what you are going through. As a first generation Hispanic American pursuing both a MD and PhD at a prestigious university, I have faced these same issues at times. Unfortunately, this is something that is too ingrained into academia. Whatever happens though, do not doubt your abilities even when you face situations where people question your abilities.
M
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m confused why your professor doesn’t employ a site like http://www.duplichecker.com/ to check for plagiarism instead of making gross and inaccurate assumptions. Possibly because humiliating people of color is easier than actually doing his or her job. Sick that this happened to you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Ms. Martinez,
You are far more educated than I, and so I don’t understand why such a ridiculous comment from a professor would throw you into a tailspin wholly dominated by race. Yes, I am a white female, and no, I have not endured the iniquities you have. With all your credentials and accolades, why would you back down and be cowed by this obvious idiot? “Hence” belongs to no one. If you were in second grade and it appeared in your book report, sure, I’d be suspicious. I would be in the office of that woman’s superior immediately to complain that one word brought accusations of plagiarism. They need to prove it, not you.
Regardless, I see no connection to this woman’s remark and your heritage. Unless she has demonstrated such racism toward you before, I don’t know how or why you made the connection. Yes, I’d be upset and angry over a plagiarism accusation too, as well you should be. But I think it’s a big leap to immediately link it to your Hispanic lineage.
Only the best ascend to your level. See it for what (I think) it is: an ignorant, ridiculous remark that should not be leveled at someone of your stature unless one has real evidence. They could easily find plagiarized sentences or passages. Asking the author to point out their “copy/paste” seems disingenuous at best and a trap for people with less wherewithal than you to give a false confession.
I hope you prevail, and quickly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
White-splaining.
The professor made an assumption about her intelligence based on SOMETHING. And since she had no knowledge of her academic successes or anything about her it’s pretty natural to assume it was based on appearance.
You have not experienced racism like she has. And your advice and tone is akin to a man telling a woman how something really is. .. when she has her own experiences.
I know it’s hard to swallow, but ingrained racism exists all over our country. It is not always INTENTIONAL, hence the need to talk about it when it unintentionally happens.
Last week I read about a black woman doctor who was trying to assist a man on a plane but the flight attendant didn’t believe she was a doctor. She knew nothing of her, wouldn’t you agree it very likely had to do with Gender and race stereotypes?
Why is it easier to believe “there must be some other explanation” than to accept the words and experience of this author?
LikeLiked by 4 people
This comment is infuriating. This is the reason the pain and destruction of racism and implicit bias continues and why people of color must keep fighting. Guess what? SHE KNOWS HER OWN EXPERIENCE. You are exhibiting the SAME prejudice she is talking about. Why is it so hard to BELIEVE a woman POURING HER HEART OUT for what she’s telling you has happened to her? You say, “I don’t understand.” Well of course you don’t that’s why you should LISTEN instead of making the CHOICE to invalidate her. This was a deliberate minimization of her humanity. I have had very similar experiences and completely relate to having to swallow the humiliation, pain and self-doubt in order to function and get along. She is not alone. People of color go through this on a daily basis, in academia and the work world. She’s not delusional, you are. But you can “afford” to be.
LikeLike
Would we assume the prof is racist if the author was a non-minority?
LikeLike
Slmaynard26. I wish you had lived at a time when it was believed that any woman could not have been believed to have written what she wrote.
LikeLike
You don’t mention what happened after you got the paper with the prof’s comment back. Did you confront him? What did he say? His assumptions and his comment indicate the man is an asshole, but based on that alone the racism charge you make against him is weak. Maybe he is a racist, but to assume it without being certain is kind of what he did when he assumed you plagiarized without actually having any evidence to support his accusation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just curious why “hence” cannot be her word. Why not? Whose word is it? Who is allowed to use that word?
LikeLike
Academy will learn from you, sooner or… too late. “Academy needs work” is one of the best lines ever. Don’t give up, you have a brilliant future ahead.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Reblogged this on midnightsnackserial.
LikeLike
Still haven’t decided which one is worse, the teacher’s comments or the blog post…
LikeLiked by 1 person
What did you find to be bad with the post?
LikeLike
Really? What is wrong with the blog post?
LikeLike
You mean some of the comments to the post…right?
LikeLike
Which state was this? Academia in California is not like this haha especially UCLA. In here white people are the minority. Cali is the most progressive state!
LikeLike
That is shocking. What does she expect you to do, provide a citation for it? I am fuming on your behalf.
LikeLike
me, too
LikeLike
Hi Tiffany,
My heart breaks for you. Many years ago, I was the only brown woman in a Political Science class. It was full of men who dominated the classroom dialogue, and who bantered about social “ideas” to the point of inanity and ridiculousness. I didn’t have any place in the dialogue. I too was accused of plagiarism, mostly because I was quiet and my (female!) professor simply didn’t believe that I could have written the paper that I did. She didn’t understand that writing was the only place where I felt I had a strong grasp on my voice. She sternly told me that she had to speak with me about my paper right before a midterm – you can imagine how nervous I was even trying to take that exam. In the end, I didn’t pursue the issue with the department because I was terrified, and her opinion of my paper demolished my confidence, even though I knew that if she had bothered to sit down to speak with me, she would have understood the breadth of knowledge I had about my paper topic.
I think that we live in imperial times, and that dehumanization as always deeply been about the violence and colonization of language: cutting people’s tongues out (figuratively and literally), splicing people from their ability to use their own languages, and policing the use of the languages of oppression. Certain academics do believe that they are in possession of The Culture, and that they get to decide who wields it and how. And make no mistake about it, taking on Academic English is a violent process for students of color, because oftentimes it comes along with erasing our own stories as we know them. Academic English does not do well with us as its subjects. It’s a visceral process, and others may not understand what this feels like. I’ve often gone back to the anti-imperial, anti-racist theorists to stay grounded (Thiong’o is brilliant around the violence of imperial languages) – but still, it’s just so damn HARD.
On the other hand, I’ve seen the shock that white academics have when students of color are able to take on the “Master’s Vocabulary” and use it in ways they’ve never been able to, in order to bust open oppression and dehumanization, to create vital modes of thinking that are often out of the grasp of white academics, but still defined by what they believe is Their language. Which is what I believe your professor is doing – projecting his own decentering onto you, because he is a shit show (MY word) of anger and rage on the inside because of what you have been able to do with a language he believes is solely in the possession of a certain group of people. I once had a grad school professor scoff at my choice of a research topic, stating that no such thing as the study of chronic traumatic stress related to multigenerational, racialized trauma existed in the world of psychology. And I wrote that damn academic paper anyway, mustered up all of THE WORDS, and in the end, she could do nothing but THANK me for it. She didn’t understand what Their language could accomplish.
This is all to say IT IS YOUR LANGUAGE, amongst all the other ways in which you might speak, and ALL of these ways of speaking are powerful. Use language as the weapon it can be, but also take care of your spirit and your heart. Speak in other tongues, in the other languages of love that you have, to give yourself a place to rest when you need to. Remind yourself of the reasons that you are doing this work, over and over again. Know that you are building a canon that would not exist without your presence there, your ability to fight through so much of the psychic abuse and the mental fatigue – you are not alone in this. You are stronger than some of use who decided we couldn’t bear it anymore. The way YOU are using this language is important for those who come after you. You are creating stars in the densest of skies, to guide others along the way.
Big Hug,
S.
P.S. And I hope you tell that professor to suck it (MY word) and I hope you pursue this with the department, because that sort of behavior is absolutely intolerable and violates all sorts of codes of ethics. There are people out here who are rooting for you, and have much-to-much empathy for your struggle!
LikeLiked by 2 people
That was awesome to read.
LikeLike
“As a minority in…”
the Only “minority” in America – in the 21st century – is one who seeks to be or who allows oneself to be so classified!
Don’t play the game.
Frankly in a purported “free” & “equal” nation the belly aching from those that refer to Americans – they wish to Other – in those terms should be the One to Qualify themselves because that’s Not (if I could underline it for you;-!)
their language or
Is it! (& just where did They acquire it!?)
In the visual vernacular of Ariana Grande in that T-Mobile commercial
“Girrrrrl, you better Go On & brush that ignart off your shoulders!”😘
If, I may be so (LOL) ‘Ethnic’ in my Skin, which by the way (wink, wink) happens to be a Lg. ” Human” organ that has No characterized, characteristics!
Perhaps it is the professor’s credentials as Academic or Human that are in question sweetie!
LikeLiked by 2 people
What kind of garbage comment is this?
Did you have a stroke halfway through your casual dismissal of this person’s experience? With zero proof to back up your rebuttal, by the way…Meanwhile, she’s posted segments of her paper that show a clear and substantiated bias towards her on the part of her professor.
That’s not “belly aching”, you knuckle-dragging shitpig. That’s systemic racism, like it or not.
Also, calling her “sweetie” at the end makes me want to punch you in the throat.
LikeLiked by 4 people
“Knuckle-dragging shitpig” is now my favorite insult ever.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That response had me rolling! Priceless! 😀
LikeLike
Tiffany is a “minority” to whom!? I believe the stroke was yours & as you aren’t Tiffany & apparently didn’t get my support of a person that needs to learn to brush the ignart ignorance of others off her shoulders because otherwise they can subjugate you with it forever, but continue to jumpy to your not so pithy conclusions and juvenile word play – as there is one Race of people “knuckle scrapping” is clearly in your violent fantasia domain!
Rebuttal ‘angry’ people can nearly speak gfor themselves & certainly should refrain from speak to, for or @ me!
Bye Felicia!
Sorry Tiff
LikeLike
Best. Reply. Ever.
LikeLike
You’re clearly ignorant and can’t comprehend or lack the intelligence to see how “ignart” your comment is… I’m with nick…you need throat punched
LikeLiked by 1 person
As my comment was “Liked” by the person it was intended for Namaste to you & violence is the refuge of the “weak minded,” so you & nick should take anger mgmnt Together & leave me the grown up F out of your viscous fantasies!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Viscous fantasies.” Yum. Perhaps something glue-related?
LikeLike
Never give up. NEVER give in, NEVER let them win. You can do this. Stand up and be proud of your heritage. Be a leader and role model for all non white people.
LikeLike
Future Dr. Martinez, save that paper. Frame it. Hang it next to you Ph.D. diploma. My heart aches reading your post. You, however, are above the circumstances that have caused you this grief. You have an army of TRIO professionals, participants and alumni behind you, supporting you, loving you, nurturing your continued academic and scholarly growth and professional success. Please keep at it. We, I, the world needs you. Stand proud. As a future professor, you will have the power to change this for future generations of low-income and first generation students. Be successful so you can help clear the path for those who follow in your footsteps.
Much love and encouragement to you.
From a 30 year TRIO professional and former low-income and first generationer
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stay strong. Be you.
LikeLike
Having two masters degree myself, I can only say that I deal with this particular type of stereotype all the time. I am a Hispanic woman working in the IT world. Hence, I understand your pain and I have plagiarized “hence” from your essay.
LikeLike
Tiffany: Many thanks for your reflections. The comment I’m going to leave will be slightly different, I suspect, than many other comments you’ve received. I’m an associate professor of English and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi. I’ve also been a McNair mentor; three years ago I mentored a young African American woman, and I’ve gone on to write her letters of recommendation as she moved into a graduate school career. For the past several years, I’ve been a member of the Chancellor’s Standing Committee on Academic Discipline here at UM. What people on my committee do, in 85% of the cases that reach us, is evaluate student appeals against charges of plagiarism. In the great majority of those cases, after carefully evaluating the evidence that the professor has provided, we affirm that plagiarism has, in fact, taken place. But every now and then we get a rotten case, and this sounds very much like one of those cases. So my first question is, Has the professor, leveled that charge in an official way? Here, at Ole Miss, professors are required to do that online. And they are required to provide compelling proof of plagiarism when they do that. In fact, the UM policy handbook on academic dishonesty spells out clear procedures that a faculty member is required to follow when leveling such a charge. You state in the beginning of your blog entry that you are attending Suffolk University (the one in Boston, I assume). I’ve just tracked down SU’s policy directive regarding academic dishonesty. Like UM’s policy, your institution’s policy has a clear set of procedures that the faculty member is required to fulfill in cases where academic honesty is suspected. (I’ll post that link at the end of this comment.) To cut to the chase: what your professor did, in raising the issue in class and subjecting you to the humiliation you’ve described, is completely and totally out of line with SU’s institutional policy. On this point alone, if this professor filed an academic misconduct charge against you at MY institution, I would vote to dismiss the case. I think, in other words, that you should do more than merely share your frustrations here. I think that you should go to the dean of students, or the dean of your college, or even perhaps the provost’s office, and file an official complaint against this professor. And I have an additional suggestion. Since you are quite clear about the fact that this paper–including the word “Hence”–is your own work, not a cut-and-paste job, I think that you should go further than that. Release your entire paper to the public, on google.docs, and challenge doubters to make a case for plagiarism. You’re clearly a brave young woman, unafraid to speak her mind. So take the next step. Share your paper with us, and with the world. Make it pointedly clear that this professor wasn’t just grossly out of line with SU’s academic discipline policy, but stone-cold wrong. Here’s the link to the policy. I wish you well. Thanks for sharing your story. http://www.suffolk.edu/studenthandbook/61096.php
LikeLiked by 4 people
I read Tiffany’s story with great concern. I have now come to detest Tiffany. I made the mistake of clicking the follow button. and for the love of God, my email is overflowing with Tiffany with no damn way to turn it off. no unsubsidized, no option out. Tiffany my dear young woman I now hate your page!
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
a:hover { color: red; } a { text-decoration: none; color: #0088cc; }
a.primaryactionlink:link, a.primaryactionlink:visited { background-color: #2585B2; color: #fff; } a.primaryactionlink:hover, a.primaryactionlink:active { background-color: #11729E !important; color: #fff !important; }
/* @media only screen and (max-device-width: 480px) { .post { min-width: 700px !important; } } */ WordPress.com
LikeLike
At the bottom of my emails from Tiffany is a link to unsubscribe. Not on yours?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! I meant to write “Like UM’s policy, your institution’s policy has a clear set of procedures that the faculty member is required to fulfill in cases where academic DIShonesty is suspected.” Sorry for the error! Even English professors sometimes forget to proofread carefully.. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for the info. It can help everyone who finds themselves in a similar situation. I’ll keep it in mind for the students I tutor, in case they find themselves up against something like this. And Hotty Toddy (Ole Miss alumna here).
LikeLike
Sadly, this is all too common. I was told by the ‘white’ female high school counselor that hispanic females are not college material. I’ve never forgotten her words and the look on her face. This type of BS never ends. Thank you for posting your experience. Stay strong my friend.
By the way, instead of listening to the school counselor… I became a lawyer.
LikeLike
Wow, so having a love of words is an entitlement only for the liberal professors? Was the word misused,no. How dare them. You go girl, keep your dictionary close by and learning and loving worthwhile words. My goodness! Good wishes for you.
LikeLike
The prof was both out of line & plain old rude. When I wrote tems papers as a student, I used all sorts of words that didn’t necessarily feel like mine (not at all saying that this is your experience!) and ‘hence’ was one of them. My spoken English is peppered with all sorts of phrases and terms that don’t jibe with written English. But isn’t that the point? We don’t necessarily use language reserved for scholarly pursuits in our everyday speech & vice-versa. That the prof did not take this point into consideration before trying to make some sort of example of you in front of your peers is outrageous.
LikeLike
Not only would that be your word. It is your world, or will be so when that self-important bastard is long gone.
LikeLike
I acknowledge your wonderful selection of words to clearly communicate your pain and frustration.
My partner and I similarly agonise over the ‘right’ word to convey nuance. Our difference to you is in living in Australia and not being from a minority.
She recently was warned to rewrite a 300 word assignment on the basis of fluffy logic of a lecturer who couldn’t understand the report generated by automatic plagiarism check software.
Similar to you, my partner has a lifetime of learning, numerous qualifications and is a senior lecturer in another institution. She was so disheartened by this, and by the weak response when she complained that she withdrew from the degree, having barely started it.
Please report this academic power abuser before he discourages and affects others similarly.
He should be made to justify his serious charge formally, apologise publically and be sent for re-education about the importance of igniting desire to learn, and sources of cultural bias and oppression.
I look forward to hearing how this is resolved. You are a remarkable woman, the world’s minorities needs more successful role models such as yourself… press on.
LikeLike
You invade the professor territory using the “slang” that make him superior …..he want to humiliate you since in some ways ” our happiness resides on seen others disgrace or unhappiness” …..is a kind of social bulling , …..the first step in bigotry and a universal one is the language ….
LikeLike
Tiffany,
Having spent over a decade in various academic pursuits, your experience is not unique. While tenure is a core tenet of academic freedoms, to prevent backlash against professors and researchers going against the normal, mainstream beliefs, it has the unfortunate side effect of protecting bigoted and biased individuals. While I would not presume to understand the thought process of this particular professor, they may or may not have had non-racial and/or gender cause to believe their accusation (prior work being far below the quality of this paper, etc.).
My experience during my pursuit of two science majors (Computer Science and Biochemistry), several incidental minors, a Masters in Biomedical Chemistry and a Medical Degree (MD) exposed me to the harsh reality that the academic community that touts questioning the standard or predominant belief systems and proposing alternative theories (with repeatable, scientific research to back up your claims) is one of the most closed minded groups of intellectuals to whom I have been exposed. This was a depressing and shocking epiphany.
During my medical training, I was doing hospotal rounds and presenting to the attending the differential diagnosis (list of potential causes for a patients illness), needed tests and most likely diagnosis. I proceeded to present a patient, along with the potential diagnosis, let’s say A, B an C diseases with B the most likely, but more tests needed to confirm. The attending proceeded to raise his voice in front of 4 of my peers and several residents, proclaiming that I was wrong, the patient has disease C. Now while I admit, I had my own ego and arrogance to contend with at the time, but I pride myself on being open to others arguments, provided they can provide appropriate evidence to support their claims. Without responding in a defensive or aggressive tome, I inquired as to where my mistake was and why/how he came to the conclusion that Disease C was what was inflicting our patient. The only response I received was “BECAUSE I’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 25 YEARS!!!!!!!” My Mentor for my undergraduate degree and research, drilled it into me that I should not accept someone’s solution based on their experience without sufficient evidence to support. Well, after a very heated verbal tennis match, we both withdrew, frustrated. I never did know his reasoning and provided several research articles to support my assertion, but this was simply another example that reinforced my beliefs that academia was not as open minded as I was taught to believe.
As this relates to your experience, I realize you are dealing with potential racial and gender biases, but I urge you to go in to academia with an open mind and heart. Remember what it felt like to be on the receiveing end and end this cycle of idiocy. Be supportive of other women, as this is another area I have seen shameful behavior, wherein women are harder on other women coming up through academia, almost as if they feel the need to make them go through the struggles they dealt with during their education. And most of all, when white men are no longer the dominant racial and gender group in academia and business, remember what you felt like to be prematurely judged because we will be at your mercy.
LikeLike
Stop being such a delicate snowflake and defend yourself! Throw the paper back in his face and tell him he can either find in on Lexis-Nexis or immediately apologize to you in front of the entire class.
Whining about it just makes the whole situation worse.
LikeLike
All the prof needs to do is Google a phrase from the paper to determine if it has been cut and pasted. No Lexis-Nexis required.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly ….is the first thing I thought .
LikeLike
Honestly, shut up. If you don’t have anything nice or encouraging to say then your voice is unnecessary. You probably don’t understand how racism is reflected in a classroom. People deal with pain through different outlets, writing being one of them.
Stop imposing your own self-reflective thoughts on other people and let people deal the way they will. We have been doing just than anyway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And you will be seen as an angry combative minority emotional woman and possibly dismissed or in ssome other way taken down… but thanks for your suggestion… there are no stupid questions… there are idiotic aanswers…
LikeLike
“Don’t share bad experiences that reflect racism and shut up! I don’t want to know about other people’s problems because I only care about what happens to me!” This is what you sound like when you say this about a very eloquent blog post talking about someone’s issues personal issues. Posting this on the internet makes nothing worse, it just reaches others and teaches more privileged individuals about experiences we do not have to deal with on a regular basis. “Throw the paper back in his face”… Do you have any sense of professionalism or respect? That childish behaviour, my friend, is what would have made things worse. Social media is about sharing experiences, so if you don’t like it I suggest you search for entertainment elsewhere.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually curious as to what the outcome of this was? Did the prof drop his claim? Did this go to the Deans? So what happened?
LikeLike
I LOVE YOU BACK! Even my paler-than-white, brilliant daughter gets disbelieved because she has had a college level vocabulary and a Mensa IQ since grade school. Then has to watch fellow students call Obama stupid and ignorant of the Constitution..when he taught it at Harvard. Or the student who couldn’t read cursive she wrote on the board and wanted to know what language it was? THIS is on the shoulders of years of education which isn’t helping some live up to potential, while cutting down those who do excel when challenged anywhere they learn. Our goal in education should NOT to make every student “average”…much less attribute ability based on physical differences. Diversity should make us stronger, and all students should be encouraged to reach higher and NEVER stop learning!
LikeLike
Remember these “professors” are the ones who claim that they are for you(individually and as a “minority group”) and yet they are your worst critics. They will, have and do attack anyone who they feel threaten them. Your abilities are just such a threat. You are capable of taking their job away from them with the quality of your work. Your work ethic is frightening to the tenured elite. You are articulate, know how to express yourself and punctuate your sentences! They cry about microaggression and safe spaces but deny you your rights to the same respect. Are you seeing the hypocrisy in academia? I am white and have seen it, felt it and even with one professor(I challenged her) experienced it. They may turn around and say “I was challenging you to do better” but not retract their comments. Can you see how academia is nothing but a front for the very elitism they say they despise?
There is no love in them that is not for themselves. Take courage and know that if you frighten them now you can best them by sticking it out. Prove the detractors wrong by succeeding.
LikeLike
Have faith in yourself. The professor is inept and does not deserve the power over your feelings that you have granted him. I hope you talk to him, and if he doesn’t accept that your work is indeed your work, then please take this issue to the department chair. People like him should not be allowed to flaunt their biases and suppress creative spirits.
LikeLike
I’m so sorry you had this happen to you. I’m not so sure it was due to your name or anything about you, however. I had this happen to me on occasion, as well, and it was simply because the teacher was surprised that I could do that well at that point in my life. The first time, I was in 6th grade and entered a poetry contest. I loved writing poetry as a hobby and my poem was rejected because it was so good they were sure it couldn’t have been written by someone my age without parental help or plagiarism. My best friend knew I wrote poetry all the time and felt very bad for me, especially since she admitted they had accepted her poem, which she wrote with her mother’s help. The second incident was a research paper. I loved vocabulary and thought the purpose of doing research was to learn wonderful new facts and language, so I used my new words, ‘flora’ and ‘fauna’ in a sentence and was accused of plagiarism.
Maybe this was ageism. Maybe your situation was racism. But maybe it was just an overwhelmed teacher making a poor judgement. I’ve been a teacher, too, and know how hard it can be to know whether to believe it is the student’s own words or not. Either way, it hurts, and I hope you’ll respectfully speak up about it to the appropriate people. And I’m glad you’ve spoken up about it publicly, so that more teachers will consider how important it is to believe in their students, and more students will consider the importance of honesty.
LikeLike
Tiffany, I applaud you. I can definitely relate to your experience; I’m the son of two Salvadoran immigrants, and will attend college as a freshman next year. And although I’m personally fortunate enough to never have been discriminated against the way you have, I can only imagine this happening to me – I’d be furious! Your professor is terrible for humiliating you in front of the class like that. You’re clearly a very intelligent person, and it’s ridiculous that we still have people with that mindset in 2016. Stay strong!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I support you!
LikeLike
Hi, I live in Boston and got both of my degrees here. Frankly, I am a LOT older than you, in fact, I recently retired. I had hoped that, in Boston higher education this type of attack was long dead. I see it is alive and well. I still remember when I brought my report card home in early grade school. I had all A grades. In the comments the teacher wrote ” He’s pretty smart for a wop”. I still remember my Dad’s face when I asked him “What’s a wop?”. I became an international negotiator, so I guess I am a smart wop! It looks like you will be facing this all your life, but, don’t ever give up. YOU are the only one who YOU have to answer to. So, give ’em hell girl. This will be something to tell folks from your seat in the Oval office.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When I went to graduate school, every single one of us had our first papers returned with the charge of plagiarism. We all had to argue our case. It was their way of weeding us out. My experience was nothing like yours, but I want you to know that you can and will come back from this horrible experience, stronger and more confident. You’ll never look back at this time as a positive experience, but it will be an important crossroad in your life.
LikeLike
That’s the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard.
LikeLike
Tiffany, as a Latina (and fellow Caribeña) academic whose own intellectual journey resonated with every beautiful, poignant, heart-breaking word you wrote, let me be clear: academia loves you back. Keep going. We need you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jenny is right! The world needs you there, girl! Believe, trust, persevere and conquer! God bless your journey, sister!
LikeLike